After the presentation of Budget 2021-22, the series of articles, including the IMF analysis in the Staff Report -critical of the budget figures - show that the the government is failing to persuade the public that the economy is or will be doing well. That explains why the government is so proactive in the manipulation of figures focussing on the management of perception after failing to convince us with its BBB-Big Budget Bluff.
After the Central Bank - with its public statement that an advance to government “is not a loan”-has shown that it has “cast away its last remaining shred of independence” and “his deputies and directors have been stooges of power politics rather than voices of economic reason”, it is now the turn of Statistics Mauritius.
Statistics Mauritius, the body that collects and disseminates data, which is run and staffed by professional statisticians, one of the best and most reliable in the developing world, is now falling prey to the blatantly political attempt to manipulate official data.
Government has hastily removed from the website of Statistics Mauritius , the first version of the National Accounts Estimates which forecasted GDP at market prices to grow at 4.4% with expected tourist arrivals of around 150,000-160,000 and replaced it with a more optimistic and pliant version to spread a more conformist view of their reality which is now forecasting a GDP growth of 5.4% and tourist arrivals of around 325,000.
This continuous manipulation of data is not only sowing doubts about the work of purportedly independent agencies but obviously reduces their morale and dramatically undermines the public legitimacy of official data.
It reduces public scrutiny and accountability of the government. In addition, it has a major negative impact on public policymaking and implementation, because it means that the government is more intent on the manipulation of public perception leaving people in the dark and with doubts on what is really happening to the economy.
Has Statistics Mauritius, one of the few institutions which was still considered as an independent body of experts which verifies and supervises the collection, collation and dissemination of official data, become subservient to the political masters ?
Did the Board of Statistics Mauritius give their approval for such manipulation ?
If they do not want to lose their credibility, we expect an immediate response from them !!!!
P.S. I do not think that Mr Gnany should be a member of the Board of SM as there may be a conflict of interests given that MCB publishes its own National Accounts Estimates.
