Alliance du Changement: Rupture and Reality

Editorial

As 2025 draws to a close, Mauritius finds itself at a moment of transition that few would have anticipated just a year earlier. The year has been marked by a change of government, with the end of the decade-long MSM administration and the arrival of the Alliance du Changement (ADC), whose tenure has combined ambition with inevitable challenges. It remains too early to judge whether 2025 represents a decisive break with the past or a period of gradual adjustment, but the dismantling of surveillance measures associated with the previous regime has altered the political climate. As the festive season approaches, this shift is accompanied by a mix of cautious relief, ongoing legal developments, and rising public concern over the cost of living and proposed pension reforms.

The primary mandate of the ADC was the “de-autocratisation” of Mauritius. For many, the hallmark of 2025 will be the dismantling of the tools of repression. The dissolution of the Police Headquarters Special Striking Team (SST) was not merely an administrative decision; it was the surgical removal of what many perceived as a “political hit squad.” The sight of former high-ranking police officials and SST leaders being summoned for interrogation over allegations of “planted” evidence and questionable “reward money” has offered a sense of poetic justice to those who felt silenced for years.

The legislative rollout has been equally assertive. The revocation of mandatory biometric SIM registration — through the Information and Communication Technologies (Registration of SIM) (Revocation) Regulations 2024, which came into force on January 6, 2025, following public concern and a legal challenge that had placed the re-registration exercise on hold — along with the restoration of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) prosecution powers, has helped re-anchor the ship of state in the safer and more predictable waters of the rule of law. In 2025, the “fear factor” has largely dissipated, replaced by a vibrant, if sometimes chaotic, democratic discourse that had long been missing.

The Chagos Triumph: On the international front, 2025 marked an important year for the Chagos Archipelago. The treaty signed on May 22 helped break a long-standing stalemate. Under its terms, Mauritius secured the return of sovereignty over the archipelago, while Diego Garcia will continue to be leased to the UK and the US for 99 years. The agreement provides for an annual payment of £101 million and the creation of a £40 million Chagossian Trust Fund. Beyond its financial provisions, the treaty carries strong symbolic weight, reflecting international recognition of Mauritian sovereignty over the territory.

The “Big Sharks” and the FCC’s Heavy Lift

However, progress on domestic reforms has proven more complex. The former anti-corruption agency, ICAC — long criticized for its perceived alignment with the previous regime — has given way to the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC), raising public expectations in the fight against corruption. While the arrest of former Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in February, along with that of other senior figures from the previous regime, attracted significant attention, the pace of subsequent legal proceedings has tested public patience.

The President’s call to pursue high-level corruption remains a point of reference, but developments in 2025 have underscored that accountability in a democracy depends on due process. The arrest of the FCC’s own former Commissioner — who is presumed innocent — served as a stark reminder that corruption is not confined to any one political camp, but is a systemic challenge requiring sustained vigilance.

Ultimately, the FCC will be judged not by the number of arrests it makes, but by whether its cases lead to convictions robust enough to withstand judicial scrutiny.

The Pension Paradox: A Bridge Too Far?

If Chagos was the ADC’s greatest triumph, pension reform has been its greatest trial. The decision to raise the eligibility age for the Basic Retirement Pension (BRP) from 60 to 65 — beginning with a shift to 61 this year — has struck at the heart of the Mauritian social contract.

The logic of “intergenerational equity” and fiscal sustainability is compelling on paper: a debt-to-GDP ratio approaching 90% and a looming demographic time bomb are existential threats. Yet the reform’s rollout was widely perceived as a “democratic betrayal.” The backlash has been fierce, spilling from the streets into the Supreme Court. For the lower-middle class — the “squeezed” citizens who earn too much to qualify for the Rs 10,000 Income Support but too little to absorb the loss of the BRP — the reform feels less like a bridge to the future and more like a ladder being pulled up behind them. Trade unions remain justifiably concerned for manual workers in fields and factories, for whom 65 represents exhaustion rather than retirement.

The Drug War: From Repression to Reason

Across towns and villages, the fight against the “zombie” scourge of synthetic drugs continues. The ADC’s pivot toward a public health approach and its openness to the possible decriminalization of cannabis represent a bold gamble. The logic is straightforward: divert users away from lethal synthetics while allowing police to focus on traffickers. Whether this rationalisation will genuinely save the youth or simply open a new Pandora’s box remains an open question as the country moves into 2026.

The Health of the Alliance

Since its landslide victory in November 2024, the Alliance du Changement has moved from a political honeymoon into a phase of visible internal friction. By late 2025, the unity that defined the campaign seems to have given way to a simmering cold war between its two central figures: Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and Deputy PM Paul Bérenger.

The Ramgoolam – Bérenger relationship is best described as a precarious truce. Holding no ministerial portfolio, Bérenger has assumed the role of internal critic. He has publicly objected to key nominations — most notably those of the Commissioner of Police and the Commissioner of Prisons — appointments made by the Prime Minister under his prerogative. He has also repeatedly criticised the “slowness” of decision-making at the Treasury, particularly regarding Air Mauritius and the strategic partnership decision, and the energy sector.

Electoral reform remains Bérenger’s red line. He views a dose of proportional representation as essential to the MMM’s survival, while Ramgoolam appears reluctant to dilute Labour’s dominance or scrap the Best Loser System. In other words, if electoral reform (particularly proportional representation) is not delivered in a form he finds acceptable, Bérenger may withdraw support, or even leave it altogether. Though Ramgoolam could govern without the MMM, the alliance’s future may hinge on whether electoral reform meets Bérenger’s expectations by mid-2026.

Looking Ahead

As this momentous year draws to a close, the Alliance du Changement stands on a precarious peak. It has restored a democratic climate in the country. It has set its sights on halving the budget deficit, maintaining tourism as an economic powerhouse, and it is laying the foundations for new growth pillars.

Ultimately, success will be measured at the kitchen table. Can the government ease the soaring cost of living? Can it convince the public that high-profile arrests were about justice rather than vendetta? And, most importantly, can it reconcile fiscal medicine — such as pension reform — with the social compassion promised in its manifesto?

In 2025, Mauritius presents a study in contrasts: a nation that has reclaimed its democratic spirit and sovereign pride, yet continues to grapple with the weight of its economic and social challenges. As the year draws to a close, both the government and the people are learning that while laws can be repealed overnight, the structural reforms required to achieve the envisioned “rupture” advance at a much slower and more arduous pace.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 24 December 2025