Adrien Duval: "Shakeel Mohamed's Apologies Mean Nothing"

Adrien Duval has stated that Shakeel Mohamed's apologies are meaningless, despite the latter's attempt to apologize following a confrontation in Parliament on Tuesday. Duval, a member of the PMSD, emphasized that he personally holds no ill will towards Mohamed, but insists that the apologies are insufficient when it comes to demanding accountability from the government.

The incident occurred on Tuesday around 3:30 PM during ministerial questioning, when independent MP Franco Quirin questioned the Minister of Sports about measures taken after an audio recording emerged, in which one of the minister's advisors appeared to lobby for certain candidates in the Mauritian Olympic Committee elections. Minister Deven Nagalingum responded that the recording had not been authenticated, and the Speaker rejected Quirin's follow-up question.

Duval criticized what he perceives as a double standard in politics, recalling that other unauthenticated recordings had been accepted in Parliament. This led to a heated exchange with Minister Shakeel Mohamed, who requested the Speaker to call Duval to order. After several attempts to calm the situation, the session was suspended.

The next day, Duval expressed his thoughts on Facebook, condemning the use of insults and bullying by the majority to divert attention from embarrassing issues, describing this strategy as one of provoking, insulting, and derailing the session. PMSD Secretary General Dr. Mamad Kodabaccus also criticized this approach, referring to it as a "tyranny of the majority."

On Thursday, after learning of the minister's apologies, Duval reiterated: "On a personal level, I bear no grudge against Shakeel Mohamed, but regarding accountability from the government, his apologies mean nothing."

For his part, Shakeel Mohamed acknowledged his inappropriate behavior towards Duval and stated that he apologized after a "heated exchange," which he attributes to "insulting remarks" from the MP. He hopes that Duval will adopt a more constructive approach in the assembly.