Not too long ago, foreigners, in particular tourists and other visitors, used to marvel at the high degree of politeness and generosity of Mauritians. Nowadays, only Rodriguans deserve such admiration. Why are they so respectful unlike us, only a serious comparative study can reveal, if only for the maintenance of the sanity and the mental health of Mauritians on the mainland.

Some people issued from families who have inculcated in them sound cultural values, have maintained the highest standards of respect, while some others, whose temporary powers have gone to their heads, not having been nursed by respectful parents, place themselves on such a pedestal that everybody else is considered by them as dirt that can be trodden under feet. It is such a pity that religious leaders, on whom we would ultimately rely, seem to have abdicated their roles of shepherds for their flocks.

The loss of our values has permeated the different strata of our society. Except for a few at the top, the vast majority of our leaders, from the most modest to the very powerful, exhibit only indifference towards the people that solicit their attention. I had the priviledge of being received in his office by our present Prime Minister. Never have I met such a gentleman (careful, this is not an exercise of apple polishing for gain). When I was announced, he rose from his chair to welcome me at the door. When our business was over, he again accompanied me to the door.

Name me a second, if you can. My humble person was gratified and I am not ready to forget this lesson in politeness. Such examples do not abound. I came across such behaviour in Sweden where their Ambassador to Mauritius behaved similarly. I was on mission from my ministry and the Ambassador, to whom I owed a courtesy visit, insisted on accompanying me on my visits to various institutions. On our visit to the Chancery, someone, whom I took for a butler, was waiting for me at their doorsteps.

He conducted me up a staircase to the Ambassador’s office. On the way, he veered towards some sort of kitchenette and grabbed a platter on which I could see some cups of fuming coffee and a lot of pastry. Then entered a large office and settled squarely in the ambassador’s chair for he was the Ambassador himself. He laughed at my discomfiture as I tried to pretend that I had recognized him from the very beginning. There was no secretary or clerk to serve the coffee; He did it himself so professionally! I am sorry for this rather long description. But these are lessons in politeness which may benefit many of compatriots, in particular, senior executives.

I am now mentioning the exceptions to the rule. Before I end, let me add the late stalwart Gaëtan Duval whom I met years ago in his wooden house in Grand-Gaube and with whom I conversed in the corridor before having tea prepared by his mother on an old petrol lamp. I could not believe that such an illustrious family led such a simple life and were so courteous to a modest visitor.

Courtesy

Such respectful behaviour is not the monopoly of only people at the top but can also be found on the lower rungs of the ladder. Some drivers, even in our country, where people increasingly become rude and do not hesitate to insult and threaten other road users, exhibit the highest level of courtesy, for example, slowing down or even stopping their vehicles to allow some other driver from a secondary road to emerge onto the highway.

Or someone will help an elderly driver to reverse on a busy road out of an intricate net of parked cars. I am sure your readers can give many examples of Mauritians who still value good manners and others who are hopeless cases. The latter are adepts at jumping the queues at the counters of supermarkets, into lifts or bus stops, pretending that a parent is about to die and they are bringing him his last icecream or his newspaper or that they are in a terrible hurry and, unlike others, have no time to waste.

What many of my compatriots do not realise is that the loss of good manners, taught to us by cultured parents, will definitely take us to the brink of national disaster. Who will take the bulls by the horns and arrest this calamitous turn of events? I hesitate to mention some authorities as they have either lost their credibility or have not learnt to take initiatives within legal parameters.

My purpose in this article is not to besmear my own compatriots but to target the great numbers of “I couldn’t care less” people who do not give an iota in social encounters where the rule should be “give and take”. How many people keep guard dogs and purposely starve them so that their incessant barking prevents their neighbours from recuperating from a day’s work.

How many people exercise absolutely no control over their noisy gardeners who interfere with the peace and quiet of their retired neighbours? As one Minister said, I get so irritated that someone lent me his revolver, I should shoot in his direction so that he would take to his heels.