by Deepa BHOOKHUN

I sat through a press conference held by maulana Jamil Chooramun yesterday and felt my skin tingle. With every word he was uttering ? with that little smile that didn?t leave his face all the while ? I felt that my worse nightmares were coming true. I must share with you some of maulana Chooramun?s frightening thoughts.

On Wednesday?s demonstrations, the maulana expresses his approval and says there were ?provocations.? The provocation being Glover?s court case.

On Gavin Glover, the good maulana suggests that? he moves to his house in Trou aux Biches ?where he often goes.?

On the Supreme Court, the Maulana says, ?I do not have any respect for the Supreme Court.? He further defiantly added that he was perfectly aware of being guilty of contempt of court and that he was ready to face the consequences. Consequences that will probably come when pigs start flying but that?s another debate. It?s called the authorities? cowardice.

About his former comrades in arms, Shakeel Mohamed and Assad Peeroo the maulana utters thinly veiled threats and bad mouths them for publicly dissociating themselves from Wednesday?s demonstrations.

On Parliament, the maulana assures us all of his presence on the 10th of April to ensure that necessary amendments are brought to relevant regulations. We haven?t been told how exactly the maulana will ensure this, but his smile broadened.

On the MMM, the Maulana expresses his disapproval? that a member of the political party, Ivan Collendavelloo, has dared act as the lawyer that he is and do what his profession requires him to do, i.e. represent Gavin Glover in court. ?How dare he act this way when he has been elected with Muslim votes in the past?? asks the indignant maulana.

On the MSM, the Maulana showers his approval. He is exceedingly pleased that Showkutally Soodun has secured MSM member?s votes in Parliament.

On the Prime minister, the maulana is more prudent. This however doesn?t stop him from threatening Government if ever a ?solution? is not found.

On the future, the maulana says he ?doesn?t know what could happen.? The smile that follows is pregnant with meaning. So what do you make of this? I do not know in whose name maulana Chooramun is speaking but the only thing he has managed to do by holding this press conference and by condoning Wednesday?s violent demonstrations is give a bad name to all those peace-loving and law-abiding Mauritians of Muslim faith.

But it is up to them to stop this man and make their voices louder than his.

The rest of us must close our eyes and shut our ears in the hope that all this will go away soon, that people will come back to their senses and realise that we have everything to lose and nothing to gain in tearing our motherland apart in this way. And hoping with all our might that Government will not let this beautiful country down, that those in power will uphold the Republican values that we all hold dear to our hearts.