The Indian Ocean newsletter
Two friendly enemies in politics who are today again allies in government, Prime minister Anerood Jugnauth and deputy Prime minister Paul Berenger will nevertheless not fail to mark each other very closely. In this, Jugnauth's choice of his former deputy Prime minister Prem Nababsing as political adviser is neither neutral nor a simple reward for services rendered in the recent election.
A founder-member of Berenger's MMM party, Mauritian ambassador to France in 1982, minister twice in a Jugnauth government, leader of a split in MMM in 1994 when he refused to quit the government with Berenger, Nababsing is well placed to decipher the sometimes underhand political initiatives of the present deputy premier. What's more, Jugnauth has added the services of the former government financial secretary Dev Manraj as economic and financial adviser in order to keep an eye on all Finance minister Berenger's major economic décisions. To coordinate implementing the MMM/MSM alliance's government programme, Jugnauth has chosen Subash Gobin, who was for a long time editor of the MMM official organ, The Sun. He is a subtle propagandist and a connaisseur of the island's sociological realities who is thus ending a long period in the political wilderness. Jugnauth has chosen Christian Ythier, a former member of his communications cell in the 1980s and ironically a close collaborator of Jugnauth's ex-agriculture minister Madun Dulloo, now in opposition, to look after Jugnauth 's relations with the media.
Another noted comeback is Dinesh Ramjuttun, one-time enfant terrible of Mauritian politics who has been chosen to look after the Prime minister's public relations. Ramjuttun worked very hard in Jugnauth's constituency during the electoral campaign for his re-election, and is now, with Harish Boodhoo, expected to be a trump card for the Prime minister in relations with Hindu voters whom the Labour Party (opposition) will try to get. Finally, ex-prison commissioner Deepak Bhookun, who agreed under government pressure to retire in August last year following the escape of several prisoners from La Bastille high-security prison, is rehabilitated by being appointed adviser on security to the Prime minister and government. Bhookun, the first Mauritian to hold a post previously held by the Indian national Bushan Nandu (who left Mauritius just after last month 's election), has a special character: he is a theatre actor and made a name encouraging prisoners in jail to turn to spirituality to overcome depression.
Apart from financial services minister Sushil Kushiram, who behaves like the Prime minister's super-adviser on economies and finance, Berenger has also taken back several collaborators who used to be with him when he was Foreign minister in Navin Ramgoolam's government before breaking off with him. These include J. M. Desveaux, an economist who was editor of Business Magazine in 1995 then head of the economic service of L'Express, who lived in Australia for a long time and is known for his critical stands against the white establishment in the Mauritian private sector. Until his latest nomination, Desveaux was a consultant with PriceWaterhouse in Madagascar. Berenger has also recruited another economist, Sen Narainen, a specialist on monetary questions who trained in Canada. Narainen has been an adviser to Rama Sithanen in the past and was until recently director of Ramgoolam's policy unit.
Then while Ms. Marie José de Robillard will look after his public relations, Berenger has given Prem Nababsing's wife, Vidula Nababsing, a sociologist and lecturer at the university who has just taken early retirement, the title of adviser and commissioned a two-year inquiry on poverty on Mauritius. A subtle manner of trying to neutralize her husband, the Jugnauth political adviser.
A founder-member of Berenger's MMM party, Mauritian ambassador to France in 1982, minister twice in a Jugnauth government, leader of a split in MMM in 1994 when he refused to quit the government with Berenger, Nababsing is well placed to decipher the sometimes underhand political initiatives of the present deputy premier. What's more, Jugnauth has added the services of the former government financial secretary Dev Manraj as economic and financial adviser in order to keep an eye on all Finance minister Berenger's major economic décisions. To coordinate implementing the MMM/MSM alliance's government programme, Jugnauth has chosen Subash Gobin, who was for a long time editor of the MMM official organ, The Sun. He is a subtle propagandist and a connaisseur of the island's sociological realities who is thus ending a long period in the political wilderness. Jugnauth has chosen Christian Ythier, a former member of his communications cell in the 1980s and ironically a close collaborator of Jugnauth's ex-agriculture minister Madun Dulloo, now in opposition, to look after Jugnauth 's relations with the media.
Another noted comeback is Dinesh Ramjuttun, one-time enfant terrible of Mauritian politics who has been chosen to look after the Prime minister's public relations. Ramjuttun worked very hard in Jugnauth's constituency during the electoral campaign for his re-election, and is now, with Harish Boodhoo, expected to be a trump card for the Prime minister in relations with Hindu voters whom the Labour Party (opposition) will try to get. Finally, ex-prison commissioner Deepak Bhookun, who agreed under government pressure to retire in August last year following the escape of several prisoners from La Bastille high-security prison, is rehabilitated by being appointed adviser on security to the Prime minister and government. Bhookun, the first Mauritian to hold a post previously held by the Indian national Bushan Nandu (who left Mauritius just after last month 's election), has a special character: he is a theatre actor and made a name encouraging prisoners in jail to turn to spirituality to overcome depression.
Apart from financial services minister Sushil Kushiram, who behaves like the Prime minister's super-adviser on economies and finance, Berenger has also taken back several collaborators who used to be with him when he was Foreign minister in Navin Ramgoolam's government before breaking off with him. These include J. M. Desveaux, an economist who was editor of Business Magazine in 1995 then head of the economic service of L'Express, who lived in Australia for a long time and is known for his critical stands against the white establishment in the Mauritian private sector. Until his latest nomination, Desveaux was a consultant with PriceWaterhouse in Madagascar. Berenger has also recruited another economist, Sen Narainen, a specialist on monetary questions who trained in Canada. Narainen has been an adviser to Rama Sithanen in the past and was until recently director of Ramgoolam's policy unit.
Then while Ms. Marie José de Robillard will look after his public relations, Berenger has given Prem Nababsing's wife, Vidula Nababsing, a sociologist and lecturer at the university who has just taken early retirement, the title of adviser and commissioned a two-year inquiry on poverty on Mauritius. A subtle manner of trying to neutralize her husband, the Jugnauth political adviser.
