Appreciation of the rupee: a divisive issue

 Angel Merkel, the German Chancellor rejected French calls for a summit of the eurozone leaders to exchange views about monetary policy , feeling that it to be potentially divisive. Eurozone monetary policy and the resulting strengthening of the Euro is a bone of contention between Paris and Berlin.

Indian diaspora-PIO Meeting

The Indo-Mauritian relationship is a special one. Both culture and history have coalesced to forge singular bonds, assiduously knitted over millenniums, to unfold a unique blend of camaraderie, entente and trust.  These have been consolidated by regular exchanges between our two people and frequent visits of high dignitaries.

A regional investment strategy

Further to the article on the Mozambique-Mauritius-Madagascar Growth Triangle that explores the trade potential of an effective regional strategy consistent  with our economic  strategy, this article tries to point out  to the need to give substance to our goal of gradually moving the economy’s centre of gravity towards services and positioning the country as a leading provider of business and financial services for the region.

NESC: Institution of conflict management?

In the context of the recent Annual Summit of the National Economic and Social Council, it is fitting to review its role and functions as the country faces the end of the growth cycle based on trade preferences and develops a new socio-economic model driven by openness and global competitiveness. -A new socio-economic model, that is arduously progressively, and at times painfully built,  around  a crucial set of macroeconomic and sectoral reforms and with the participation and support of all social and economic partners to break free of the strangling embrace of economic dependency .

A leftist turn ?

Now that the dust is allowed to settle after days of intensive heckling and the media barrage that has been focussed on the demand for land and for new energy deals from the  MSPA, we will have clearer idea where the government stands on reforms that the country badly needs.  Is the recent aggressiveness of one of the two camps - the “gradualists-leftists” as opposed to the “ neo-liberals”- just a populist showcase or is it that the political pendulum has started to swing to the left -a genuine effort towards a leftist turn in the  reform programme.? 

Moody’s Current Credit Ratings: Is Mauritius “fully fit” for an upgrade ?

Moody’s Investors Service was with us again this week busy taking a closer look at some of our main macroeconomic and financial indicators before making a final decision on whether or not to downgrade us in their rating. On 8 August 2007, Moody’s Investors Service put the Baa1 for a local currency (stable outlook) issue and Baa2 (negative outlook) for a foreign currency loan on review for a possible downgrade because of the increased risk to the size and maturity structure of the government debt as a result of rising domestic interest rates.

Opening the Pandora’s Box

In the last edition of this newspaper, the topic of the day – “MAAS: Solidarity or Greed?; The Land Imbroglio; Sugar Industry: Sectoral interests v/s national interest; Land Monopoly; and 50% in the sugar industry” -- has spread all over the place marginalizing to some extent the equally emotionally loaded subject “De la femme coolie a la femme de tête” of the talented  Shakuntala Boolell. Surprisingly a related issue -- the successful historical mobilization of Creoles by the Federation des Creoles Mauriciens, led by Père Jocelyn Grégoire -- was blatantly ignored, but these seemingly unrelated developments have a common thread.