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.
Showing posts with label Mouvement Militant Mauricien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mouvement Militant Mauricien. Show all posts
Friday, February 12, 2010
Saturday, December 26, 2009
2009: Another Year in Paradise
2009: Another Year in Paradise
The author shares his insights on the present situation of Mauritius before the ‘peuple admirable’ gets ready to forget the many injustices it endured during the year choosing to embark on that safe selective retention mode while the country’s democratically elected Chief Entertainer gets ready for his white X-Mas. In an annum marked by Navin’s multiple historic trysts with world greats, the No.8 elections and numerous other scandals arising from the laissez faire style of the country heads, the unthinking majority chose yet again to postpone its baptism in active citizenship sine die.
What you should not forget...but you’ll forget anyway
No exit clause, no excuses: We witnessed how at the Air Mauritius, a real life version of Pope’s The Rape of the Lock unfolded where poor decisions resulting from the incompetence of some meant that the company had to compromise its short and medium term profitability. In the process, our Phaeton Rubicola effectively lost its credibility but the situation also highlighted the inability of the Great One to put the right people in the right place.
And Justice for all?: The travesty of justice in several cases continued to grab headlines with favouritism now openly practiced with the rooting for the interests of family members, political acquaintances and corporate entities (read political financiers). The King of hollow speeches shouted with all his might that he has managed to turn this country around and thereby salvaged our collective destinies from ‘l’oligarchie sucrière’. The majority of the population heeded his words believing that the much needed democratisation of the economy would materialise. Unfortunately for our motherland, the sly fox had been veiled as the protective shepherd back in 2005 and we failed to notice it.
Capitalism x 2: A double dose of Sithanenomics in this post-crisis year, with most experts close to the nantis lauding the greatness and profound intelligence of the Minister while the public, as is customary now, unable to overstand the many issues now accepting the visionless minister’s actions as a boon. How our national maven, for all his knowledge in economics and political science, managed to submit his resignation to the wrong person in 2007 still riddles our minds. Till today, many of us still rue this missed opportunity.
Welcome to the Navin Show:
Our glorious leader managed a master stroke by garnering all the credit for Pravind's win in the No.8 family feud.However, his haughtiness reached new heights with his ever growing desire to be perceived as someone highly important at global level. And who has to put up with the renditions of his discussions with the heads of economic powerhouses? We do. Puerility on Navin’s behalf? No, more pernicious than that, pure unbridled adulation of oneself. Part of the press that answers to Ramgoolam’s every beck and call also managed to instill in our minds the idea that the outcome of the next elections was already finalised.
Protection Montagne: How we managed to let ethnicity be the leverage for success, or how politics was perverted to tolerate illegality (with the latest example being the efforts of the former Lord Mayor squashed as a means of ethnic baiting) was another defining feature of 2009.
Occult forces continued to operate in several sectors providing an almost endless supply of money to fuel businesses. Of special interest was the greater use of greeting codes that are now that all powerful sesame and which possess the unique ability to open locked doors. This today offers the ability to show one’s appartenance to the right clique in public (extending to radio waves) and private spheres thus resulting in a flawed system where some of us are allowed undue privileges because of their racial affiliations.
The No.8 elections showed that the new king makers were vain individuals from socio-cultural organizations that continued to let their destructive influence tarnish an already soiled democratic space. A long way from “Ene sel lepep, ene sel nation”.
Other Issues: The MMM? Still lost.Pravind? Sans envergure.
A glimmer of hope.
Eliminating the rat race: Bunwaree laid the foundations for a thinking society with such bold propositions that included the projected scrapping of the elitist system. This was followed, as expected, by such simplistic comments from pseudo experts as “akoz ou zenfant pas laureat ou p dire sa”. This is far from being an issue springing out of any form of jealousy or feeling of resentment. It has to do with the simple realization that this present system which thrives on parrot learning is ending up doing more harm than good. It also has to do with the return on investment which is simply not worth the amount of money devoted to such an endeavour. Especially so, if the greater part of the country’s nationally funded eminence grise’s only aim is to pad its bank accounts by working abroad. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But not with studies financed by taxpayers’ money.
Others claimed that they would not return to the country because of the lack of meritocracy and corruption that phagocytes it. But are those acute issues pertinent to Mauritius only? Are they not present in even the most developed of countries? The greatness of all responsible citizens consists in helping change their country for the better instead of deciding to escape to foreign shores. Equally vile were the attacks on the Minister’s reforms were the conservatives’ claim that it constituted a form of ethnic bashing. Until we extirpate the debate on education from the communal gutter, no expected outcome will ever be translated into reality.
The Mauritian(s) of the year award:
2009 belongs to Sam Lauthan and Jack Bizlall. The former for being noble in a party that is no longer so and for having the class of leaving politics untainted selecting to stick to his beliefs while others have long succumbed to their gluttony for power. The second one for having the ability to say things in the ‘overcrowded baracoon’ that confirms that not all of us have given up their quest for a better society. Both of them militans (the coaltar not the caviar versions). The rarest of breeds these days.
The untimely departed
James Burty David, that quick-witted, courageous soldier, peerless in loyalty among labourites shall be missed by many. Hardworking with an unwavering attachment to the venerable institution that the Labour Party is, JBD shall be an example for many aspiring and practicing politicians. Chapeau bas!
Vivement 2010.
Chetan Ramchurn
The author shares his insights on the present situation of Mauritius before the ‘peuple admirable’ gets ready to forget the many injustices it endured during the year choosing to embark on that safe selective retention mode while the country’s democratically elected Chief Entertainer gets ready for his white X-Mas. In an annum marked by Navin’s multiple historic trysts with world greats, the No.8 elections and numerous other scandals arising from the laissez faire style of the country heads, the unthinking majority chose yet again to postpone its baptism in active citizenship sine die.
What you should not forget...but you’ll forget anyway
No exit clause, no excuses: We witnessed how at the Air Mauritius, a real life version of Pope’s The Rape of the Lock unfolded where poor decisions resulting from the incompetence of some meant that the company had to compromise its short and medium term profitability. In the process, our Phaeton Rubicola effectively lost its credibility but the situation also highlighted the inability of the Great One to put the right people in the right place.
And Justice for all?: The travesty of justice in several cases continued to grab headlines with favouritism now openly practiced with the rooting for the interests of family members, political acquaintances and corporate entities (read political financiers). The King of hollow speeches shouted with all his might that he has managed to turn this country around and thereby salvaged our collective destinies from ‘l’oligarchie sucrière’. The majority of the population heeded his words believing that the much needed democratisation of the economy would materialise. Unfortunately for our motherland, the sly fox had been veiled as the protective shepherd back in 2005 and we failed to notice it.
Capitalism x 2: A double dose of Sithanenomics in this post-crisis year, with most experts close to the nantis lauding the greatness and profound intelligence of the Minister while the public, as is customary now, unable to overstand the many issues now accepting the visionless minister’s actions as a boon. How our national maven, for all his knowledge in economics and political science, managed to submit his resignation to the wrong person in 2007 still riddles our minds. Till today, many of us still rue this missed opportunity.
Welcome to the Navin Show:
Our glorious leader managed a master stroke by garnering all the credit for Pravind's win in the No.8 family feud.However, his haughtiness reached new heights with his ever growing desire to be perceived as someone highly important at global level. And who has to put up with the renditions of his discussions with the heads of economic powerhouses? We do. Puerility on Navin’s behalf? No, more pernicious than that, pure unbridled adulation of oneself. Part of the press that answers to Ramgoolam’s every beck and call also managed to instill in our minds the idea that the outcome of the next elections was already finalised.
Protection Montagne: How we managed to let ethnicity be the leverage for success, or how politics was perverted to tolerate illegality (with the latest example being the efforts of the former Lord Mayor squashed as a means of ethnic baiting) was another defining feature of 2009.
Occult forces continued to operate in several sectors providing an almost endless supply of money to fuel businesses. Of special interest was the greater use of greeting codes that are now that all powerful sesame and which possess the unique ability to open locked doors. This today offers the ability to show one’s appartenance to the right clique in public (extending to radio waves) and private spheres thus resulting in a flawed system where some of us are allowed undue privileges because of their racial affiliations.
The No.8 elections showed that the new king makers were vain individuals from socio-cultural organizations that continued to let their destructive influence tarnish an already soiled democratic space. A long way from “Ene sel lepep, ene sel nation”.
Other Issues: The MMM? Still lost.Pravind? Sans envergure.
A glimmer of hope.
Eliminating the rat race: Bunwaree laid the foundations for a thinking society with such bold propositions that included the projected scrapping of the elitist system. This was followed, as expected, by such simplistic comments from pseudo experts as “akoz ou zenfant pas laureat ou p dire sa”. This is far from being an issue springing out of any form of jealousy or feeling of resentment. It has to do with the simple realization that this present system which thrives on parrot learning is ending up doing more harm than good. It also has to do with the return on investment which is simply not worth the amount of money devoted to such an endeavour. Especially so, if the greater part of the country’s nationally funded eminence grise’s only aim is to pad its bank accounts by working abroad. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But not with studies financed by taxpayers’ money.
Others claimed that they would not return to the country because of the lack of meritocracy and corruption that phagocytes it. But are those acute issues pertinent to Mauritius only? Are they not present in even the most developed of countries? The greatness of all responsible citizens consists in helping change their country for the better instead of deciding to escape to foreign shores. Equally vile were the attacks on the Minister’s reforms were the conservatives’ claim that it constituted a form of ethnic bashing. Until we extirpate the debate on education from the communal gutter, no expected outcome will ever be translated into reality.
The Mauritian(s) of the year award:
2009 belongs to Sam Lauthan and Jack Bizlall. The former for being noble in a party that is no longer so and for having the class of leaving politics untainted selecting to stick to his beliefs while others have long succumbed to their gluttony for power. The second one for having the ability to say things in the ‘overcrowded baracoon’ that confirms that not all of us have given up their quest for a better society. Both of them militans (the coaltar not the caviar versions). The rarest of breeds these days.
The untimely departed
James Burty David, that quick-witted, courageous soldier, peerless in loyalty among labourites shall be missed by many. Hardworking with an unwavering attachment to the venerable institution that the Labour Party is, JBD shall be an example for many aspiring and practicing politicians. Chapeau bas!
Vivement 2010.
Chetan Ramchurn
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Nail in The Coffin by Chetan Ramchurn (Le Mauricien 29.09.09)
1969-2009-MMM
NAIL IN THE COFFIN
Time to annihilate this archaic version of the MMM… let the vitriol from my Parker Sonnet flow…
My faith in the Purple Heart has not wavered since I chose to be part of it. Has not faltered, despite the hateful salvos of the arrogance-inebriated propagandists so keen on reducing the party to néant and has not vacillated in the face of accusations of our supposed surgically-precise partitioning of different communities. But the fact that we are stuck in that damning navel gazing mode where we celebrate our past glories and overlook the many inglorious episodes that have led us to be branded as obsolete have made the last few months the nadir of my young political days.
Succinctly, before our eyes, plagued by an abysmal absence of vision, the party mires into fibrillation with an intellectual side that has stopped pumping for far too long. What we should ask ourselves at this defining moment of the party’s existence is how we never managed to shake off that infamous “Le Parti des Minorités” tag that others slapped on us or how when in power we failed to bring much needed changes with electoral reforms or more transparency in the public and private sectors and as importantly in political financing, or as from 1983 onwards how everything that we stood for became confined to the realm of ideas and was never translated into action (bar the reform of the education sector), how corruption that lynchpin of so many other societal wrongs was seen to be tolerated by us…or that the self-professed Noble Party witnessed backroom shenanigans where worthless candidates were promoted in favour of more able ones for positions of power to suit the whims and wishes of some of the party heads.
Trapped in culpable inaction, the Militans, guardians of the moral sacredness of the MMM need to understand that if they follow this treacherous path, no return to the genesis of the party can be achieved. No longer can they let themselves be frogmarched into accepting the unacceptable; the promotion of insipid figures chosen because of their past affiliations, the loss of ideological foundations to our lutte. Or the relinquishing of that ingredient that was at the origin of this whole journey; the fight against all forms of racial divisions and the celebration of Mauritianism (Ene sel lepep, ene sel nation). Indeed, has the party that advocated class warfare stooped so low that our winning formula for the next elections resides in the return of that crucial missing piece that led to our defeat in the 2005 elections? (“Aujourd'hui la désillusion de l'électorat musulman face à l'Alliance Sociale est totale et il revient en masse vers le MMM.” Bérenger/ Week-End 20/09/09).
But maybe I am veering away from what I should be doing as the archetypal ‘militan’, going beyond merely being a beni-oui-oui and engaging in something that is so rare within the MMM ranks these days; thinking. My interest in and subsequent decision to be a contributor to Mauritian politics was strongly motivated by the Kaya Riots and l’Affaire Amicale, both incidents showing the sinister side of Paradise Island. The first one reminding us of the frailty of our society and the second one demonstrating the intolerance the human kind was capable of. In 2008, I joined the MMM. Convinced that if there was one party that could prevent our motherland from falling prey to intestinal divisions, it would be one that combined the teachings of former Labour greats with that of Marx and which had an unrivalled history in its formative years of fighting for the proletariat.
Listening to the self-professed opinion leaders pullulating on our radio waves, the conclusion would be that Bérenger is the root cause of all woes within the MMM. With his place alongside the likes such illustrious Mauritians like Anquetil, Curé ,Rozemont, Bissoondoyal and SSR now firmly enshrined, the leader of the MMM might have slipped into solipsism choosing to heed only to himself and has failed (until recently, with le retour aux sources) to give the needed strategic thrust to the party. And in the meantime, philanderers of the MMM temple abounded, all indulging in some form of ideological molesting with a party conceptualised by utopians.
The time has come for us to change the way we do politics. We should refrain from mechanical mudslinging and abstain from what Navin did back in 2005, rely on demagogic “Le Grand Soir” style discourses and foster ideas that are adapted to modern realities. Let us genuinely strive to alter how party members view their role and ensure that the now famous line “Dans la lutte pena recompense” is an ode to meritocracy and not simply used to thwart those petits copains that the party fails to serve. Let us stop playing the ostrich game and question ourselves and start from scratch with militans that genuinely care about the future of this nation.
I am not worried about what lies ahead. The MMM will rise again from its present ideological and intellectual blackout. Having read with optimism the paper “Qu’est-ce qu’être militan en 2009” and having spoken to some of my peers, I know that there are other inhabitants of Planet MMM that share my views. Yet, more than ever now, there is the need to discard those ideas and people that have made us so hollow over the years. The ambition of the party at its creation was to eradicate the trenches between the different communities and was based on socialist principles such as the establishment of a more egalitarian society… ideals that like the MMM simply will never die.
Here is my cri de coeur, “Thinking militans, unite”
Chetan Ramchurn
A Young Member of the MMM
NAIL IN THE COFFIN
Time to annihilate this archaic version of the MMM… let the vitriol from my Parker Sonnet flow…
My faith in the Purple Heart has not wavered since I chose to be part of it. Has not faltered, despite the hateful salvos of the arrogance-inebriated propagandists so keen on reducing the party to néant and has not vacillated in the face of accusations of our supposed surgically-precise partitioning of different communities. But the fact that we are stuck in that damning navel gazing mode where we celebrate our past glories and overlook the many inglorious episodes that have led us to be branded as obsolete have made the last few months the nadir of my young political days.
Succinctly, before our eyes, plagued by an abysmal absence of vision, the party mires into fibrillation with an intellectual side that has stopped pumping for far too long. What we should ask ourselves at this defining moment of the party’s existence is how we never managed to shake off that infamous “Le Parti des Minorités” tag that others slapped on us or how when in power we failed to bring much needed changes with electoral reforms or more transparency in the public and private sectors and as importantly in political financing, or as from 1983 onwards how everything that we stood for became confined to the realm of ideas and was never translated into action (bar the reform of the education sector), how corruption that lynchpin of so many other societal wrongs was seen to be tolerated by us…or that the self-professed Noble Party witnessed backroom shenanigans where worthless candidates were promoted in favour of more able ones for positions of power to suit the whims and wishes of some of the party heads.
Trapped in culpable inaction, the Militans, guardians of the moral sacredness of the MMM need to understand that if they follow this treacherous path, no return to the genesis of the party can be achieved. No longer can they let themselves be frogmarched into accepting the unacceptable; the promotion of insipid figures chosen because of their past affiliations, the loss of ideological foundations to our lutte. Or the relinquishing of that ingredient that was at the origin of this whole journey; the fight against all forms of racial divisions and the celebration of Mauritianism (Ene sel lepep, ene sel nation). Indeed, has the party that advocated class warfare stooped so low that our winning formula for the next elections resides in the return of that crucial missing piece that led to our defeat in the 2005 elections? (“Aujourd'hui la désillusion de l'électorat musulman face à l'Alliance Sociale est totale et il revient en masse vers le MMM.” Bérenger/ Week-End 20/09/09).
But maybe I am veering away from what I should be doing as the archetypal ‘militan’, going beyond merely being a beni-oui-oui and engaging in something that is so rare within the MMM ranks these days; thinking. My interest in and subsequent decision to be a contributor to Mauritian politics was strongly motivated by the Kaya Riots and l’Affaire Amicale, both incidents showing the sinister side of Paradise Island. The first one reminding us of the frailty of our society and the second one demonstrating the intolerance the human kind was capable of. In 2008, I joined the MMM. Convinced that if there was one party that could prevent our motherland from falling prey to intestinal divisions, it would be one that combined the teachings of former Labour greats with that of Marx and which had an unrivalled history in its formative years of fighting for the proletariat.
Listening to the self-professed opinion leaders pullulating on our radio waves, the conclusion would be that Bérenger is the root cause of all woes within the MMM. With his place alongside the likes such illustrious Mauritians like Anquetil, Curé ,Rozemont, Bissoondoyal and SSR now firmly enshrined, the leader of the MMM might have slipped into solipsism choosing to heed only to himself and has failed (until recently, with le retour aux sources) to give the needed strategic thrust to the party. And in the meantime, philanderers of the MMM temple abounded, all indulging in some form of ideological molesting with a party conceptualised by utopians.
The time has come for us to change the way we do politics. We should refrain from mechanical mudslinging and abstain from what Navin did back in 2005, rely on demagogic “Le Grand Soir” style discourses and foster ideas that are adapted to modern realities. Let us genuinely strive to alter how party members view their role and ensure that the now famous line “Dans la lutte pena recompense” is an ode to meritocracy and not simply used to thwart those petits copains that the party fails to serve. Let us stop playing the ostrich game and question ourselves and start from scratch with militans that genuinely care about the future of this nation.
I am not worried about what lies ahead. The MMM will rise again from its present ideological and intellectual blackout. Having read with optimism the paper “Qu’est-ce qu’être militan en 2009” and having spoken to some of my peers, I know that there are other inhabitants of Planet MMM that share my views. Yet, more than ever now, there is the need to discard those ideas and people that have made us so hollow over the years. The ambition of the party at its creation was to eradicate the trenches between the different communities and was based on socialist principles such as the establishment of a more egalitarian society… ideals that like the MMM simply will never die.
Here is my cri de coeur, “Thinking militans, unite”
Chetan Ramchurn
A Young Member of the MMM
Monday, April 20, 2009
From the heart... (21.04.09/ Le Mauricien)
From the heart...
"Quand le sage désigne la lune, l'idiot regarde le doigt "
Chinese Proverb
Dear MMM,
Your ears must be hurting by now with all the foul things that have been said about you over the last few weeks. Fuelled by media propagandists that are bent on putting you in that most insufferable political coffin, the anti-MMM movement has seemingly gathered enough ammunition to threaten your 40-year old journey. Leading this pack is the personal friend of world leaders, the God-anointed Saviour of the people, Navin. The Chosen One in yet another of his hubristic fits even predicted that he will be the one with the shovel gleefully digging your grave and who will reduce you to political abyss.
But are all those that have made themselves heard filled with destructive venom? No, a few who genuinely care about your wellbeing have been prescribing medication that will help keep the ‘zom magouyeurs’ and similar diseases away. G.Ahnee pertinently raised the need for clarification on the values and the vision you stand for and posed to your followers a question that has been addling the minds of most of us; ‘Quel est le sens de votre combat?’
Let me add my voice to his, for this perceived dearth of ideas and absence of farsightedness has been plaguing you since 2005. There is the need to come forward with credible solutions to the following strategic issues; how do we reduce the gap between the haves and have-nots, do we keep an archaic education system that thrives on parrot learning or do we finally set the bases for a thinking society, how do we put reins on the capitalism beast and help create a greener society. My beloved MMM, what you need more than anything at this defining moment of your existence is lifeblood in the form of strong ideas, and they, unlike some of your members, will not waver with time…
Let me also request that you do not forget the reasons that have lead some of your children to leave your bosom. Some of your disillusioned disciples felt (and I believe that their case was not totally unfounded) that the last promotion exercise was one that did not give much consideration to meritocracy and was merely a public relations exercise that had been amateurly executed. Let us all hope that other meritorious candidates who have been denied that much-sought ticket for a ride on the power wagon will choose patience over haste and will remain steadfast in their commitment. Let us also pray that the internal wars finally cease and that your members stop tearing you apart. It is not too late to get yourself rid of the haughty young and old incompetents that pretend to love you only for their personal gains. Not when you have able people that are sincere in their dedication but who are overlooked.
The MMM cannot afford to fail. Not now. Now when the country’s future looks bleak and you are its sole ray of hope…
Your loving son,
Chetan Ramchurn
18.04.09
P.S: May I remind all of your adherents of their pledge when they joined the party
« Tout membre du MMM doit se plier a la discipline du Parti, militer activement au sein du Parti, étudier l’histoire du MMM, s’imprégner de ses valeurs, s’efforcer de se doter d’une solide formation politique, se mêler au peuple et y rester proche et au besoin l’aider, pratiquer l’ entraide avec les camarades du Parti, pratiquer l’autocritique quand nécessaire, n’avoir aucune activité ou conduite qui puisse nuire a l’image du Parti … »
"Quand le sage désigne la lune, l'idiot regarde le doigt "
Chinese Proverb
Dear MMM,
Your ears must be hurting by now with all the foul things that have been said about you over the last few weeks. Fuelled by media propagandists that are bent on putting you in that most insufferable political coffin, the anti-MMM movement has seemingly gathered enough ammunition to threaten your 40-year old journey. Leading this pack is the personal friend of world leaders, the God-anointed Saviour of the people, Navin. The Chosen One in yet another of his hubristic fits even predicted that he will be the one with the shovel gleefully digging your grave and who will reduce you to political abyss.
But are all those that have made themselves heard filled with destructive venom? No, a few who genuinely care about your wellbeing have been prescribing medication that will help keep the ‘zom magouyeurs’ and similar diseases away. G.Ahnee pertinently raised the need for clarification on the values and the vision you stand for and posed to your followers a question that has been addling the minds of most of us; ‘Quel est le sens de votre combat?’
Let me add my voice to his, for this perceived dearth of ideas and absence of farsightedness has been plaguing you since 2005. There is the need to come forward with credible solutions to the following strategic issues; how do we reduce the gap between the haves and have-nots, do we keep an archaic education system that thrives on parrot learning or do we finally set the bases for a thinking society, how do we put reins on the capitalism beast and help create a greener society. My beloved MMM, what you need more than anything at this defining moment of your existence is lifeblood in the form of strong ideas, and they, unlike some of your members, will not waver with time…
Let me also request that you do not forget the reasons that have lead some of your children to leave your bosom. Some of your disillusioned disciples felt (and I believe that their case was not totally unfounded) that the last promotion exercise was one that did not give much consideration to meritocracy and was merely a public relations exercise that had been amateurly executed. Let us all hope that other meritorious candidates who have been denied that much-sought ticket for a ride on the power wagon will choose patience over haste and will remain steadfast in their commitment. Let us also pray that the internal wars finally cease and that your members stop tearing you apart. It is not too late to get yourself rid of the haughty young and old incompetents that pretend to love you only for their personal gains. Not when you have able people that are sincere in their dedication but who are overlooked.
The MMM cannot afford to fail. Not now. Now when the country’s future looks bleak and you are its sole ray of hope…
Your loving son,
Chetan Ramchurn
18.04.09
P.S: May I remind all of your adherents of their pledge when they joined the party
« Tout membre du MMM doit se plier a la discipline du Parti, militer activement au sein du Parti, étudier l’histoire du MMM, s’imprégner de ses valeurs, s’efforcer de se doter d’une solide formation politique, se mêler au peuple et y rester proche et au besoin l’aider, pratiquer l’ entraide avec les camarades du Parti, pratiquer l’autocritique quand nécessaire, n’avoir aucune activité ou conduite qui puisse nuire a l’image du Parti … »
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sithanenomics will lead us to oblivion by Chetan Ramchurn (26.06.09 Le Mauricien/ L'Express 23/06/09)
“Jeunes hommes avides, croyez-moi. Il n’existe que deux manières de gagner la partie: jouer coeur ou tricher. Tricher est difficile; un tricheur pris est battu. Jouer coeur est simple. Il faut en avoir, voilà tout. Vous vous croyez sans coeur. Vous regardez mal vos cartes.”
(Jean Cocteau)
Sithanenomics will lead us to oblivion
The unlikeliest of turnarounds and the most splendid of image makeovers …all in barely seven days. And in came the new Che, the guardian of public weal, the one man that understands the pain of the downtrodden, the Honourable Sithanen who discovered that winning the heart of the population only meant the sacrifice of macroeconomic policies. How the governing alliance morphed from one that collected scandals as badges to a caring government might stun some, but not the thinking man. 2010 is not that far away and the clock has started ticking…
The application of internationally accepted standards might be lauded by several experts but no one should be fooled, the deepening of the trenches between the rich and the poor is well under way. While the microeconomic decisions now afford some breathing space to those in dire need, the absence of any clear cut long term vision is appalling but should not surprise anyone. Sithanen as highly knowledgeable as he claims he is in his field does lack the ability to go beyond what has been laid down in books; a boon so important in the long term survival of a nation. Alain Ah-Vee’s words might not rank high on the flowery language meter but he said it best; “Enn Minis Finans ti bizin pli prevwayan”. Unable to sow the seeds for the building of a new Mauritius during his mandate, Navin should know that as good a storyteller he is, the absence of any real change will lead to his fall from grace and ultimate downfall.
Let not the formidable post-budget PR campaign by the governing alliance blind you from the future economic hurdles that await our motherland. For this promise-laden budget raises even more questions than before. Will the hype generated by the micro initiatives geared at creating the ‘Maurice Ile Durable’ be translated into reality? How does the economic mastermind that Sithanen is tame the inflation beast? How do we put a halt to the continued disintegration of moral values and tackle the law and order issue? How do we breathe new life into the various ailing sectors of our economy? The jury is out and the countdown has begun…
Chetan Ramchurn
(Jean Cocteau)
Sithanenomics will lead us to oblivion
The unlikeliest of turnarounds and the most splendid of image makeovers …all in barely seven days. And in came the new Che, the guardian of public weal, the one man that understands the pain of the downtrodden, the Honourable Sithanen who discovered that winning the heart of the population only meant the sacrifice of macroeconomic policies. How the governing alliance morphed from one that collected scandals as badges to a caring government might stun some, but not the thinking man. 2010 is not that far away and the clock has started ticking…
The application of internationally accepted standards might be lauded by several experts but no one should be fooled, the deepening of the trenches between the rich and the poor is well under way. While the microeconomic decisions now afford some breathing space to those in dire need, the absence of any clear cut long term vision is appalling but should not surprise anyone. Sithanen as highly knowledgeable as he claims he is in his field does lack the ability to go beyond what has been laid down in books; a boon so important in the long term survival of a nation. Alain Ah-Vee’s words might not rank high on the flowery language meter but he said it best; “Enn Minis Finans ti bizin pli prevwayan”. Unable to sow the seeds for the building of a new Mauritius during his mandate, Navin should know that as good a storyteller he is, the absence of any real change will lead to his fall from grace and ultimate downfall.
Let not the formidable post-budget PR campaign by the governing alliance blind you from the future economic hurdles that await our motherland. For this promise-laden budget raises even more questions than before. Will the hype generated by the micro initiatives geared at creating the ‘Maurice Ile Durable’ be translated into reality? How does the economic mastermind that Sithanen is tame the inflation beast? How do we put a halt to the continued disintegration of moral values and tackle the law and order issue? How do we breathe new life into the various ailing sectors of our economy? The jury is out and the countdown has begun…
Chetan Ramchurn
Le delit de sale gueule (Le Mauricien 16/12/08)
Le délit de sale gueule…
Digne des plus grands vaudevilles, le spectacle burlesque offert au parlement mardi dernier a permis aux députés de la majorité de donner dans la bassesse. Certes, la phrase de Bérenger faisant référence au physique du ministre des finances est une maladresse…mais en la replaçant dans son contexte, nous ne pouvons que nous poser la question de savoir s’’il est humainement possible de rester calme devant tant d’arrogance et de condescendance ? Ce qui s’ensuivit fut le déclenchement d’une véritable hystérie collective des membres de la majorité… et le paroxysme de la bêtise fut atteint quand le leader de l’opposition fut traité de colon.
Le lien évident entre la couleur de peau de Bérenger et cette invective devrait tous nous interpeller. Le combat du MMM et de son leader est la suite logique de la lutte commencée par les Rozemont, Curé et Seeneevassen…Difficile ainsi de croire que celui qui fut inspiré par les mots de Frantz Fanon ait un quelconque penchant colonialiste. Des propos nauséeux, inquiétants et inacceptables de ce type confirment une fois de plus que nos dirigeants sont toujours à l’affût du moindre incident pour donner dans l’agressivité verbale. La PNQ du leader du MMM devait nous apprendre plus sur le gaspillage des fonds publics, sur le cas du QG de la BAI… à sa place nous avons assisté aux clowneries de certains de nos parlementaires.
Le député David, dont le rôle de porte flingue du parti travailliste lui sied à merveille, et auquel nous reconnaissons volontiers des qualités de grand travailleur, est sans doute un de ceux les mieux placés pour comprendre la pertinence d’une question ayant trait aux dépenses inutiles qui sont payées avec l’argent des contribuables. Le titre de « Serial Offender » attribué à Bérenger ne peut que nous faire sourire. Nous nous souvenons tous de l’épisode peu reluisant de « sa vie le rat blanc », le titre qui sérierait mieux à Bérenger serait celui de « Serial Victim ». La lecture de l’excellent ouvrage « De la question sociale à la question raciale? » s’impose à nos députés. Un des auteurs de ce livre a défini la race comme étant une « construction mentale qui fait que l’on traite différemment des personnes en fonction de leur couleur de peau, de leur mode de vie, de leur religion même… » . La race existe uniquement dans nos têtes. Nous pouvons, si nous le voulons, penser différemment.
Notre tissu social est fragile, les inégalités demeurent. Elles datent en partie de l’époque coloniale et nous sommes tous conscients que l’ascenseur social reste bloqué. Arrêtons de souiller cet espace démocratique qu’est le parlement avec des comparaisons honteuses. Pour que notre société change, nos représentants doivent commencer par eux-mêmes. Avec de tels dérapages verbaux, nous tuons l’espoir d’un avenir meilleur.
Chetan R.
Digne des plus grands vaudevilles, le spectacle burlesque offert au parlement mardi dernier a permis aux députés de la majorité de donner dans la bassesse. Certes, la phrase de Bérenger faisant référence au physique du ministre des finances est une maladresse…mais en la replaçant dans son contexte, nous ne pouvons que nous poser la question de savoir s’’il est humainement possible de rester calme devant tant d’arrogance et de condescendance ? Ce qui s’ensuivit fut le déclenchement d’une véritable hystérie collective des membres de la majorité… et le paroxysme de la bêtise fut atteint quand le leader de l’opposition fut traité de colon.
Le lien évident entre la couleur de peau de Bérenger et cette invective devrait tous nous interpeller. Le combat du MMM et de son leader est la suite logique de la lutte commencée par les Rozemont, Curé et Seeneevassen…Difficile ainsi de croire que celui qui fut inspiré par les mots de Frantz Fanon ait un quelconque penchant colonialiste. Des propos nauséeux, inquiétants et inacceptables de ce type confirment une fois de plus que nos dirigeants sont toujours à l’affût du moindre incident pour donner dans l’agressivité verbale. La PNQ du leader du MMM devait nous apprendre plus sur le gaspillage des fonds publics, sur le cas du QG de la BAI… à sa place nous avons assisté aux clowneries de certains de nos parlementaires.
Le député David, dont le rôle de porte flingue du parti travailliste lui sied à merveille, et auquel nous reconnaissons volontiers des qualités de grand travailleur, est sans doute un de ceux les mieux placés pour comprendre la pertinence d’une question ayant trait aux dépenses inutiles qui sont payées avec l’argent des contribuables. Le titre de « Serial Offender » attribué à Bérenger ne peut que nous faire sourire. Nous nous souvenons tous de l’épisode peu reluisant de « sa vie le rat blanc », le titre qui sérierait mieux à Bérenger serait celui de « Serial Victim ». La lecture de l’excellent ouvrage « De la question sociale à la question raciale? » s’impose à nos députés. Un des auteurs de ce livre a défini la race comme étant une « construction mentale qui fait que l’on traite différemment des personnes en fonction de leur couleur de peau, de leur mode de vie, de leur religion même… » . La race existe uniquement dans nos têtes. Nous pouvons, si nous le voulons, penser différemment.
Notre tissu social est fragile, les inégalités demeurent. Elles datent en partie de l’époque coloniale et nous sommes tous conscients que l’ascenseur social reste bloqué. Arrêtons de souiller cet espace démocratique qu’est le parlement avec des comparaisons honteuses. Pour que notre société change, nos représentants doivent commencer par eux-mêmes. Avec de tels dérapages verbaux, nous tuons l’espoir d’un avenir meilleur.
Chetan R.
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
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
The Navin Show by Chetan Ramchurn (L’Express 06.02.09/ Le Mauricien 07.02.09)
THE NAVIN SHOW
And thus spake the Great One…
Citizens of Mauritius, feel blessed to have been addressed by the Chosen One. Our hardworking Prime Minister, in his great benevolence, took some of the precious time he usually spends discussing with the likes of Chirac and Sarkozy to deal with the trivial Mauritian issues.
Revealing his misery and loneliness, the compassionate Navin also disclosed that he will be gracing President Obama with that great intelligence of his and we certainly believe that he will seize this opportunity to teach him a trick or two about how bold decisions are taken in tough times. Our leader talked at length about the fruits of his intelligent decisions using references spanning from the Bible to Kissinger and admitted that the No.8 elections were of little interest to him for he is now more than ever focused on the economy.
When our beloved P.M highlighted the hassles of holding his much coveted title, all of us sympathised with him. How can we let this often betrayed great ruler stay in such conditions with hardly any friends and suspicions on the few that he has? No, we cannot and should not let Ramgoolam Junior suffer more than he has already endured for our sake. We should relieve him of his great distress and it is now our moral duty to offer him salvation in the coming general elections.
Hubris
Last Thursday’s marathon speech which was nothing more than an unsavoury potpourri of quotes, examples from other failed hedging experiments and incoherent ramblings clearly smacked of hubris. So much arrogance from a man who has so lamentably failed time and time again should have irked most of us. But, nothing of that sort happened as a sizeable proportion of the “peuple admirable” chose to put style over substance and saw in SSR’s heir’s insufferable mumbo jumbo some kind of verbal prowess that the rest of us must have missed.
Ramgoolam’s power ride has been a bumpy one and the grotesque masquerade that this public relations exercise was proved once again that his all talk and no action attitude is likely to continue…until we finally decide to punish him…
Yeshwant Ramchurn
And thus spake the Great One…
Citizens of Mauritius, feel blessed to have been addressed by the Chosen One. Our hardworking Prime Minister, in his great benevolence, took some of the precious time he usually spends discussing with the likes of Chirac and Sarkozy to deal with the trivial Mauritian issues.
Revealing his misery and loneliness, the compassionate Navin also disclosed that he will be gracing President Obama with that great intelligence of his and we certainly believe that he will seize this opportunity to teach him a trick or two about how bold decisions are taken in tough times. Our leader talked at length about the fruits of his intelligent decisions using references spanning from the Bible to Kissinger and admitted that the No.8 elections were of little interest to him for he is now more than ever focused on the economy.
When our beloved P.M highlighted the hassles of holding his much coveted title, all of us sympathised with him. How can we let this often betrayed great ruler stay in such conditions with hardly any friends and suspicions on the few that he has? No, we cannot and should not let Ramgoolam Junior suffer more than he has already endured for our sake. We should relieve him of his great distress and it is now our moral duty to offer him salvation in the coming general elections.
Hubris
Last Thursday’s marathon speech which was nothing more than an unsavoury potpourri of quotes, examples from other failed hedging experiments and incoherent ramblings clearly smacked of hubris. So much arrogance from a man who has so lamentably failed time and time again should have irked most of us. But, nothing of that sort happened as a sizeable proportion of the “peuple admirable” chose to put style over substance and saw in SSR’s heir’s insufferable mumbo jumbo some kind of verbal prowess that the rest of us must have missed.
Ramgoolam’s power ride has been a bumpy one and the grotesque masquerade that this public relations exercise was proved once again that his all talk and no action attitude is likely to continue…until we finally decide to punish him…
Yeshwant Ramchurn
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