Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD) strongly criticized the conduct of the Minister of Land and Housing, Shakeel Mohamed, during the parliamentary session on Tuesday, 25 November, despite the fact that the government’s third-in-command issued an apology the following Thursday.
Although the minister is known for his “theatrical” style in parliament, the PMSD expressed bewilderment over Shakeel Mohamed’s reaction toward opposition Member of Parliament Adrien Duval.
During a press conference held on Saturday, 29 November, Mamad Khodabaccus deplored the minister’s behavior, suggesting it might stem from a certain “frustration.”
In the same vein, Olivier Barbe, also a member of the PMSD, described the incident as “barbaric and savage.” He emphasized that the initial question had not even been directed at Shakeel Mohamed.
Furthermore, Olivier Barbe criticized the Speaker of the National Assembly, Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra, alleging that she appeared to act in “collusion” with the ruling majority. According to him, after suspending the session due to the tensions, she failed to demand explanations or an apology from Shakeel Mohamed.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, 25 November, during Question Time. Independent MP Franco Quirin had questioned the Minister of Sports regarding an unverified audio recording allegedly implicating one of his advisors in lobbying on behalf of candidates for the Mauritius Olympic Committee.
Minister Deven Nagalingum responded that the recording had not been authenticated, and the Speaker of the Assembly refused to allow Franco Quirin to ask a supplementary question.
It was then that Adrien Duval intervened, denouncing a policy of “double standards” and pointing out that other unverified recordings had previously been accepted by Parliament. Heated exchanges followed between Duval and Shakeel Mohamed, leading the latter to request that the Speaker call the MP to order, which ultimately resulted in the suspension of the session.
It should be noted that the following Thursday, Shakeel Mohamed apologized to Adrien Duval, acknowledging that his behavior had been inappropriate. However, Adrien Duval dismissed the apology as having “no value.”
Speaking in turn, Aurore Perraud remarked that “the public blindly placed its trust in the Alliance Lepep (Alliance of Change), which fails to honor its electoral promises.” She concluded sharply: “Now you’ve seen what you’ve gotten yourselves into.”
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