The King’s Pawn opening is well known to chess players as far back as 1886. Political strategists will admit that the best form of defence is to constantly attack and wait for weaknesses to appear. Right from the outset, the leadership of Remake 2000 made it quite clear that their electoral strategy was to ask the urban voters for a ‘vote sanction’ against the Ramgoolam administration. Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Paul Berenger campaigned throughout the five municipalities with the mantras “Kiltir travayis c’est corruption, manger/boire, cover-up, tendances fasciste, bisin nettoye ou la ville, bisin nouvo direction pou tire pei dan la ruine!” That was their e4 and it was clear that they were directly aiming at the leadership of Navin Ramgoolam, the king.

How did the Ptr-PMSD reply? It became evident from the rally of their partisans at the Quatre Bornes Municipality Hall on the 7th of November through the voice of Nita Deerpalsingh: “Nou ena pou donne ene lecon bann grand la bouce MSM ici dan Quatre Bornes.” Labour strategists systematically targeted what they saw as the weaker limb of the MMM-MSM alliance. That was further reinforced in the discourse of Lormus Bundhoo, Patrick Assirvaden and Arvind Boolell.  The red and blue tenors went on a rampage against the MSM and more particularly against SAJ personally, the leader of the Remake 2000. It seems that was their c6.

The stage was set for the king to claim his defence. Navin Ramgoolam made his entry in rocambolesque fashion on the sounds of the sega/ravanne that reminds us of the style of Gaetan Duval of the 70’s. One was expecting that he would rectify the red/blue electoral strategy and lower the stakes of the municipales from that of national significance to a regional one. Right? Wrong, NCR’s d5 was to confirm the strategy of his pawns. In Curepipe on the 4th December, “L’enjeu de ces elections c’est ene choix entre les passeistes et les modernistes”, NCR makes his defences by attacking the MSM. His personal attacks on SAJ even reaches sub-zero level, “Li telman content l’argent, bann madam hindoues conner sa, kan li pe mort pou bisin bouille l’argent faire li boire.” In Plaine Verte, Phoenix and at the Shameen Hall, he presented SAJ as a ‘saitaan’ being anti-muslims.

The MMM-MSM alliance chose to play a regional game on the national board, Navin responded that he was asking a vote against Sir Anerood Jugnauth. The verdict is out, the urban voters have conveyed their wish in an emphatic way and 17 moves later … checkmate!