Straightaway I wish to assure everyone that I have no pretensions for this job ? the highest office of the land ? for, on almost every count, I do not possess the right ?profile.? No, the title refers to a small survey carried out by L?Express Junior and published on 11-Sep-08, the now dreaded 9/11.

L?Express interviewed six children aged 10-11 years and asked them what they would do if they became President. Their response varied from banning alcohol and cigarettes to eradicating poverty ? much of it probably reflecting the social environment of the particular child. But, the one that really caught my attention was the response from a little boy called Samuel, because it was the most original and only a child of his age could have thought about it.

Eleven-year old Samuel would like to make the life of schoolchildren easier by providing lockers for everyone so that they do not have to lug their heavy bags every day back and forth from home to school. He would further ensure that each classroom was equipped with an air conditioner. As he puts it so succinctly, ?Je vais a l?ecole a Port-Louis? les ventilateurs ne font pas grand-chose contre la chaleur?.

If you, like me, grew up and went to school in a hot region, you would undoubtedly empathise with young Samuel. And, who hasn?t felt sorry and shaken his head while tut-tutting at the sight of a small child bent double under the disproportionate weight of his school satchel?

So much for our possible future Presidents, but what about the current incumbent? As he starts his second mandate at the Reduit Chateau, what is the legacy that he will be remembered by for his first stint in the job?

When he first took office, many of the older folks were unhappy with SAJ. Not because they thought him unworthy of the job but, being an ?old? man himself, they expected him to say that he would work for the welfare of old people. Instead, he apparently vowed that he was going to work for the young. A very laudable decision, no doubt. But, as usual with SAJ, this was another faux pas.

<B>Total lack of social intercourse</B>

The President is supposed to work for all his people without any fear or favour to anyone?after all, it is they in totality who foot the monthly bill of Rs.300k-plus in order to keep him in his cushy job.

Sadly, SAJ?s first presidency seems to have been marked by a total lack of social intercourse with the people he is supposed to represent and defend. We have watched him on TV cutting ribbons, toasting the good health of foreign ambassadors, go on overseas binges, but not an iota of a sign that he has any sentiment for or cares tuppence for his people. I am not suggesting for a moment that he should follow in the footsteps of Mr Uteem and have tea with one of his poor, humble compatriots now and then. Although that would be a nice start, as it would give him an idea of the conditions in which some of his fellow countrymen live whilst he lords it out at the Reduit. Nor that he should use some of his vast fortune to help some of these people. Although it might not be a bad precedent to set for our six would-be Presidents. After all, if he is a rich man today, it is through his offices as a long serving ?Servant Supremo? to the people.

No, I am suggesting nothing of the kind. However, the office of the President of the Republic does confer upon him a privileged position from which to launch into a host of voluntary social programmes. Being above the frantic fray of partisan politics, the President is in a particularly neutral position and, as such, commands the respect of one and all.

Handled properly, the job can even elicit the love, affection and gratitude of an entire population. SAJ could have used this special position to create a President?s Fund for at least one of the serious problems facing our country today; and there are a myriad of these crying out just for something of this nature. But, in the final analysis, he not only has done little for the old and the poor, but also he does not appear to have kept his promise to the younger generation either.

Even as the guardian of the Constitution, it appears that he has failed miserably by sanctioning (under pressure?) two DPM?s too many. That is a pity for a man who is deemed by many amongst us to have been a formidable PM, the Father of the economic miracle and a QC to boot.

But nil desperandum, in a cynical move (remember the name-calling and unequivocal request to lev pake ale!) designed to secure a further victory at the ballot box, the Labour-led Alliance has decided to renew SAJ?s contract for another term. Seemingly eating humble pie, the old man has accepted the offer and may well have plans to use his second term at the Reduit to do something that demarcates him from his previous presidential incarnation. However I, for one, am not holding my breath.

<B>T. Del Fuego

PS. </B>I note, with some trepidation, that Mr Jeetah has been appointed Minister of Health in the latest round of sweet sharing by the PM. Now, the sick (like myself) may be faced with an acute shortage of doctors, nurses and medication. With a bit of luck and given his particular predisposition to create pandemonium, we may even end up with a shortage of patients. Hallelujah!