Time for a political contemplation

The honeymoon is definitely over for the present government especially with the cascading of recent calamities, remember it never rains but it pours. So, it is high time to appraise the performance of those still holding on to their seats for dear life and assess how they have fared individually and collectively. It is also an opportune time to check how the parties in opposition are coping in the face of adversity. Have they recovered from the trouncing they endured just over a year ago or are they in a convalescent period and still licking their wounds? THE GOVERNMENT - It came to power on the back of a monumental wave of protest which is still reverberating up to now. It promised a lot in order to curry favour with the voters, a tactic to be expected in such an important political joust but so far it has failed to deliver the goods and make a significant impact on the political landscape. No doubt the top echelon in the government will claim that the BAI episode has hindered its progress elsewhere. Some of the ministers have tried to outdo each other by constantly hogging the headlines but invariably have failed lamentably in trying to get their point across and this has been their Achilles heel, the common denominator being their failing to communicate effectively. For example, one minister obviously feels that it is important not only to be seen constantly on the national television but to be heard continually across the airwaves and appear in the media to the point of saturation. Another seems to have his finger in every pie and always full of self-praise. He always talks in terms « I have » instead of « the government has », maybe he does not realize that he is a team player not the star player that he would like to be seen as. Perhaps a dose of humility would help them and other starry-eyed politicians in the making. All that these excesses have done, is to rankle the public at large and lose them the hard fought approval gained at the last elections. The others in government have made a fair to middling impact in their responsibilities but not much in term of success or substance. However on a positive note, there are three ministers who have impressed by going about their jobs quietly and efficiently and communicate as and when necessary, they are the ministers of agriculture, employment and tourism, perhaps they could be used as role models for the rest. To summarize, I would say that overall the government’s performance has been very average and they will have their work cut out to retain the goodwill of the voters. The mini reshuffle of recent past has only been done to try to defuse a crisis in the making, not very successfully so far, I might add rather than for other meaningful reasons. I guess that a substantial reshuffle would help the government to get rid of the underachievers and the nonperformers in its endeavour to make a telling impact. THE OPPOSITION –They are more than ever divided and spend their time making disparaging remarks about each other instead of uniting their forces to challenge their common rival and as a result currently offers very little threat to the sitting government. The MMM having lost a few of its members to the newly formed Mouvement Patriotique is still trying to regroup in order to form a more cohesive opposition but there is a long way to go before it can become again the political party it once was. As for the splinter group Mouvement Patriotique, it is an insignificant force and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. The parties on the far left are more divided than ever and there is very little chance in them forming a coalition in order to offer a genuine alternative to the population. So what of the Labour party? Strangely enough, communication was also one of the telling and decisive factor that led to its downfall at the last general elections and that was despite the fact that it spent a lot of money on hiring experts in communication to get its message across during its stint in power and prior to the last general elections. Once again, they are talking about a comeback, the latest one was at the celebration of the 80th  birthday of the party’s existence.  So what’s new ? Not a lot, despite all the pomp and celebration at their gathering, the rhetoric was the usual and the same hollow slogans were heard. A few new members have adhered to the party but nothing earth shattering to note. They have a lot of work to do to recoup all the ground lost. Is the current leader the right person to lead them out of the wilderness ? I feel that this is a big question mark because he is still scoring very low in the popularity stakes despite all the upheavals befalling the present government and the numerous faux pas of some of its ministers. It should have been like manna from heaven but it seems more like mission impossible under the present leader. It should be a matter of urgency for its members to decide the best way forward in terms of leadership if they really want to be seen as a credible government in waiting and not remain in the doldrums.