The Democracy Illusion in Mauritius

written by Moshumee Teena Dewoo

Once a beacon of democracy in Africa, Mauritius is today making headlines as a democracy in steep decline instead. This book dissects this decline through three lenses: local leadership mimicking inept foreign leadership (Chapter 1: Ineptocracy), colonial foundations naturally resistant to anything but coloniality (Chapter 2: Bad Bedrock), and a misplaced emphasis on Western-style order, rigidity and finality or solidity clashing with Mauritius’ liquid identity, where this would thrive from flexibility and interconnectedness in incompleteness (Chapter 3: Misplaced Solidity). From here, the book argues that the challenges of Mauritius lie not just in democratic decline, but in a deeper incompatibility with democracy itself and any attempt to establish a successful form thereof is not only futile but also detrimental as it would hinder the flexibility and interconnectedness that are crucial for Mauritius’ unique society. It urges scholars, policymakers, NGOs, IFIs, countries on a similar political development path, and the West in particular, accustomed to promoting and expecting democracy beyond itself, toward an inclusive global conversation in consideration of the right of different cultures to embrace political systems that truly serve the needs of their people.

“DR DEWOO’S BOOK PROVIDES A FRESH, IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE ABUSE OF POLITICAL POWER IN MAURITIUS, CHALLENGING THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM OF THE COUNTRY’S DEMOCRATIC NARRATIVE. IT UNDERSCORES THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF INSTITUTIONS IN SHAPING ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE AND SERVES AS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR POLICYMAKERS REGARDING THE CONSEQUENCES OF WEAKENED INSTITUTIONS AND ERODED DEMOCRATIC NORMS. THE INSIGHTS INTO REAL-LIFE CASES OF INDIVIDUALS CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE MAKE IT A VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR THOSE WORKING ON GOVERNANCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES.” MUFOR ATANGA, Executive Head, African Peer Review Mechanism at inception, 2003-2005

Moshumee Teena Dewoo

Moshumee Teena Dewoo was born a child of Surinam in Mauritius, on a 23rd December. She grew up in between a mountain and the beach, running the fields and climbing trees, and her head in books, and learning of things that her parents and grandparents thought best she knew. Her life would forever be influenced by a combatant grandfather, a baptised grandmother, a teaching mother and a Hindu father, all descendants of migrants constantly seeking to define themselves and the world around them through words…