There's a real opportunity indeed to do the right thing, and even prevent this from happening again, Hon. Minister Mohamed.
"Concernant les mesures envisagées, le ministre Mohamed précise que son ministère « examine toutes les options possibles, y compris la résiliation, la reprise ou d’autres mesures pouvant être prises en vertu de l’article 13 du contrat de bail ». Il ajoute qu’une décision sera prise concernant la possibilité de déclarer la zone comme espace public, une fois les options de résiliation évaluées."
The lessee has not paid. More than Rs 43 million is owed. The Minister is now considering the cancellation of the lease, alongside other options. That alone says a great deal about the kind of "development" and the kind of "developers" that have too often been protected at the expense of the public interest.
It is difficult not to think of Pomponette. Once again, we are confronted with the same pattern: speculation, questionable deals and public land treated as a private asset. It is time to break that cycle.
The people of Mauritius should not be the ones paying the price for wrong decisions made in the past. The Prime Minister himself referred to this affair as a "den of corruption and mismanagement".
We therefore sincerely encourage the Minister to take the clearest path forward: cancel the lease and return this land to the public, to the people of Bel Ombre and Mauritius.
Because development is not defined by what gets built. Development is about what is nurtured. It is about livelihoods that remain rooted in the community, knowledge and traditions that are passed on, a coastline that people can still walk freely, and meaningful connections between residents and visitors.
