In 2011, I had a public spat with the then Financial Secretary , Ali Mansoor, that started with my article the “Guy must go” published in MT under the pen name Mohun Kanhaya , followed by his “Right of Reply”. I countered in “ TINA Policies: A Re-assessment” and Ali Mansoor hit back, with the support of his ministry, in a "Mise au Point", overwhelming everybody , including my Chief Editor, by displaying an avalanche of carefully picked achievements – an exalted list compiled very technocratically and in minute details. My Chief Editor gave him full marks ...I retreated with tails tucked firmly between my legs...
I had argued that the TINA (There Is No alternative) policies did not succeed in diversifying the economy and in developing other pillars of growth that would have rendered it more resilient to external shocks. The few touches to the tax rates and the improvement in the investment climate framework were not the broad-based and inclusive reforms that would have generated sustainable growth. ….
I added that we should not fool ourselves with carefully orchestrated performances like the ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’, which has been mainly instrumental in attracting massive resources into real estate activities, and whose contribution to the economy is questionable. ….
“Our Ease of Doing Business 2011 ranking (20 out of 183 countries- one of the few achievements of the Sithanen-Mansoor tandem) has not been of much help. The improvement in our ranking, we were told, will be bringing in FDI, critical for the country’s development, especially in times of economic crisis. It will also introduce new technologies and management styles, help create jobs, and stimulate competition to bring down local prices and improve people’s access to goods and services.
Despite all the talks about reforms that would have boosted the attractiveness of the economy for foreign investors, FDI inflows have gone exclusively to real estate and accommodation sectors, and at the mere sight of some economic shocks, capital inflows are found wanting.
Ease of Doing Business reports have a footnote that cautions us that “the indicators only provide a starting point for governments wanting to improve their global investment competitiveness. They do not measure all aspects of the business environment that matter to investors. For example, they do not measure security, macroeconomic stability, market size and potential, corruption, skill level, or the quality of infrastructure.”
In his Mise au point, typical of Ali Mansoor from his IMF-WB pedestal, he arrogantly dismissed me off as a small-minded manipulator .
“Only a manipulator comes to believe that anything can be manipulated. However, the author of the article needs to explain how a small country like Mauritius would be able to manipulate an institution like the World Bank to orchestrate a good performance on any internationally respected index such as the Ease of Doing Business Index.” Ali Mansoor dixit in "Mise au Point", Mauritius Times on the 3rd of June 2011.
So conceited was our bean counter , how could he even contemplate that a chute of time would eventually bring some respectability to the reckless "propos" of the manipulator ?
Three days back, the World Bank Group announced that they were discontinuing with Doing Business Report . The main reason given in their statement on the Doing Business report : “After data irregularities on Doing Business 2018 and 2020 were reported internally in June 2020, World Bank management paused the next Doing Business report and initiated a series of reviews and audits of the report and its methodology. In addition, because the internal reports raised ethical matters, including the conduct of former Board officials as well as current and/or former Bank staff, management reported the allegations to the Bank’s appropriate internal accountability mechanisms."
And our dear Payadachy, following in the footsteps of our IMF man, was scrambling till recently to improve our Doing Business rankings- to be among the top ten.
'Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear' – especially the Me-Know-Everything x-perts of our administration.
