As we approach Labour Day this year, let us pause to reflect upon the currently trending political demonization of this special day. For once, let us put out guard down and bring this political subintelligitur out in the open. We are currently being subjected to the legendary logorrhoea that all politicians suffer from. And there is more on the way for the 1st of May when Labour Day will be used as a political barometer.

While the world around us achieves bigger things, our small nation stands shilly- shally on the brink of political and religious ridicule. On Labour Day, the nation will witness character assassinations and ad hominem attacks of breathtaking proportions.

But to what avail? How will our lives change? Are we going to walk away from these political gatherings with more maturity, or simply have our brains bombarded by sheer drivel? Take a long, hard look around you and make note of what changes you really want to bring in your lives. Now, go ahead and put forward the $64 dollar question- Can we expect politicians to bring about this change? The answer is most probably a reverberating. ‘No’

The redress must begin within the individual mind. In our society today, we have the justifiably- bitter youth, battered by high unemployment, alongside a geriatric masse that will not change their views overnight or adopt competence over caste and creed- the ill that almost single-handedly is bankrupting the country. Seasoned players of the political arena capitalize on this very immovable way of thinking.

The last gust to sweep across the island during the penultimate polling day is always that of ‘nou banne’ speeches, shrouded by ‘tempos’ whistling away promises of a better life post- elections. The political history of our island reflects this unfortunate reality. From the gubernatorial days, creed, along with favouritism, helped define the very core of the independent Mauritius.

Invisible empires have been set up above the forms of democracy. We are aware of how independence itself was bargained for, who was involved in which decisions and how the cake was distributed, to put it in layman’s terms. And let me reveal who has barely had a licking of icing, let alone a slice- The Mauritian nation. The ‘chosen few’ sycophants would collect the votes, using every dirty tactic in the book. This is followed by nugatory improvements in the life of Mauritians and massive rewards for those at the top.

This social stratification, shallowly characterized by creed, wealth, hereditary status, inherited rank, is purely divisive. Politicians are here to cadge our votes, cajole us to buy into their promises, employ callous methods of convincing the nation that they will, this time, deliver results. Later, voters lament having to choose between tweedledum and tweedledee, when we all know that the power rests in our hands that cast our hard- earned vote.

We, as individuals and die- hard patriots, must be able to rise above political pettiness to bring our island to the top of our priorities. It is somehow our fault that we allow politics to turn our multi- ethnicity into a strain rather than an asset. Mauritians must start promoting an esprit du corps and national bonding, the significant ingredients required to fleshing out the contours of a true democracy. Politicians are mere members of a much bigger picture.

We are the building blocks of this nation. Instead of shouting hosannas to political gatherings on Labour Day, let us lay the cornerstone of a rainbow nation in its entirety, a new mankind, inspired with an eager appetence for knowledge and truth. Labour Day is a special day to pay tribute to the working women and men who have built this great nation and contributed so much to the vibrancy of our communities.

Let Labour Day for once mean what is supposed to rather than the antediluvian meaning assigned to it by politicians.
Let us mobilize to end the gloom and restore true Mauritian enthusiasm.

I wish you all a happy and safe Labour Day.