In the words of Liam Gallagher, “It takes more than blood to be my brother...”. Talk about sibling rivalry! Ever since Cain got jealous that his younger brother Abel was preferred by God– with deadly consequences– siblings whose lifelong, usually suppressed, family competitiveness has broken out into open conflict have found it all but impossible to mend their quarrel and come to an accommodation. It is widely accepted among shrinks that siblings will naturally compete, sometimes aggressively, for affection. Rivalry is particularly intense when siblings are close in age and of the same gender.

Though not necessarily in politics.

In the States, both the Bush and Kennedy families have successfully harnessed the natural rivalry of brothers, keeping family relationships on an even keel even as several siblings at a time become big- league politicians.

On Labour Day, the Ptr supporters, along with the throng of Bangladeshis (!!), witnessed a decidedly Janus-faced Ashock Jugnauth delivering an ambiguous speech that was tinged with reminiscing notes of two brothers fighting to surpass each other in what should have remained a boyhood race. Ashock and Anerood Jugnauth are among the tiny handful of brothers ever to serve together in the Mauritian Cabinet.

As Ashock himself admitted, the progress achieved during his time within the MMM/MSM government is laudable.
Saying that, NCR must have wondered whether Ashock was under the delusion of being on another podium, given the manner he was waxing lyrical about his feats as a Minister under another regime! Contradictory speech for the much- anticipated surprise guest of the Labour gathering, to say the very least!

Xavier must have felt like being slapped in the face with a wet fish when Ashock warned the audience of the difficult times the country is going through. Oh dear oh dear, so much for Xavier’s reiteration that the Mauritian economy is blossoming. Navin’s camarilla failed miserably when it suggested Ashock as the surprise guest at this gathering.

The bred- in- the- bone patriotism that Ashock was formerly known for now seems to be tainted with his family discord and his quest to become the better- known brother. Yesterday, Ashock posed a sharp contrast to the once- gregarious top dog of No. 8. The guy has not done himself any favour, not in the eyes of die- hard Labourites, nor the Opposition’s, by agreeing play the part Sir Galahad at Navin’s request. The mass does not forget as easily as Ashock seems to have. This very NCR is the one who cost Ashock his seat in Parliament by dragging him in front of the Privy Council and proving him guilty of corruption, almost consigning him to the maws of the political thrash can.

The possibility of a reunion of the dynamic duo Ashock and Anerood now looks exceedingly remote. The willingness to submerge individual ambition for the greater good of a nation facing dire times vamoosed when Ashock stepped into that bottomless red moat. Gone are the days where we looked to our leaders to aid the weak, to determine the doubtful and to combat the froward.