The Siamese State: A Dialogue on the Island of Dreams

Socratic Dialogue

By Plutonix

The Siamese State: A Dialogue on the Island of Dreams opens a window onto Mauritian politics with wit, irony, and a touch of drama. Socrates and Cephalus meet on a quiet terrace in Port Louis in December 2025 to dissect the Alliance du Changement government — just over a year after its sweeping November 2024 victory. The “Siamese State” refers to Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and Deputy Paul Bérenger: two leaders sharing a single government yet seemingly pulling in opposite directions. The “Island of Dreams” evokes the hopes of a public eager for a better future — dreams now threatened by internal disputes, bureaucratic delays, and what political observers describe as growing public disillusionment. This dialogue traces the fragile balance of power and asks the pressing question: can a government so closely joined endure, or is it headed for rupture?

Alliance du Changement Cartoon. Cartoon Credit: L’Express

Characters:

• Socrates: A persistent asker of inconvenient questions, currently resting in the shade of a banyan tree.
• Cephalus: A wealthy and seasoned observer of human affairs, weary of political theatre but fascinated by its mechanics.

Setting: A quiet terrace in Port Louis, overlooking the harbour. The year is December 2025.

Socrates: My dear Cephalus, you look as though you have swallowed a bitter lemon while trying to smile for a portrait. Tell me, has the heat of the Mauritian sun finally reached your temper, or is it the state of our “Alliance du Changement” that weighs so heavily upon your brow?

Cephalus: Ah, Socrates. It is not the sun, but the “Cold War” in the shade that troubles me. Tell me, have you ever seen a creature with two heads that insist on walking in opposite directions?

Socrates: I believe the poets call that a chimera, Cephalus. But in the marketplace, I hear it called a Cabinet. Let us examine this “Alliance.” It has been just over a year since the great landslide of November 2024. Sixty seats out of sixty! A mandate so large it surely could move mountains, or at least pave a few roads without delay?

Cephalus: One would think so. And yet, the “honeymoon” ended before the first anniversary cake was even stale. The unity of the campaign has evaporated like sea spray. We now live in what the wits call a “Siamese State.” Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and his Deputy, Paul Bérenger, are conjoined by power, yet their hearts seem to beat to entirely different rhythms.

Socrates: And what of this Paul? I hear he has been quite vocal. Three press conferences, like three acts of a tragedy — or perhaps a comedy, depending on who is holding the microphone. What is the nature of his grievance?

Cephalus: He complains of a “distressing slowness,” Socrates. He lambasts the ‘Boss’ for a lack of “celerity” in decision-making, particularly regarding the Treasury and the overhaul of Air Mauritius. He sits there, with no specific portfolio of his own, playing the role of the “internal critic,” as if he were a spectator at his own government’s performance.

Socrates: (Laughing) A man who is part of the crew but stands on the deck shouting that the captain is too slow to turn the wheel? That is a curious position. But tell me, Cephalus, is it only speed that concerns him, or is there a dispute over who gets to hold the oars?

Cephalus: Oh, the oars are the heart of it! Bérenger has expressed “profound disagreement” over the Boss’s choice of nominations. He looks at the new Commissioner of Police and the Commissioner of Prisons and objects, as if calling a foul on a football field. He suggests that these appointments reflect “old-school partisan politics” and betray the meritocracy promised to the people.

Socrates: Let us pursue this “meritocracy.” Does Bérenger mean that the “right person” should be in the “right place,” or does he mean that the “right person” should be someone from his own party, the MMM?

Cephalus: You have a sharp tongue, Socrates. Indeed, while he criticizes the Ramgoolam’s “red nominees,” his own people have found comfortable seats in the new government and its boards. It seems “merit” is a relative term in our beautiful island.

Socrates: It often is. But what of the “red lines” I hear whispered about? If the Prime Minister has remained silent — as silent as a statue in the Place d’Armes — does that mean he is conceding, or is he merely waiting for the tide to go out?

Cephalus: Ramgoolam is a master of the “disciplined silence.” He ignores the barbs in public, but in private, he is “tightening the ranks.” He knows the mathematics of the Assembly. His Labour Party holds thirty-five seats. With the smaller partners, he can govern even if the MMM decides to walk away. He has signalled that he will no longer “sacrifice his peers” to satisfy Bérenger’s demands.

Socrates: Ah, so the “Siamese State” has a dominant twin. But there is another bone of contention, is there not? Something regarding the way men are chosen to sit in the Assembly?

Cephalus: Yes, the “dose of proportional representation.” Bérenger views this as the lifeblood of the MMM. He fears that without it, his party will be swallowed by the Labour giant under a First-Past-The-Post system. He wants a reform that ensures the MMM’s “parliamentary weight” remains intact, regardless of the alliance.

Socrates: And the Prime Minister? Does he wish to share this weight?

Cephalus: Ramgoolam is “transactional,” Socrates. He hints at reform, but it’s not really clear what he wants to do or undo in terms of reform — though we hear that he is reluctant to scrap the “Best Loser System” or introduce any measure that would dilute his own dominance. It is a stalemate. In a recent high-stakes meeting, they reached no reconciliation — only an “ephemeral truce.” Bérenger told his associates he is ready to go “all the way in his logic of rupture.”

Socrates: A “logic of rupture”? That sounds like a very expensive way to say “divorce.” But tell me, if they break, what happens to the people? I noticed that in last May’s municipal elections, despite the Alliance winning most of the seats, voter turnout was only twenty-six percent. True, the stakes are lower in municipal elections, but tell me — is that the sign of a contented populace?

Cephalus: Far from it. The people are weary. They see the “smoke and fire” of political bickering while the price of basic goods remains high, and the promised “reform” feels more like a slow-turning fan. The low turnout was a “smoke signal” of its own — a warning that a mandate of 60 seats is meaningless if the leaders are too busy fighting over the Commissioner of Prisons to fix the price of rice or l’hameçons requins.

Socrates: So, we come to the final question, Cephalus. Will this government of “Change” endure through 2026, or will it shatter like a glass dropped on the stones of the quay?

Cephalus: The veterans of the MMM are afraid. They do not want to return to the cold of the Opposition. They say “life goes on.” But Bérenger is a man of “unpredictable nature.” If the Electoral Reform Bill does not give him his “dose” by mid-year, he may feel his party’s identity — and its future — is at stake.

Socrates: Then it seems the Alliance is held together not by love, but by the fear of what lies outside the palace walls. Is that not a fragile bond?

Cephalus: The most fragile of all. One head seeks stability, the other leans toward conflict. They share a body, Socrates, yet their visions diverge.

Socrates: Then let us watch the horizon, Cephalus. For when two men share a single body but cannot agree on which path to take, they usually end up standing perfectly still until the ground beneath them begins to crumble. Shall we go find some of those “price-stabilized” basic products for lunch?

Cephalus: If we can find any, Socrates. If we can find any.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 24 December 2025