"Everything isn’t all right at Mauritus.com"

(Published in l'express, 29 Dec 2020)

Recently, at the beginning of the Kistnen affair, we became conscious that we have crossed a new threshold that is scaring and chilling for the country. As other consequential events unfolded, it seems to reinstate the fact that there’s something that is fundamentally wrong with the country. Allow me to share with you, some of the interesting and challenging bits and pieces I have picked up from the local press and social media to confirm that everything is not all right with the country- not right at all.

Who are the liars ?

“Azordi mansonz inn vinn enn zafer trop fasil…”

That was Leela-Devi Dookun-Luchoomun at the Arya Samaj of L’Avenir on Sunday 20th December . She was discoursing on the principles of the Arya Samaj and was unashamedly drawing a parallel to the difficulties encountered by Swami Dayanand with the ways of doing of some people here…She also added that "Bien que la vérité prenne du temps, elle fera surface un jour (..) “

Supplementary Appropriation 2020-2021 Bill: Meeting the cost of the BAI Saga ! This Govt's end-of-the-year gift to the population.

The Supplementary Appropriation 2020-21 Bill provides for additional expenditure of Rs17 bn, of which the bulk relates to an equity injection of Rs11.9 bn into the National Property Fund.(NPF)

The Supplementary Appropriation 2018-2019 Bill: Money down the drain !

This Bill provides for supplementary appropriation of a sum of Rs1.4 mn for the Ministry of Financial Services and Good Governance for the year 2018-19.

Le Commissaire de Police déculotté

You may not have a special liking for the pro bono lawyers on the Kistnen case, but we have to acknowledge that, today, they did give the Commissioner a real hiding ; I'm sure that he will regret his brisk two mins press conference where he admonished the lawyers for "créer une psychose" and advised them “de faire montre de retenue dans leurs déclarations publiques.”

MBC TV : the government’s lapdog

Total black out by the MBC on the Kistnen affair and on the sanction against Top FM; every single household is forking out Rs 150 monthly to get nothing but trash. 

The murder of our democracy goes on !

Top FM has been suspended for three days starting from to-morrow December 16 .

The new political parties

Most of the mainstream political parties and the new ones, as I had written earlier in my article “The resurgence of identity politics”-see my blog- cannot transcend identity politics . Even some of the religious leaders have joined in the fray - Jean-Maurice Labour of the diocese of Port Louis at a press conference on the ethnic census had this to say: “ The minority of yesterday is no longer the minority of today.”

TEMPO LA BIEN BIEN SO !

The latest edition of “Tempo la So” on Top FM is really shocking. The Police and its Commissioner, and the Telecom and its CEO, have lost all credibility. (tampering of evidence, complicity...19 bn for Safe City that has no data recovery, no back-up; PM's inquiry? which inquiry, a parallel inquiry by whom ?-a parallel police ?)

ReA : "Enn Commission d’enquête lor tender rigging dan Gouvernment"

Ou pé truv ban ti kopains kuma Mungroo, bo- frer, konneksyon dan l’espaynn-Pack and Blisters, ban dan quinkailleri , dan construction, ex-marsan ambulans osi, pé tap plein plein pu enn tender médikal !! Ki san là ti pé présid sa comité là ? Kot mon foté?

If taxpayers are saving on the PM’s electricity bill , they are also bearing the cost of CEB’s investment.

On a question by Mr Assirvaden to the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities in regard to PV Installation for Residential Purpose at the PM’s residence at Angus Road., the latter replied that

Safe City project or "Surveillance State" project: They told us it will reduce crime…..They didn’t tell us that it will cover up crime !!!”

The Safe City project which comprises the installation of 4,000 intelligent surveillance cameras, 4,500 trunking smart handsets, 350 vehicle-mounted radios, 150 fixed desktop terminals to be installed in various Police Stations/Posts and an Emergency Response Management System is being financed by a loan of Rs 16 billion from Export-Import (Exim) Bank of China, payable over 20 years.

Gilbert Ducasse of “Linion Sitwayen” on our education system.

Some time back when I was contributing to MTmes, I used to pick up some of the worthy statements/ opinions of some of our opinion leaders and shapers from different newspapers and comment on them. I wish thus to share with you some chosen bits of Gilbert Ducasse’s interview in today’s l’express.

“IT IS REALLY SCARING FOR THE COUNTRY !!!

With the Kistnen affair, we have crossed a new threshold that is scaring and chilling for the country.

Kistnen, an activist of the MSM, was found dead, half burnt, in a cane field, barefoot with the remains of burned documents found in his hand. His death seems to be related to cases of fraud, corruption and embezzlement.

"Le pays a un train de vie dont il n’a pas les moyens” argues Arnaud Lagesse the CEO of IBL

“Un train de vie” which neither the private sector nor the public sector is a model to emulate, least of all the public sector.

How Much Debt Is Too Much?

Very interesting article by Raghuram Rajan, especially this para. on how much debt a government can issue.

“It is not enough for a government to ensure that it can afford to make its interest payments; it also must show that it and its successors can repay the principal. ……investors will buy new debt only if they are confident that the government can repay all its debt from its prospective revenues.

How come that most district councils are under the MSM despite the fact that they lost in most areas ?" A friend was asking.

I wished i had a valid answer. I had been jubillating that it was "le commencement de la fin pour the orange party-orange fin commence pourri !". I even posted a rotting orange and i thought that it will be inevitable now, they will have to "lev paké allé"

The perils and pitfalls of building multicultural democracy

The article below is from FT which may perhaps help us to understand and analyse some of the recent events in our multiracial democracy and goad us to propose the necessary reforms/institutions/legislations for a more inclusive and functioning democratic system.

THE FAILURE OF THIS REGIME : "The rebuilding of ADSU into a dedicated, well-equipped and well trained police unit"

Typical of this regime, whenever they are under pressure, they make sure they drop a bone of contention-the Death Penalty this time- ensuring that we keep on chewing it and bickering over it, thus suceeding in detracting us from the main issue -their failure to rebuild ADSU and its re-equipping with more modern and appropriate tools to tackle drug trafficking. This is what the regime should have been doing as recommended by the Commission of Inquiry Report. See some comments below:

Inflationary Pressures: The making of this irresponsible regime

(Published in l'express Nov 2020)

The inflationary pressures which in normal times would have led to a consequential wage-price spiral is the making of this regime.This government amended the law governing the central bank to allow for a range of unconventional financing measures including a grant from the central bank to the government of an amount of Rs 60 billion.

A New Economic model !!!

Rezistans ek Alternativ (ReA) is one of the few maintream political parties that has consistently fought against the imposition upon us of the present economic model and the accompanying tyranny of “no alternatives” and has unwaveringly questionied the very basis of our development model.

Incompetence and Amateurism! We are footing the bill ! Watch out for the MIC !!!

In an article in Mauritius Times dated April 2019, I argued that the cost of dismantling the BAI could well reach a final amount of Rs20 bn and that the public will be footing the bill in the coming years, after having been fed with illusions of high returns from the outright sale of NIC, Maubank, Apollo Hospital, and other BAI assets.

Inexact and flawed arguments of the Minister of Finance

First flaw: Mr Payadachy reminds us that “En tant que gouvernement responsable, avec une pandémie, nous avons utilisé toutes les recettes disponibles à travers le monde et nous avons utilisé, oui, le quantitative easing parce que c’est ce qui se fait à travers le monde, en particulier dans les pays avancés. Donc, pourquoi les pays avancés peuvent l’utiliser, et là, il n’y a pas de critique de la part du FMI,et nous en tant que pays en voie de développement, on n’a pas le droit d’utiliser ce genre de mécanisme parce qu’on est un pays en voie de développement...”

What's wrong with America ?

What's wrong with America ?

https://www.economist.com/.../robert-putnam-and-michael...

It has become more egotistical, both scholars conclude.

The nauseatingly arrogant and spinless Chihuahua !

A waste of an interview in today’s l’express that leaves one so disgusted. Our national Chihuhua, besides being so nauseatingly conceited, cannot give us a straight answer to a straight question.

Q: Mais je veux connaitre votre opinion . Est-il en train de violer ses principes en refusant de démissionner ?

A Écoutez, il a une responsabilité envers le pays. Je pense que aussi farfelues que peuvent étre les accusations...

D Fartelues ? Elles sont precises non ?

A : Farfelues ou précises ! Quand je l’écoute, elles sont farfelues, quand je vous lis, elles sont précises. . (SIC)

For our Mauritianness to prevail

FOR OUR MAURITIANNESS TO PREVAIL

To this posting by Avinash

" I'm a hindu.. Proudly so.. But what I'm most proud of, is the fact that I'm MAURITIAN.. YEAH I'M MAURITIAN FIRST, THEN HINDU. It's the same for any other Muslim, Christian, Chinese etc... We r all Mauritians first!!

Si nu pa resaisi nu... Nu p al direk vers n crise social..

Guys, servi zt lesprit. Et aret lamem... In dja tro tard mais pa empire n situation ki dja dan bez... Et oci nu PM p profite de sa situation la pu creer enkr plis division dan nu pay"

Appreciating our diversity means recognising injustices and pursuing equality.

I came across an article on FB titled "Hindu Power – An Illusion up to Now" and i felt that i had to say something about this specific para. of the article " Brain-washed for years by politicians and Press, the Hindus, more than other communities, tend to think in terms of “Mauricien” instead of “Hindu”.

Some queries and a request to the Minister of Finance:

1. Do you mean that following your recent discussion with the IMF on the proper calculation of the budget deficit (subsequent to the Rs 64 billion transfer from the BoM), the IMF will go back on its methodology as laid down in the IMF Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014 (GFSM) and treat the exceptional one-off payment of as revenue and not financing?

The contradictions of the Minister of Finance (MoF)

1. After having been rebuffed by the IMF for his colourable accounting on the so-called” balanced budget”, he is trying another of his budgetary tricks - a reallocation of budget funds which is no more but a vain ploy of attempting to impact on the forthcoming village and municipal elections by announcing some populist and inefficacious measures and the reallocation of the funds to some infrastructural projects barely four months after the budget. It confirms to some extent that the plethora of projects announced in the Budget 2020-21 were mere wish-lists – mere “effets d’anonces”- that we can safely do without.

Irresponsible posting by an irresponsible person!

" Narendra Modi described Mauritius as "Little India". Why did India almost invade Mauritius in 1983? This might happen in 2020" (sic) posted in "Sel Solution Revolution"

How resilient is our economy ?

(Publishd in l'express, 28 October 2020)

If the already slowing economy were not enough, the closing of our borders, the lockdown, a surging pandemic worldwide amidst a still gloomy global economy has further crippled our businesses and left thousands unemployed. The Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Mauritius and the Economic Development Board ,which have the most challenging job of steering the country out of trouble, seem to be quite confident of getting the economy back on track .

The Cap Tamarin Smart City impacting on livelihoods of fishermen

The developments taking place in the integrated village project implemented by the Trimetys company in Cap Tamarin are impacting on the livelihoods of a group of fishermen from the region who fear the harmful effects on the barachois of Tamarin.

The colourable accounting of Payadachy exposed !!!

IMF has just released its World Economic Oulook (October 2020) . At Table B9 of its statistical appendix is the budget figures for Sub-Saharan Africa

Budget Deficit as a % of GDP 2019 2020

Sub-Saharan Africa -4.2 -7.6

Mauritius -10.3 -11.7

La marche des fiertés

Saturday 29 August , the historical march of thousands and thousands of Mauritians, as "One people & One Nation" , meant a reconnection to our long lost "Mauritianism," a loud clamour for a stop to injustice and for a review of our human rights .

What about the rights of the LGBTs ? Are they not Mauritians ?

Difficult days ahead

FPIs based out of Singapore, Mauritius looking to India now. (see the newspaper article below)

Payadachy, our bluffing Minister of Finance, maintains doggedly against one and all, including his friends of the Private Sector, that

"des signes de reprise économique sont là."

But it doesn't take a crystal ball to figure out that '"so la tête fatigué , le pauvre 

In today's press:

THE PM: “ KAN MO DIR, MO FER !”

I believe that the Prime Minister has wrongly read from one of the scripts prepared by the many advisers employed at the taxpayers’ expense …

It reads as such:

“SA KI MO FER, MO PAS BIZIN DIR ZOT – ZOT PAS BIZIN KONÉ!”

“Jugnauth is Jugnauth, Jugnauth decides”

The chance of a real rethinking of our economy

(Published in Weekly no.421, 8-15 Oct 2020 and l'express 13 Oct 2020)

The Mauritian economy, in deep distress, scarred by job losses, salary cuts and lost livelihoods, is going through one of its toughest phases ever. It was already struggling and was in the midst of a slowdown when Covid-19 pushed it over the edge. A pall of uncertainty now hangs over the economy as it tries to sporadically limp back to normalcy. The extreme disruption caused by the pandemic is also an opportunity for the government to reset the economy and turn adversity into opportunity. It has injected a sense of urgency around discussions of economic growth and the economy and daring suggestions to rebuild a post-Covid economy. 

Government effectiveness :A PBB that delivers !!!

(Published Weekly no.420,1-7Oct 2020 )

We have joined the High-Income Country category but the state of the maintenance of our physical and social infrastructure and our public service standards remains appalling. Recently, mention was made that 399 of the 544 cameras installed at the high security prison of Melrose were malfunctioning, three of the eight National Coast Guard Coastal Surveillance Radar System radars, including the one in Souillac, were out of order when the Wakashio was entering into our Exclusive Economic Zone and the largest tug of the Mauritius Ports Authority, weighing 70 tons, was, out of order. Even at Mauritius Telecom, one of our many prime institutions that are being corrupted by failing and falling standards, we saw its 'Traffic Watch' cameras failing us when we needed them most.

A reply to th PM

Pravind Jugnauth lors de la célébration de la Journée internationale des personnes âgées, à Pailles, jeudi.

"Tou bann lékonomi dan Lémond, Moris pa fer eksepsion, pé kontracté, savédir sa gato ki nu pé prévwar, nou dir kan nou ti pé fer kanpayn, nu ti dir nu pu fer gato-la grosi, pou ki sakenn gayn enn pli gro par, malerezman gato-la pé retrési, pé vinn pli tipti."

Another "naufrage" of our GBC sector !!!

It is confirmed; Mauritius is now on the blacklist of the European Union.

At the sitting of Thursday 14 May 2020 of the National Assembly, Mr Payadachy, the Minister of Finance, was answering to the Leader of the Opposition

“ Est-ce que c’est un comportement patriotique envers le pays? Est-ce que c’est un comportement patriotique envers le pays que de venir faire semblant de dire déjà qu’on est sur une liste noire? Non, parce qu’on ne l’est pas encore. …”

Now that we are, Mr Payadachy, are you resigning ?

Socialising the corporates at taxpayers's expense

The Mauritius Investment Corporation (MIC), a subsidiary of the Bank of Mauritius, has committed its first billion rupees from its War Chest of Rs 80 billion. The first beneficiary is in the tourism industry, is Lux Island Resorts ltd. The financial envelope is Rs 1 billion through the issue of redeemable and convertible bonds having a nominal value of Rs 10 million with a maturity of nine years.

The Chokra at the BOM keeps bluffing !

The Governor of the Central Bank claims that they have succeeded in raising Rs 56 billion out of the Rs 60 billion's contribution to the 2020/21 Government budget. It ’s a bluff. It’s a misrepresentation of facts . Our Chokra seems to have learned his lessons well- a regime that persists in lying to its own public.. Watch out for the forthcoming article of Sushil titled -“The Monetary Policy Muddle - Postscript”

Is this not a deathblow to our Global Bisiness Sector ?

India is introducing a new regime for taxation of off-shore funds choosing to shift their base from Singapore or Mauritius to International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), Gift City, Gandhinagar, Gujurat. Profits and business income earned by such funds from Gift City will be tax exempt.

Mauritianism, you say !!

Which Mauritianism, your version of it ? Look at the ways we are reacting to a private clip that should not have gone viral and to the untimely criticisms of the PM blaming "some" for raising their voices when the state grants them religious subsidies every year.

The private video that went viral

It should not have gone viral; it’s done now ; some watched it and had a good laugh; some watched it and felt slighted and hurt; others watched and just ignored it; (many Mauritians of Indian origin also used to make fun of Indians especially on the phonetics of Indian English….Ask the many Mauritians who had studied in India - they just could not stop from making it a daily habit of criticising India and the “filthy” Indians …and mocking them in their harsh creole swear words…).

A reply: Yes, there is an alternative !

"Bringing the change that Mauritius needs"

"There comes a time in the life of a nation when it needs some spark, a vision, a yearning for change..... for change to happen. Now the younger entrants are rising everywhere, bringing with them the energy and the new ideas. A new generation is ready to take over, bringing with it fresh ideas and the vision for Mauritius.

Revoilà Ali Mansoor -the IMF/WB agent!

On prend les mêmes et on recommence , you will end up with more of the same kind of fiascos that we had experienced in the recent past !!!Don’t you recall the public outcry “The Guy must Go!!!” after years of inept management with its lot of heavy and disastrous consequences that we have been bearing for years even after the Guy was unceremoniously kicked out. IMF-WB standards must really be bottoming out as we did not get value for our money disbursed immoderately, if not princely, (wastefully ,it turned out) in foreign currency.

The 'Bouze Fixe" or Grade F+ of our Health System

(Published in Weekly, Issue 418,17-23 Sep 2020)

The political elite does not give a damn about our concerns , our protests, on the need for practical solutions to our survival problems;ils rassemblent les mêmes et recommencent without the main actors, the main stakeholders, the grassroots...

Religion and Politics

Avek tou le respé dé nu ban (well-intentioned) chefs rélizié, moi mo kroire ki nu bizin gard Politik et Rélizion seyparé.

Sinon nu pas pu konsistan envers nu même. Ban reprézentans reliziés, zot reliziés, zot pa politisiens. Ban politisiens, paréill, zot peynan zot place dan ban fêtes et seyrémoni reliziés. (Kuman individus oui, may, pa kuman réprézentans lepep!)

“DU VRAI CHANGEMENT”

The thousands and thousands of Mauritians who took to the streets of Port Louis chanting in unison “fou li déor”, emboldened by the success of the march, are now more determined than ever to get rid of this regime. Online petition demanding the resignation of Pravind Jugnauth has already exceeded 25,000 signatures. Confident now of their collective might, the citizen’s movement intends to continue building up the momentum and turning the heat on the government- in the courts, in the media, on the streets and at the international level -till its logical conclusion- the overthrow of the current government.

Le CEO du group Mont Choisy "pas le moment de jouer au blame game "

Alors nous laisse zot continué fané et nous tappe lamain!

Pays pé koulé , gouvernma inkonpétan, negilganz kriminel, corruption à gogo, nepotysm , tou ban institutions fin politisé et demokrasi en danger. 

STAY FOCUSSED: Marche du 29 Août

Dear Participants,

FIRST , do not give in to identity politics- many of these loud-mouth ignoramuses will be spitting their disgusting venom about ethnic politics- ignore them for they are the ones among our many simpletons who imagine and perceive the other group(s) as a threat and enemy to the furtherance of their community’s interests. They cannot think beyond the sharpened communal and other socio-political cleavages. 

JE SUIS MATEO-Drwa a enn lakaz!

(Published in the Weekly no 415, 27 August 2010)

Mateo left us on Friday last. His parents ,Anaïs and Hugues, had been living in a tent , for three months after the family was evicted from state land in Pointe-aux-Sables. The baby, who had been staying with some good Samaritans, suffered from kidney disease. We wished we could have done more…a bare minimum…. But what about the State ?

Finance Bill debates reveal the vacuousness of Budget 2020-21

(Published in Weekly no. 411, 30July - 05Aug 2020)

Things have suddenly changed. Economies everywhere are being profoundly shaped by the pandemic. At a time when extraordinary shifts in physical space, in business and living patterns are being revealed to us, it seems the right time to forge an independent direction, a path of our own. Those that have the capacity to radically alter their future thinking will gain immensely from the changed circumstances. 

Our institutions deserve better

(Published in Weekly Issue 410, 23-29 July 2020)

Mrs Rashida Nanhuck was cast aside as Chief Executive Officer of Mauritius Standards Bureau and in her place they appointed a crony- one of theirs.  The appointment of political nominees has reached a new high-MSB, FSC, BOM, Museum Council, DBM, EDB,…. 

 Sometime back, some researches on the Mauritian economy, had identified the quality of our institutions as one of the important determinants that launched Mauritius on a development path quite unique in the region and nurtured the gradual emergence of the "Indian Ocean Tiger". The functioning democratic traditions and institutions helped to develop a social consensus without which the continuous and consistent programme of economic liberalisation would not have been possible.