The Labour Party has been busy accusing the MMM of using ?un langage communal? following the recent flooding. It is ironic that two of the Labourites voicing their objections the loudest, have in a not too distant past used ?un langage communal? to make their views known. One called the leader of the MMM ?le rat blanc? and the other used such terms as ?nou ban? and ?pouvoir sape dan ou la min?. Is it not a question of the pot calling the kettle black?

Have you noticed that, despite the numerous attacks flying around against the Prime minister, the leader of the MSM has refrained from doing so despite his fierce critics of other ministers especially two of them that he targets constantly? If some ministers are not performing, the question that begs to be asked is, who is ultimately responsible, where does the buck stop? Likewise, the Prime minister accuses the leader of the MMM of being a ?magouilleur? and rebukes others when they asked for the minister of Education?s resignation but avoids targeting the leader of the MSM even when his party organises a protest to ask for the same minister to ?lev pake ale?. Why are they not criticizing each other? Is there ?anguille sous roche??

The National disaster committee is a disaster in itself, there seems to be a total lack of cohesion and harmonization in its management. It needs to have a complete overhaul before the next calamity falls upon us. Its objectives and modus operandi need to be reviewed urgently before we find ourselves in a similar situation. Let us try to be wise before the event.

Prior to the celebrations of the anniversary of independence, a minister was heard to say during a radio interview, ?mo pa vine lor radio, bien occupé avec mo travail?. After the broadcast, I could clearly understand why he had avoided from doing a radio interview since his appointment as a minister. He will be wise to stick to his original decision until after the next general elections. A good example to be followed by all politicians who have ideas above their station.

We heard that there will possibly be inter-party talks regarding changes in the Constitution, which hopefully will mean that we will not be classified into ethnic groups in future but simply known as Mauritians. Does that mean that, in future, ministers will be appointed solely on ability and ethnicity will not be a factor taken in consideration, thus avoiding having incompetent ministers such as the one who did not rise to the occasion like the proverbial self- raising flour or the other one who got submerged by the course of events? If you believe that, you must believe that pigs can fly.

The ministry of Social Security had done little to enhance its reputation. The organisation of pecuniary help was badly organised and coordinated, in actual fact, it created numerous other problems. It is not surprising that there was so much frustration. The whole procedure was managed in a very clumsy way. Could it be called organised chaos?

Despite having advisers and directors in communication, the politicians continue to have problems in getting their message clearly across. Recent events have highlighted that fact; one minister got a lot of flack because he did not take into account the underlying message or the hidden message of what he was saying. If used effectively, it can be an effective ploy though that was definitely not the case for the beleaguered minister. Unfortunately too many times, the politicians are very amateurish in their delivery. So my advice to them, watch your Ps and your Qs when speaking.

<B>C.C.C.</B>