The answer to the above question is a categorical “NO”! Besides, there is still a Damocles sword hanging over Pravind Jugnauth’s head. The minister of Finance seems to have an attitude problem regarding his fundamental rights as a politician, leave alone his superiority complex as a leader of the MSM. To him, will winning or losing his case at the Privy Council make no difference to carry on with his political career and cherish his ambition as Prime Minister? But at what price and expense may we ask? Did the electorate vote this government to make Pravind Jugnauth a PM?

His father, the Prime Minister, said at a recent press conference, that his son, Pravind, has got the rightful claim to be the next Prime Minister of this country since his party, the MSM, commands a majority of Members in Parliament. Sir Anerood Jugnauth even made reference to the British sys- tem where Theresa May was appointed PM after David Cameron stepped down as Prime Minister.

Morally, it is unsound for Pravind Jugnauth to become PM because it appears that the shift of power from father to son is unjust and looks very undemocratic. The general public knows fully well that Anerood Jugnauth left Réduit to come back in active politics just to save his son and eventually to make the latter a PM.

Let’s face it! Has Pravind Jugnauth got what it takes to be a PM? I disagree with Ahmad Macky in an article in Islander Tropical Review when he wrote: “Pravind Jugnauth has already proved himself as a competent leader and is sure to become a future good PM”. When one follows his political careers, his lame duck qualities of leadership of the MSM, his arrogance, his snobbism as a party leader against not only members of his party but towards his opponents, one finds that he has disqualified himself as a PM. Pravind Jugnauth is full of himself but could not compete internationally with professional foreign politicians, leave alone certain high professional CEOs and industrialists within the private sectors in Mauritius.

His quality as a leader is not even debatable because he has not got such a charismatic personality to be one. We only have to analyse and look at the position he came out at the recent December 2014 General Elections. He came in second place behind a woman who was listed top on the list of the three successful candidates. This shows that he has got a lot to learn before taking his position as a Prime Minister.

Pravind Jugnauth was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He lives in the shadow of power all the time. Without Sir Anerood Jugnauth as PM, Pravind is politically impotent. And yet, he is so authoritative, trying to make as if he is a stern disciplinarian, where everybody in the MSM should toe the line. He even goes as far as to gag the backbenchers of his party into not asking supposedly embarrassing questions in Parliament, in order to please the likes of Collendavelloo, Gayan and other ministers. This exercise was decided at a Parliamentary Committee held by the MSM, in collaboration with the PMSD and ML.

There is a question that comes to mind: is this not the beginning of the end for the Jugnauth government? Some will say that it is a bit too early and that we should give this government more time as they have still three and half years to govern. But the comments and talks coming from the streets all around the country paint a gloomy picture of this government’s assessment.

We only have to listen to private radios’ audience, to read press articles, and listen to the gossips of the lay men in the streets to reach a definite conclusion that this government is declining day by day. So how could the people of this country, especially “la masse silencieuse”, accept the theory that Pravind Jugnauth is the next PM! Many voters today regret their choice of “viré mam” in 2014.

If ever Pravind Jugnauth is made a PM, this will be the dark side of Mauritian politics, which will go down in history and could be a precedent for future family politicians.

Dr Samuel Nicholas DUYMUN

FRCP (Glasgow) MSc (Cantab)