A UK-based quarterly family magazine, Mauritians Abroad, in an editorial in 1999, made the following comment: ?Mauritians abroad ought to have serious concerns about the growing unrest that seems to be developing and threatening the peace and harmony we once knew and were proud (of). The present mood is so volatile that any incident seems to have the potential to develop into a riot? Hopefully the political, religious and community leaders who have responsibility for the safety and well-being of the citizens have the will, stamina and ability to fathom and address the underlying problems.? It concluded with an important question: ?Should it not be the responsibility of everyone, at home and abroad, to take the trouble and find the time and the will, as did the people under the guidance of Dr Raman and whose sole motivation was ?to bring back the people of Mauritius to sanity and to harmony that had always existed?.?

Peace and harmony within the country was noted to be under serious threat. Six years later, the situation has got even worse. It would appear that ?the political, religious and community leaders who have responsibility for the safety and well-being of the citizens have the will, stamina and ability to fathom and address the underlying problems have failed do restore the peace and harmony that once existed.?

The editorial referred to the efforts of Dr C. Raman, the well-known psychiatrist, who guided the nation in times of disquiet and conflict to sanity. He is still doing so through his writings but is anybody listening any more? I well remember his efforts ?to devote his attention to the problems faced by the people of Mauritius during the riots of 1968. Busy as he was, he undertook to chair the Movement d?entente national and even assisted Preeduth Mewasingh in writing the lyrics of the national sega: Give me your hand, take my hand.? Could it be that the current leaders are not making use of a psychiatrist, a Krishna?s wise counsel on the battlefield to Arjuna?

I am sure Mauritius has several wise men who could advise them on the correct actions to bring the whole situation under some form of popular control. It seems that even those who are trying to offer their considered advice and counsel are simply casting pearls before swine. No one is paying heed; the battle is raging on. If the leaders don?t come forward in time to stem the flow of daily violence, the islanders will experience great loss through riots/revolutions. The common men and women are ready to surge forward to cause more violence. So, it is ?the responsibility of everyone, at home and abroad, to take the trouble and find the time and the will? to exert their influence properly and let the besieged prime minister know that we are with him and his government for once.

Our prime minister is working towards increasing the number of tourists holidaying on the island. With peace and harmony under threat, marketing Mauritius as a safe holiday resort will be a hard job. The opposition wants harmony too. What are they doing to cool down the situation? Can the people rely on them alone to bring a semblance of unity in the present atmosphere? When they stand as one, united in action, they succeeded in the past; whenever they were divided on communal lines, race, religion and ethnicity, they always lost out. What is it going to be? The answer is in your own hands if only we learn to think and believe as Mauritians first and foremost. If we don?t, then we all really need our heads examined by a psychiatrist.

Dr David B. LINGIAH