As a Mauritian expatriate interested in the affairs of my motherland, I am deeply surprised and indeed affected by the recent event at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute.

A very serious error has been committed from what I have read in the press in the case of the director of the MGI. Bad timing with all the changes that the University of Mauritius is planning under Prof. I. Fagoonee.

Navin Ramgoolam, as prime minister, and his minister of Education must quickly repair this damage by apologizing publicly for this outrage and reappointing Soorya Gayan to the post she has been occupying as an independent academic.

Whether or not she accepts the apology is a different thing. If this is not looked into rapidly, I feel that the position of all other personnel in the same situation is at stake. The present government is therefore taking a dangerous route, that of a dictatorship in the making.

Please correct this mistake before it is too late and gain the respect of all the right-thinking people in the world of higher education. Please, do not practise petty politics on the island.

The prime minister complained of corruption and other bad practices under the previous administration; now that he is in power, instead of upholding right practice and encouraging people to give their best, we see the opposite in the case of the director of the MGI. The eyes of the world are upon us.

The Ombudsman in Mauritius should be examining this case closely; the women’s movement too should be raising hell for this injustice. In the UK, compatriots are already asking if our current prime minister is becoming a dictator. We are often asked to return to help develop the island with our skills and finance. How can we come back when we see those holding power committing such violence?

We talk of a culture of violence on the island; people marching for peace and solidarity against all forms of rape against the young and the old alike. The minister of Justice wants to protect everybody and yet the intellectuals and academics are being made to feel victims, powerless and violated. This is a sad day for all.

No wonder many youngsters are committing suicide on the island. The future is bleak for many. What signal is our current government sending out? Is the opposition going to raise any questions in Parliament about this crime?

<B>Dr David Lingiah

Glasgow</B>