Revelations After March 12 by Paul Bérenger - Sheila Bunwaree: "Not a Loss for the Country but for the MMM"
After his press conference on March 7, Deputy Prime Minister Paul Bérenger once again stirs the political class. Promised revelations, invoked governmental solidarity, and sustained suspense: observers and sociologists harshly judge what they term as "theatrics."
The political pot is boiling once more. Following the central committee meeting of the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) on Saturday, March 7, the Deputy Prime Minister and party leader, Paul Bérenger, caused turmoil by suggesting that, as a member of the government, there are things he cannot disclose.
Citing governmental solidarity and the imminent visit of the President of Seychelles during the celebrations of Mauritius's independence and Republic Day, he promised to reveal details following the latter's departure. His comments leave little room for doubt: either a minor cabinet reshuffle with the dismissal of Richard Duval as Minister of Tourism, or the outright exit of the MMM from the government.
This irony is noted by journalist and observer Yvan Martial, who, familiar with the leader of the Mauves' antics, expresses his respect for an English Governor whose initials were A. B. Phayre, adding that this was the government "a pe fer," whereas the country has only seen governments "nou pou fer." This, according to him, opens the door to many considerations.
Yvan Martial knows Paul Bérenger as someone who is capable of announcing a huge revelation, but it never materializes — or it ends up being a minor issue that can sometimes backfire. "I expect the bomb to explode after the March 12 celebrations," he states, specifying that according to indications, this will happen after the press conference on March 16. This could lead to a new configuration within the parliamentary chamber when parliamentary sessions resume on March 17 at 11:30 a.m.
According to Yvan Martial, the "bomb" might be dropped in Parliament — but he still believes it will be a non-event since Paul Bérenger has previously announced decisive revelations without any outcomes. Regarding the MMM's departure from the government, he quips: "The biggest balloons pop the fastest. A half-inflated balloon is unlikely to burst." To him, what has been said so far are merely "promises": "We all know the worth of a ministerial promise and the parliamentarians," he remarks.
When Things Get Tough, He Prefers to Leave
From the perspective of academic and sociologist Sheila Bunwaree, the tone is equally harsh. She immediately recalls that this is not the first time the DPM has organized a press conference just days before a head of state's visit.
"Many Mauritians are fed up with PRB's theatrics," she says. She also laments the spectacle of announced revelations: "If Paul Bérenger has something to say, why create suspense? This is certainly not the way forward for progress."
For the sociologist, Bérenger's behavior follows a well-known pattern. "Every time he is in a government, he does everything to exit. He is never satisfied with how matters are handled, how appointments to institutions are made, unless it involves one of his own," she points out — also highlighting that the MMM promised meritocracy. According to her, Paul Bérenger has never acted as a statesman: "He seems to misunderstand the nuances between the roles of DPM, statesman, and party leader. As it is not easy to attack his colleagues in Parliament or criticize the government, he does it externally."
Her reading of the situation is clear: Bérenger is looking to leave to avoid criticism from his voter base. "When things get tough, he prefers to leave," she summarizes. And if that is his intention, she advises him to act straightforwardly: "If he wants to leave the government to sit in opposition again, he should do it. He does everything to gain the blessing of his central committee and the assembly of delegates." She adds that many Mauritians are eagerly awaiting this departure. "It won’t be a loss for the country, but much more for the MMM," she emphasizes.
Sheila Bunwaree also doubts that Bérenger can lead all his deputies into opposition, given their attachment to parliamentary privileges. "I wonder if he will end up with only one or two of his deputies in opposition," she remarks. According to her, Bérenger has lost all credibility through his indecision: "With his inflated ego, he struggles to digest it all. There is often a facade, a smokescreen that tries to make us believe otherwise, but the people are not fooled."
On the substance, the sociologist refuses to exempt the Labour Party, arguing that all traditional actors bear responsibility for "this new decay that is settling in." She emphasizes that the population knows this government is failing to "deliver" and that governing is not easy, but those who fought to rid the country of decay should know how to manage to avoid reproducing it. If Paul Bérenger thinks it’s easy to solve economic problems, drug issues, the situation at Air Mauritius, difficulties in the tourism sector, or with parastatal bodies, "let him do it," she asserts. "The slowness of some in the government deserves condemnation, but that’s not where the root of the problem lies," she points out.
Her conclusion is broader and darker: "Mauritians have been trapped by Bérenger and the Alliance of Change. The Alliance of Change neither has the skills nor the ethics needed to change the direction and paradigm we desperately need." For her, the people's trust has already eroded. The traditional parties have become too elitist, failing to understand the suffering of the population and often thinking only of their immediate political interests. "We must encourage the emergence of a new political class where morality in public life becomes the guiding compass for leaders, to achieve a more just and inclusive society," she concludes.
