Of DPMs, and the Art of Speaking One’s Mind Without Breaking the Alliance
Socratic Dialogue
By Plutonix
The bustling intellectual hub of ancient Athens has recently been subjected to an unusual distraction: papyri arriving from a distant, sun-drenched island, chronicling the peculiar political manoeuvers of its leaders. These dispatches are watched with growing bewilderment by the wise Socrates and his earnest student, Cephalus. Having barely concluded their first exchange on the Deputy First Strategos, Paulos’s, mastery of the subtle art of public critique, a new, more confounding report has arrived. This time, the central topic is not just the alliance’s fragile harmony, but the intricate web of family appointments and the statesman’s equally intricate attempt to defend them while still claiming to be a man of pure principle.
Setting: A shaded portico in Athens (which, suspiciously, still has a Port Louis skyline in the distance). Socrates meets Cephalus, who is now holding two papyri, looking more bewildered than before.
Socrates: My dear Cephalus, you look as though you have witnessed a phoenix rising from its own ashes, only to have it declare its dissatisfaction with the temperature. Has our Deputy First Strategos, Paulos, spoken again?
Cephalus: He has, Socrates! Scarcely had the first report reached the agora than he called another gathering to respond to the “hysteria” surrounding his kin. It seems his first display of fencing was but a warm-up for a grander spectacle.
Socrates: Ah, a statesman who must defend his own household. Tell me, what great matters provoked this “hysteria”?
Cephalus: The charges of nepotism, Socrates! He was forced to defend the appointments of three of his own family members to high office.
Socrates: Nepotism! A word that means a man in power favours his own flesh and blood. And how did this Paulos defend himself? Did he declare his family to be the wisest and most skilled in the entire polis?
Cephalus: Not quite. He spoke separately of each one. For his daughter, he insisted her rise was due to her own merit, and that he had never influenced her. He even recounted how he had denied her a full ministry to respect the principle of seniority.
Socrates: So a man denies his daughter a benefit to prove he is not a nepotist? This is the most curious form of parental love I have ever heard of. What of the others?
Cephalus: He said the appointment of his sister-in-law as ambassador was not his idea, but that of the First Strategos, Navinos, who had surprised him with the choice.
Socrates: And so we have a second paradox: a man’s kin is appointed to a high post, and he declares himself both surprised and pleased. What of the third?
Cephalus: The most controversial of all! The appointment of his son-in-law as Chairman of an airport. Bérenger called him a “sincere militant” and “perfectly qualified,” adding that the idea came not from him, but from his militant comrade-in-arms.
Socrates: I see. So, a man is a “militant” and therefore must be rewarded with office, but he is also a man of “merit”? Are these two words now synonyms? In our time, a militant was a man who fought for a cause, not one who was given a chair.
Cephalus: He insisted that all three were chosen on merit, without his intervention. He challenged anyone to prove him a liar.
Socrates: A bold claim. But what of the larger problems? Did he speak of the quarrel between the women minister and the Junior one again?
Cephalus: He did not. That drama seems to have been settled by the relocation of one of the players. Instead, he spoke again of Air Mauritius, reiterating that “it is not too late,” even though he described the situation as “desperate.”
Socrates: Ah, he has not abandoned his role as the prophet of doom and hope. He seems to be preparing the people so that, if the rescue of the airline succeeds, he can say, “I warned you”; and if it fails, he can say, “I warned you.”
Cephalus: He also spoke of a new Appointments Committee which the government has promised to create.
Socrates: So, they have made appointments without a committee, but promise to make one so they might make better appointments in the future? This is like a man who spills wine on the floor and then promises to buy a cup. What else?
Cephalus: He also spoke sharply about the sirdar of banks, Sithanios, saying that while he once helped the country, his “time has passed” and he can no longer continue.
Socrates: So, a man is useful for a season, but then his time is up? This is the very definition of a political tool, to be used and then set aside.
Cephalus: And finally, he spoke of a foreign conflict in a land called Gaza. He declared the actions of one of the warring nations to be a “crime” and admitted that he sometimes feels like resigning from the government just so he could speak his mind freely.
Socrates: A man in power wishes to leave power so he may have power of speech? This is a choice between influence and truth, and in the theatre of politics, truth is often the most dangerous role to play.
Cephalus: And what of the alliance, Socrates? Did he repeat his critique of the PMSD regarding an ambassador?
Socrates: He did not. This time, he was more direct. He insisted that there is “no risk of rupture” between his party and that of Navinos, and that they work in good harmony, making “necessary corrections” when needed.
Socrates: Let us examine, Cephalus, what we have here. We have a man who, in the same breath, defends his own family from charges of nepotism, criticizes a key governmental appointment, insists his alliance is sound, and says he wishes to quit the government to speak his mind on a matter of conscience. What does this teach us about the nature of unity?
Cephalus: That unity is not merely the absence of complaint, but the presence of many conflicting truths, all held together by a shared interest.
Socrates: Well said! For if an alliance is a ship, Paulos is not just the lookout on the crow’s nest, warning of storms. He is also the captain, steering the course, and the crewman, patching a hole. And now, he has become the cook, trying to prove his own family are not pilfering the rations.
Cephalus: So, you suggest it is all a master performance?
Socrates: As deliberate as a sculptor who chips away at a stone, not to destroy it, but to reveal the final form within. Paulos is sculpting the perception of his role, showing he is a man of principle, family, and alliance all at once.
Cephalus: So, what, Socrates, is your verdict on this second press conference?
Socrates: My verdict is that it was not merely a demonstration of fencing, but of juggling. He keeps a dozen plates spinning at once: family, party, allies, and conscience. He proves that in politics, one can be both within the house and outside, speaking truths that threaten to shatter the very windows, yet somehow keeping the house intact.
Cephalus: Your words are as elusive as a government communiqué.
Socrates: Then I have truly captured the spirit of the thing. Now, shall we get some alouda? For I believe I have at last grasped the metaphysical definition of milk: it is a substance that, much like a coalition agreement, purports to be pure and white, yet upon closer inspection, contains a bewildering number of conflicting flavours.
Cephalus: By the gods, Socrates! That is a definition of a cabinet, not of milk! Though, come to think of it… I shall propose we table a motion on it at the next caucus meeting.
Both Socrates and Cephalus exit, followed by the distant murmur of parliamentary debate, which is now joined by the frantic rattling of ice cubes, and a yapping chihuahua.
Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 15 August 2025
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