<B>By Deepa BHOOKHUN</B>

A young woman, in a final act of desperation, kills her father. She claims to have been raped on numerous occasions, raped since she was nine years of age. She also claims to have been to the police on several occasions between the years 1994 and 2001 to give statements and expose the man who claimed to be her father.

There seems to be some evidence that this woman had indeed been to the police and that, in actual fact, the authorities did nothing. If this is established, where does that leave us?

No comments.

Meanwhile we have hoards of so-called politicians trying to convince us that they care, that, if only there were given the chance, our lives would dramatically improve. Tell that to the thousands of crime victims, the thousands of victims who have to put up with the indifference of the authorities on a daily basis, the thousands of people who are alone in their misery. Tell them that and see if they don’t laugh in your face.

Yet, those hoards of politicians are fighting among themselves for the right to represent us, fighting a senseless battle to be our saviours. But what do they know about us?

As remote as ever, Pravind Jugnauth calls press conference after press conference in a pathetic attempt to remind the people of his glorious past as Chancellor of the Exchequer, losing himself in contradictions. New leader of the opposition Nando Bodha spends his time trying to convince everyone that his performance is getting better as parliamentary opposition leader. Ashock Jugnauth, for want of something better to say, shouts his unconditional support to trade unionists (as remote to the needs of those they represent as are our politicians.) Paul Berenger has converted himself into the new History professor of the millennium.

Prime minister Ramgoolam is busy playing saviour of the people, not actually too sure what exactly he needs to save and how to get there. Other members of government — save just a few — still haven’t gotten round to the idea that the electoral campaign is over and that they need to get down to serious business instead of uttering senseless slogans every time they see a microphone.

Civil servants are too busy being obsequious and bending backwards to please those in power to do any constructive work. Senior police officers are too immersed in their petty fights to be of any use. The not so senior ones simply cannot be asked to do what we pay them to do.

God, I could go on. But I won’t - what’s the point? The point is that the world is full of stories of so-called leaders who think they know what the people want and how to give it to them. History has proven on many occasions that most of those leaders are completely out of touch with the people they rule. That’s what power does to you, to anyone.

How can one know what the people are saying if one is not listening?

I’m certainly not asking our politicians to be like Gandhi (who abhorred power precisely because of what it does to people) and to go and live amongst life’s most dejected people.

No, but they could ask a few of the frighteningly many people who are emigrating to Canada the reasons why they are giving up on their motherland, they could ask them what leads to the desperation that makes one pack in a life, a career and leave at the age of 45 or 50 to go and start anew in a foreign country.

Go on, ask them. It might be the wake-up call we need.