The Fitch Report: Slowdown of growth in 2019

Published in Mtimes 01 11 2018

According to the Fitch Solutions Macro Research, growth will decelerate in 2019 as a result of the continuous decline in sugar production and the worrying trends in the financial sector.

Opening up the economy to foreign talents: The easy way out

Published MTimes 01 11 2018

The private sector is pressing Government to adopt a policy of opening our borders to attract young foreign talents and emulate Singapore, Dubai and Canada. We are being told by the MCCI that “these talents should not be feared because they will help the country to start the second stage of its development.”

The Energy Saga Continues: Ivan Strikes Again

Published in MTimes 01 11 2018

Now that the MSM’s  ardent attempts at courtship of the MMM have been spurned and the former reacting with a Rs 50 million defamation case against its potential partner, Ivan Le Terrible could not see better opportunity to strike again. Notre Ivan le terrible persiste et signe. 

SAUDI ARABIA: ROGUE STATE

Published in MTimes 26 Oct 2018

AVAAZ.org was recently canvassing support to stand up to the Saudis for human rights. Saudi Arabia sentences women to death by stoning, brutally whips peaceful activists, and with their allies, bombed school buses full of kids in Yemen. 

Mauritius’ residence and citizenship schemes flagged on OECD blacklist

Published in Mtimes 26 October 2018

Mauritius by signing the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters was committed to implement tax transparency and effective exchange of information, in particular under the OECD/G20 Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

Identity Politics

Published in MTimes 19 October 2018

Some years back, following a comment on the “rodère ek donère boute” syndrome present in our system, I had discussed the whole issue of identity politics. I wish to take up some of the arguments from that article which I consider relevant to this day because of the presence of an amalgam of the same factors: the explosive growth of social media and the increasing feeling of victimisation in a situation of rising inequality

A structured process for nominating SOE boards

Published in MTimes 19 October 2018

Effective corporate governance requires strong boards composed of qualified and competent members exercising objective and independent judgement to guide strategy development and monitor management. The key challenge in the nomination process of directors to State Owned Enterprises’ (SOEs’) boards is to prevent the process to degenerate into a situation characterized as “political influence interference”.

The Economic Development Board: Which role ?

Published by Mauritius Times 19 October 2018

Some recent press reports have highlighted the teething problems the Economic Development Board (EDB) is having to clearly define its role of strategic economic planning and economic policy formulation. Many countries have likewise set up EDBs to provide advice to their governments in the formulation of policies, programmes and projects for the country’s long-term development and economic transformation. The difference with the Mauritian EDB is that in these countries it is exclusively dedicated to supporting the country’s development strategy and policies, and is not a mixed bag of various agencies involved in all sorts of promotion and facilitation activities. In our previous writings we had raised the issue of our hotchpotch EDB saddled with too many objectives. 

A Demonetisation to Crackdown on Black Money

Published in Mtimes Friday 12 October 2018

Some of the hawks in Government believe that they can regain some of their lost credibility, due to a proliferation of scandals and blunders over the past three years, through a demonetisation exercise involving high denomination notes to curb counterfeiting and money laundering which will certainly help to reverse the situation.

Petroleum prices: Kicking the can down the road

Published in MTimes 12 Oct 2018

Petroleum prices have remained unchanged thanks to the provision of an amount of Rs350 million from the Subsidy Reserve Fund. The retail price of Mogas should have been increased by Rs 0.85 per litre or 1.72% based on US$729.46 per metric tonnes for Mogas and the exchange rate of Rs 35 per US$.

What is all this fuss about electoral reform?

Published in MTimes 05 10 2018

This is how the younger generation is reacting to all the attention that the proposals for an electoral reform are receiving from all quarters. They are aware that the question of eliminating the compulsory declaration by candidates of their ethnicity is an urgency given the constitutional case put up by Resistans ek Alternativ before the Supreme Court. But our youngsters are doubtful of the sincerity of our politicians to find a solution to the whole issue.They believe that most of our politicians have ulterior motives and are trying to mobilise their partisans along their sectarian interests.

GBCs and the Balance of Payments

Published in Mtimes 05 10 2018

It is expected, from the newly released National Accounts estimates, that the Current Account (CA) deficit of the Balance of Payments is likely to improve marginally in 2018 to less than 6% of GDP. A closely related measure of the external deficit, namely the deficit in net exports of goods and services, is also forecast to decrease slightly from 13% of GDP in 2017 to 12.5 % in 2018.