It is this time of year when a kind of frenzy grips members of our most «admirable» Lepep and sends them in a deep trance-like state, with some of them even frothing at the mouth, either with ecstasy, anticipation or anger. No, nothing to do with Santa coming home or our doting Prime minister doling out the goods, like hotcakes, to his most faithful and loyal subjects. Simply put, elections are around the corner. Five years have elapsed since the last time voters have been called upon to do the one thing politicians have learnt to fear: the casting of their one and only vote in a general election. If 2014 was the year of «viré mam», 2019 promises to be that of «bhai looké mam».

The MSM-ML alliance or, rather, dalliance, though of a casual nature, has stood the test of time, against all odds. Although they had lost the PMSD through an early withdrawal incident, the faithful but yet frustrated partners have sweated hard against ongoing scandals, stepping-down of ministers and members, the loss of a President, adverse reports of all kinds, and even two of their stalwarts throwing down the towel when the going got tough. They are still holding on for dear life, but only just. However, lest we forget, the powers that be rose to fame and glory by riding the wave of a quite innovative use of media and communication: the sucker punch use of hard-hitting videos inundating the Internet and various social media platforms. 

If the 2010 elections were rather won, or lost, on a battle of ideologies and personalities, be they flimsy or shallow in character, 2014 saw the emergence of the use and abuse of social media in the electoral campaign. The MSM masterminds came up with the idea of putting together the bits and pieces of a selection of trash talks that the previous political foes Ramgoolam and Bérenger happily threw at each other’s head before they were united by the mysterious hand of history. And the thing worked! The rank and file of Labour and MMM, though grudgingly accepting the alliance, never really gelled to it. It was like mixing oil with vinegar: a no-go from the start. And the Labourites and militants were caught with their pants down.

«Viré mam», the now famous video clip, and its numerous offspring, portrayed the unfathomed avenues that social media and new forms of mass communication could open for politicians and «ticket-hunting» wannabes. Five years later, one can not only imagine but clearly foresee what the upcoming electoral campaign would turn out to be. Things will get dirty, real dirty, make no mistake about it. Hitting below the belt will no longer be the exception to the rule. The dirt army behind the mainstream parties are going to get into the privacy and intimacy of political leaders and their close circle of collaborators. And the voters will be submerged with information and disinformation, fake news and propaganda, and clever the one who would be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. 

One of the main targets of the «bhai looké» teams will be Dr Navin Ramgoolam. The leader of the Labour Party is a serious contender for the job of Prime Minister in the upcoming general elections. Need it be reminded to the population, for example, that there are some mobile phones, belonging to certain persons, which are, as at now, still unaccounted for ? They are in safe hands, one may presume. But shit happens everywhere and anywhere. What if the Invisible Man had a go at those phones and had their contents downloaded, saved, edited and transformed into propaganda videos and memes, ready to be thrown at a rather gullible Lepep, who sometimes thinks with his/her underpants or knickers rather than with his/her brain? One can only hope this won’t happen. But then, some of us believe in tooth fairies, eh?

So, let’s be prepared for an onslaught of dirty and vile propaganda, from all quarters this time. It is fair to guess that those who were on the receiving end of «viré mam» in 2014 will now seek their pound of flesh from their tormentors. And the old word of advice about “people who live in glass houses should (better) not throw stones” will never be so true. Needless to say that there are plenty of ammo around to send all of them, opposition and government, into blissful «bhai looké» oblivion. Alea jacta est.