by Deepa BHOOKUN

We went to the polls and we got a verdict. The people?s tribunal said ?I give you a majority but I want to keep your power in check. So I give you a strong opposition.?

Democracy, we thought, would now not be a vain word. Checks and balances. Yeah! Great. And so we got comfortable and decided to sit back and enjoy the show. Up until we realized that there was no show to enjoy. There was no show, full stop.

So what happened, we asked, still dozy from our self-induced drowsiness. Where has the opposition gone? Is it lost? Shall we go on a search trip? Oh but no. They are here. Wow, on display as well. People can go visit every Tuesday and they can see the proud representatives of their voices sitting neatly in their seats. Hello? Is there something we are missing?

Yes! An opposition. And they are missing their voices. Worse still. They are not even looking for it. So all the 72 people in Parliament are on the same wavelength? What was Ramgoolam going on about the other day then, huh? He should be pleased; he has got an absolute majority!

The problem when a government feels there is no opposition is that the power starts going to its head. We?re not quite there but we?d be silly not to read the signs. The signs tell us that now that the official opposition is conveniently on hold ? wouldn?t it be interesting to know why!, there is an insidious attempt to try and control the media.

When a function of the prime minister is not given adequate coverage, we can understand that the prime minister would feel somewhat annoyed at the situation. That he would call the MBC for some explanation is also fair enough; I mean all the prime ministers have at some point or the other regarded the MBC as an extension of the PMO and we?re not going to quarrel with this now. We?ll leave that to another column.

But when a journalist, a cameraman and a driver are suspended from duty as a result of this, members of the profession could be forgiven to feel some flutter of unease. When the prime minister gives a press conference and he refuses to take questions other than what he has decided to talk about, it gets insidious. Prime Minister Ramgoolam says he does not want to talk about other issues because his main subject will be diluted. It is fair enough. But at the same time it is not acceptable.

That a prime minister thinks he will withhold information because then he will be able to control what a newspaper or a news bulletin will print or air is utter madness. It is not sane, it is not proper. If that?s what prime minister Ramgoolam is thinking of doing then he better have another thought coming and fast.

Mauritius is and remains a free country. The press is and remains free. Attempts to control, manipulate and withhold information will always be met with protests. Because we, the press, have not abdicated, because we have not forgotten how to say ?No?. We?ll leave that to the parliamentary opposition.

Oh if the voice of the opposition is found, please return to the National Assembly. Reward guaranteed; democracy.