What makes us young? Column Chetan Ramchurn L’express weekly/ 11.06.2010
•June 12, 2010 • Leave a Comment (Edit)
[Column ] What makes us young? /Chetan Ramchurn L’Express Weekly/ 11/06/10
Monday evening. I’m cruising through Curepipe’s cold streets. The traffic, as I most hate it, loud and slow. For once, my windows are up… lest I lose some of that John Legend’s soulful music amidst the blaring horns. I am musing on the fact that this subject could be penned from several viewpoints. But my thoughts go back to decades ago, to Curepipe’s fateful tryst with our country’s first political assassination; Azor Adelaide’s martyrdom reminding me that being young back in 1971 also meant risking one’s life.
The condescending way in which the present young generation is viewed shall be the first of my themes. An outer view would thus be a good starting point; how our more seasoned peers tend to view GenYers as self- obsessed whiners that sulk all the time, that are more concerned with their latest Facebook avatars than the numerous societal wrongs they witness every single day, believing that they know best when all they’ve done is put their minds to sleep. Too often are we seen as modern Oblomovs… unwilling to do much, caught in indecision… Our critics are partly justified.
For the current Mauritius’s absence of ideologies and celebration of status quo should also be attributed to those at its helm… those that were brimming with leftist ideals back in the 70s.
And this is what reassures me. The Che- inebriated generation so long touted as the creators of a new world order are also those that left their dreams for the comfort of capitalism. Maybe, and I’m hoping that this is the case, our less vocal young generation might have a more telling change on the society. For has anything changed for real? Sartre has been replaced by Houellebecq, Rock has been replaced by Hip Hop and racism is still ubiquitous. The form of rebellion has certainly changed, but the philosophy has sustained the test of time.
Youth gone wild?
What should be of real concern to those who care and have the ability to change things is the rotten state of some of our country’s academic institutions, meant to act as vivier d’idées. How on university campuses across the island, racism is openly preached and practised during election time; how the vulnerability of young minds has not been alleviated with the greater imparting of moral values and education on the myriad of cultures gracing our land; how meritocracy is often forgotten and forsaken by young graduates whose first instinct is to use the easiest and cheapest of moves to secure a monthly paycheck…
Everyone is the age of their heart.( Guatemalan Proverb)
But being young is not solely about age. That which makes us youthful is also that which prevents us from falling prey to fear. And it is fright that manacles our minds, that turns well irrigated brains into dried ones, which makes us see change as an insurmountable hurdle and that forces us to see a foe in the one who is different. But being young is most importantly about being true to one’s human values and being tolerant of others.
Here’s my appeal to the naysayers: Understand that the youth of today has its share of contradictions. The pettifogger deeply engrossed in trying to increase the number of virtual friends and the thinker trying to change the world. Helping the second of these facets to bloom would do our Motherland a lot of good.
And here’s my advice to my young comrades: You don’t age unless you choose to…
Chetan Ramchurn
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Nil desperandum by Chetan Ramchurn/L’Express Weekly 14.05.2010
•May 14, 2010 • Leave a Comment (Edit)
“ Nil desperandum”
Hardly a week has elapsed… the gash in most purple hearts still hurting.
Still, neither have our heads gone down nor has our resolve flinched. And if there was any misunderstanding on where the MMM stood on the political spectrum, it has been cleared. Those with real militan blood have, to the best of their socialist drive, managed to fight for that which they believed in; a bona fide democratisation of the economy, greater transparency in public affairs and real change in the education sector.
I know not all the answers to the MMM’s defeat. What I know is that playing the ostrich game would do us no good and party heads might, in line with our long history of participative democracy, want to ask for the input of the soldiers on the battleground on how to correct some of the mistakes made over the last month.
My reading of things is that Mauritians in the third millennium need to assess whom they are giving the golden ticket for a power ride to. Churchill, as gifted he was a leader as talented he was with words once said “ The best argument against democracy is a five- minute conversation with the average voter.” Lest I be condescending, I would rather believe that we never were able to reach the majority of voters.
Yes readers, the much hyped majorité silencieuse is not only mum but also, and on an even more unfortunate note for the MMM, suffers from some form of hearing impairment.
For some of the results are baffling; former political nominees that were horrendous when at the head of institutions have been offered the green light by the venerable pep admirab to further tarnish the political playfield, non- descript candidates winning their respective battles against talented ones and let us never forget the use of racist speeches; all adding up to turn May 2010 into the most grotesque of months in recent times.
My disenchantment has somewhat been alleviated with competent minds such as Kee Cheong, Obeegadoo and Boollel perfectly placed to be our voice in what promises to be a cauldron of a parliament. The next five years shall be determining, for Mauritius first of all but also for the MMM as a party. First and foremost, it is key to rethink and rejuvenate ourselves, convince with bold ideas those constituencies and voters that have remained immune to our leftist words that there is an alternative. And I have no fear that this can and will be achieved.
The time is right to draw significant teachings from our past defeats and on finding the best of strategies and tactics to be the most dominating force in Mauritian politics once again.
Campaigning for the greater regulation in political financing should be high up the agenda for these elections have showed even more than the previous ones that the defining rule in politics in our era is ‘ Pay to Play’ . A real commission on the fairer distribution of wealth would also do much good to the MMM, so long and unfairly accused of siding with part of the private sector.
2010 was the year where incompetence prevailed, the slugfest of ideas was replaced with that of insults and our country’s date with destiny was missed.
2015 shall be the year of the purple.
The “ majorité silencieuse” is not only mum but also suffers from some form of hearing impairment.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: Chetan Ramchurn, Elections 2010, Labour Party, MMM
Revey toi n ti poem avant elections
•May 5, 2010 • Leave a Comment (Edit)
Revey toi…
Mone lire ene jour ki somey ek la mort presk identik
Dayer dans Illiad, Hypnos ek Thanatos c’est deux freres jumo, fils de Nix
Pou conscience aussi imper mem trik
Pna difference entre ene kine endormi ek ene kine mort so sens civique
Kamarad, pas laisse toi fermer par ban lespri racistes
Tous dimoun pareil dapres dna so helix
Anou empeche nou pays vine encore pli triste
Mercredi to ena sa chance unik sanz disc
Ek choisir vote pou competence au lieu ene clique
De petits copains ek jouisseurs sans moralite ou ethique
Ki to appel Stephanie, Vijay, Yogen ou Faeza
Nou tou zenfan sa pays la, pou nou li ene mama
Si tone comprend sa ban mots la bien
To leker p bat mem rythme ki moi, parole ene morisyen
Ki le 5 Mai pou change avec so vote nou Maurice so destin.
Chetan
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: Chetan, Ramchurn, Revey toi
Economic Order: Now is the time for change/L’Express ID/27.04.2010
•April 27, 2010 • Leave a Comment (Edit)
Economic order : “ Now is
the time for change”
Chetan RAMCHURN
Like a few others in Mauritius, I have always had a thing against staunch market fundamentalists who live and die by the invisible hand. I fear they might come to me one day and say smilingly, “ Dear Chetan, we have evaluated the market demand for socialists and it stands at nil at the moment. So we have decided, with the consent of the Society of Mauritian Liberals and Proponents of Economic Inequality, to terminate you while waiting for better market conditions for humanists”. I fear, more seriously, that they might continue to put economic concerns before human ones.
There is no invisible hand. Nobel Prize winners in Economics Daniel Kahneman and Vernon Smith explained that the predictability of human behaviour cannot be ascertained with enough precision and subsequently the fundamental economic concepts do not always apply in real life. And in this young democracy of ours, what has been dubbed as “ simplistic market economics” seem to have won it against the need for a stronger government that would act as a facilitator and regulator of economic affairs. Thus, with several of our governments being led by a neo- liberal agenda, government intervention has been kept to the strictest of minimum with the few continuing to benefi t and the many continuing to suffer.
Our colonial past and post- independence years bear testimony to an economic environment marred by inequalities.
Few have tackled the socio- economic divide and tried to bring the Gini coeffi cient within acceptable norms.
Unfortunately for us, the Ramgoolam/ Rama tandem was not one of them with the gap between the rich and the poor that has widened and a large part of the private sector that has fl ourished to indecent proportions. The last government using levies, with as much aversion as a world- relinquishing monk would use money, has never been able to bring some form of equilibrium in the distribution of wealth. But then again, we had been compelled to accept that this was the only way and that Sithanen was the economic maestro that had salvaged the destiny of our motherland from the brink of doom. Few opposing voices, that included the likes of Bizlall, Subron and Kee Cheong Li Kwong Wing, were heard as the ideological warfare was being won by free marketholics.
Now is the time for change.
Any country with real concern for its citizens would follow in the footsteps of Bhutan which has decided to forgo the traditional GDP measure for a more people centric one using its now celebrated Gross National Happiness Index to gauge the prosperity of its nation. If it sounds like a term borrowed from Lewis Caroll’s book, think again. For economic thought leaders as celebrated as Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz consider it as a more than credible alternative to the now passé GDP. What we need at this defi ning moment of our country’s destiny is a Welfare State that truly ensures that basic human needs are catered for. With our public schooling that has increasingly lost its sheen in favour of an expensive private one, the absence of price control resulting in the loss of purchasing power, the huge costs of insecurity resulting in the loss of human lives and an inbred form of fear and despair, the mood of Mauritians demands to be uplifted with a more caring government.
Policies that are in dire need are those that would upgrade the levels of services offered with real benchmarks of quality and effi ciency. Measures that would encourage the greater participation of entrepreneurs could include the offering of a safety net and more public- private sector partnerships that would enable the fostering of innovation and help in the creation of new sectors.
Singapore, often cited as an example to follow by our Prime Minister, is a State where the government remains, still today, a key partner in economic affairs offering a form of paternalistic benevolence in a global economic sphere where cold capitalism reigns. Lee Kuan Yew believed that high quality schools, health care and public services should be foremost in the country’s agenda. I’ll end this column with a quote from the coronation address of the King of Bhutan in 2008 : “ Our most important goal is the peace and happiness of our people and the security and sovereignty of the nation.” Qui potest capere capiat… Let him accept it who can…
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Femmes, je vous aime/L'Express Weekly 19.03.2010
Femmes, je vous aime…and it is solely because I respect you immensely that I do not believe that quotas are needed for you to prove to the masses that there should be more women in parliamentarian positions...provided they are competent. As a firm proponent of equal opportunities, I am in favour of choosing the best candidates irrespective of caste, creed, colour and gender and thus firmly against any system of seat allocation on criteria other than merit.
Le vrai débat de fond that would have been of interest to voters, instead of the petitioning for one out of three candidates in constituencies, would center around the betterment of the lives of Mauritian women in society. How, in a non-demagogic way, we would find ways to provide protection to women from falling prey to humiliation of any type that would encompass the inequality of pay, the poor treatment of women in some communities, or sexual predation of any kind. All of these real issues have been forgotten, sacrificed I dare say, on the altar of gender equality for the selfish needs of a few.
Of X Chromosomes and quotas…
Global female representation in politics stands at a low 18%. Shares have been introduced in a number of countries across the world and have taken the forms of voluntary, constitutionally guaranteed ones and reserved seats. The results? Mixed. Legislators in Rwanda saw in quotas a formidable way of ensuring that women, who had been heavily victimised during the genocide, would be given the needed aid to ensure that they would play a greater role in the Rwandan society and help soothe some of the great pain that had been caused to them.
Albeit Rwanda, where there were pressing needs to be dealt with, the imposition of quotas has not been commensurate with the greater emancipation of women in these societies. Has this rationing helped in altering the lives of women in other legislations for the better? I doubt. Did Indira Gandhi’s Prime Ministership create greater equilibrium between genders in India? Certainly not.
A number of reasons could logically be drawn against quotas. Besides flouting the very pillars of equal opportunities, they cast doubts on the mettle of those women chosen. Yes, Mauritian politics remains a male citadel but this bastion can be broken by encouraging more competent women to make their voices heard in the political cauldron. Before I get assailed with accusations that I am leaving the fairer sex in an unwinnable battle, let me reassure you, it is as difficult and even more so for an opinionated male member to be heeded on issues such as political financing or corruption in any of the leading parties in Mauritius.
Trop facile…
Simplistic solutions offered to a most pertinent issue, but truth be told, this has all been part of the Mauritian pre-elections landscape for long. Offering rabble-rousers supremacy above thinkers and allowing those with egotistical motives to impose themselves on other grounds than competence.
The one out of three candidates per constituency campaigners would no doubt enhance their credibility with additional information on why should this be done with details on how it will improve the lives of women in the Mauritius.
Let this show médiatique be replaced by more thought provoking debates.
Absit invidia.
Chetan Ramchurn
Le vrai débat de fond that would have been of interest to voters, instead of the petitioning for one out of three candidates in constituencies, would center around the betterment of the lives of Mauritian women in society. How, in a non-demagogic way, we would find ways to provide protection to women from falling prey to humiliation of any type that would encompass the inequality of pay, the poor treatment of women in some communities, or sexual predation of any kind. All of these real issues have been forgotten, sacrificed I dare say, on the altar of gender equality for the selfish needs of a few.
Of X Chromosomes and quotas…
Global female representation in politics stands at a low 18%. Shares have been introduced in a number of countries across the world and have taken the forms of voluntary, constitutionally guaranteed ones and reserved seats. The results? Mixed. Legislators in Rwanda saw in quotas a formidable way of ensuring that women, who had been heavily victimised during the genocide, would be given the needed aid to ensure that they would play a greater role in the Rwandan society and help soothe some of the great pain that had been caused to them.
Albeit Rwanda, where there were pressing needs to be dealt with, the imposition of quotas has not been commensurate with the greater emancipation of women in these societies. Has this rationing helped in altering the lives of women in other legislations for the better? I doubt. Did Indira Gandhi’s Prime Ministership create greater equilibrium between genders in India? Certainly not.
A number of reasons could logically be drawn against quotas. Besides flouting the very pillars of equal opportunities, they cast doubts on the mettle of those women chosen. Yes, Mauritian politics remains a male citadel but this bastion can be broken by encouraging more competent women to make their voices heard in the political cauldron. Before I get assailed with accusations that I am leaving the fairer sex in an unwinnable battle, let me reassure you, it is as difficult and even more so for an opinionated male member to be heeded on issues such as political financing or corruption in any of the leading parties in Mauritius.
Trop facile…
Simplistic solutions offered to a most pertinent issue, but truth be told, this has all been part of the Mauritian pre-elections landscape for long. Offering rabble-rousers supremacy above thinkers and allowing those with egotistical motives to impose themselves on other grounds than competence.
The one out of three candidates per constituency campaigners would no doubt enhance their credibility with additional information on why should this be done with details on how it will improve the lives of women in the Mauritius.
Let this show médiatique be replaced by more thought provoking debates.
Absit invidia.
Chetan Ramchurn
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
MMM It's all about belief/L'Express ID/16.03.2010
MMM
It’s all about belief…
Had an epiphany at the end of February. A revelation, as crystalline as the absurdity of life in a Kafka novel, that had to do with an over four decade old purple patient’s longing to finally get out of the political reanimation room to which it had been confined since 2005.
With leaks in the press of a meeting between two of the most followed domestic politicians surfacing, like others, I came to the realisation that the MMM and its leaders were not determined enough to pass the Litmus test of their credibility as a vivier d’idées and as capable decision makers in the next general elections. This latest retournement de veste is yet another one in the party’s long lineage of veering away from the true path of sticking to its core ideals. Even more dangerous is that this MMM stance offers a stark contrast to Navin Ramgoolam’s blasé style…and further widens the divide between the party and its militan and further irks the population.
And thus, the long list of recriminations against Ramgoolam Jr instantly evaporated, forgotten amidst the desire to return to power while the customary leeches saw yet another opportunity that shall allow them to suck on some of that taxpayers’ money. Members of the party that had acted as thought leaders in papers or had vocally expressed their condemnation of this regime’s actions on radio waves have seemingly quieted for their share of the cake. You would have expected the younger members of the MMM to manifest their discontent against this gluttony for power. Que nenni. Settling selfishly for an entry in the good books of the party heads, they have effectively confirmed their dearth of mettle. Having witnessed that damning ambition that cripples minds and mouths and even more so among the youth ranks of my own party, my disenchantment with Mauritian politics further grows…
My MMM days
Every now and then, with my good friends Arnaud and Benoit, we muse on those ideas that would allow our country to breathe again and dream of a land where law and order would no longer be the most aching of issues, where the education system would finally set the bases for a thinking society and when the Alliance Sociale’s mirage, the democratization of the economy would finally materialise. Our selfless conversations often become broad discussions on the ideological meaning of socialism and the importance of never thinking of our own petty interests but more importantly of that of many. It is not an easy task, I admit, to forfeit one’s needs. But it is a path that I have chosen and unconquerable my soul shall remain.
Being reasonably happy with our respective professional situations, we could have joined one of those ineffectual organisations or clubs where members fight more to be known than for the greater good of society with PR campaigns to dowse themselves in, what Warhol termed, their quarter-hour of fame. Foolishly we have decided against this great networking tactic and chosen to try and change things for real. Utopists? Definitely, but the power to dream is that vital elixir that takes a country to new heights.
An absence of values…
I now comprehend that the real issue plaguing the mauve heart is not solely its absence of ideas or competent members, which incidentally is very much real, but more importantly the lack of belief in itself. And it dates to decades ago. In 1982, with victory beckoning we chose to take on board an unneeded ally. And since then, repeatedly in 1991, 1995, 2000, 2005, our battles have been solely a question of being in a duo rather than doing it the ethical solo way. Till this deficiency in faith be cured, no return to prominence can be achieved.
The leader of the MMM, unaware of his role as the the Pied Piper of Hamelin leading his party to death, might against his own better judgment and influenced by some , be sacrificing our last drop of credibility supposedly for the greater good of the nation. The Prime Minister must be relishing his present position with the other two parties begging for his acquiescence for a 5 year ballad. The outcome if the MMM fails to get Navin's approval? Would it make any sense to fight against someone you had been courting previously?
When a party runs out of ideas and convictions, it naturally chooses the coward’s way out. Let’s be brave comrades.
Chetan Ramchurn
militan
It’s all about belief…
Had an epiphany at the end of February. A revelation, as crystalline as the absurdity of life in a Kafka novel, that had to do with an over four decade old purple patient’s longing to finally get out of the political reanimation room to which it had been confined since 2005.
With leaks in the press of a meeting between two of the most followed domestic politicians surfacing, like others, I came to the realisation that the MMM and its leaders were not determined enough to pass the Litmus test of their credibility as a vivier d’idées and as capable decision makers in the next general elections. This latest retournement de veste is yet another one in the party’s long lineage of veering away from the true path of sticking to its core ideals. Even more dangerous is that this MMM stance offers a stark contrast to Navin Ramgoolam’s blasé style…and further widens the divide between the party and its militan and further irks the population.
And thus, the long list of recriminations against Ramgoolam Jr instantly evaporated, forgotten amidst the desire to return to power while the customary leeches saw yet another opportunity that shall allow them to suck on some of that taxpayers’ money. Members of the party that had acted as thought leaders in papers or had vocally expressed their condemnation of this regime’s actions on radio waves have seemingly quieted for their share of the cake. You would have expected the younger members of the MMM to manifest their discontent against this gluttony for power. Que nenni. Settling selfishly for an entry in the good books of the party heads, they have effectively confirmed their dearth of mettle. Having witnessed that damning ambition that cripples minds and mouths and even more so among the youth ranks of my own party, my disenchantment with Mauritian politics further grows…
My MMM days
Every now and then, with my good friends Arnaud and Benoit, we muse on those ideas that would allow our country to breathe again and dream of a land where law and order would no longer be the most aching of issues, where the education system would finally set the bases for a thinking society and when the Alliance Sociale’s mirage, the democratization of the economy would finally materialise. Our selfless conversations often become broad discussions on the ideological meaning of socialism and the importance of never thinking of our own petty interests but more importantly of that of many. It is not an easy task, I admit, to forfeit one’s needs. But it is a path that I have chosen and unconquerable my soul shall remain.
Being reasonably happy with our respective professional situations, we could have joined one of those ineffectual organisations or clubs where members fight more to be known than for the greater good of society with PR campaigns to dowse themselves in, what Warhol termed, their quarter-hour of fame. Foolishly we have decided against this great networking tactic and chosen to try and change things for real. Utopists? Definitely, but the power to dream is that vital elixir that takes a country to new heights.
An absence of values…
I now comprehend that the real issue plaguing the mauve heart is not solely its absence of ideas or competent members, which incidentally is very much real, but more importantly the lack of belief in itself. And it dates to decades ago. In 1982, with victory beckoning we chose to take on board an unneeded ally. And since then, repeatedly in 1991, 1995, 2000, 2005, our battles have been solely a question of being in a duo rather than doing it the ethical solo way. Till this deficiency in faith be cured, no return to prominence can be achieved.
The leader of the MMM, unaware of his role as the the Pied Piper of Hamelin leading his party to death, might against his own better judgment and influenced by some , be sacrificing our last drop of credibility supposedly for the greater good of the nation. The Prime Minister must be relishing his present position with the other two parties begging for his acquiescence for a 5 year ballad. The outcome if the MMM fails to get Navin's approval? Would it make any sense to fight against someone you had been courting previously?
When a party runs out of ideas and convictions, it naturally chooses the coward’s way out. Let’s be brave comrades.
Chetan Ramchurn
militan
Friday, February 26, 2010
Let Cooler Heads Prevail/L'Express 26 February 2010
Let Cooler Heads Prevail…
Chetan RAMCHURN
I have always been fascinated by those who had the courage to go against the system for the powerless… and in my pantheon of martyrs, the likes of Biko ( whose murder was incidentally covered up as being death caused from self- inflicted injuries arising from a prolonged hunger strike) and Bhagat Singh have always been held in high esteem. Over the years I learned about the non violent path of combating an oppressor… how the Mahatma or Boitel would choose not to feed themselves to be heard and heeded. And to those who have the opportunity of going through the accounts of these hunger strikes, there is nothing quite as moving as a man with honest intentions who chooses the only recourse left to him.
Still, I fail to be deeply enthused by the Mauritian version of hunger strikes with the latest of them being that of Riche Terre planters. Not because I believe that their fight is unjust but simply because they have chosen a weapon that threatens to halt a country’s further development.
Diffi cult to make any sense out of the present mess. An issue that was already convoluted in 2007 fi nds itself further exacerbated with both sides claiming to be right. And since one of the sides in this slugfest is led by the Made in Mauritius Lee Kuan Yew, expect him to use these circumstances to project the image of a bold leader on a take no prisoners stance.
This new image can only be instilled by using some deeply philosophical lines such as “ To pa koner kan to pas manger to pou crever”. For once, I can’t even blame the country’s leader on his impatience with what he believes are hurdles to the country’s greater progress and prosperity.
However, we wish that our great helmsman were as bold and vocal against white collar criminals, corruption and malpractices.
The original sin The pecuniary demands of the planters might appear nonsensical to many. Still, they had an agreement that allowed them to use the land up to 2015 and have justifi ed their claims by evaluating the annual income garnered from these lands and multiplying it by the number of years left on their lease. To what extent are these people right or wrong, I do not know. But having associated themselves with l’enfant terrible of No. 5, they have made this a battleground for political interests and by using hunger strikes as bargaining chips, they have demeaned their own pursuit.
Something went dreadfully wrong at the beginning of the present year. The masses sided with Jayen Chellum, a man who had acted irresponsibly on a day where the fate of so many young souls is decided. Unlike many, I chose not to join the cohort of Government bashers and saw in this “ fight for justice” a heavy farcical touch. Most of my peers disagreed with me back then. But the repercussions are now very much real with a precedent that confi rms that in an electoral year, everything is tolerated. Now is the time to close Pandora’s box.
Today, as the concept of hunger strike is being fi rmly imprinted in the Mauritian psyche, my only wish would be to have an independent commission or fact- finding committee on the matter where the extent of truths and lies would be gauged and questions such as the following tackled: Have these lands effectively been occupied by all planters? Have the alternative terrains promised to growers already been provided to them? What would amount to a just and fair compensation to all parties concerned? Till these be answered, let cooler heads prevail.
“ In an electoral year, everything is tolerated.
Now is the time to close Pandora’s box.”
Chetan RAMCHURN
I have always been fascinated by those who had the courage to go against the system for the powerless… and in my pantheon of martyrs, the likes of Biko ( whose murder was incidentally covered up as being death caused from self- inflicted injuries arising from a prolonged hunger strike) and Bhagat Singh have always been held in high esteem. Over the years I learned about the non violent path of combating an oppressor… how the Mahatma or Boitel would choose not to feed themselves to be heard and heeded. And to those who have the opportunity of going through the accounts of these hunger strikes, there is nothing quite as moving as a man with honest intentions who chooses the only recourse left to him.
Still, I fail to be deeply enthused by the Mauritian version of hunger strikes with the latest of them being that of Riche Terre planters. Not because I believe that their fight is unjust but simply because they have chosen a weapon that threatens to halt a country’s further development.
Diffi cult to make any sense out of the present mess. An issue that was already convoluted in 2007 fi nds itself further exacerbated with both sides claiming to be right. And since one of the sides in this slugfest is led by the Made in Mauritius Lee Kuan Yew, expect him to use these circumstances to project the image of a bold leader on a take no prisoners stance.
This new image can only be instilled by using some deeply philosophical lines such as “ To pa koner kan to pas manger to pou crever”. For once, I can’t even blame the country’s leader on his impatience with what he believes are hurdles to the country’s greater progress and prosperity.
However, we wish that our great helmsman were as bold and vocal against white collar criminals, corruption and malpractices.
The original sin The pecuniary demands of the planters might appear nonsensical to many. Still, they had an agreement that allowed them to use the land up to 2015 and have justifi ed their claims by evaluating the annual income garnered from these lands and multiplying it by the number of years left on their lease. To what extent are these people right or wrong, I do not know. But having associated themselves with l’enfant terrible of No. 5, they have made this a battleground for political interests and by using hunger strikes as bargaining chips, they have demeaned their own pursuit.
Something went dreadfully wrong at the beginning of the present year. The masses sided with Jayen Chellum, a man who had acted irresponsibly on a day where the fate of so many young souls is decided. Unlike many, I chose not to join the cohort of Government bashers and saw in this “ fight for justice” a heavy farcical touch. Most of my peers disagreed with me back then. But the repercussions are now very much real with a precedent that confi rms that in an electoral year, everything is tolerated. Now is the time to close Pandora’s box.
Today, as the concept of hunger strike is being fi rmly imprinted in the Mauritian psyche, my only wish would be to have an independent commission or fact- finding committee on the matter where the extent of truths and lies would be gauged and questions such as the following tackled: Have these lands effectively been occupied by all planters? Have the alternative terrains promised to growers already been provided to them? What would amount to a just and fair compensation to all parties concerned? Till these be answered, let cooler heads prevail.
“ In an electoral year, everything is tolerated.
Now is the time to close Pandora’s box.”
Friday, February 19, 2010
Robots apres tout/L'Express/19/02/2010
Robots après tout…
School used to bore me. For most of the time I spent there, I considered it to be a prison confining young bodies and minds within four walls for seemingly endless hours where we would be trained to learn everything by heart. This suited most of those around me perfectly but the idea of being a parrot never tempted me much, so I chose to remain human.
This meant that I was often the only carefree soul amidst frenzied ones which allowed me to keep my mind fully functional, or on a more comparative style, to paraphrase Kipling’s opening line of If, I was keeping my head when all about me were losing theirs. In my high school years, my understanding of the academic world had not changed.
I was in one of the “Star Colleges” where “la crème de la crème” was pooled and subsequently pitched against each other. Throughout these formative years, I witnessed some humorous incidents that still bring a smile to my face as I pen this column learners crying because they were not in the premier position in class, mindless competition between my peers resulting in depression or the greater belief in God.
As from the age of 16, the uncompetitive nature of my world seemed too appealing to make the journey to cold Curepipe every morning. Instead, I read everything that I could find at home. Luckily for me, my parents being both teachers, I had innumerable classics to choose from. And thus I discovered Poe and Faulkner among others. And I was happy being as I was… doing what I loved to do.
Not everyone shared my happiness though. I quickly learned that the system treated ‘nonchalant’ beings who were disenchanted with the memorised learning process as ‘rebellious misfi ts’ that had to be reformed. And who else to carry this noble task of administering the cold verdict than some unthinking teachers who had decided that if you did well you were intelligent and if you could not be moulded into a robot, you had to be treated with such encouraging lines that would do wonders to your confidence ‘Sa sujet la pou ban intelligents sa. Ou pou fail ou’.
No longer do I bear any grudge against those instructors. This so-called tradition of excellence which consists solely in the transforming of children into trained monkeys has been perpetuating itself long before my passage in academia and unless we get serious about it, shall continue in the future.
The myriad of issues that is correlated to the appropriateness of a country’s education system is daunting. The creation of mechanical beings that are only concerned about themselves and who like modern Daedaluses are proud of their own attainments and whose sole satisfaction in life consists in adorning some copies of paper credentials on their walls while remaining indifferent as the world around them sinks further into decadence.
An absence of interest in active citizenship where many prefer dowsing themselves in networking on Friday evenings exchanging visiting cards in vain attempts of avoiding what they loathe most: anonymity. Instead of thinking how we could do something for that country of ours and reject the status quo. I look at this young democracy of ours with its ever-increasing number of educated citizens but few of them bothering to think and question issues. Unconcerned about what is happening around them, only preoccupied about climbing the corporate ladder.
All we need is a bit of soul in our lives…and it starts with the way we raise our children.
Chetan Ramchurn
School used to bore me. For most of the time I spent there, I considered it to be a prison confining young bodies and minds within four walls for seemingly endless hours where we would be trained to learn everything by heart. This suited most of those around me perfectly but the idea of being a parrot never tempted me much, so I chose to remain human.
This meant that I was often the only carefree soul amidst frenzied ones which allowed me to keep my mind fully functional, or on a more comparative style, to paraphrase Kipling’s opening line of If, I was keeping my head when all about me were losing theirs. In my high school years, my understanding of the academic world had not changed.
I was in one of the “Star Colleges” where “la crème de la crème” was pooled and subsequently pitched against each other. Throughout these formative years, I witnessed some humorous incidents that still bring a smile to my face as I pen this column learners crying because they were not in the premier position in class, mindless competition between my peers resulting in depression or the greater belief in God.
As from the age of 16, the uncompetitive nature of my world seemed too appealing to make the journey to cold Curepipe every morning. Instead, I read everything that I could find at home. Luckily for me, my parents being both teachers, I had innumerable classics to choose from. And thus I discovered Poe and Faulkner among others. And I was happy being as I was… doing what I loved to do.
Not everyone shared my happiness though. I quickly learned that the system treated ‘nonchalant’ beings who were disenchanted with the memorised learning process as ‘rebellious misfi ts’ that had to be reformed. And who else to carry this noble task of administering the cold verdict than some unthinking teachers who had decided that if you did well you were intelligent and if you could not be moulded into a robot, you had to be treated with such encouraging lines that would do wonders to your confidence ‘Sa sujet la pou ban intelligents sa. Ou pou fail ou’.
No longer do I bear any grudge against those instructors. This so-called tradition of excellence which consists solely in the transforming of children into trained monkeys has been perpetuating itself long before my passage in academia and unless we get serious about it, shall continue in the future.
The myriad of issues that is correlated to the appropriateness of a country’s education system is daunting. The creation of mechanical beings that are only concerned about themselves and who like modern Daedaluses are proud of their own attainments and whose sole satisfaction in life consists in adorning some copies of paper credentials on their walls while remaining indifferent as the world around them sinks further into decadence.
An absence of interest in active citizenship where many prefer dowsing themselves in networking on Friday evenings exchanging visiting cards in vain attempts of avoiding what they loathe most: anonymity. Instead of thinking how we could do something for that country of ours and reject the status quo. I look at this young democracy of ours with its ever-increasing number of educated citizens but few of them bothering to think and question issues. Unconcerned about what is happening around them, only preoccupied about climbing the corporate ladder.
All we need is a bit of soul in our lives…and it starts with the way we raise our children.
Chetan Ramchurn
Friday, February 12, 2010
Ouver to lizier kamarade (Le Mauricien 08.02.2010)
Ouver to lizier kamarade
Hier tone voter, zordi tone blier,
Promesses in fair, zamais pou realiser,
Mafia in augmenter, la zistis p crier,
Ek toi? to lizier fermer.
Ouver to lizier kamarade.
Zordi anou esperer, ki ene lot dimain exister
Kot to kapav respirer, ek nou pays progresser
Kot asoir to tifi kav marcher, sans ki to bisin prier
Ouver to lizier kamarade.
Met n la main pou nou recreer
Pou ki dimain to zenfan pas plorer.
Ouver zot liziers kamarades
Chetan
Hier tone voter, zordi tone blier,
Promesses in fair, zamais pou realiser,
Mafia in augmenter, la zistis p crier,
Ek toi? to lizier fermer.
Ouver to lizier kamarade.
Zordi anou esperer, ki ene lot dimain exister
Kot to kapav respirer, ek nou pays progresser
Kot asoir to tifi kav marcher, sans ki to bisin prier
Ouver to lizier kamarade.
Met n la main pou nou recreer
Pou ki dimain to zenfan pas plorer.
Ouver zot liziers kamarades
Chetan
Let the production of freaks continue (L'Express 12.02.2010)
Education : Let the production of freaks continue
Chetan Ramchurn
PONDERING on my scholastic journey, I now look at how things could have been better. I won’t indulge in any profound critique of what the past few Ministers of Education have tried to accomplish. Most of the endeavours initiated by them being inspired from Scandinavian best practices and going in the right direction, I would rather offer insights as a product of the system and my suggestions on how to improve the current state of affairs.
Scrap the elitist system: Finland, which is the benchmark as far as educational excellence is concerned, has a structure that thrives on equality whereby it willingly chooses to put those that do well and those that do not do so well together up to the age of 16. This form of impartiality which allows children to remain with the same cohort of friends also leads to the creation of a more humane cadre.
Rightly dubbed by experts as a “ philosophy of inclusion”, this is in line with the nine- year schooling principle. However, to achieve this, there is the need to eliminate our sordid obsession with assessments and as importantly to stop the public disclosure of results. Our discriminatory system, which in its state, is purely based on getting egos as infl ated as possible has been crippling our society for all too long.
Value teachers: Another vital condition for a novel knowledge system would be to enhance the value attached to knowledge imparters. Better salaries would be the fi rst step. This would act as a supplementary source of motivation for existing teachers and it would help attract high calibre candidates to teaching jobs. Greater accountability would also be required to ensure that corrective action is taken to help teachers.
In my own eyes and based on my personal experience, few teachers stood out. Beside being exceptionally good and creative at teaching, these educators treated pupils as human beings and not as mere machines trained to memorise everything.
While others were ever so ready to sound the hallali against those children that were not meeting their expected standards, these good instructors genuinely cared about their pupils.
Time for a mentality change for parents: this is a request to the parents reading this article. I would urge each and every one of you to accept your wards as they are and encourage them in order to nurture in them the desire to continuously discover new things and not be zombielike fi gures with no emotions at all who live and die by that all too limited book knowledge.
Another appeal would be to refrain from using children as a means of achieving your ambition. If you do so, you are
helping create future members of an unthinking majority where academic education is considered as an end in itself.
Limit the number of hours in class: While the Enhancement Programme is an attempt to cure the tuition issue, having students confi ned till 1730 does not bode anything good in the long term. Shorter timed classes are a must if we want to create a more conducive atmosphere to learning. Children cannot be expected to stay focused for this long. Cramming up minds has never been the best of ways to create educated citizens. Foster creativity in the classroom: The use of games, role play, storytelling and at secondary level the renditions of thought leaders are to be promulgated as early as possible. The dearth of moral education could in this way be addressed and greater profoundness given to academia.
Education cannot be the battleground for vested interests: the debate on the education of tomorrow cannot be perverted to cater for the vested interests of some people or ethnic organisations. This area is about our shared future. Kindly do not mess it up.
I’ll end my piece by quoting Socrates, “ I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing”. Till this be understood, let the production of ‘ freaks’ continue.
Chetan Ramchurn
PONDERING on my scholastic journey, I now look at how things could have been better. I won’t indulge in any profound critique of what the past few Ministers of Education have tried to accomplish. Most of the endeavours initiated by them being inspired from Scandinavian best practices and going in the right direction, I would rather offer insights as a product of the system and my suggestions on how to improve the current state of affairs.
Scrap the elitist system: Finland, which is the benchmark as far as educational excellence is concerned, has a structure that thrives on equality whereby it willingly chooses to put those that do well and those that do not do so well together up to the age of 16. This form of impartiality which allows children to remain with the same cohort of friends also leads to the creation of a more humane cadre.
Rightly dubbed by experts as a “ philosophy of inclusion”, this is in line with the nine- year schooling principle. However, to achieve this, there is the need to eliminate our sordid obsession with assessments and as importantly to stop the public disclosure of results. Our discriminatory system, which in its state, is purely based on getting egos as infl ated as possible has been crippling our society for all too long.
Value teachers: Another vital condition for a novel knowledge system would be to enhance the value attached to knowledge imparters. Better salaries would be the fi rst step. This would act as a supplementary source of motivation for existing teachers and it would help attract high calibre candidates to teaching jobs. Greater accountability would also be required to ensure that corrective action is taken to help teachers.
In my own eyes and based on my personal experience, few teachers stood out. Beside being exceptionally good and creative at teaching, these educators treated pupils as human beings and not as mere machines trained to memorise everything.
While others were ever so ready to sound the hallali against those children that were not meeting their expected standards, these good instructors genuinely cared about their pupils.
Time for a mentality change for parents: this is a request to the parents reading this article. I would urge each and every one of you to accept your wards as they are and encourage them in order to nurture in them the desire to continuously discover new things and not be zombielike fi gures with no emotions at all who live and die by that all too limited book knowledge.
Another appeal would be to refrain from using children as a means of achieving your ambition. If you do so, you are
helping create future members of an unthinking majority where academic education is considered as an end in itself.
Limit the number of hours in class: While the Enhancement Programme is an attempt to cure the tuition issue, having students confi ned till 1730 does not bode anything good in the long term. Shorter timed classes are a must if we want to create a more conducive atmosphere to learning. Children cannot be expected to stay focused for this long. Cramming up minds has never been the best of ways to create educated citizens. Foster creativity in the classroom: The use of games, role play, storytelling and at secondary level the renditions of thought leaders are to be promulgated as early as possible. The dearth of moral education could in this way be addressed and greater profoundness given to academia.
Education cannot be the battleground for vested interests: the debate on the education of tomorrow cannot be perverted to cater for the vested interests of some people or ethnic organisations. This area is about our shared future. Kindly do not mess it up.
I’ll end my piece by quoting Socrates, “ I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing”. Till this be understood, let the production of ‘ freaks’ continue.
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