Our prime minister is not happy. Or I should say, was not happy. It seems he has calmed down now and has decided to keep cool. He was said to be irritated by the MBC and the meteorological services because of their failure to warn the country of the tsunamis and the damage they could cause. Bérenger was further said to have been irritated with the ?great international powers? for also not warning us of the dangers.

As it happens, there is no tsunami warning system in place in the Indian Ocean because there is no historical precedent of earthquakes. Or so the BBC says. A warning system is however found in the Pacific Ocean. So it is no wonder the ?great international powers? did not warn us of the impending disaster.

We are lucky not to have been more affected by the tsunami. As the Indian Ocean is prone to tsunamis and tidal waves and we know nature is bound to be erratic because of global warming, we would be wise to be better prepared for any future natural calamities.

And so maybe the prime minister should be grateful for small mercies instead of issuing unwarranted criticisms. But if Paul Bérenger insists on keeping the essential services of the country in line, he would be well advised to inquire into what?s happening in our prisons. A couple of days ago, two HIV positive prisoners managed to climb on the roof of the New Wing prison and refused to come down for several hours. Not later than Monday night, yet another detainee climbed on the roof of the Beau-Bassin prison because the prison authorities had refused him medical treatment

The high security prison in Phoenix has been the scene of violent behaviour on behalf of the detainees considered to be the most dangerous in the country. A few days ago, there were reports of fleas and bugs in prison cells. Questioned as to the veracity of those reports, one prison officer said, ?It?s only normal.?

Crimes are not being solved, we have a major law and order issue, pensioners don?t receive their much-needed money on time, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer ? I could go on. The list that would deserve the irritation of the prime minister is indeed long.

It would also be nice to have a happy and smiling prime minister who does not get irritated by every single occurrence. At a time where Mauritians were scared after the tsunami, we would have liked to hear a concerned prime minister, who would have made us feel we are all in this together. Instead he gets irritated. My New Year?s wish for our prime minister; stop stressing. As the tsunami has showed, there are some things one just can?t control. Others that one most definitely can. One just has to learn what falls in which category.``)