> We are a few days away from the 36th anniversary of the independence of Mauritius. In this climate of social division, is there something that should be done to reconcile Mauritians?

The country has known much worse situations ! There will always be periods of feelings of unity alternating with periods of feelings of division but they have to be properly managed. Many of the underlying divisions, based on historically inherited inequalities, are still deeply rooted in our society. It would be futile to try to ignore them. But I am convinced that these are transient tensions, inevitable ones, if we want to achieve greater stability in the future. We sometimes forget the trauma that the thought of independence provoked in almost half the population in the 1960s and the stream of nightmare scenarios predicted. And yet the country has bounced back and moved forward.

> In their public speeches, religious and political leaders are more and more openly referring to what divides us, instead of what unites us. What impact could this have on Mauritians?

It is inevitable that the radical changes in the education system trigger all sorts of communal anxieties. But it is not clear how far those feelings are shared. A large part of the population is probably anxious but not to the point of reacting in the way some leaders have. They are just trying to make themselves heard and think that, the louder and more passionate they are, the more influential they will be. But if the public express their views, extremists will probably appear pretty isolated. There will always be extremists around but what is important is how others react to them.

> The role of the media is being questioned : should the press and the radios report these speeches or not? What are their responsibilities ?

I think that the role of the media is to give a balanced view of whatever is presented. One of the problems of the media is that they will inevitably tend to bring up what is more cutting in order to attract a larger audience. If an extreme or offensive view has been expressed, the media should restore some sort of balance by giving the opportunity to those who hold different views to express themselves. The problem in Mauritius is that there is no culture of debate and people are reluctant to comment on others, especially on those in authority. This is where the media should do more thinking and make a real effort to find ways to encourage people to air their views.