Who shot our Phaeton Rubicola? by Chetan Ramchurn ( Le Mauricien 27/01/09)

Air Mauritius
Who shot our Phaeton Rubicola?

Dubbed the “Soul of Mauritius”, the much hyped ambassador of Mauritius, our premier company, our very own national airline is in deep mire. Amidst rumours of takeovers, leaked secret conversations and XLD’s almost too little too late attempts to turn back the tide, lies a venerable institution in tatters.

Welcome to Navinland

While some have sniffed blood and are now on the prowl for further damning evidence against the architects of Air Mauritius’s doom, we watch once again with awe the appalling absence of leadership at the head of the state. While the first rats have begun to leave the sinking ship, the much hoped sanctions against those who have failed have yet to come. In truth, in Navinland, the axe never seems to fall on those who are guilty of sacrilegious wrongs…

This latest saga will be remembered as yet another Ramgoolam botched moment, yet another missed opportunity to rise to the occasion and soothe a scandal-weary population. In times of chaos, we turn to those who wield power to show us the way forward; or as Faye Wattleton says “The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.” Alone we stand in these troubled times…

Arrogant fools

Accessorius sequitur comes to mind when deciding on who should be punished. The blame should first and foremost be attributed to those that were at the gambling table with our money. The absence of any exit clause attached to a hedging contract of that magnitude is a gaffe that deserves no clemency. And what do we have instead of unequivocal professions of guilt? Interviews of arrogant fools that abound in our newspapers where all claim to have made the right decisions regardless of evidence to the contrary. What terrifies us is the sight of those who have previously given glaring demonstrations of their incompetence who are rewarded with hefty paychecks and renewed positions of power. No doubt Cunningham had to leave…

In these times of economic and financial havoc, what we need more that anything is a guiding figure in whom we trust. These are defining times for our country… times where real leaders emerge and fake ones crumble…

Chets Ramchurn