Think About How the Economy has Been Managed Before You Vote

That was the 2003 invitation of Rama Sithanen to voters in riding no. 7 in the bye-election that sent Rajesh Jeetah to parliament for the first time. He further added in L'express that the real unemployment number was probably 1% higher than the official one because some 10,000 people had been taken out of the computation through the infamous Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS).

It will however be more difficult for the voters in next Sunday's bye-election in constituency no. 8 to say loud and clear to the government in general and to Sithanen in particular what they thought of its managing of the economy given that the Labour Party has chickened out of the race.

But not having a candidate in this electoral contest is in itself an unambiguous indication of how bad Ramgoolam thinks things are out there. That was after he gave another mandate to the current President in last October. He seems to be getting quite desperate about his chances for 2010. Panic now appears to be within a stone's throw.