Crisis at MMM Regarding Its Withdrawal from GM Daniella Bastien: "Paul Bérenger Respects the Institutions"

After several consultation meetings within the MMM, Paul Bérenger is set to make a decision regarding his political future on Monday, March 23. Balancing respect for the party's institutions with his personal commitment to the country, the purple leader finds himself at a crossroads.

Bérenger's recent "gesticulations" have sparked division. Some view them as poor theatrics, portraying a man "incapable" of making a decision. Others believe he is testing the public's patience by holding the country hostage while he has revelations to share. Still, others argue that he has lost not only his credibility but also his legitimacy as the leader of the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), especially after retracting his previous statements where he claimed that if forced to choose between his party and his country, he would choose the latter.

However, following the central committee meeting held at Hennessy Park in Ébène on Wednesday, March 18, he ultimately followed the wishes of the "vast majority" of activists by deciding that the MMM would remain in government. Did he compromise, or did he demonstrate wisdom by showing he can listen?

To understand this series of meetings, one must grasp how the MMM's institutions function. With repeated "consultation" meetings—sometimes the central committee, sometimes the political bureau, and possibly the delegate assembly—it can be quite confusing. Daniella Bastien sheds light on this via her Facebook page:

"Our institutions have never ceased to function, even after two decades in opposition. These institutions are representative of our base. There are branches, regional committees, the central committee, the political bureau, and the delegate assembly. What the political bureau decides must be validated by the central committee, which includes representatives from each constituency."

The party’s website also details this structure. The MMM’s institutions are built from the grassroots: in each constituency, one or two branches are organized around each school—transformed into polling places during elections. If a constituency has 14 schools, for instance, it will have that many branches. Each branch's role is to gather local people around the party, led by a president and a secretary responsible for collecting information and insights from their neighborhood.

These branch presidents and secretaries then sit on the regional committee, which brings together representatives from all branches within a constituency. The president and secretary of the regional committee, along with a representative from the youth wing and a female representative, then sit on the central committee—a national body comprising all regional committees in the country. This is where, according to party regulations, all MMM decisions are made. Moreover, one must be elected to the central committee to serve on the political bureau, which manages the party's daily operations and is thus accountable to the central committee.

The information flow is clearly defined: feedback from the grassroots reaches the top of the pyramid and then flows back down. Each regional committee secretary present at the central committee is required to organize a meeting with their regional committee within the week following each meeting to share information from the top.

This institutional mechanism explains the series of meetings observed over the past few weeks. However, on Monday, March 23, Paul Bérenger will face himself. If he announces his decision to withdraw from the government, the political bureau and central committee will have to accept his personal choice. For while the central committee decided on March 18 that the MMM should remain in government, the decision made on Monday will be his individual responsibility.

Daniella Bastien summarizes this on her page: "Paul Bérenger is a party man, but above all, he is a patriot. He respects the institutions. What he does in his personal capacity is another matter, and everyone will have to accept it."