Interview: Nalini Burn, Economist & International Consultant
‘We are in the throes of a serious assault on the judiciary. A unified opposition is to me paramount and needs to coalesce with progressive civil society’
* ‘There is certainly a climate of fear of open dissent, cultivated in many ways by the regime.
Which of course does not transpire in the channel of disinformation, the MBC’
Our interviewee this week, Nalini Burn shares her views on the complex sociopolitical issues currently impacting the country, amongst which governance, the pressures and intrusions on institutional functioning, the widespread feeling among the population that change is a must. She comments on the newly-formed triple alliance on which she doesn’t shed much hope and hopes that mobilization of civil society forces would be vitally necessary to bring about change for the better.
Mauritius Times: If you were to listen to the daily chatter of urbanite Mauritians these days, you would most probably get the impression that most people are eagerly awaiting a definite break with the current governance in place in the country. Those who speak out say they are fed up with what’s happening, but that’s all they can do. But is there, according to you, a palpable sense that change could be in the pipeline?
Nalini Burn: I’m not quite sure what you mean by urbanite as a category, as opposed to non-urbanites. If it is social media, newspaper articles, or oral chatter, then there is also a fair bit of fragmentation. But yes, there is a clear sense that there is a need to change the current governance, as you put it. Let’s drill down a bit more.
It is at two palpable levels: one is getting rid of the current government, now nearing a decade in power. The other — personalised politics – is the ‘Ni Pravind, Ni Navin’, no dinosaurs. A sense, however, of no more the sort of “current” governance of the post-independence decades. They do not necessarily point in the same direction. Of a third alternative of change in the pipeline. Or of an alternance, or more deeply, of transformation. Maybe the authorities’ multiple surveillance antennae know otherwise but will not let out anything.
* If the solution to the current dissatisfaction can only be a political one (through regime change), the belated announcement of an alliance between the Labour Party, the MMM and the PMSD does not seem to have met with enthusiasm or even support from their followers. Do you think what is at issue relates to that alliance’s credibility as well as its viability? Or are they waiting for ground tests?
Yes, there is current dissatisfaction. But it is muffled, self-censored, gone underground. And that makes it difficult to read in terms of outcome, voting intentions. Even the likes of Facebook are now muted, through fear of retaliation, from postal workers, police, etc. While it seems that opaque WhatsApp groups are quite active in circulating info and amplifying dissenting views, venting frustration.
There is certainly a climate of fear of open dissent, cultivated in many ways by the regime. Which of course does not transpire in the channel of disinformation, the MBC. The latter paints a Barbie-like rosy-pink make-believe universe, fashioned by the mighty Mattel Corporation, owners of the Barbie doll whose much-hyped movie – pink in this case, not orange – hits the screens, as I chat to you. Does it collide with real life, when Barbie and Ken the dolls, go out into the real world, outside of the corporation? That scenario, we don’t quite know.
The long-drawn-out putting together of an alliance of mainstream opposition – having presumably pulled out the most hazardous “macadams or mountains” – feels like a damp squib. I’m not sure what was in the precise mix. And do we know anymore who are die-hard or peripheral floating members or supporters? But this fraught process is probably more about damage limitation when mixing the old culture, personalities and practices with what is electorally viable now, in the current landscape. It would have a hopefully realistic assessment of respective strengths on the ground. Read More… Become a Subscriber
Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 21 July 2023
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