Mauritius elections 2019 . . . and the aftermath

The Republic of Mauritius held its general elections on Nov 7 and the results which ensued voted the incumbent ruling political party, Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), back to power for a second successive term with its 58 year old leader Pravind Jugnauth as the Prime Minister.

Of the 62 seats, the MSM won 38; the Labour Party bagged 14 seats, the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) under Paul Berenger, got 8 and the Organisation of the People of Rodrigues (OPR) won 2 seats from the Island of Rodrigues.

Voter turnout at the elections was 76.84%, a 2% increase from the 2014 election. This time,  election campaigning was on a very feverish pitch with a slew  of aggressive canvassing, bitter, often displaying religious overtones because of the prevalent majority Hindu population (estimated 67%) on this Indian Ocean island.

In the election campaign, as well as otherwise, religion always played  a cordial card in Mauritius to win elections as each party wants to outdo its' adversary by trying to prove that their Hinduism  is more devout than that of their rivals.

Very interestingly, in the aftermath of Deepavali celebrations, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and his wife were shown in multiple video shots performing `Lakshmi Puja' (obeisance to the Goddess of wealth). Similarly, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his wife were seen piously performing the same rituals.

The messages were specifically designed to convince their respective constituencies in an apparent bid to tell their voters that they continue to follow the tenets of Hinduism. In their political judgement and wisdom, the religion factor did play a vital role on part of the constituents.

It was also the second time that Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his MSM party intelligently capitalized on the infrastructural changes he claimed to have brought in the lives of over 1 million Mauritians.

The introduction of metro rail system in Mauritius was also a crucial factor in garnering votes in favor of MSM under the leadership of Pravind Jugnauth, whose father Sir Anirudh Jugnauth abdicated his chair in favor of his son a couple of years ago.

Earlier, when Navin Ramgoolam was voted out of power five years ago at the end of 2014, people interpreted it as a triumph of the MSM as by default; it emerged as a better performing party than the Labour Party of Ramgoolam as the latter was charged with serious allegations of corruption and moral turpitude.

It is widely known that Mauritius has had a record of corruption in public life and whistleblowers, watchdogs and security agencies have proved to be very ineffective and much below parin addressing cases of corruption and nepotism. Foreign companies are also known to be stacking ill-gotten wealth in Mauritian shore companies, allegedly turning their black money into white.

Financial scams arising out of Ponzi schemes and other scandals, including in the banking sector, have been far too many. Voters have invariably been at a loss as to whom to elect as all the political parties are notoriously corrupt and exercise little or no control over the corrupt practices or even in measures of drug control though complicity of police and anti-drug officers have come to notice more than often.

Malpractices have been random and even Presidents and Prime Ministers were seldom above board as far as their integrity was concerned.

Another disturbing trend in Mauritian politics is the politics of vendetta. When Sir Anirudh Jungnauth came back to power after the 2014 elections, the vanquished Prime Minster, Navin Ramgoolam was arrested, his  house raided, intensive  searches made and he was booked on multiple charges.

Officials loyal to him, particularly from the police force, were implicated for their perceived loyalty towards their Prime Minister. They not only lost their jobs but spent five critical years defending themselves from the charges in the courts of law.

In the same vein, many left the country, fleeing to escape the onslaught of the regime in power. These illustrations are not to suggest that Pravind's rival Navin, if voted to power, would have spared his arch rivals. The trend would have continued in an acerbic manner even in this eventuality.

Now that the MSM has been voted to power, it may be wrong to assume that corruption and nepotism will take a back seat. According to experts of the regime, the trend will continue and with impunity. 

That is precisely because there is a brute majority and no one is questioning the probity of the government in power. And it is expected to remain in power for the next five years, at least. However, there are some murmurs noticed when voices are raised against alleged malpractices in the elections.

Lastly, any political party in power in Mauritius looks to India for moral and material support, material in the sense that India has been assisting Mauritius in many ways. There is so much of cultural and religious affinity. Mauritians proudly call their country a mini India and Indian ministers keep visiting Mauritius frequently, the visits being aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.

Mauritius maritime interests are ensured by an Indian Navy officer who leads the Coast Guard. The National Security Advisor is invariably an Indian.  There are countless exchange programmes, with the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and Indira Gandhi Centre for Cultural Activities vibrant with their proactive programmes. Hindi and Bhojpuri are promoted very vigorously with Indian help.

On Nov 2, just before the elections, the government extended an invitation to an Indian minister to the programcommemorating the arrival of Indian laborers in the late 19th century, mainly from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. That said, it would be advisable for the current elected government of Mauritius to start tightening its belt to contain rising corruption and drug trafficking.

And equally important is the need to keep a hawkish eye on any move of likely radicalization by any religious group so that this peaceful island is not marred by security challenges linked to terrorism. Intelligence, anti-money laundering measures and anti-drug machinery need to be revamped to give a clean image to the newly elected government.

Pakistan intelligence has to be kept in check as the Pakistan diplomatic mission in Mauritius may have a malafide plan in light of the Indian stance on Kashmir. The need is for a relentless diplomatic offensive to alienate Pakistan.

It would also seem imperative for the government not to undermine the trust of voters by not giving them good governance and an efficient administration to help them reap dividends at the next election due in 2024.

The writer is former national
security adviser to the prime
minister of Mauritius. The views expressed here are personal