Saturday, October 9, 2010

The Young Politician's Pledge/L'Express Weekly

Young Politicians’ Pledge… Zenes Militant/ L'Express Weekly 24/09/10






Mauritius is divided.
Torn from within, in the name of religion, race, colour, political affi liation and what not. Slashed by zealous politicians, by socio- cultural organisations, by the power brokers of the day. Our Motherland is one where politics is the Art of Demagogy - of foolish bickering, of sloganeering and hollow rhetoric, of lies and deceit, of mundane « batailles de foules » fuelled by the temptation of free food and beachgoing- buses. Our society is one where education cripples minds rather than empowers people, where no accountability is expected from our leaders, where we have given up on ourselves… lulled by false promises and the comfort of the status quo… Still we believe that this can be changed…
E pluribus unum
For the goal of every young politician should be to federate the many around a set of values that each and everyone can adhere to - the nobleness of serving and sharing, the importance of fairness and honesty, the greatness of tolerance. It needs to be a movement built on solid grounds that can defi ne the fate of present and future generations… The creation of a new political landscape where parties would no longer attack each other senselessly and where public opinion would no longer be manipulated shamelessly is also pertinent in achieving a real change.
Of equal importance is the understanding of what is meant by a fairer distribution of wealth. Does the democratisation of the economy refer to an attempt to tilt the balance from the historic bourgeoisie to the state supported one? Or does it involve a real inculcation of the entrepreneurship spirit to citizens and greater transparency in commercial spheres? There is an aching need for a more humane economic order.
We, the youth, are now being called upon to fi nally seize our country’s destiny.
Like those in 1969, let us mark our era…