Call it island-mentality or call it the politics of the ostrich. But, we Mauritians, from our leaders to the common man-in-the-street, do have a false sense of security. We believe that the attack on the twin towers, the bomb-blasts in India, Bali and London were occurrences concerning only these foreign lands. That such things can never happen in our cocoon-island. That we are immune to terrorist attacks.

How, otherwise, to explain the near-total lack of national security measures? It is true that, following the recent bomb-alert in the UK, we have reinforced some controls at the airport. Also true that our port is decreed a high security zone. But are these measures enough?

Mr Cunningham was telling me how, about one month ago, he paid a surprise night-check visit to the port area. How he crossed all the high security control posts unstopped, unchallenged and unchecked. How at each and every post he had found the security guard/s manning it fast asleep ? one, even, so drunk that he could scarcely stand up when awakened. Mr Cunningham?s remark: ?All the most sophisticated electronic or other devices are just useless if you have defective human resources.? We are fortunate it was only Mr Cunningham entering this high security zone and not an ill-intentioned terrorist, otherwise we could easily have our port ? and the city of Port Louis with it ? blown sky-high!

As for our closely guarded airport with its scores of newly installed surveillance cameras, I am prepared to take the challenge of entering, without any official pass or valid air-ticket, spray painting my name on the belly of an aircraft, and coming out safely. Are the airport authorities ready to take me up on this bet?

One may think that I am just trying to ridicule the security set-up laid on by the authorities. This is not my intention. What I am really trying to point out is that such infiltration in the port and airport is not only possible, but also relatively easy. And, when this is possible in what are termed as high-security zones, one can imagine how much easier it would be to enter anywhere else. Access through the numerous unguarded coves and inlets abounding around the island is just child?s play. This alarming facility was recently demonstrated by the burglars of a hotel in Flic-en-Flac. They got to the hotel from the shoreline. They had landed there from a boat coming from the open sea.

At the airport itself, the screening of incoming passengers by immigration authorities is carried out by methods which are bureaucratic, outdated and not in line with efficient combat against modern terrorism. Not to mention the corrupt or brain-washed officers sold out to the terrorist cause, who allow some persons to enter and leave our land without any control, without making any entry on their passports as proof of their arrivals and departures. More serious is the fact ? or, at least, what I am told is a fact ? that we are lagging far behind in our intelligence gathering; in what is the really important intelligence information that should be available, and how to gather it. Do we, for instance, know when and how the ticket-booking was made, when and how payment was effected ? Electronically, by the passenger in person or by an interposed agent? In cash or by credit card? How and where was the ticket picked up?

When boarding the aircraft, did the passenger have much luggage, or was he/she an attaché-case traveler? Such information, innocent in itself, if available before his/her arrival, can help build a sort of portrait-robot of the passenger ; and help to categorise him/her in the green, yellow or red alert headings. I understand that our customs authorities have elaborated a list of such pertinent questions, and have been assured collaboration from foreign authorities to feed back the information they need; but they are being refused so far the go-ahead green light.

Apparently, the commissioner of police is not at all agreeable to the idea of having customs stepping on his jealously guarded immigration control prerogative, whereas most advanced countries have entrusted immigration and trans-border in and out control to customs, and some countries, lately, to an agency comprising customs, police and coastguards.

When will our leaders and authorities awaken to the fact that no country in the world, however big or small, is immune to terrorist activities? That modern terrorism is building its infamous reputation based solely on fear ? fear born of targeting and creating havoc in any country, however innocent, and indiscriminately massacring mostly innocent people? That any minute Mauritius might be the ?example? ? and become a victim of the powers of terrorism? Heaven forbid, but do we need a Bali-like disaster on our soil to shake our leaders out of their torpor and make the authorities forget their inter-departmental petty jealousies?

<B>Jagdish Seebaruth

[email protected]</B>