Political Caricatures: After the Sobrinho saga, now Agliotti; Workers’ Rights Bill; Mauritius Leaks;Terre-Rouge/Verdun finally operational;In Baie duTombeau: “Bétonnage” of the beach;Youth Unemployment;Paying homage to Johnny Clegg.

Bringing the change that Mauritius needs

(Published in MTimes  26 July 2019)

From economic slowdown to the puttering of the main engines of growth, wayward macroeconomic parameters to vested interests, cronyism and undermined institutions to a perennial lack of new ideas and initiatives, critical challenges await the next government. Besides the heck of a mess that it will have to clear up, the task before the next government is indeed daunting.

Political Caricatures: Political Financing & the BAI Group; The BOM’s Board: Rubber stamp?

Political Financing & the BAI Group

 

In his summing up to the debates on Budget 2019-20, Pravind Jugnauth raked through the so-called clean image of the MMM by pointing out its “géométries variables” on corruption. He mentioned the Rs 10 million obtained from Dawood Rawat’s BAI group for the 2014 general elections. He attacked an ex-MMM member, the late Bidianand Jhurry who was convicted for having favoured the hiring of five of his relatives in the Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund.

More Budgetary Nonsense and Rupee depreciation

(Published in MTimes 17 July 2019)

The announced budget measure to raid the internal capital reserves of the Bank of Mauritius for an amount of Rs 18 billion has attracted heavy criticism from a wide cross-section of economic and political observers.  Government spendthrift policies are leading to mounting public debt despite hiked-up petroleum taxation and record foreign grants extended by China and India. 

Political Caricatures: Political Financing Bill spurned; Graduating to the High-Income Economy?;Fitch Solutions forecast a slowing GDP growth in 2019

Political Caricatures:Drug abuse and trafficking: a holistic approach;Social housing: The great dismal failure of the Lepep government;Funding of religious bodies with taxpayers’ money?

Export Oriented Enterprises: The plunge continues

(Published in MTimes 05 07 2019)

The Export Oriented Enterprises (EOE) consist of enterprises previously operating with an EPZ Certificate as well as enterprises manufacturing goods for exports and holding a registration certificate issued by the ex-Board of Investment.

Budget Doctoring

(Published in L'Express & Mtimes 05 July 2019)

In an article published in L’Express of 3 July 2019 on the 2019/20 Budget, Dr Rama Sithanen concludes that “the Minister of Finance has doctored the budget deficit and the debt figures”, and computes “a total of over Rs 40 billion in creative and voodoo accounting”.  While the charges of fiscal doctoring are undeniable, his demonstration of “over Rs 40 billion of accounting tricks and colourable devices” is mostly incorrect.