When the population elected the present government over a year ago, a wave of optimism swept the country. After all, people’s lives had barely improved under the last regime. The latter launched head first into a Keynesian economic policy of state spending to accelerate growth. But all was undertaken on an ad hoc basis. Wonderful things were promised in ICT before they realised that the country needed a skilled workforce. Even more wonderful things were supposed to come from the IMF-plagiarised idea of a ‘duty-free paradise’. Instead, Mauritius has remained a paradise for the same privileged elite.

All this allowed the then opposition to prop up its own revolutionary idea of ‘democratising the economy.’ A concept straight from the public relations industry’s propaganda manual, completely devoid of substance, but catchy enough to get the electorate hooked on its whiff of hope. It was the second coming of the Messiah with his trusted angel Sithanen at his side and they would sort out the whole mess in 100 days. Anyone who was not quickly convinced was told to get lost. How dare anyone question the prodigal son?

However, the little tale has come full circle. The ‘putting people first’ bubble has burst and the government has been revealed as probably one of the worst in recent memory. No small fate on the basis of the last one. The country is heading head first into an abyss. Not only is the executive incompetent in dealing with the economic and social problems, but it is slowly but surely making matters worse. The problems that are looming might send Mauritian society on the path to disaster.

First, there is the coming privatisation of water services. If there is any lesson to be learnt from such a crazy scheme, it has to be Bolivia. And it is not a positive one. While the election of Morales was put down to his association with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and the wave of left-wing sentiment sweeping the continent, the reality is different. In fact, social problems had been brewing in Latin America, precisely because of IMF-imposed austerity programs, similar to the ‘shock therapy’ being applied to Mauritius. Privatisation of water was one of them. Within a few years, the prices had rocketed, with no improvement in the services, earning the new owners huge profits. This and similar liquidation of national assets led to popular uprising, which was met with brutal repression. It was only in this climate, with the electorate aware of the issues that concerned them, that Morales won the presidency.

In Mauritius, before outright repression and totalitarianism, as practised by the Labour/PMSD government of the seventies, there are other means to control the population. And we are seeing their deployment one after the other by the present regime. The first is a campaign of vilification of the media. Ever since the Social Alliance came to power, the attacks on the media have been relentless. The comparison of the media to prostitutes smacked of the highest demagoguery that would have made any Soviet commissar proud. While the journalists fought back, it is not exactly clear what will happen. A cloud still hovers over the head of the press. After all, the government has already brought one newspaper down by withdrawing advertisement. While political parties are often quick to criticise the press for reporting their ineptitude, this time the vitriol has even exceeded Mauritian standards.

<B>‘Divide and rule’ tactic effective</B>

The next step towards total social control is the old maxim learnt from the colonial masters: ‘divide and rule.’ As any student of Mauritian history can tell, this tactic has been pretty effective. Thus, when the prime minister attends an event organised by an outright racist ‘socio-cultural’ organisation like the Voice of Hindu, he has to come up with his own sectarian outburst to please the twisted minds of his hosts. But, far from merely playing ball and telling these sociopaths what they want to hear, the occasion is also used to stoke up sectarian tensions. This is a very precise science, well mastered by the opposition parties. It helps to add a communal tinge to every issue that creeps up in the country. This effectively divides the population, which then retreats behind sectarian lines, making popular resistance virtually impossible.

Equal daftness in opposition</B>