What young professionals think about politics

For some time now, Mauritians have been witnessing some upheavals in the political landscape. Our youth, who are the future of the country, have lost trust in politics and it is widely believed that youngsters show a marked aversion or disinterest towards it. This week, some young professionals express their views concerning local politics.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"14178","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-23562 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"184","height":"177","alt":"young-pro-yashraj"}}]]Yashraj Bhudoye: “Political class radiate mistrust”

The Chairperson of Youth Against Corruption (YAC), Yashraj Bhudoye explains that the current political class is mostly a matter of revolving dynasties heading political parties who have been practising the same game: political nomination; lack of meritocracy; abuse of power in some cases; the inability to cater for the rising rate of unemployed young graduates; the inability to develop new economic pillars; the inability to develop a research culture in higher education; and lack of equal opportunities. For him, all these have inculcated a feeling of distrust in the youth. It is time, he says, to make room for the youngsters in the job sector as well as the political arena. “As Chairperson of YAC, I interact with many youngsters and we all share similar views: let there be transparency and meritocracy for deserving and eligible people. Enough of this political nominees system based on the proximity of those persons to the government of the day. Legislations governing the financing of political parties must become a reality as this will reinforce our democracy where more people will be able to stand as candidates. We should involve the population when it comes to important societal projects. However, as youngsters, we must also realise that it is not solely the duty of politicians to get things done in the country – it is also our duty as future leaders of this country to contribute in our own ways to moulding our country. Let’s not throw away the faith in our motherland,” he states.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"14174","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-23558 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"192","height":"242","alt":"young-pro-deshnee"}}]]Darsheenee Ramnauth: “The picture has not been as rosy as we were made to believe”

26-year old Darsheenee Ramnauth is a Constitutional and Rule of Law Analyst at the Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She states that on 10 December 2014, the day Alliance Lepep won a landslide victory, she was proud of the democratic values our citizens espoused. “I was happy that we could be united in intelligently exercising our civil and political rights. However, less than two years down the lane, the picture has not been as rosy as we were made to believe. The governance of the country can be greatly improved. The ruling coalition is quite well representative in terms of seasoned politicians, both male and female, and young minds and therefore can steer the country in the right direction. As it is so rightly said: “A smooth sea has never made a skilful mariner.” Even though we may have ‘inherited’ the doings of the previous government, the ruling coalition need to implement their vision.” She further explains that it is always about the benefit of the country in the long run. “It is first and foremost thinking about the State rather than thinking about lining one’s pockets or personal vendetta or emotions. Secondly, we have to play the ethno-religious trump card. Mauritius has continuously witnessed an ‘ethnicisation’ or ‘religisation’ of the political ‘elite’ and this has unfortunately been increasing the social divide instead of increasing the sense of nationhood within ourselves. Thirdly, it is always a people-centred approach which should ultimately define the level of satisfaction of the people with the ruling coalition.” For the young lady, the Alliance Lepep symbolised hope. “Their unity, vision, their goals over the next 5 years – they should not let the internal bickering destroy what they promised. Ego and personality clashes are inevitable in group dynamics. However, it is the benefit/image/survival of the nation which is at stake. Even though being far from the country does not place me in the same arena as someone currently in Mauritius and directly experiencing the effects of the decisions taken by the ruling coalition, our Ministers need to own their roles. They also need to separate the personal from the professional arena. We placed our faith in them. We gave them the power to be our voice, to be the messiah of our woes – They can not disappoint us.”

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"14175","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-23559 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"194","height":"179","alt":"young-pro-jayen"}}]]Jayan Jagooah: “There is still misuse of power”

33-year-old Jayan Jagooah is a site manager for a construction company. He avers that some politicians can be trusted but that is not the case for most of them. “Politicians are greedy and liars by nature. Politicians of today will think for themselves and their family first and only then, about the citizen. We have been working hard to get a proper government and are witnessing misuse of power. This is impeding us from participating in next election,” he says. When general elections are near, he says, politicians come to beg for votes and for the following five years, citizens become the beggars. “So politicians need to well-prepared as the new generation wants to see improvement as well as change. Our politicians as well as their advisors need to have their proper experience in jobs and good academic background. Politicians should consider their jobs as a professional work. I am confident that this government will surely work hard and make Mauritius a place where people will be smiling every day.”

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"14176","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-23560 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"204","height":"199","alt":"young-pro-satyadev"}}]]Satyadev Mussai: "We observe with disgust”

Lead Technical Engineer in the telecommunications sector and a part-time lecturer at University of Mauritius as well as the vice-president of NGO of MYRA, Satyadev Mussai believes that he cannot fully trust the political class. “I can trust them because we have seen some strong stands taken by the current government, such as the Good Governance and Integrity Reporting Act, the go-green campaign, the development of the financial and ICT sector. But we can also not trust them, as again we observe with disgust that there have been some nominations and recruitments and remain puzzled about whether meritocracy has prevailed. This ‘culture’ has been ongoing for ages now. We also hear frequent allegations of corruption, slandering in the political class.” For him, it is time to change the mindset of people. “We need to enforce a maximum of two mandates for a prime minister and a retirement age as well for politicians. Politicians, being wise enough, need to know when step down, give the younger generation a chance to prove themselves. Politicians need to realise that we, youngsters, now believe in hard work and vote for a person based on his/her abilities to guide our nation to prosperity. We are against any form of racism, caste system, corruption and discrimination,” he says.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"14177","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-23561 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"202","height":"183","alt":"young-pro-vicky"}}]]Vicky Ramdhun: “A general disappointment in the political class”

Educator of design & technology and art director at Eyedea Ltd – Your Perfect Solution Ltd, Vicky Ramdhun argues that for the past 10 or 15 years, very few politicians have been able to leave a positive image on the public, especially among youngsters. “With all the turmoil and scandals that are being revealed on a regular basis, the public in general is very disappointed with the political class. Every election seems to be a game of musical chairs with the same players running for office time and again. The same promises, the same hopes, ignited among youngsters and at the end, shattered dreams and disappointment,” he says. As highlighted by him, all politicians consult the same ‘political manual’, as their actions and inactions look almost identical year in year out. “Today, we have a lot of platforms to share our opinions on political and social issues. Technological innovations give us the opportunity to communicate and share information at phenomenal speeds. This can be used as a tool to unmask the inefficiency and incompetence of certain decision makers.  The media, be it radios or print, should encourage the youth to voice out their expectations and apprehensions. There are a lot of young professionals who are very smart and who can make a big difference if they are given the opportunity to help the country. If they are not interested in active politics, they can at least share their ideas and plans through the media. This may help political leaders regarding decisions and policies,” he adds.