Africa-Press – Mauritius. The political arena has been particularly turbulent for some time, and this, since the concretization of the PTr-MMM-PMSD alliance to be more precise.
There is a scent of elections in the air and, even if the timing of the next elections is still uncertain, it is clear that the “build-up” (setting up) has begun and that the pot begins to heat.
Witness the recent blunder of the electoral commission concerning the list of voters for constituency number 5 (Pamplemousses/Triolet). Indeed, the electoral commission published the statistics of the electoral lists last week, which immediately prompted the PTr to step up to cry foul.
Labor noticed a significant anomaly on this list where the number of voters increased by nearly 3,000 between the 2022 census and that of 2023. There is even more: the names of certain voters would also have been changed.
The electoral commission did not react immediately but quickly had to admit that there had indeed been an error in the computer software which manages the electoral lists. Thus, the famous software would be responsible for the edited names and the anomaly linked to the numbers.
Is this really the case? As long as the electoral commission does not demonstrate, with supporting evidence, that it was indeed a software error, the doubt on the integrity of this same commission is likely to increase. It is undeniable that the electoral commission has been at the forefront of certain criticisms since the 2019 elections.
Between certain so-called innovative practices, implemented in 2019, ballots found in the wild or the famous case of the T-Square, the he institution chaired by Irfan Raman has not been spared the suspicions of politicians and citizens.
Moreover, Navin Ramgoolam has never stopped referring to the Electoral Commission in his allegations of rigging in the last elections. We will see what the Privy Council will render as a judgment, but all of Ramgoolam’s arguments have so far come up against the reality of the law, and there is nothing to suggest that this could change.
In any case, it is certain that the image of the electoral commission must be redone and that Irfan Raman must be educational by explaining and reassuring voters about the procedures and provisions that will be put in place for the next general elections. Bhadhain challenges Ramgoolam
One would have thought that the materialization of the PTr-MMM-PMSD alliance would have caused a certain concern on the government side, hence the surprise that it is Roshi Bhadain who has not stopped gesticulating in all directions since the announcement of this alliance.
Roshi Bhadain thus seems to have become a free electron, firing on all cylinders and shooting in all directions. As mentioned a few weeks ago, Roshi Bhadain’s political positioning is extremely complex in the current configuration.
Although he wants to represent the “Neither Navin, nor Pravind” option, it is clear that he does not yet have the political base that would allow him to take this position seriously.
So, he does what he has always done: noise. His latest discovery is to have challenged Navin Ramgoolam for a face-to-face on the radio. Ramgoolam retorted that his opponent was Pravind Jugnauth and not Roshi Bhadain, implying that he would not respond favorably to Bhadain’s challenge.
It would also be wise for him not to get into this game. It seems increasingly clear that Roshi Bhadain will focus his attacks on the parliamentary opposition. Some see this as him possibly making a deal with the MSM, but the reality is much simpler than that.
In reality, Bhadain has no other choice than to hit the PTr, and the opposition alliance, since he must be able to retain the option of a last-minute rapprochement with the MSM.
It is absolutely clear that the PTr will reject any rapprochement with the Reform Party (RP) because it is, according to them, the main responsible for the collapse of the BAI.
We all remember the close friendship Navin Ramgoolam had with Dawood Rawat, with some people even attributing the rise of the BAI to this “special relationship”. Thus, a rapprochement with the PTr is impossible for Bhadain, hence the fact that Ramgoolam is his preferred target.
Does this mean that he can consider a rapprochement with the MSM? Nothing is impossible in politics, but Pravind Jugnauth also has no interest in getting closer to the RP.
On the contrary, by leaving Roshi Bhadain in the current situation where he must struggle in every way to exist, Pravind Jugnauth has perhaps found his best political agent.
So the MSM leader should just let Bhadain try to push the opposition into the trap he is trying to set for them. By attacking and making noise, the opposition parties will inevitably have to play Bhadain’s game.
By doing this, they will have taken a bait that they will have difficulty undoing because Roshi Bhadain has an immense political quality, which is not to let go when he bites.
This is also why Navin Ramgoolam will refuse any debate with the leader of the Reform Party. He knows perfectly well that this is a trap that we must not fall into. Will the other two parties that make up the alliance also resist the temptation to respond to Bhadain’s repeated attacks?
Given the electoral positioning of the leader of the RP, it seems obvious that he will go head-on towards a clash with the MMM at a given moment because his ally Patrick Belcourt and himself are eyeing the only two bastions remaining for the purple party and the conquest of the districts 19 and 20 are the springboards they will need to get out of the situation they currently find themselves in.
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