Africa-Press – Mauritius. The ability to hear out differing or opposing views even when not necessarily agreeing, to consider political opponents as adversaries not as enemies, to allow public manifestations as legitimate democratic expressions, are all part of what should distinguish us from autocratic states.
When competencies are believed to emanate primarily from a small and restricted coterie of faithful friends, cronies, yes-men, advisors when it’s not simply family and relatives, then we end up where we are today, a society that is in a mess and is looking for answers and alternatives.
We have no crystal ball to gauge the undercurrents in the population, but clearly the message from the unified Opposition regional congress in Mare d’Albert has rattled the MSM and its satellite outfits as they attempt to claw back from the demeanour of the past five years or more.
Some aspects of that image clean-up strategy may be seen in the proposal to set up a future Financial Crimes Commission after years of lacklustre performance and a signal failure to take any of several ministers and other high officials of the ruling regime to task.
Another is the rather more obvious attempt to rope in civil society, the press and NGOs in the necessary fight against drug trafficking and abuse, and somehow share or dilute the responsibility for the most notorious failure of the ruling regime since they took office.
It is with this background that the continuous damages to the national image of our national carrier MK in the Yogita Babboo dismissal case is adding unwanted fuel to government’s discomfort both locally and from international agencies (e. g. , ILO) and professional cabin-crew associations.
A few months ago, some political nominees at MK and Air Mauritius Holdings have found criticisms of their management and policies by the president of the MK Cabin Crew Association too ruffling for their personal image and that of the airline they were despatched to manage.
So, Ms Babboo-Rama, already with some 15 other cabin crew on leave without pay well after the mandatory vaccination requirements for staff have gone, was called in for a disciplinary hearing and dismissed.
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