<B>Poornum Maudhoo, Chef, Jurys Hotel</B>

I am following the elections on the Internet. I have always had a passion for politics. My family is very involved and one of my cousins is a political agent. We are from Lallmatie, where the atmosphere is electric. I think the whole electorate of n° 9 constituency is very involved. So I miss the election atmosphere, especially the public meetings.

However, in Mauritius, the electoral campaign too often degenerates into violence. It is very unfortunate, because sometimes people fight over petty things. There should be more debate in the campaign, rather than just who has the more posters. When I was in Mauritius, I did not feel it, but when you watch how elections are conducted in other countries, then you see the difference.

There is also too much communalism in electoral campaigns. It is only around election time that you see the caste debate resurface. Many political parties will also field their candidates according to their caste. Why should it be like that when politicians are always saying ?Enn sel lepep, enn sel nasyon?? What they say and what they do are two completely different things.

Public meetings and noise are not the best way to conduct electoral campaigns. It is only through debates that we can judge whether a candidate is competent or not. I would prefer a more civilised campaign. However, the present method of campaigning has taken root and it will be difficult to change. We are developing in all other fields except in this, where we stick to the old routine.

I will wait for the results impatiently. I used to like the political rallies after elections, so I will miss that too. But I will definitely follow the results on the internet.