Readers’ Response

Rodrigues

Le GM a-t-il pris les dispositions nécessaires pour assurer l’intégralité et l’inaliénabilité territoriales de Maurice ?

Chaque Réunionnais qui revient de Rodrigues rapporte toujours ces mêmes paroles de leurs hôtes ou amis rodriguais:

« Nous, Rodriguais, travaillons pour avoir notre indépendance dans 10-20 ans. Nous détestons foncièrement les Mauriciens… Nous savons que Rodrigues indépendante n’est pas viable surtout dans le domaine économique. Mais d’ores et déjà, nous travaillons avec des Français (ONG et personnalités discrètes) pour avoir l’appui de la France. Ce dernier pays, par la bouche de ses agents, nous promet de nous assister dans tous les domaines.

« A la longue, nous demanderons à être un département français comme la Réunion et Mayotte. Dans 10 ans, ce sera chose faite. Il suffit d’un bon cyclone qui écrase tout à Rodrigues. Maurice n’a pas les moyens de nous aider. Nous descendons dans la rue (comme les Arabes), nous demandons l’aide de la France qui envoie des navires de guerre et des ravitaillements. En un mois, nous faisons sécession et demandons la protection de la France. Et le tour est joué.

« Il n’y a même pas, dans la Constitution mauricienne, un article qui définit la République de Maurice en ses constituants moraux et territoriaux ! Nous sommes une simple colonie de Maurice ! Bérenger nous a donné l’autonomie pour accéder un jour à l’indépendance… avec lui comme Premier ministre ! »

Questions :

1) Le GM est-il au courant de ce travail souterrain des Rodriguais avec l’aide réelle ou imaginaire de la France ?

2) Y a-t-il, oui ou non, un article de la Constitution mauricienne qui stipule que le territoire de la République de Maurice est constitué  des Iles Maurice, Rodrigues, Agaléga, Saint Brandon, Tromelin, Chagos et de chacune des îlots et islets qui y sont rattachés géographiquement comme dépendances en zone économique ?

3) Quand il était Premier ministre, Paul Bérenger avait affirmé en donnant l’autonomie à Rodrigues : si Rodrigues demande, un jour son indépendance, Maurice ne pourra que la lui accorder, n’étant pas un pays colonialiste ni impérialiste.

Le GM de Navin Ramgoolam a-t-il pris les dispositions nécessaires pour assurer l’intégralité et l’inaliénabilité territoriales d’une République de Maurice indivisible et non sécable ? 

Sheherazade

* * *

Why are we here?

Allow me, first, to compliment you for the above-mentioned publication by your correspondent, TD Fuego, in your issue of 17 June 2011. ‘This deep philosophical question’, along with the 3 others (and subquestions), have exercised very many highly intelligent minds, even before the dawn of civilization. Thus, take that astute query from the Ancient Greeks about the origin of our Universe: from a Marvellous Intelligence? Or from chance medley? Again, consider facets of the poignant text ‘Consolation of Philosophy’, blending both ‘Pagan’ and Christian values, by Boethius, AMS (c480 – 524) just before his execution.

Second, your correspondent should be thanked, and congratulated, on his timing – with the imminent coming out of the results of a three-year scientific project on ‘Understanding Religion’ (The Economist, 23 April 2011, pp 76-77). Also relevant would be La Recherche: Dieu et les Sciences, Hors serie no. 14; Jan 2004.

There are many approaches to Religion. And the Scientific Method, for all its faults, is certainly one of those. Various surveys show that, worldwide, the ‘Marvellous Intelligence’ option is, by far, the preferred one. This is also (at around 40%) the first choice of working physicists and biologists in the United States of America, the world’s premier scientific power, as shown by regular surveys of the past 10 decades. Meanwhile, at the turn into the 21st century, 90% of US citizens generally believe in ‘God or a Universal Spirit’.

As I prepared myself to answer the main questions passed by your correspondent, I have contrived to receive some confidential breaking news from Heaven, (honni soit qui mal y pense!) which might be of interest to you. 

‘More-Divine-Life’ Controlled Research Project:

God Triggers Long-Term Action

Darwin (suffering from a temporary lapse due to a personal tragedy amid heavy criticisms of his theory, awakens back into his faith), Malthus (much maligned and misunderstood, despite impeccable logic) and Nehru (a ‘last mogul’ type with a ‘wall-less’ mind — rare even in paradise): these complete the last nominations (from earth) to be approved by God for the Dream Team to manage the latest celestial avant-garde long-term project estimated at less than 0.1% of celestial 2010 GDP. The other members of the team, already approved and announced are: Gaia (in the Chair), Andromeda, IxChel, Albertina Susilu, and Mother Theresa. The Secretary will be Heaven’s Secretary-General, Saint Peter, in the initial stages. The Main Rapporteur is Vyasa, of Mahabharata fame (along with its inner core of religious philosophy – the Bhagavad Gita or the ‘Lord’s Song – see chapter xi, 5 -49)’.

God’s nomination of Maria Winteler-Einstein as Liaison Officer with The Other Place is likely to prove controversial on both sides. Nominations are also expected for Pasteur, the biochemist, probably as Chief Research Officer (he thinks of God as akin to Infinity), as well as for Hypathia, Pascal, Galileo, Euclid or Rousseau. Marx of Das Capital is also reported as a strong possibility. There have been very many who have pledged support for the project including Anaxagoras who found the truth on Truth), Noah of the Ark, Confucius, Solomon, Gandhi the Mahatma, Martin Luther King and many Devil’s AdvocateS.

Among other features of the latest celestial initiative are:

  1. In triggering the next step in the evolution of life through a collaborative project to enable people of all faiths (including those without any) becoming divine in time, is also meant to discover whether life is somehow ‘circular’ or more or less ‘linear’. God, of course, knows the answer, but has adopted a divine self-imposed statute of power limitations. (Excess democracy, anyone?)
  2. People’s trials and tribulations will be tabulated and analysed, along with reasons thereof, and crosschecked by celestial computers with past data as last reference (any compensation, PRB style?).
  3. The next evolutionary step will be announced by the Almighty after a Great Consultation to be decided upon subsequently (Where? Computerise, for Heaven’s sake!).

Topics of heated discussion also include: Is Buddhism (both branches) a real religion, without any formal declaration on the idea of God? How will ‘The Other Place’ react to the new project, with Delilah reported to be pulling others’ hair in all directions – or is that a ploy to drive Samson in Hell’s ‘Other Place’ into complacency? Watch this space for future reports.

I should point out, Mr Editor, that those who are for ‘Chance Medley’ (or Dame Fortune), as against ‘Marvellous Intelligence’, often write with a sort of intellectual arrogance – of the kind that says: ‘if you do not agree with me, you are stupid’. Not likely to make friendships flourish, or cultivate influence – is it? But I can recommend an exception – a New York Times no.1 best-seller, entitled God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens; Hachette; NY, 2007. 

Professor J. Manrakhan


* Published in print edition on 24 June 2011

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