In the wake of the judgment given by Chief Justice Bernard Sik Yuen and the Senior Puisne Judge Keshoe Parsad Matadeen, the issue of having more than two vice-prime ministers in the Republic of Mauritius has received much attention. So much so that the President of the Republic belatedly declared it a ?couyonade?, the Opposition parties are decrying it continuously and the prime minister (PM) has hurriedly proposed the Offices of Minister Bill.

The government believes that an Offices of Minister Act will legitimize the post of two additional vice-prime ministers without necessitating any constitutional amendment, which it cannot afford during this mandate. It remains to be seen whether this new Act will be challenged in court and in any such eventuality what our learned judges will decide.

But Mauritians do not fail to remark that the issue of additional vice-prime ministers has taken a communal taint. All politicians claim in their political discourse that they are guided by the spirit of ?Mauritianism? and they publicly vow to fight any communal tendencies. However, the Offices of Minister Act will further institutionalize communalism. During the past weeks, we have seen many so-called leaders, ethnic, ?casteist? as well as religious, claim that their respective communities are penalized if our two additional vice-prime ministers are destituted of their titles or a particular MP was not upgraded to a ministerial. Père Grégoire has received the admirations of practically all Mauritians irrespective of their colour, creed or political convictions. However, he did himself a great disservice by crying foul-play in the name of ethnicity when minister Sinatambou lost the musical chair contest so masterly orchestrated by the PM. Any person sworn in as minister is a minister of the Republic of Mauritius and not just a minister of such and such a community. This applies not just to our otherwise admirable Père Grégoire, but to leaders of all communities.

Moreover, when forming political alliances to contest elections, political parties will not just discuss which ethnic group or caste will hold the constitutional posts of prime minister and deputy prime minister, but in future the newly created post of vice-prime ministers will be subject to political bargain along ethnic and communal lines.

It is difficult to understand the insistence of Honourable Xavier-Luc Duval and Rama Sithanen to hang on to their vice-prime ministerial titles, if what the press has reported is true. They are senior ministers and the incontestable No. 3 and 4 of the present government. It should be realized that too much pampering with titles is tantamount to self-conceit. What should matter to any government seeking re-election is that the well-being of the citizens is being promoted. And this is best achieved through hard work, by listening to the people, understanding them and their problems, and responding to such problems with timely and appropriate measures, rather than by holding such and such titles.

It would have been a great honour if Honourable Xavier-Luc Duval and Rama Sithanen had officially asked the PM to remove their vice-prime minister titles, instead of pushing him to come forward with the Officers of Minister Act. Unfortunately, the latter Act will spearhead this nation one great leap towards communalism and its eventual use by political parties for political bartering with different ethnic groups.

<B>Navin SANDHOO</B>