On 7th May, less than two months before the general elections, the then leader of the opposition calls a press conference and he announces: ?On 4th July, works in Ferney forest will stop straight away.? We were doubtful, as that was the first time Dr Ramgoolam expressed himself publicly on the matter. He insists and calls what the then government is doing a ?crime against the environment that will have disastrous consequences.? We believed him.

On 4th July, works aren?t stopped. After some dilly-dallying, the new Prime minister calls Nature Watch and tells them there has been a misunderstanding but that he will keep his word. Nature Watch has faith again and withdraws its injunction. Now the faith is shattered; Government will go ahead with works to build a new highway. Great. Lesson? Never believe electoral promises. At least we know now.

But what is happening doesn?t just concern Nature Watch; it concerns us all. Navin Ramgoolam was right on one thing. What is happening is indeed a crime against the environment and it will indeed have disastrous consequences on the ecosystem. The price that we will eventually pay for the destruction of this forest can?t be quantified. Trees are there for a reason even though humanity has constantly tried to ignore this fact. But for how long more are we going to get away with this? What will it take for us to realise the harm we are causing to ourselves?

?Only when the last fish is caught, the last tree cut down, the last river dries up will we know that money cannot be eaten,? it says on a Nature Watch postcard. Rs 300 million will then sound a trifle amount. And future generations will then ask why their stupid ancestors did not just pay the damn money to the contractors.

But hope is not lost thanks to the wisdom of those who have been fighting against the destruction of the forest. And they are prepared to go even further. Mr Ah Yan is thinking of organizing a human shield in front of the forest to protect the trees. ?Whatever has to happen will happen?, he said. In January, a group of people in Ecuador chained themselves to trees and climbed on them in a peaceful attempt to prevent bulldozers from entering the protected area. There were police attempts to evict the people but, at the end of the day, it doesn?t matter. Civil society has to take responsibility for its environment, for its country, for its lives. They also need to have the courage of their convictions.

Government has decided to go ahead with construction works? Fine. How many responsible citizens who love their country will now abdicate from their responsibility? How many will go and chain themselves to the trees in a desperate attempt to protect them? How many will have the courage of their convictions and say, like Georges Ah Yan, and quite literally so, ?over my dead body??