MMM Political Bureau: After the Dismissal of Pro-Bérenger Members, Leadership Delays Action
The MMM leadership is consulting its legal advisors to validate the dismissal of dissenters, despite the confusion surrounding the leader's signature.
The political bureau of the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) met on Monday at the Port Louis municipality, amidst the fallout from the dismissal of several members considered close to Paul Bérenger last Saturday. In total, 14 municipal elected officials, 16 members of the central committee, and five members of the political bureau were affected by these decisions.
The meeting, which lasted about two hours, reviewed the social media impact of the press conference held on Saturday following these dismissals. No member of the political bureau questioned how these decisions were made. "There was no debate about whether things were done incorrectly," it was stated.
However, the MMM leadership has opted to delay the next step, which involves sending a formal notification to the Chief Executives of the affected municipalities to confirm the situation of the dismissed elected officials, which would lead to the loss of their municipal status. Legal consultations may be sought beforehand.
At the heart of the inquiries is the interpretation of the Local Government Act, particularly Article 37A. This article states that a municipal elected official automatically loses their position if deemed to have resigned from, or left, their group/party, provided the Chief Executive of the concerned city is informed in writing that they are no longer part of it. This notification must be signed by the leader, the president, the secretary, and two other members of the group/party, accompanied by a certified extract of the meeting minutes that confirmed the decision.
It is precisely on this point that the pro-Bérenger faction raises a legal challenge. They argue that the leader's signature is an essential condition for the validity of the notification. Since Paul Bérenger's withdrawal, the MMM no longer officially has a designated leader, which could undermine the procedure if this requirement is not met.
Additionally, the political bureau also discussed the position of Deputy Prime Minister, which has been vacant since Paul Bérenger's resignation from that role, deciding not to apply pressure on Navin Ramgoolam at this stage.
