The Crisis Continues - Government Division: A Decisive Week

The crisis persists within the government. Paul Bérenger is awaiting concrete measures before Friday's Cabinet meeting.

Despite an apparent calm following last Thursday's meeting between Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and his deputy Paul Bérenger, along with the cordial atmosphere at Friday's Cabinet meeting, the crisis within the government remains very real. Paul Bérenger provided a serious assessment of the situation during Saturday's meeting of the central committee of the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM).

All eyes are now on the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Friday, November 14. However, developments could occur as early as Monday, particularly since the Alliance of Change will celebrate its first anniversary on Tuesday, one year after the 60-0 victory on November 11, 2024. A political earthquake in the coming days cannot be ruled out.

During the central committee meeting at the Rose-Hill municipality yesterday, Paul Bérenger spoke for about thirty minutes. Those present noted his serious tone. The MMM leader has set the Cabinet meeting on Friday as the deadline to evaluate progress after everything was expressed at the Cabinet meeting the day before. Commitments were made by the Prime Minister, and now it’s time to move towards concrete actions.

At the central committee, the leader detailed the reasons for the crisis— which is still very real, as supporters understood. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the behavior of certain MMM leaders during this period. If necessary, a special central committee will be convened next Saturday. The mauve political bureau will revisit the situation again this Monday, November 10.

The message was clear: a break is not desired, but the situation cannot persist as it is. Voters voted for change and are waiting for it to materialize. Positive signals are therefore expected during the week, with the beginning of the implementation of the commitments made by the government leader.

Points of Discontent

As the party leader, Paul Bérenger will make his decision based on developments, but he will not impose anything on the MMM. The political bureau and central committee will decide. The prevailing sentiment is that the MMM participates in the government but does not wish to remain at any cost. "We understand that things must change and cannot stay the same, as people voted for results," confided a militant present at Saturday's meeting.

Among Paul Bérenger's grievances is the failure to establish a Constitutional Review Committee, as outlined in the government program for 2025-2029 presented on January 27. This committee was supposed to work on major constitutional and electoral reforms within six months but has yet to be formed.

There is also significant dissatisfaction surrounding certain appointments and the Prime Minister's entourage. Paul Bérenger mentioned the case of Malagasy billionaire Mamy Ravatomanga without going into details, as well as the slow execution of certain promises.

However, at no point did he mention a break or the exit of the MMM from the government. He did emphasize that if nothing changes, everyone will have to take responsibility.

Nonetheless, things seemed to have calmed down on Friday, following a strong surge of tension the previous week, which led to a meeting between Navin Ramgoolam and Paul Bérenger on Thursday afternoon, followed by a special political bureau meeting at the end of the day. During this meeting, the tone of the MMM leader was relatively calm. The atmosphere at the Cabinet meeting was good, with Navin Ramgoolam and Paul Bérenger in good spirits.

Before that, the previous week during the mauve political bureau meeting on Monday, Paul Bérenger expressed his dissatisfaction with the government situation. Some members of the political bureau had then advocated for a wait-and-see approach while acknowledging that the government's performance was far from ideal due to the points raised by their leader.

However, it appears that within the MMM's high command, there is division regarding a possible exit from the government alliance. The prospect of having to leave a ministerial position to sit in opposition is not well viewed by some members of the leadership.

Therefore, if there is a break, it remains to be seen who will follow.

The Young Mauve Wing Votes a Resolution in Support of Paul Bérenger

The young wing of the MMM is rallying behind its leader, Paul Bérenger. Before the central committee meeting on Saturday, they voted on a resolution in favor of "solidarity with the leader as he fights for real change." This resolution was presented by the president of the young wing to the members of the central committee.