Subron Statements That Don't Survive A Fact-Check

1. We have reached the end of a cycle so we need a new constitution (2023 onwards). Bérenger and Ramgoolam have reached an advanced age and are way past the date they should have retired from active politics. Ramgoolam hasn't been looking healthy for quite some time – and he's been an unmitigated disaster as PM when he was – while Bérenger is seeing at least one ghost in Parliament. Subron is now a pensioner. Our constitution has not aged one bit though. It's still a national treasure that will serve us well for the next 100,000 years albeit with a few overdue additions. Subron seems to be confusing the cycles that a typical human goes through with our awesome constitution that was built to last many centuries. It's like the Hindu numerals, they have not gone out of fashion for the past 2,000 years. I don't know of anybody who wants their smartphone to run on Roman numerals.

2. Our FPTP system doesn't allow any new party to emerge (At least since 2010). 

Not only is this assertion not true but our FPTP system has also got rid of several parties over the past 65 or more years. And kept good-for-nothing loudmouths out of parliament forever.

3. Our constitution is a big pile of rot (2023 onwards). We have a constitution to die for. It is the result of decades-long struggle and deep study by several extraordinary people including Renganaden Seeneevassen and Kher Jagatsingh. The latter was also the one moving around the constitutional expert offered by India to help us to keep him under the radar. Our constitution has played an important role in proving Meade wrong and building our reputation as The Great Little Country. The rot we're seeing is not because of our excellent constitution which hasn't changed that much since 1968 but due to the unsustainable Sithanen flat tax implemented as from 2006. 

4. The BLS has institutionalised communalism (At least since 2011). At one point in our political history we decided to settle for it, I have understood, for a few general elections along with specially-delineated ridings because of the unwarranted fear spewed by a bunch of racists and possibly because of the failure of some politicians in understanding what is a good electoral system. It has served its purpose well without preventing voters from becoming increasingly sophisticated election after election and changing governments several times. Any dose of PR would have been disastrous for Mauritius compared to the outcomes we've experienced with the BLS including communally. There's nothing more communal than adding a dose of PR. We can listen to Justin Trudeau on why he's against adding any form of PR to Canada's excellent FPTP electoral system. And we don't need a dose of PR to remove the BLS as I've demonstrated since 2014.

5. It is not because our constitution has worked that we should keep it (2023 onwards). So what do we do, we get rid of things that have worked very well like our FPTP system and our constitution and keep those that have failed spectacularly like the flat tax and concreting agricultural land while Mauritians starve?

6. Only 20 PR MPs are needed for an electoral reform (2014 onwards). Our parliament is already too big. We have many MPs that don't have any track record. Why would we need 20 PR MPs after each general election when the results have varied significantly from 60-0 to 32-30. It doesn't make any sense. Plus this would throw governance out of the window. 

7. We should add the names of Anna van Bengale and Anjalay Coopen in our constitution (As from 2023). Clearly Mr. Subron doesn't understand the difference between a constitution and history books. What's next, adding an old picture of his as a brand ambassador wannabe of a famous South-American doctor or holding a torch in Hendrik Fort?

8. I'm against the costing of electoral pledges (2023). The Sithanen flat tax of 15% has ruined Mauritius and now Ramgoolam wants 18-28 year-olds not to pay any income tax. Is this why Subron wants to join the LP/MMM/PMSD alliance? Should we also remove speedometers from cars and planes?

9. So where's the problem if sugar represents only 1% of GDP? (2012). That was his reply when I told him that it's way better for Mauritius to remove sugar cane, recycle workers from this industry and use the land for economic activities that are more commensurate with the cost of living here and aspirations of Mauritians.

 

10. A red line was crossed with the killing of Kistnen (2023). There have been a number of unsolved murders during the past 25 years and it is urgent and important that everything is done so that the affected families get closure, justice is served and Mauritians find out the truth. But how is that exactly the fault of our excellent constitution and the best electoral system in the world that is embedded in it? 

11. It's not good that a party heads government for three consecutive terms (2024). It's something for voters and not Subron to decide. SAJ did four consecutive terms as PM between 1982 and 1995 (the first one, only 436 days long, was marred by in-fighting almost from day 1).

12. I'm against double candidacies (2012). Have a look at what is in ReA's 2014 electoral manifesto.

13. BLD (2020).

14. The MSM suffers from a democratic deficit (2024). While it's true that 62% didn't vote for the MSM-led alliance in 2019 we have to remember that our excellent FPTP electoral system doesn't put that much store by the vote share at the national level but rather focuses on each candidate's vote count at the constituency level and the party who has the most elected candidates forms government. Which puts pressure on party leaderships to field good candidates everywhere and avoid duds and other controversial candidates. For instance Rama Sithanen was sidelined in 2010 after he killed our savings culture, created structural problems and a massive amount of poverty while Showkutally Soodhun was not given a ticket in 2019 after he said that he would have shot XLD in parliament if his bodyguard had given him his revolver. Furthermore 67% and 79% didn't vote for the Labour Party and the MMM so should we also say that these opposition parties have a greater democratic deficit?

15. Alone ReA cannot win 3/4 of the seats [in the forthcoming general election.] (2024). This is a funny statement from a party that has fielded a total of 31 candidates in two general elections (2005 and 2014) and is yet to have its first candidate get its electoral deposit back (you need to score at least 10% for this to happen). Is there a pinch of megalomania at work here?