If we want a good government, we must have good people in charge. Look at the way that Taiwan and Singapore have been able to contain the virus. What did they do that we simply didn’t? I don’t have the list, but early intervention must have been central – which, sadly, was not the case here. 

How do we choose our “good” people? Surely, good governance (implying sound and timely decisions in times of great crisis) is too complex to be left to any Tom, Dick or Harry. Well, on what basis do we choose our MPs? First it’s the leader of the party, who chooses among a flock so eager to “serve” us. On what criteria? More probably than not, the “lucky” ones would be those most subservient, less likely to challenge his authority! And then, once in the polling booth, we blindly put three “X”s next to the names of those guys whose leader must have caught our fancy either by his ethnicity or rhetoric (usually a babble focusing mostly on emotion rather than reason!) 

Frankly, can this go on? Well, it can, but the consequences will be disastrous! For, in spite of those s o p h i s t i c ated technologies at our disposal (Big Data, computer algorithms and all the stuff) this epidemic is reminding us that the future is unpredictable. And, in times of great crisis, it’s the bright people at the helm who really matter – people who can come up quickly with good solutions.

«In times of great crisis, it’s the bright people at the helm who really matter – people who can come up quickly with good solutions.»

How can we choose the bright people? Okay, we might go only for those with university degrees. But degrees only show one side of you. They show application, the ability to memorize, some logic… And just these will not take you far if you don’t have imagination and a good grasp of reality. I have always been impressed by those three cosmonauts of Apollo 13 (April 1971). More than 300,000 km in space, an explosion aboard had knocked out all key controls and the spaceship was fast spinning out of control. It was a do-or-die situation: bring the spaceship back to Earth or get lost forever in the depth of space. Fortunately, it ended well: all three came back safely. 

How did NASA select the best men for the job? Many must have postulated. What tests did NASA do to find those who would take the right decisions under severe pressure? Does anyone know? Please tell me, because they might serve as guidelines to pick those so willing to “serve” us! 

Finally, does democracy really work? Should the right to vote be given to everyone? At one time in the US, you had to pass a test to find out if you could exercise that right. Well, for Mauritius, the test might have been a series of simple questions like: “Which is closer to Mauritius : Africa or Europe?”; “Can you see a virus?”… Frankly, if a person can’t answer these, is s/he apt to choose your best representatives?

Jean Lindsay Dhookit, Author.