By Pauline ETIENNE

The same epidemic seems to prevail each time there is a new government. We thought we were used to it. As soon as a new team gains power, it has the same pet hate ? the same scapegoat. We are given the feeling that the press has always been the main institution responsible for everything that goes wrong in the country. It is indeed easier for the successive leaders of the country to chide the press about the bad news instead of making sure better news comes along. It is easier as well to rebuke those who publish allegations about a member of the government than to put one of its peers into question and account for him publicly.

If the press has always made sure freedom of expression was respected and defended, it may not have felt so threatened for a very long time. It was well aware that politicians? lives would be much easier and cosier if the press was not around at certain times but we had thought ? maybe wrongly ? that this was part of the game and that it would never go further.

Former prime minister, Paul Bérenger, is the living example. How many times did he show a lack of confidence in the press? How many times have we seen him waving a newspaper at a press conference asserting that such or such an article was mere lies? This was certainly a lack of respect for journalists but his threats were no more than threats?

Such incidents have always forced journalists to be on their guard. It is not surprising, after all, that journalists are always the targets of politicians; as Dr Philippe Forget stated in an interview to l?express-dimanche, ?Journalists are a bit like a pivotal link between those in power and the population (...) Thus it is not surprising that it is often trapped between the two.? But political leaders should make sure they do not go beyond certain limits.

A few months after coming to power, the Social Alliance was not so different from its predecessors. It started to reproach the press for every little problem? until the famous Media Commission Bill. It was then said that the government was coming forward with a new law that would considerably restrict the freedom of the press.

Even though we do not know exactly what the government has decided concerning the setting up of such a commission and what it involves exactly, it is clear that the press has never been controlled by the government ? in any way ? and that this should never be allowed to happen. The government would be playing a dangerous game in trying to impose guidelines on the press.

In the light of the results of successive surveys, it has been proved that Mauritians trust their press. The population knows the importance of the press in a democracy and its role as watchdog can?t be questioned so long as it continues to show impartiality, accuracy and responsibility.

Professionals of the sector gathered last week to try and set up an association so that journalists may express themselves and eventually set up a regulatory framework. The message to the government is clear. The epidemic must be contained. The press is in the best position to regulate itself and needs no control from the state. So be warned!