Alliance for Change - Departure of the Government: MMM Divided, Bérenger Hesitates

The idea of Paul Bérenger and the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) leaving the government is not universally accepted within the party. During a particularly intense political bureau meeting on Monday at Rue Ambrose in Rose-Hill, the MMM failed to reach a clear consensus regarding its leader's proposal to break from the ruling coalition.

According to several participants, the discussions were heated and highlighted divisions within the party's leadership. While Paul Bérenger thoroughly explained the reasons he believes make it difficult for him and the MMM to remain in the government, some of the attending parliamentarians favored maintaining the status quo. In this context, no definitive decision was made. Bérenger's anticipated resignation on Tuesday morning may not proceed after all. The MMM leader plans to wait for the central committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday before making any decisions.

During the political bureau meeting, several party officials reacted to Bérenger's arguments. One participant described Bérenger as determined yet composed in his presentation. "We had a calm Paul Bérenger who explained why he feels he can no longer continue," this source stated.

Despite his explanations, some parliamentarians advocated for the party to remain in government. Some even directly urged the MMM leader to reconsider his intention to leave the majority. "Several people called for him to reverse his decision. Why should he go to the presidency tomorrow to submit his resignation?"

Bérenger then invited the political bureau members to reflect on the points he raised. "He asked them to think about what he said. And some told him they would wait until Wednesday."

During the meeting, several political bureau members, including ministers (the MMM has eight as well as three Junior Ministers), expressed their preference for the MMM to stay in the government coalition. Others acknowledged the leader's arguments and suggested loyalty under the circumstances, emphasizing that the party members had spent 20 years in opposition.

Reasons Presented by Paul Bérenger

Bérenger outlined several major disagreements with the government's current management. These points he had also raised with the Prime Minister, without significant progress so far. He particularly mentioned the economic situation, which he finds very concerning, noting a shortfall of around Rs 10 billion needed to finalize the 2026-2027 budget. This shortfall is linked to the ongoing negotiations with the United Kingdom regarding the Chagos Islands. He believes that international circumstances, especially the war in the Middle East, further complicate the economic context.

In light of these challenges, Bérenger argues for a full-time Minister of Finance to focus solely on economic issues. He reportedly suggested to Navin Ramgoolam to reinstate a structure established the previous year, with an inter-ministerial committee chaired by the Prime Minister, including the Deputy Prime Minister and about ten ministers specifically working on the budget.

The MMM leader also raised the issue of increasing corruption before the political bureau. Another point of disagreement concerns several appointments within public institutions, specifically mentioning the Mauritius Revenue Authority.

Finally, he addressed the matter of Air Mauritius and a Qatari company that could support Mauritius in developing liquefied natural gas. He believes this project could help solve electricity production issues but has seen no significant progress so far.

Earlier on Monday around 11:30 AM, Bérenger met with Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam at the Treasury Building. According to available information, this meeting did not resolve the situation or bring their positions closer. Later that afternoon, a parliamentary committee meeting was held at the same location to prepare for the parliamentary session on Tuesday.

The atmosphere was described as cordial, but discussions were limited. "The atmosphere was friendly, but there was extremely little, if not no discussion," stated a source.

For the moment, Bérenger is not expected to attend Parliament on Tuesday. Instead, the MMM leader will spend the coming days further consulting with party officials. On Wednesday, he plans to present a complete overview of the situation to the central committee, which could clarify the party's position and his own.

A delegate assembly may also be convened to address the issue more broadly.

Navin Ramgoolam: "We could not agree on certain points"

When contacted on Monday evening, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam stated: "We met and could not agree on certain points. Because we could not agree on these points, he will leave." He did not wish to provide further details but clarified that the relationship between the two remains good.

Opinions...

• Jean Claude de l’Estrac, political observer: "At this moment, there is absolutely no alliance with the MMM. The key point now is to see if Paul Bérenger will leave alone or take with him a number of others. Even if he is right in principle, it is not possible for a Deputy Prime Minister to be the main critic of the government. The entire question now revolves around the future of the MMM."
• Lindsay Rivière, political observer: "How will this break actually help the situation? What difference will it make politically if Paul Bérenger goes back to the backbench while, as Deputy Prime Minister, he could still influence decisions? Given the current context, with such a difficult situation in the Middle East, shouldn't he have stayed?"
• Jocelyn Chan Low, political observer: "Paul Bérenger is now putting into action what he has announced for some time. It is a strategy of rupture in a context where, according to him, nothing is changing. But when a government becomes unpopular, it becomes difficult to rebuild a party while in power. The solution may involve reconstituting the MMM in opposition, led by a potential successor."