allAfrica.com: Mauritius: Such a pity ! (Page 1 of 1)

Students of the University of Mauritius (UoM) are getting ready for the election of their representative. We would expect them to be full of idealism and dreams for their future. We would hope that they would focus on the delicate future that seems ahead of them. After the chaotic beginning of the year, there is no doubt that the ones chosen to represent students have a lot on their plates.

However, as disappointing as it may seem, the elections for the Students' Union appear no better than the national elections. It seems the same ethnic divisions prevail; the same emotional arguments will finally win over the real issues. It is so astonishing to hear about some slogans of the present campaign!

How can we hope that Mauritius will one day get rid of its old habits of putting one's cultural identity first - before their Mauritian identity which should always be the top priority - if the younger generation is tangled up in exactly the same considerations? In fact, the situation is even more serious as the students getting their admission to the UoM are supposed to be the top elite of the country.

If the ones supposed to have the best capacity of reflection are the first ones to defend small personal interests, then what will happen to the others? And what will happen to the country within the next decade with those same students at the head of our main institutions?

I suppose nothing much will change from what it is today. And it is a real pity! The situation might actually get even worse than it is today because I do not think students in the sixties were reacting the same way

The problem is definitely that of a lack of open-mindedness. After thirteen years or so at school where they were fed with knowledge that they only had to spit out, students arrive at the university with a narrow-minded mentality that is hard to change. Only those willing to open themselves to others, those having a chance to see other horizons or those benefiting from an "open" type of education at home may see beyond their own little world.

For others, I am afraid they will end up being eaten up by a system they have been caught in at the age of five. And the regular passage of socio cultural organisations on the campus will certainly not help them adopt a more open attitude. On the contrary, it will only strengthen some of these students' convictions that it is better to remain in their own little groups. As every other group of students is doing the same anyway, why should others be different? It appears to me as a dangerous vicious circle.

National Government

The current resentment from members of the government stems from not sharing equitably in the economic windfall produced by the country. This economic resentment is matched by an equal political resentment from those unable to participate in the political life of Mauritius for reasons ranging from race to religion to ethnicity. Fixing this economic inequality will not automatically fix the political inequality. Therefore these two important pillars of a democratic society must both be harmonized in order for all people of this country to feel a sense of belonging. As it stands right now, some people are basking in the sun, others are permanently under the clouds.

Everybody must feel the sun shining on their heads, a precursor to developing nationhood.

To that end, I think the time has come for Mauritius to be administered by a government of national unity. Not to be confused with a coalition government such as the Social Alliance currently in power, a national government should not be seen as a last resort in situations of crisis akin to wars or depressions. We must not wait for dire straits to bring all people together to lay a framework for the future.

Starting from the premise that all those who enter politics do so to serve their country - let's take their words at face value - , it therefore should be no problem to the current cohort of politicians to work together for their country in a government of national unity above all other considerations. A national government has the potential to bring together the best and brightest minds in politics, and as long as the end justifies the means, the rest is merely academic.

Political parties in Mauritius do not operate on the basis of political ideology; it is etched in name only. The Labour Party tabled the most business-friendly budget ever presented in this country, and this by a party that claims a socialist ideology. The previous government, despite its roots in the fight for worker's rights, did much to promote an economic elitism complemented by a high-end elitism in education, despite claims to the contrary.

But first, we need to rid our psyche of something that keeps pulling us back. That something is our inferiority complex.

We tend to be followers of great nations, as if we are not able to carve our own way to better our lot. Whether this serious flaw is rooted in the collective inferiority complex wallowed in our past, or whatever else it may be that makes us needing and wanting to be wannabees, the time has come to shed this psychological humpback. Like Sarkozy said in Senegal recently, let's stop looking for scapegoats to justify ourselves in not moving forward. Colonialism and slavery are long gone; we are not affected by either one anymore.

Let's stop saying that we are still a young country, a pitiful cry to justify our lackluster performance in administering our affairs. Finally, shed this obsession with Singapore and start finding innovative ways to move this country forward.

The sooner we start believing in ourselves, the sooner we should be able to start this long and arduous process of nation building. And "we" means all of us, not some of us. That's the tricky part. If politicians can put aside their over-inflated ego and their personal interests and work together and include all communities in the process, we can be a nation within the next twenty-five years. Otherwise, it is another generation lost.

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