Towards a Political Revivification-III
All Mauritians know very well that the proceedings
of the elections of November 07, 2019 are unheard of [have never occurred
before in the country]. Never before has the vote count continued until the wee
hours of the morning (the next day) - going until 3.00-4.00 a.m. Many misdemeanours
took place where original ballot papers were found in sugarcane fields and many
Mauritians found themselves off the electoral list, thus unable to vote.
Instead of the Mauritians, there are foreign workers who have received the
approval of the authorities (the government - since its first term) to vote. In
light of recent evidence [which has made the news], election expenses for some
political parties have exceeded allowable limits.
There are a lot of frustrations expressed
by the Mauritian people. Mauritians revolted against these injustices, not only
in Mauritius but in other countries as well.
I cite a few examples of the tragedies that took place in Mauritius during the COVID-19 containment. There is too much to say, but I will only name a few that have made a strong impression on Mauritians and Mauritius’s reputation at the global level.
MV Wakashio Oil Spill
As a reminder, the “wetlands” of Pointe-d’Esny
[forming part of the “Ramsar” sites in Mauritius] are designated as a
site of international importance under the Convention on Wetlands (“Ramsar
Convention”).
The condition of the ship had worsened, the
cracks having widened, Mauritians especially in the south lived in anguish as
this part of the island was blackened by fuel oil. The fuel oil started to leak
from the ship on August 06 (2020), causing an oil spill in the lagoon of Pointe
d’Esny to the coast of Vieux-Grand-Port. It is certainly one of the most
catastrophic events that marked Mauritius as a whole. As a Mauritian, this
scene is heartbreaking. It is horrible to perceive our sea with the marine
population who are in danger not only for these few months which have passed,
but this tragedy will leave significant consequences for many years to come.
A sinking ship contains harmful substances,
such as fuel that has not been pumped, paint and oxidized metals. Mauritians,
NGOs, associations and clubs from all over the country have put their hands
together to clean, as best they can, the lagoon in the Southeast. The mutual
aid helped to clean up some of the oil spill caused by MV Wakashio. The marine
ecosystem has been and remains threatened because these toxic products will
certainly have significant consequences.
I am thinking particularly of the people
who live in Mahebourg, Rivière-des-Créoles and in the villages of the East Coast,
from Pointe-d’Esny to Quatre-Sœurs. Many families have been grieved by this
tragedy, damaging their health. Fishermen, and all those who make a living on
the sea, suffer particularly. I also think of all these ecological treasures of
the bay, of the islets, of the coast which has been seriously damaged.
Thank you to all those who organised this
rescue of our marine resource and to all those who participated, and continue
to participate, with admirable enthusiasm and perseverance, in the preservation
of the environment.
A very sad news again, the tragedy which
occurred when the tug boat Sir Gaëtan Duval went out to sea on the night of
Monday to Tuesday of September 01, 2020 and was subsequently wrecked. Three
people lost their lives and Captain Moswadek Bheenick has been missing since
August 31st during the sinking of tug boat which sank off
Roches-Noires.
These events left more people missing. The
eyes of the world are riveted on our island, whether on the political,
economic, touristic and ecological levels. The lack of transparency in the
action plans, the involvement of BP (British Petroleum) in this whole affair
[and its refusal to reveal what kind of fuel it supplied to Mitsui OSK Ltd.
(MOL), as well as doubts and questions and satellite documents and evidence
about MV Wakashio’s movements and presence in our territory and the mysterious
disappearance of important people and documents as well as government
involvement in this whole affair continue to disturb Mauritians and the world.
So the events of Saint-Louis Gate, the
supply of drugs from the company Hyperpharm Ltd., the sinking of the Wakashio,
the protection of near and dear people and friends [of the current authorities],
the loss of jobs, the problem of homeless squatters in the open air, the
sinking of the tug boat Sir Gaëtan Duval etc. All these left their mark on the
population. Each of these tragedies shows flaws in a country’s system of
government and in the behaviour of those responsible for it. In the crowd on
August 29 in Port Louis and September 12 [2020] in Mahebourg, we also find
people who suffered from the decisions taken in March relating to COVID-19 and
did not hesitate to show their anger.
Mauritians are also angry with the applause
heard and seen on TV after a press conference. This, while COVID-19 was killing
people in [several] countries [including Mauritius]! People remember the abrupt
decision to shut down the alimentation points [such as supermarkets,
hypermarkets, small shops, etc.] without thinking about the problems it would
cause. All of this is the anger of the people and I gave only a few. Why this
anger?
Members of the government are on the alert following the discovery of the burnt corpse of Soopramanien Kistnen [an MSM agent and Minister Yogida Sawmynaden, who forms the government] in a sugarcane field in Telfair, Moka on October 18, 2020. All suggests that this is a planned murder [not suicide] to silence Kistnen. The Mauritian people are demanding justice for Kistnen and his widow and a panel of lawyers have met to shed light on the case. The family of the deceased is adamant: “Kistnen could never have taken pethidine, started a fire, contained it and then lay down in the surrounding fire.” There is a great debate on the subject. The same goes for the Pravin Kanakiah case. All this left a bitter taste in the mouths of Mauritians.
There is also drug trafficking with the
former Police Commissioner who did everything to help a major drug trafficker
by returning his boat from the islet Gabriel on September 17, 2016. The latter
had reported his passport as stolen and lost, but the same person was arrested
in Reunion with drugs.
We will also remember the conditions in
which the borders were closed and the thousands of Mauritians forced into
exile.
For lack of foresight, preparation and
planning, thousands of Mauritian families suffered from incompetence and
discrimination, favouring some who were able to return to the country just
before the airport was closed. Mauritians remember the tragedies caused by this
badly programmed decision.
The government wanted to reopen the
borders. It initially did so in stages, but with the emergence of the new type
of Coronavirus in England, it closed the borders once again. I say that
choosing between economics or health is to approach the problem badly. We must
face the facts; the country cannot remain closed forever. Reopening the borders
under the prevailing conditions requires intelligence and skill on the part of
those tasked with making this decision. Without forgetting what is most
important is to pray to the Unique Creator, to seek divine help, to seek God’s
blessing, to turn to God, the one and only God and after invoking divine help,
do effective preparation and planning to prevent a resurgence of the virus and
these mutations, or even the other deadly viruses in our country.
So I say “yes” to the opening of the
borders, but we must pray to God and seek divine help first and also do it with
intelligence and not act lightly. After all the debt problem, it is not obvious
now with COVID-19 for every family, every household to face the crisis. Even before
COVID-19 the economic situation in Mauritius was alarming. COVID-19 has only
made the situation worse, especially for workers in the informal sector, small
and medium-sized enterprises and their employees. We see that almost every day
people are expressing their anger at the dismissal, while the companies have
benefited from a “stimulus package”.
The government must listen intelligently to
what is being said and what is written on the walls. It can no longer pretend
to listen and do nothing or do the opposite. Mauritius must not become a mafia
network but a real paradise. The government must no longer want to prove that
it is the only master on board and that it can “ignore” what the public thinks.
To transform the bad patch in which it finds itself into an opportunity, it
must know how to govern with intelligence, not with arrogance. It must be able
to listen to what the people are saying and react accordingly and not do the
opposite of what is expected of a good government. If there are not the conditions
necessary for our society to regain serenity, the whole system will be
disoriented.
To do this, we need the basic condition
which is intelligence: the intelligence of the mind, but also that of the heart
in order to review a system in a state of decrepitude. There are major projects
to be implemented. On the political level, the electoral system is rotten and
generates iniquitous situations. We have a deleterious democratic system,
difficult access to justice, the institutionalized joint possession of the
population for political gains. These elements have the consequences of
generating corruption in all its dimensions. Those who govern our lives must
recognize the flaws in the system and decide in good faith to remedy them. For
me, our country sits on a volcano.
Making a political choice is a
responsibility before God. Each being will be held accountable. Putting someone
in a job he does not deserve is an injustice, a betrayal. It is even more
serious if this choice is motivated by despicable practices such as a threat, giving
money in exchange for votes [i.e. electoral bribes], the paving of a road on
the eve of the elections, the granting of a privilege, a promise of employment
or an unjustified promotion. The future of our children cannot be built by
being trapped in this way by unscrupulous politicians. Nothing in Islam
requires Muslims to vote only for people who share their faith. Elected
officials must represent citizens without any distinction between them. They
are also prohibited from discriminating against those who did not vote for
them.
The long-awaited political renewal in the
Muslim world, as arguably elsewhere as well [including Mauritius], will only be
a reality if each being commits to awaken his conscience and not to sell it to
the highest bidder, and to remain intimately aware of the One [Sole God] in the
exercise of his political choice. If the leaders of the Muslim world as well as
in other countries do not reform, including Mauritius, then the divine wrath
and subsequent punishment will be even more terrible than COVID-19. Manners
must change for a better future for the next generation. What will we leave as
a legacy for them? Plagues, hatred, corruption and annihilation?
So, I appeal to all world leaders, Muslims and non-Muslims, to lead your countries with humility, foresight and faith in the One God. The thirst for power and riches will bring you nothing except humiliation and terrible death. Have the fear of God in you, practice and judge by justice and intelligence and do not make your people suffer, those same people who have placed their trust in you.
Do not do as you please as if you are Almighty God. You are not infallible. It’s sad that freedom of expression has been violated in many countries [as well as Mauritius], including Pakistan and other countries in the Muslim world. Friday January 08, 2021, in a court of Pakistan, Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan delivered his death sentence for Nasir Ahmad Sultani and his followers such: Rana Noman Rafaqat and Abdul Waheed. Others received imprisonment and a large fine each.
We, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, do not rejoice in the misfortunes of others. On the contrary we turn to Allah and we ask Him to show His Mercy and to make solid His truthfulness and the truthfulness of His humble Khalifatullah in the four corners of the world. We place our trust only in Allah, and we pray that a day will come when Muslims will stop killing each other and unite again for the victory of Islam. United we are strong, but disunited we are nothing. Allah will not help us [Muslims]. [But] He will certainly help His Khalifatullah and Insha-Allah all those who are with him (this humble person). Insha-Allah, Ameen.
----Friday Sermon of 22 January 2021~08 Jamadi’ul Aakhir 1442 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius.