The perfect political storm seems to be brewing on the horizon, the sort of maelstrom that we haven’t seen in a rather long time. One of the defining characteristics of this type of tempest is that it’s the result of a confluence of factors rather than of one event in particular. This makes it all the more difficult to predict the extent of the damage it will wreak and, more important, to take the appropriate mitigating measures. Since the beginning of the year, Mauritians have been subjected to draconian water cuts, snarling traffic jams and price hikes. The ongoing MedPoint and Infinity sagas have brutally highlighted the immense liberties that those in or near power take with our hard-earned lucre. The murder of Michaela Harte and a slew of other crapulous crimes further dampened the possibility that this year will be better than the last. And 2011 has only just begun…

Yet Mauritians are used, not to say immune, to the arrogance and incompetence of the political establishment.

Because every year brings more than its fair share of fiascos, their levels of expectation have been dragged so low as to be virtually non-existent. Even the extremely costly hedging debacles which continue to cost the taxpayer a pretty penny were eventually swept under the carpet. This time however, things seem to be different; there’s no more room under the carpet. Two developments are evidence of this. Firstly, the population is fed up of constantly having to tighten its belt while the fat cats, elected and otherwise, laugh all the way to the bank. The growing economic hardship being felt by our countrymen and women should worry government, if only for its own survival. For its own selfish reasons though, the administration continues to pretend that everything is rosy in paradise. Still, it’s arguable that there’s nothing particularly new here either.

The second factor, and one that’s particularly visible in the case of Infinity, is that the younger generations are perhaps not as apathetic as was previously feared. As the young hunger strikers have shown, they know their rights and seem genuinely disinclined to forgo them for the sake of political expediency (to Shakeel Mohamed’s obvious discomfort). This is excellent news for civil society and the country in general. It also means that each and every new case of conflict of interest, abuse of power and corruption risks becoming that straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Once again, Navin Ramgoolam has emerged relatively unscathed from the recent spate of scandals, despite rumours that the purchase of MedPoint was a pre-condition of the Labour/MSM alliance and the fact that Infinity’s Jean Suzanne was an advisor of his until relatively recently. It’s improbable that his lucky streak will last forever. Sooner or later, the population will make the connection between its troubles and the Prime minister’s particular brand of leadership. It’s about time too. From a young age, we’re drilled to accept the consequences of our actions. Yet this fundamental lesson has been lost on our political leaders. I recently read that “those who support the denial of decent living standards to others, generally end up sharing the fate of their victims.” It’s a consolation, of sorts.