Ramgoolam Slams Duval’s Rise, Endorses Phokeer’s Exit & Anticipates Govt Chaos

The leader of the Labour Party, Navin Ramgoolam, has condemned the nomination of Adrien Duval as Speaker of the House, describing it as “the engagement that precedes the marriage between the MSM and the MMM”.

He welcomed the departure of Sooroojdev Phokeer, but questioned whether “the Father-Son will continue to play the same tune or not”.

Ramgoolam also announced that his party will be holding a series of congresses, starting in the north, in electoral districts 5, 6, and 7.

Meanwhile, MMM leader Paul Bérenger has hinted that they may challenge Duval’s election in court.

Commenting on Phokeer’s departure, Ramgoolam wondered if he had resigned voluntarily or was forced to do so by Pravind Jugnauth in order to implement one of the conditions imposed by Xavier-Luc Duval, who demanded that his son be nominated as Speaker.

However, he added that Phokeer’s departure was a “good riddance”.

Phokeer had led an “infectious campaign” against him in electoral district 10 during the last elections and played a key role in the counting of votes.

“He had prevented me from meeting the Returning Officer to request a recount of the ballots,” Ramgoolam added.

Ramgoolam explained that it was “in gratitude” that Pravind Jugnauth appointed Phokeer as Speaker.

“Phokeer had polluted Parliament, which is the temple of democracy, and prevented opposition MPs from doing their work and asking questions.

The MSM has never understood that in a democracy, it is necessary to allow the opposition to operate,” he said.

According to Ramgoolam, Phokeer had acted as a “goalkeeper” for Pravind Jugnauth for five years, who tolerated him without ever condemning him.

Today, without any qualms, he gave Phokeer a red card, possibly temporarily with a promise for the future,” he continued.

For Ramgoolam, it is not the former Speaker who is important for Pravind Jugnauth, but his own survival.

Ramgoolam therefore invites MSM supporters to open their eyes and understand that “when the Titanic sinks, everyone tries to save their own life”.

Labour Party Leader maintained that during the next general elections, “Pravind Jugnauth and his followers will be swept away”.

Navin Ramgoolam, leader of theLabour Party, has reiterated his claims that Xavier-Luc Duval was involved in backroom deals with Pravind Jugnauth, the Prime Minister, despite being in an alliance with the Labour and MMM.

In an interview, Ramgoolam stated that Duval had tried to negotiate with Jugnauth while still being part of the alliance, aiming to break the momentum and boycott the May 1st rally.

“The MMM had done everything to support the PMSD [Parti Mauricien Social Démocratique].

But when Duval was negotiating with the MSM [Mouvement Socialiste Militant], he wanted to continue negotiating with us to break the momentum and boycott the May 1st meeting.

I set the facts about his meetings with MSM leaders, and he couldn’t deny it and preferred to leave two weeks before May 1st.

Despite this, we managed to gather a significant crowd,” Ramgoolam said.

He also accused Xavier Luc Duval of “burning the candle at both ends” due to his behavior in Parliament, adding that his son’s nomination as Speaker was based on a motion presented by the Prime Minister and that he sat on the opposition benches in Parliament.

Ramgoolam added that Duval chose to leave the change movement to “enter a coffin”.

He regreted that Duval had left government to defend the Constitution and democracy, but his first action upon returning to government was to violate that same Constitution.

Navin Ramgoolam has announced plans to hold a congress for constituencies 5, 6, and 7, as well as other gatherings in Bambous and Quatre-Bornes.

“What we need is general elections and a radical change in the way we govern the country,” he concluded.

Richard Duval, leader of the Nouveaux Démocrates (ND), stated that the events on Thursday, July18, vindicated his party’s decision to leave the PMSD three months ago.

“This shows why we left. Many believed we were bluffing. The events have proven us right,” he said.

Duval also lamented the humiliations suffered by Deputy Speaker Zahid Nazurally, who should have replaced Sooroojdev Phokeer in his role.

He added that everything must be done to bring down this government “to make reducing living costs our top priority”. According to him, “the fight against high living costs is a priority for the Labour-MMM-ND alliance”.

Paul Bérenger, leader of the MMM, pointed out Pravind Jugnauth as the biggest culprit behind these events.

In a strongly-worded statement, Paul Bérenger, the leader of the Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM), reacted to the recent events in Parliament. “We should not forget that if Sooroojdev Phokeer committed all these atrocities, it’s because Pravind Jugnauth appointed him as Speaker,” he said. He also accused Obeegadoo and Ganoo of being Phokeer’s accomplices.

Bérenger demanded the reinstatement of the three suspended parliamentarians and called for a review of the opposition members’ rights in the House.

He also requested that the right to question the government on regional administrative matters be reinstated.

The MMM leader also made it clear that he has no personal vendetta against Adrien Duval, but noted that there is still a provisional charge against him for public intoxication.

He claimed that the government had “violated the Constitution” and hinted that his party would take legal action.

Regarding the situation within the Labour-MMM-ND alliance, Bérenger stated that the leaders of the three parties made a “giant step” during a meeting to rid themselves of “macadams”.

He added that work on candidate selection and programming was underway, and that his party would soon be in contact with their friends from Resistans ek Alternativ.

The party is planning to hold a congress in Goodlands, Bambous, and Quatre-Bornes.

Bérenger also mentioned a letter he received from interim President Eddy Boissézon announcing that the mandate of Yusuf Aboobaker, head of the Electoral Supervisory Commission and Electoral Boundaries Commission, would end on July 28.

He praised Aboobaker’s experience and regretted his departure.

Bérenger noted that consultations were underway to appoint a new commissioner and expressed hope that the new person would have sufficient experience to take over.

Finally, Bérenger mentioned his meeting with Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs, during which he was assured that India would continue to support Mauritius on the Chagos issue.

The Indian minister had discussed the matter extensively with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy when he was Shadow Foreign Minister.

Bérenger thanked him for his efforts and expressed gratitude for India’s support in various ways, including monitoring Mauritius’ economic zone.

He emphasized that Agalega was not a military base and India had no intention of making it one, but it was not surprising to see an Indian military plane make a stopover at Agalega as part of its economic surveillance activities.

Source: Le Mauricien