[Lauren]

IN A SHOCKING TURN OF EVENTS, JUST DAYS BEFORE MAURITIUS HEADS TO THE POLLS, THE GOVERNMENT OF THIS SMALL ISLAND NATION… OFTEN CALLED A DEMOCRATIC SUCCESS STORY, STIRRED UP MAJOR CONTROVERSY WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED SOCIAL MEDIA BLACKOUT. THE MOVE, SPARKED BY A DAMAGING WIRETAPPING SCANDAL, LEFT MANY IN DISBELIEF… AND QUESTIONING THE VERY STATE OF THEIR DEMOCRACY.

THE BLACKOUT CAME AFTER A SERIES OF LEAKED AUDIO RECORDINGS MADE WAVES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THESE CLIPS ALLEGEDLY REVEAL HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIALS, INCLUDING THE PRIME MINISTER, POLICE, AND JUDICIARY MEMBERS, DISCUSSING POLICE BRUTALITY AND POSSIBLE INTERFERENCE IN THE JUDICIAL PROCESS.

MAURITIAN OFFICIALS INITIALLY ORDERED A BAN ON PLATFORMS LIKE FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND X, CITING “NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS.” BUT CRITICS SAY THIS WAS MORE ABOUT SILENCING DISSENT AND COVERING UP GOVERNMENT EMBARRASSMENT THAN PROTECTING THE COUNTRY. AFTER ALL, THE PRIME MINISTER HIMSELF CALLED THE LEAKS – QUOTE – “DOCTORED BY AI.”

THE SCANDAL GREW WHEN IT CAME TO LIGHT THAT THESE RECORDINGS WEREN’T JUST LEAKED CONVERSATIONS… THEY WERE ALLEGEDLY PART OF AN ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM. OVER 20 HIGH-PROFILE CONVERSATIONS WERE REPORTEDLY TAPPED, INVOLVING TOP POLITICIANS, BUSINESS LEADERS, AND EVEN JOURNALISTS. 

TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE FORMER CEO OF MAURITIUS TELECOM… A PARTLY GOVERNMENT-OWNED COMPANY, WAS ARRESTED… RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT JUST HOW DEEP THIS WIRETAPPING SCANDAL GOES. ONE OF THE MOST CHILLING LEAKS ALLEGEDLY INVOLVES THE POLICE COMMISSIONER, CAUGHT INSTRUCTING A FORENSIC DOCTOR TO ALTER A REPORT ON A PERSON WHO DIED IN POLICE CUSTODY.

MANY ARE SEEING THIS AS THE LATEST CHAPTER IN A DECADE-LONG EROSION OF DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS. JUST LAST YEAR, MAURITIANS WERE FORCED TO RE-REGISTER THEIR SIM CARDS, SPARKING FEARS ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT’S INTENTIONS FOR PERSONAL DATA. MEANWHILE, THE INSTALLATION OF THOUSANDS OF SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS ACROSS THE ISLAND, ALL WITH FACIAL RECOGNITION CAPABILITY… HAS LEFT MANY CONCERNED ABOUT PRIVACY.

WITH THE ELECTION THIS WEEKEND, THE STAKES ARE HIGH. CURRENT PRIME MINISTER PRAVIND JUGNAUTH IS VYING FOR A SECOND TERM, BUT HE FACES FIERCE OPPOSITION FROM THE ALLIANCE FOR CHANGE, LED BY FORMER PRIME MINISTER NAVIN RAMGOOLAM. JUGNAUTH’S GOVERNMENT ALREADY FACES ACCUSATIONS OF IRREGULARITIES FROM THE 2019 ELECTION, AND THIS LATEST CONTROVERSY IS ONLY ADDING FUEL TO THE FIRE.

FOLLOWING MASSIVE BACKLASH FROM CITIZENS AND INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS GROUPS, THE SOCIAL MEDIA BAN WAS LIFTED WITHIN 24 HOURS. BUT THE DAMAGE MAY ALREADY BE DONE. MANY MAURITIANS ARE WONDERING: IF THE GOVERNMENT IS WILLING TO GO THIS FAR TO PROTECT ITS IMAGE, WHAT ELSE MIGHT THEY BE HIDING?

ONCE CELEBRATED AS ONE OF AFRICA’S MOST STABLE DEMOCRACIES, MAURITIUS IS NOW UNDER THE MICROSCOPE. WILL THE PEOPLE OF MAURITIUS HOLD THEIR LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE AT THE POLLS, OR WILL THIS SCANDAL JUST BE ANOTHER CHAPTER IN A DARKENING STORY OF CONTROL AND CENSORSHIP?

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M LAUREN TAYLOR.

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