KAIZER SOZÉ
India is a land of extremes, very hot and very cold, very poor with a large number of billionaires and rough sleepers in a city with pristine gated colonies. We, in Mauritius, are fond of Bollywood and seldom think of Satyajit Ray and never invite Arundhati Roy or Amartya Sen. 70% of Mauritians trace their roots in the sub-continent and large numbers fondly visit it every year.
India is eternal in a way compared to the Governments it forms after elections. Any Indian would be proud of Modi as he stands tall compared to the dwarfs that have inhabited the Rajya Sabha. But what is less known is that Modi is baby-sitting the Hindu Taliban which are causing havoc to the Indian social fabric. There is a rise of Casteism with Dalits contesting at the High Court celebrations of Holika Dahan and Doorga Pooja and the banning of Low Caste lecturers and their publications at top JNU. Minority religious groups are being harassed daily and cow vigilantes go on rampage without notice and destroying the image and philosophy of non-violence inherited from Nehru and Gandhi.
Dev Virahsawmy is right in ringing the alarm bell about the suspect presence of New Delhi in our waters and our Island of Agalega. Their presence is legitimized by the invitation of our elected Government which is acting suspiciously, releasing as little information as possible on the activities of our guests but fortunately divulged by our local press.
The Opposition, official or otherwise, will have to voice their opinions loud and clear and Duval, as Leader of Opposition, must declare that he will rescind any secret deal between the MSM and the BJP on Agalega that jeopardises our independence and freedom.
One event that may change the outcomes of our general elections and hence the kind of governments that will come out of the polls is the new SOCIOLOGICAL profile of the population which rulers of the day are trying to hide with the refusal to carry out an ethnic census. But the balance of power is bound to change in this country however much some benefiters would opt for the status quo at the cost of popular unrest. The change in the balance of power would be most welcome for the country as democracy, meritocracy and justice will impose themselves. We will liberate Amédée Darga, Dev Virahsawmy, Armand Maudave and numerous well-wishers from protesting against minority bashing and favouritism in the civil service and parastatal bodies, brains we need to worry about the future development trail to get us out of the mired economic posture we are in.