Paul Raymond Bérenger, a man
For two years Prime Minister
Many times Leader of the opposition
Is getting old and becoming childish
One may be for or against him
But the words he uttered against
A lady in our august Parliament
Were, definitely, reprehensible
And very, very unparliamentary
His advice to a member of Parliament
Simply shows the education of politicians
And the bad example they set to Mauritians
As representatives of the nation
In an august National Assembly
Would he have used the same words
Were the lady one of his own community
It all smack communalism
The words and tone showed no respect
To an adversary of the opposite six
And adversaries are not enemies
Differences of opinion are a blessing
He is great who bows before better reasoning
Paul Bérenger’s utterance was grotesque
It revealed his pettiness and complex
He seems to believe barons still have shares
\when people are short of arguments
They attack the personality
Paul Bérenger lost the general elections once
He joined the Parliament through the window
Will ladies vote for him now in the future
Except his wife and if any daughters
This is the beginning of the end
This is how downfalls start
He is not someone to apologize
Especially to someone he seems inferior
Even if he apologies in public now
It will be late, too late, as a
Thousand apologies cannot wash
The affront and cure the wound
The scar will stay forever
So, let him start saying “Adieu
Members of Parliament, Adieu
Prime Minister of Mauritius, Adieu
Minister in a government, Adieu
Leader of opposition, as the insult
Of one lady has been that of a nation
Those who will live will see
Time will not easily heal the wound
Bérenger has given a powerful weapon
To his opponents and adversaries against him
He has proved himself a man
With no control over himself
When out of arguments he insults
And insults bring downfall
This is not politics or communalism
This is not a menace or terrorism
Rather, it is pure reasoning
An outcome of social psychology
A reaction to a deliberate action
Perhaps at the moment of uttering
The insultive words he was mad
With the criticism he received for being
Absent from a ceremony his presence
Was most needed, most useful
The visit of Advani to Mauritius
Would have been most offensive
To the Muslims in Mauritius
A community 200 000 souls strong
Yet, Bérenger, Prime Minister
Reiterated his invitation to visit Mauritius
There could be no greater slap on the faces
Of the Muslims, but Advani was blown out
Of political power in his own country
The friend of my enemy is my enemy
But a flourishing retirement is guaranteed.
Gibran Khalil Khan