<B>By Pauline ETIENNE</B>

Failure to assist a person in immediate danger started to be punished by law recently ? a few months ago. Although there is no doubt that the initiative is good in itself, it is however legitimate to ask what this changes in reality. The episode of the prison officer attacked in the centre of Port-Louis proves it well: we remain indifferent to the plight of our fellow citizens.

A member of the Prison Security Squad (PSS) was attacked in Port-Louis on Wednesday afternoon. Can you just imagine how many people must have been in the streets of the capital around 2 pm on a weekday? And yet, the victim asserts that several people witnessed the assault without showing any reaction or even calling someone for help. All just stood there and watched the scene unbothered.

Mauritians are curious by nature. If we see something in the street, there is no doubt we will all run to see what?s happening. We are too often on the look out for ?gossip? in order to have a ?spicy story? to relate to our family back home. And there is no chance that we have a guilty conscience for not having helped the person concerned because it is simply not part of the Mauritian tradition. Hardly anyone will ever find a reason to tell us that we were wrong not to react.

There could be some mitigating circumstances to find excuses for that. People always say that the attackers might be armed or even more violent towards us. ?You never know?, is the phrase that may come back more often when you ask people why they do not interfere.

In cases you know the ?attacker?, the excuse is often ?it is their life after all?. If someone witnesses a violent fight in a couple, for instance, the person may not interfere because he/she considers this does not concern him/her.

Have we reached such a point where our neighbour could die without any reaction from anyone? No one is expected to act as a hero and risk one?s life for another person but a simple phone call can help save someone?s life. In the present case, if someone had simply been to see a policeman around ? just as the victim?s wife finally did when she realised what was happening ? it could have avoided him from being beaten for five long minutes.

Such irresponsible behaviour only plays the game of criminals. As they know they can do anything without anyone reacting to prevent them, they will not hesitate to commit their crimes.

We all have a civil duty and the law is there to make sure we bear this in mind. However, if nothing is done to make people abide by the law, then it is perfectly useless. People need to feel that the law is being applied to make sure they will take action if they feel they can help in someway.