Politics: leaving the government not on the MMM agenda

The political situation remains uncertain. All eyes are now on the special meeting of the central committee of the Mauritian Militant Movement scheduled for this Saturday. Until then, things should remain as they are with Paul Bérenger remaining in his post as Deputy Prime Minister. However, as he himself made it clear, he should not be present at the council of ministers on Friday.

The Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Paul Bérenger, met Monday at 3:30 p.m. at the Treasury building in Port-Louis. The meeting only lasted about thirty minutes. It comes in the context of a proposal made by Paul Bérenger last week around the Ministry of Finance and a possibility of resignation of number 2 in the government.

According to available information, Navin Ramgoolam asked Paul Bérenger to give him a little more time on several files deemed to be priorities. Among them are the reform of the electoral system, the reorganization of Law and Order as well as other subjects of government action. The Prime Minister would have insisted on the need to continue the work started.

However, the question of the Ministry of Finance took center stage in their tête-à-tête. Last week, Paul Bérenger proposed to the head of government that responsibility for this portfolio be entrusted to another person to allow Navin Ramgoolam to concentrate on issues such as Law and Order, the fight against drugs, foreign policy, among others. Navin Ramgoolam, however, clearly indicated his wish to keep Finance under his supervision.

Shortly after 5 p.m., Paul Bérenger reported on this meeting during a meeting of the MMM political bureau, which was held on rue Ambrose, in Rose-Hill. He confirmed that the Prime Minister had informed him of his intention to keep the Ministry of Finance.

More than the Ministry of Finance, it is electoral reform which would have been at the center of discussions within the political office. Paul Bérenger reportedly explained that the evolution of this issue will have a decisive influence on the choices he will have to make. If the reform advances in a correct and sincere manner, this could have a strong influence on his decision to remain or not within the executive. He would have added that he trusts Navin Ramgoolam on this point and that the latter promised him the rapid presentation of a Cabinet Paper.  Debates also focused on the fact that if the MMM leaves the government, there would be no electoral reform.

This sequence is part of the national consultation opened at the beginning of December by the government on the reform of the electoral system, in accordance with a promise appearing in the 2025-2029 government program.

This ends on January 30. It was then agreed between Navin Ramgoolam and Paul Bérenger that the Prime Minister