Points of view
Written by Editor Saturday, 27 August 2011 16:05
POLITICAL
IMBROGLIO
by CLAUDE CANABADY (Mauritius)
The political pot or should I say plot has recently been in constant ebullition with all sorts of plans and permutations being discussed and dissected quasi permanently. At the helm, a number of poker players who are hoping that they are holding the decisive hand to claim the jackpot. Yet as the game unfolds, there are already twists and turns galore, worthy of a Hitchcock blockbuster and no doubt with more to come.
Among the players are the three main protagonists, constantly planning and plotting in the hope that the pot of gold will be theirs at the end of the rainbow. I will set the scene for you, sitting at the table from left to right not necessarily in any order of precedence; the strategist, the incumbent and the aspirant.
The strategist having lost the initial game because his party had been unsuccessful in achieving a much publicised alliance prior to the general election was still seething as this had been swiftly followed by defeat at the polls. He realised that it was time to muster his troops and bide his time before his next move. It was not long before he began scheming on how to unhinge the alliance or at the very least rock their boat. Luck was on his side as his next set of cards was a very reasonable hand according to poker parlance. This was obtained by a multiple of leaks bigger than those of the water authorities and came from sources unknown to the public at large at this stage of this game. Being a fine strategist and an astute poker player, he was playing his cards close to his chest fearing the proverbial mole.
So when he raised the stakes, he knew he had a winning hand and hoped that it would cause at least a split in the alliance’s ranks. He envisaged a ripple effect but not the chasm that did appear, in actual fact; he had struck bull’s eyes.
Determined not to be left behind, the aspirant decided to bluff his way and increased the stakes in the hope that the incumbent will react positively to his needs but true to form, the latter dithered instead of being decisive, which would have done much to rally the faithful. It reminded me of shades of an ex British prime minister who uttered these famous words when alighting from the plane after the scavengers had gone on strike and mountains of rubbish had been left on the streets “Crisis, what Crisis”.
Anyway, the incumbent eventually reacted to the bluff of the aspirant by bringing in new players to his team. During that time on the periphery of the game, the minor players were perusing their cards to check whether any of them had been dealt the joker. One of the minor players, the placid found it and realised that he could now call the shots despite not having as much money as the other three main players. The reason, he had high value tokens that he could move to his advantage. For starters, he obtained two of the most coveted places in the cabinet because of his joker; this was swiftly followed by another appointment in a junior position. He has now achieved what no other party could boast; all the elected members of his party are now exerting real power. He now knows that he can bear a strong influence on affairs of the state. If he plays a judicious game, practically the sky will be the limit for his party, time will tell.
The master strategist having achieved his first objective is already planning ahead, meeting all comers and playing the waiting game. Perhaps he feels that he is now in a position of strength and can set the agenda. The aspirant is licking his wounds and cannot yet decide on his next move because his future is out of his hands and at the whim of the other major players. For the foreseeable future, the incumbent needs to negotiate a path strewed with obstacles and potential danger lurking in every corner. The placid will do well to bide his time and wait for the opportune moment to play his joker again to obtain maximum advantage. The game goes on, so watch out for the next stage, it will be fascinating
