In the late 1980s, the Mauritius Labour Party badly needed to reinvent itself to get propelled  at the forefront of the political scene as it could no longer play second fiddle to Aneerood Jugnauth having being time and again  been denigrated and humiliated by the latter. Despite his sharp political acumen and towering personality, Satcam Boolell, the then Labour Party leader was projected as having run out of steam and unable to sufficiently muster the Hindu electorate as he apparently belonged to the wrong caste. Navin Ramgoolam , the scion of the Ramgoolam family was at the time reading law in London . Except for one or two rare interviews in the local press, he had shown little political inclination and even publicly stated he was not interested in politics. Nevertheless, at that juncture many labourites saw in him the ideal person to lead the Labour Party. After a lot of convincing, he was in 1991 finally pushed down a road he never intended to travel. He took over the mantle mainly by virtue of his pedigree and his caste. His political experience was more imaginary than real and he had, at that time, shown little or no organizational ethos. However, he agreed to lead but on his own terms. That explains his somewhat peculiar style of leadership. Leadership of a major political party is not an easy plot. It is normally achieved after years of titanic struggle but in the case of Navin Ramgoolam , same was conferred in a drawing room. In Twelfth Night, Shakespeare observed: Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. In the case of  Ramgoolam, greatness was thrust upon him. All the same, it should be recognized that, thereafter, with him stepping out of the shadows, the party was energized. He recharged the party, turning it from beleaguered to buoyant and thus started his political career expanding more than a quarter of a century.

Navin Ramgoolam stood against Aneerood Jugnauth for the first time in 1991 but lost miserably. Only three elected members were returned from his alliance with Gaetan Duval’s PMSD. He was himself elected from constituency no 5, Arvin Boolell from no 11 and Vasant Bunwaree from  no 12 . With the backing of approximately 40% of the electorate, he became leader of the opposition. Jugnauth’s MSM, with roughly 10 % of the electorate, had cunningly aligned itself with Berenger’s MMM which was at the time a force to reckon with, compared to the PMSD.  Ramgoolam was quick to so realize. Being perplexed with the election results, the latter, rightly or wrongly left the country to complete his Bar course in the United Kingdom, despite holding a fundamental constitutional post. During his prolonged absence from the country, relations between the MSM and the MMM soured and reached its nadir  with ultimately, Berenger being revoked from the Government. The MMM left the Government although a good number of its mps stayed behind with Jugnauth. Ramgoolam saw in that turn of events a golden opportunity to dislodge Jugnauth and Berenger saw in Ramgoolam a possible ally to take his revenge on Jugnauth. The Labour Party and the MMM joined hands for the 1995 general elections and promised a turning tide. The alliance was regarded as a panacea in the face of the MSM’s falling popularity and its inability to rally a credible alliance. The Labour Party/MMM alliance won a stunning victory which was largely considered to be a triumph of style and personality over substance. Ramgoolam’s deftness at communicating youthfulness and change was a big plus. He brought youth, vigor and a reformer’s zeal to the country.  Unfortunately, with time all that faded away. Within a few months, to the disappointment of one and all, the coalition that came to power amid great hope was already a sinking ship. The alliance broke up and Berenger became leader of the opposition. Without Berenger’s support in 1995, Ramgoolam would not have become Prime Minister and that was the only time Ramgoolam  won over Anerood Jugnauth. The two stood against one another on four occasions and Jugnauth won on three namely in 1991, 2000 and 2014.

Ramgoolam’s first term as Prime Minister was plagued with the Macarena scandal and accusations of weak leadership during the 1999 communal riots. Evidently, at the 2000 general elections, Aneerood Jugnauth challenged Ramgoolam  in alliance with Berenger and won a resounding victory. As per their electoral arrangement, the latter took over as Prime Minister after three years. Fortunately for Ramgoolam, at the 2005 and 2010 general elections, it was Berenger who was his challenger, the results being a foregone conclusion. Mauritius being what it is, the electorate has never voted directly for Berenger to become Prime Minister. The latter presented himself as such at the 1983, 2005, 2010, 2014 and 2019 general elections and lost on each and every occasion.  By a strange turn of events, Ramgoolam and Berenger joined hands again for the 2014 general elections. Shakespeare would have said that’s a comedy of errors! The electorate was fed up, they lost miserably and even Ramgoolam was defeated. At the age of 84, Aneerood Jugnauth  displayed a resolve, a stamina and a political savvy that was unexpected and his alliance won comfortably. However, amid wide criticism, he gave way to Pravind Jugnauth who took over as Prime Minister in 2017. This move was largely criticized and it was stated that the latter did not have initial legitimacy which was sine qua non for political durability. However, Pravind Jugnauth remained Prime Minister until the end of his mandate and was elected in that capacity in 2019 when confronted with Ramgoolam. To make matters worse,  the latter was again not elected. Mauritius has its realities. Except for 1995, Ramgoolam has lost every time when challenged by a Hindu of the same caste. The results of the 1991, 2000, 2014 and 2019 general elections speak for themselves.

Ramgoolam lost a golden opportunity of constructing a viable basis for centre left politics in Mauritius. He should have become an icon of transparency, a messiah of the poor and a workaholic in the nation’s cause. In reality, it is his alleged legendary obsession for women and luxury that has prevailed. Gandhi said “Discipline is the pledge and guarantee that a man means business. There is no deliverance and no hope without sacrifice, discipline and self control”. Rs 220 million of supposed party funds found in his coffers, party money used for his personal use and spending the night with his mistress when the Roche Noire incident occurred will remain undeniable facts and linger as blots on his political career.  The electorate seeing a lack of  spirit of sacrifice, discipline and self control, has always rejected him when proposed with an alternative of the right profile, except for 1995.With the support of Berenger, he won in 1995 and for mostly communal reasons again won in 2005 and 2010. One is now left to wonder for what ideologies he stands for. His famous slogan to democratize the economy, which galvanized a good section of the electorate, has remained empty words. With time, collective leadership and internal democracy within the Labour Party were replaced by the cult of an undisputed leader surrounded by a small coterie of advisers and errand boys who have little connect with ground realities. Side by side, those who have known Ramgoolam will confirm the saying in Hamlet “one may smile and smile and be a villain” to be befitting. It is said history repeats itself. Like Satcam Boolell needed to be replaced in the 1980s, it is now Ramgoolam’s turn.  Unfortunately, an orgy of political incorrectness airs these days in the Labour Party. Is it utterly bankrupt politically and intellectually? It is time the party asked itself an essential, existential question; does it consider itself a political party or merely Mauritius’s longest running soap opera.  Ramgoolam needs to check his political profile in the mirror and see that his abilities have outweighed his accomplishments. It is time he reinvents himself to incarnate the role of a political patriarch.  Otherwise, he will be remembered as an accidental prime minister and fade into political oblivion.