RAMKALAWAN BREAKS ELECTORAL ALLIANCE WITH DP!

RAMKALAWAN BREAKS ELECTORAL ALLIANCE WITH DP!

SNP leader, Wavel Ramkalawan, this week pulled the plug on the electoral alliance with the DP, causing confusion and putting the opposition in disarray. In a letter addressed to the DP leader, Mr. Paul Chow, on Monday Ramkalawan stated: “I have decided to suspend the participation of the Democratic Party with the SNP representation in the National Assembly …”

The SNP leader also in one clean swoop removed the popular Mr. Frank Elizabeth from the National Assembly and replaced him with Mr. Gervais Jose Henri, a member of the SNP. This decision was later challenged by the DP in the Supreme Court and Chief Justice Alleear promptly granted a mandatory injunction ordering the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Patrick Herminie, to reinstate Mr. Frank Elizabeth in the National Assembly.

Despite loosing three consecutive Presidential Elections on the trot, Ramkalawan has clung on to power within his own party and obstinately refused to step down. This is understandable as the SNP leader enjoys a relatively affluent lifestyle synonymous to that of a government Minister, without the burden of state on his shoulders. As Leader of the Opposition, Ramkalawan has amassed quite a small fortune with a statutory package which includes, a gratuity of R.500,000 every five years, a diplomatic passport, a monthly salary of R.20,000 a month, security allowance, a high placement on the protocol list and a chauffeur driven executive car, all courtesy of the State.

As a result, Ramkalawan, who has been relatively successful with his trademark fiery confrontational politics, has taken a more laid back attitude in the political affair of the country. This has led many to accuse him of being happy to remain permanently in opposition. Ramkalawan approached the DP leader, Paul Chow, to form an electoral alliance earlier this year to stop the SPPF from getting a two thirds majority in the National Assembly to avert the danger of a potential SPPF manouvre to change the Constitution. He made the move in desperation as the SPPF warned of a 25-0 win in the National Assembly elections of May 2007. SPPF smell blood after the SNP boycotted the National Assembly after the 3^rd October incident when the SNP leadership was violently assaulted by police in the precincts of the National Assembly. Consequently, the SNP boycotted the National Assembly sittings and stop printing the party mouthpiece “Regar” for four months. It was in fact DP’s participation in the elections under SNP’s umbrella, fielding a group of strong candidates such as Georges Bibi, Josh Dupres and Chanel Soomery, that prevented the SPPF from getting a two thirds majority since it was evident that had DP not come to the rescue, SPPF would have won the very marginal seats of Les Mamelles and Bel Ombre outright. This would have been more than enough to guarantee SPPF a two thirds majority and enable them to change the Constitution at will. It is to be remembered that Bernard Georges won Les Mamelles by a mere four votes and Nichola Prera won Bel Ombre, by only fourteen votes.

Ramkalawan’s argument on SBC television on Tuesday evening, that he was genuinely concerned by the behaviour of DP over the last two weeks and that our Constitution was in danger, “was a fallacy and devoid of merit,” contended DP leader, Paul Chow. It is now becoming increasingly clear that Ramkalawan had decided to single-handedly break the electoral alliance with DP a long time ago but did not have any justification to do so. He thus waited for the flimsiest of excuses to break the alliance the same way as an opportunist would have done. Ramkalawan, it is claimed, is a bundle of contradiction. He had initially objected to the appointment of Frank Elizabeth as a member of the National Assembly on the grounds that Elizabeth had not participated in the elections. He, therefore, said that he cannot accept the nomination of Elizabeth by Chow and will not appoint him even though Chow had made it clear to him that he was nominating “the best and the brightest” to represent the DP party in the National Assembly; something which arguably SNP had failed to do. His contradiction was further exposed for what it is, when he recently appointed Gervais Jose Henri in replacement of Frank Elizabeth; a man who had not participated in the elections as well. Ramkalawan again showed contradiction when he went on to state in the National Assembly that he was not going to interfere in the internal affairs of China and Taiwan, when Waven William, SPPF MNA for Grand Anse, Mahe, had brought, what appeared to be an insignificant motion, to support the Chinese policy of one China, two systems. He then inexplicably went on to offer open support to Taiwan and closed the door firmly on China. He also exhibited disturbing and delusional behaviour when he refused to support an agreement between Seychelles and France. In that agreement France had pledged to assist Seychelles in the surveillance of our seas. “The Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone encompasses an area of 1.3 million square kilometers of ocean and Seychelles clearly lacks the manpower and financial resources to undertake that task to patrol all our seas” Elizabeth had claimed in his intervention in the Assembly to support the agreement. Ramkalawan stated that his members will abstain “en bloc” and will not support the ratification of the agreement on the grounds that the agreement compromises the different sovereignty claims of Mauritius and Madagascar over the Tromlin Island.

This came after a week in which the SNP leader had openly claimed that he will not interfere in the domestic policy of China and Taiwan. By not supporting the agreement on the grounds that he used, Ramkalawan was clearly interfering in the domestic affairs of Mauritius, Madagascar and France. Paradoxically, by not supporting the agreement, the SNP leader was sending “mixed signals”, something which he later accused DP leader, Paul Chow, of doing.

Ramkalawan’s drastic move in calling a halt to the electoral alliance with DP has led many political pundits to conclude that this is the beginning of the end for the beleaguered SNP leader who is clearly exhibiting signs of irrationality, if not dementia. One political commentator even equated Ramkalawan’s act with being tantamount to committing political suicide and shooting himself in the foot. Whatever his motive was for the decision, it is now known that it was not unanimous within his own party and has managed to create a rift amongst the SNP leadership as well as its rank and file. The only political party to benefit from this major political “faux pas” is the SPPF and they are now laughing all the way to the 2011 elections, all thanks to the unpredictable and impulsive, Ramkalawan.