What the PM cannot do now that he will be able to when becoming a President? It is good to know in the 90s, Navin Ramgoolam was a fierce opponent of the first Republic. Despite having only 4 or 5 MPs in Parliament, the then Labour Party managed to delay the proceedings. The MPs prepared lengthy speeches so that the clock would show midnight – and after midnight, the Bill would not be allowed to go through! This is how they got the initial Bill delayed. The latter later-on was passed through the House after some warranted amendments. Why the then Labour Party was against a Republic became obvious to the population after a few years. All of us have, at least once, asked ourselves, what is the role of the President? Worse, what is the role of the Vice-President? Why are there so many privileges attached to these functions? Why is it that even after a President has resigned, he will be remunerated as if he is still the President? How much of our monies have been wasted? Couldn’t we have used those monies into something more efficient? What is the added-value aspect which the President brings to the country? What Paul Berenger failed to understand yesterday is similar to what he is failing to understand today. True, this time the President will have super-powers – in the sense that he will be controlling the country. What we also know under the new configuration is the new PM will be a Consultant acting for and on-behalf of the President. In fact the newly configured PM will have the role of a “vase a fleur”! But – what we do not know is – What the PM (as it is now) cannot do that he will be able to when becoming a President? Can anyone tell me how the newly configured President will be more beneficial to the country (whether locally or offshore) than what today’s PM already is? The answer of Paul Berenger to those questions is as vague as himself. His answers are along the lines of “deepen democracy, serious fraud office…”. Come on, for 40 years we are deepening our democracy, and each time there is a new Government, we have a brand new fraud office with a brand new corruption law! So, what else? Then there are also all these Constitutional questions that have been left unanswered. The President will be accountable to whom? How the Parliament will be modified to accommodate the President? A President shall be above party-politics, and so what about seating-arrangements in the National Assembly? What will be the rules when the President chairs the Cabinet? Can the President approve or disallow anything at any time? Will Parliament take responsibility for the acts and doings of the President? Inevitably, this brings us to the issue of “separation of powers”. This in itself requires a whole new debate – but the question remains as to where the legislative stops and where the executive starts?? Should all those questions receive acceptable answers, then maybe a Second Republic will be tolerable. Or, should a Second Republic help increase your salary and/or decrease your expenses, then by all means, we should be getting together into achieving this. Should it provide the means to eradicate poverty and/or create the necessary platform to ensure meritocracy, then again, why would anyone dare to refuse such an approach to social justice? But, are we going there with the Second Republic? Or is it only a manoeuvre to turn Berenger into a PM vase-a-fleur?
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 13:36:39 +0000
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