And so Mauritius is not number one in Africa on heroine consumption. According to a statement of the Prime minister made on Tuesday, the report that the leader of the opposition tabled at Parliament last week was misleading. Only two pages were quoted when the actual report contained some 282 pages. The report (2001) was compiled from information made available to the United Nations International Drugs Control (UNIDC) and dates way back to 1995 ? when, by the way, Ramgoolam was prime minister. But according to the preface of the document, the data collected may not be too reliable.

And so we are safe. In actual fact we are not the number one consumer of heroine on the African continent. Great.Everybody may now go back to their daily chores, their minds at rest. Or at least that?s what we gathered from Bérenger?s statement and MPs reaction to it- ?Relax. We?re in the clear.?

If we think this, our thinking may be slightly clouded. Does it matter what the UNIDC writes about Mauritius? We know what the truth is and this should be enough. What is this truth? That an incredibly huge number of people in this country are drug users. That most of them cannot afford to satisfy their daily urges and thus indulge in illicit activities so as to be able to afford the mounting prices of drugs. That there has never been a shortage of heroine on the market because somewhere, somehow, there?s a couple of people making sure that there remains a market for drugs- and supplying that market. Because it is all about money. Big money.

Politicians are all too aware of this fact. As well as who those people are. So maybe they should cut the crap and stop feeding us with the lie that we are actually paying the price of our success when reports say there may be a shortage of drugs on the market- artificial or otherwise.

We have failed to control, let alone eradicate, drug trafficking. We have failed in our vague attempts to provide rehabilitation to abusers. And it?s just a vicious cycle, isn?t it? Addicted people get frustrated because they cannot get hold of their drugs and get aggressive and the rest of society suffers. It causes social unrest and degradation and the problem remains unsolved. Catch 22.

We are paying the same price with our so-called rehabilitation attempts in the prisons. Just because incidents don?t make headlines do not mean they don?t happen. As long as we will be applying piece meal solutions to our problems, the evils of society will never be eradicated.

So is it just a lack of will, a lack of vision on the part of our rulers? Or is it just about the biggest evil of last century? money? Drug trafficking profits only a minority of people. Those who sell. The abusers are the real victims. But since when did people without money matter?

Speaking to a social worker the other day, I was astounded when he said to me that as far as he knew, the only time there was a drop in the consumption of heroine was in 1986. Because then, there was a real will of the government to get rid of the problem. Speaks for itself, doesn?t it?