From Calm to Hurricane: The Alliance of Change Wobbles
Stability within the government lasted only a few hours: Paul Bérenger's anger over the retention of the Police Commissioner shakes the Alliance of Change.
The Alliance of Change thought it had weathered the storm. Earlier in the week, intense efforts had temporarily quelled the opposition winds shaking the ruling majority. By Friday morning, the calm had turned into an almost euphoric improvement: a marathon Cabinet meeting showcased a rekindled agreement, with Labour and Mauve ministers celebrating the "freshness" restored among coalition partners before the media.
However, the good weather was short-lived. By Friday afternoon, the dormant storm had transformed into a genuine political hurricane. Paul Bérenger discovered that the Prime Minister had renewed the Police Commissioner's contract without his knowledge. The MMM leader had explicitly demanded his departure—immediate and uncompromising.
The situation caused an immediate fallout. Monday, as noted by the Mauves, could mark a turning point with an extraordinary Central Committee meeting to finalize the party's decision.
Within the MMM leader's circle, the sentiment is intense: Navin Ramgoolam has "taken him for a ride" by renewing a contract he promised not to extend. For several weeks, the two men had been negotiating this point, which had become symbolic of the power dynamics within the Alliance. For Bérenger, backing down on the Police Commissioner meant losing face—and influence.
On the PMO side, a different narrative is presented: no credible successor is ready to take over the Mauritius Police Force during a delicate institutional transition. "To this day, there is no more trustworthy individual than the current Commissioner," confided a close aide to the Prime Minister. Therefore, Navin Ramgoolam felt compelled to act, even if it meant upsetting his partner.
Friday night turned into an uninterrupted session of negotiations, discreet dialogues, and frantic phone exchanges. The objective: to find a bridge, a face-saving device, that would allow the MMM leader to retract the dramatic gesture he had announced. "Navin has cooled off; he is looking for a way out," stated a Senior Minister of the MMM to Défi Plus.
"A team from the MMM is in direct discussions with the Prime Minister. Navin Ramgoolam does not want a break. He is considering a way to resolve the crisis," shared a Mauve minister, exhausted by the hours of uncertainty.
On the Labour side, tension is equally high, with nerves frayed. "For three months, disputes have piled up. It’s unbearable to live on a razor’s edge. This needs to be settled once and for all," declared a PTr minister. A statement that speaks volumes about the weariness of the troops.
Internal Restructuring within the MMM
Until Friday morning, nearly all Mauve MPs opposed a break. However, the dismissal of the Police Commissioner is a strong identity marker for their leader, and some may now align with him.
"This is the dilemma: defend governmental cohesion or rally behind a leader who feels his personal authority has been undermined," summarizes an MMM executive. An internal fracture, if it were to occur, could permanently reshape the power dynamics within the alliance... and within the Mauve party itself.
In both camps, efforts are underway: everything must be done to retain Paul Bérenger. His departure would trigger a sequence of unpredictable consequences—institutional, parliamentary, and electoral. Will they be able to manage this? "It’s still too early. Luckily, he hasn’t decided to call the party’s instances on Saturday; that would have been a disaster. We would have made a rash decision. However, until Monday, a lot can happen. We can hope for a resolution to the crisis," responded a Mauve elected official.
If no agreement is reached in time, the Monday that Paul Bérenger has announced could turn into a Monday of rupture, the day the fragile political structure built since the elections collapses.
Some in the Mauve camp view the leader's decision as "disproportionate."
