<B>By Nicholas Rainer</B>

The forest can breathe easier. At least for a few weeks. Seldom, in its centuries of existence, has it come closer to pointless annihilation. Its predicament is a worthy reminder of the destructive capabilities of man. In normal circumstances, the government should be lauded for its decision to postpone the impending destruction of a truly unique haven of biological diversity. Sadly, it deserves no praise in this case. Absolutely none.

After months of taking everyone for an extremely tedious and predictable ride, including representatives of Nature Watch or even members of his own ministries, Bérenger has finally shown that he does, after all, have the power to stop work on the South Eastern Highway project. For all the wrong reasons. Whereas some observers consider the move to be a response to Nature Watch’s request for a Supreme Court injunction, others suggest that it is in fact a knee-jerk reaction to Navin Ramgoolam’s claim that he will put an end to the project if he is elected. The latter, of course, would be right.

It is indeed tragic that this new lease of life that has been afforded Ferney forest and its ardent defenders stems from basely “electoralist” considerations. “Doesn’t everything?”, some would be tempted to ask. Decades in the political arena have contributed to the creation of the professional malformation responsible for this attitude.

After all its battles, indefatigable Nature Watch can finally enjoy partial vindication. Is this because the self-proclaimed “most ecological prime minister of all time” has finally come to his senses? Is it because the African Bank of Development, whose environmental charter spans dozens of pages, realised that sponsoring such a project would be tantamount to sycophancy? Is it because the powers that be have finally had the honesty and humility to concede that one of the country’s last endemic forests is well worth the Rs250 million that will have to be dished out to the contractor, BCCCC, in compensation? Not in your wildest dreams…

The nauseating truth is that government is worried about getting a beating in the next elections and is grappling for all the votes it can get. Even those of Nature Watch, whom it treated with such contempt and condescension. During months in Parliament, Navin Ramgoolam muttered not one word on the whole affair, despite Nature Watch’s pleas for all MPs to speak out. Yet one political speech by the leader of the opposition sufficed to bring the government to temporarily drop the axes it was wielding over the forest.

Slow as it is, surely government realizes that deforestation is a surefire way of unleashing myriad other environmental evils. Everyone knows perfectly well that it is one of the main causes of global warming! Does tsunami ring a bell?

The struggle to save the forest will continue afresh after the elections. Trust Bérenger to go ahead with the project if he is reelected. Despite Ramgoolam’s deafening silence on the issue in Parliament, his promise is worth listening to. He will have to commit to it on paper though. He might just be the unlikely savior of the country’s priceless natural heritage. Even if he never pretended to be the “most ecological prime minister of all time”…