Well at least for Navin Ramgoolam who was not able to find one on each of the two occasions he could have rewarded a loyal party servant. Indeed he used them to grant second terms to both Cassam Uteem and Aneerood Jugnauth.
And these have been surprising choices. I mean granted that you may have trouble remembering Cassam Uteem as the ultimate die-hard labour. But you are unlikely to forget an ex-President going back to partisan politics to save the country from an apparently impending dictatorship. That of course after attempting to broker an alliance with the same dictator-designate who had kindly allowed him to sleep 5 more years in a chateau and not before he told us that he had finally understood that a President should remain above soapbox theatrics.
SAJ getting a second mandate is even more comical if you recall the level of animosity between him and the PM-elect at the start of Ramgoolam's second mandate. But Navin had little choice given the dedication with which two university buddies had relentlessly screwed up the economy.
The history-making nomination of Monique Ohsan-Bellepeau as Vice-President is also kind of weird. As someone commented a few days ago nobody can understand why Ramgoolam did not try to find out first if the MMM would have voted an amendment to abolish the Vice-Presidency. Which would have allowed the PM to remain consistent with what he recently told us he wanted dearly.
He could also have appointed Bellepeau as President in 2008. Or the late Chettiar. Instead of SAJ. Maybe the guy is not a Real Labourite afterall.
