On behalf of the free-thinking women of Mauritius, I would like to congratulate the brave lady who upset a politician the other day by asking him to stick to the subject instead of meandering all over the political spectrum and reminiscing about his past exploits and successes. This woman is exactly the sort of person we need in Parliament – but I don’t know whether she would be prepared to enter the race in Quatre-Bornes this December?

Her gesture was salutary because it served to remind us all of some simple truths:

• Nobody (whether politician, public dignitary or churchman) has any ordained right to bore people with long speeches about nothing in particular, just because they are a standing before a well-mannered captive audience.
   
• No one should conclude that a person isa political agent or supporter of a party because they speak out publicly against public violation of order of proceedings.
   
• Good manners and restraint are the key to all public exchanges, whether political or merely social. I hope the good politician in question has calmed down and seen the need to apologise to this lady, who merely stood up for her civic rights.
   
• What was regrettable during this incident was the absence of support she received from the rest of the assembly. Did they support the main speaker, or were they just too cowardly to get up and leave with her, in a timely gesture of solidarity?

Incidents like this one remind us of how slowly Mauritius is moving in the direction of democracy and the rights of the individual.