Blog Mauritius
Blog: White Collar Activities
Whenever the issue of crime is mentioned in Mauritius people immediately think of burglars, murderers, swindlers, drug traffickers, rapists and other sexual offenders, corruption. No one dares to direct their mind to white collar criminal activities. Most people think of themselves as honest moral citizens who would not probably engage in these criminal activities.
06 Sep 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Education - Do we have the same fire in our belly?
Now that all children are back to school to deal with the challenges of the third term and the exams, and admission in the tertiary sector being closed, it is the right time for the parents and authorities to pay attention to the future of these children, their employability and their place in society.
23 Aug 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Democracy and Socialism
The leader of the MMM Paul Bérenger has last week given a public lecture on socialism and democracy. He takes the view that nobody can pretend to be a socialist if he does not espouse democratic principles and in his view the core values of socialism are democracy, morality, social justice, economic realism and internationalism.
23 Aug 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Rezistans ek Alternativ ‘legalises civil disobedience’ ?
Through what Ashok Subron of Rezistans ek Alternativ refers to as « civil disobedience », members of Rezistans deliberately infringed the electoral laws by not selecting which category they fall under when registering as candidates at the 2005 and 2010 General Elections - (ref. Week-End 16th September 2012 : « INTERVIEW: La balle est dans le camp de Navin Ramgoolam, a déclaré Ashok Subron »). Through such ‘civil disobedience’, Rezistans effectively engineered the rejections of their candidacies in order to give themselves a licence to take the government to court, to appeal as a « Tierce Opposition » against the …
19 Aug 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: The Year 2015 and the Remake is in power…
Flags, bunting, garish posters, and all the other vile accoutrements that blot our landscape at every election are still in evidence and the new Minister for the Environment has (again) repeated the solemn pledge that they will be removed as soon as possible and that legislation (again) will soon be enacted to prevent their use at future elections. Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Deputy Prime Minister Paul Bérenger nod approvingly and effortlessly display the facial expression of steely determination and firmness of purpose that they have practised over the years, especially for events of this magnitude.
12 Aug 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: The Robin Sharma Visit
Robin Sharma who is known across the world as a person who is an expert in leadership training was invited by the Labour Party as a guest to address the young of the party. Since the news was relayed in public nothing except criticisms of the man and of the Labour Party and of its leader Navin Ramgoolam have been aired. One of the leader writers of the traditional media who is known for his irrational and at times virulent campaign against the Labour Party, of course in the name of the freedom of the press, found it curious that …
09 Aug 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Where are the ambassadors of Indian medicine?
In a market economy where consumption is the guiding light of growth, making the individual a whole being of special gift of consciousness does not yield dollars. Western medicine truncates the body into aggregates, and the mind as an asset easily damaged by poor childhood experiences, while the soul is the figment of superstitious dreamers.
02 Aug 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: The Criminal Appeal Bill and the views of the Judge
Much fuss has been made about the Criminal Appeal Bill. Flamboyant clichés like double jeopardy, political tool, injustice have been dished out to the public in what is clearly a hypocritical and political move to lull the population into believing that this piece of legislation is a rogue law that will put an end to freedom or a just criminal justice system.
02 Aug 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Reminder
If there was any need for a reminder as to the responsibility and duty of the government to set the agenda of Parliament and regulate its affairs, the Prime Minister brilliantly did it during his intervention on the Criminal Appeal (Amendment) Bill recently passed by Parliament. He in no certain terms said that if the opposition has its full freedom to express its views and the government to listen to them, it is only and only government’s prerogative to decide or not to decide to accept or not to accept any suggestion of the opposition. This applies also to opinion …
02 Aug 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Did Hon. Judge Balancy make a faux pas?
« Anyone who is entrusted with judicial functions should exercise restraint in making public comments on a legislative measure which is being introduced by the Executive and is the subject of some public controversy. It cannot be otherwise ! In Constitutional democracies, it is settled law that the three branches of the State, that is, the Executive, the Legislator and the Judicator are separate and each of them must be mindful of the Constitutional limits within which each has to operate. Judicial independence must not, even in the slightest manner, be perceived to have been compromised, bearing in mind that …
31 Jul 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: The Criminal Appeal Bill
A befitting way of starting this paper is to quote what Ms. Touria Prayag boldly and brilliantly wrote on the justice system: "Justice is man-made - and the jury is made up of men and women - and because it is man-made, it is fallible. Because of this fallibility, we have always stood against the death penalty. In the same spirit of the infallibility of Man and his justice, we refuse to think that the DPP should not be allowed to call for a new trial when there is new compelling evidence either that there was a failure to convict …
26 Jul 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Nou pei bien malad?
An unnecessary, uncalled for controversy has been created by a clumsy ad campaign aimed at shocking and calling for people to react to preserve our environment. By putting the whole emphasis on the statement “nou pei bien malad”, I fail to understand why people with good intentions backed by one of the biggest companies in Mauritius, failed to realize that it was a political statement and it will have political repercussions.
26 Jul 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Non-elected member-ministers
In a press interview published last week, Rama Sithanen, who has aired many views on electoral reforms, proposes a radical suggestion to our present mode of choosing the executive. Ministers are the executive officers who run government departments. In Mauritius all ministers have to be appointed from members of Parliament; with the exception of the Attorney General who can be anyone qualified in law. Rama Sithanen takes the view that we need to have non-elected persons appointed as ministers because the present mode of appointing ministers excludes too much talent from running the country politically.
19 Jul 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Our youth during vacations
Our youth are among the privileged in the world to have been born in a country which gives them free education till the end of their studentship. Our schools, however, are not the place where they can obtain all that they need. For instance, many schools lack the resources and the motivation to develop sports-skills in our children.
19 Jul 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: ‘Pur Sang’ and Loyal
It is a fashion for some people to feel good and proud in proclaiming themselves to belong to the race of ‘pur sang’ (blue blood) Laborites. I wonder whether in this world of metissage, whether such a race really exists these days. But I understand that by this statement they mean that they come from traditional families who follow Labour Party and their leader blindly since SSR assumed its leadership. Unfortunately many descendants of Labour followers since 1936 have left for one reason or another.
19 Jul 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Les médias contribuent-ils ou non à l’unité nationale ?
Mes Chers Compatriotes,Mon identité importe peu. Je suis citoyen mauricien et je souhaite interpeller la conscience de mes concitoyens. L’unité nationale et l’harmonie nous intéressent tous. Les médias ont un rôle très important dans la consolidation de l’unité nationale.
16 Jul 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: The picture is blurred
Rulers must also appropriate, adopt the pictures the common citizen has of them and enrich themselves with tools to defeat opposition. The fulfillment of democracy lies in integrating plural visions into a single approach to life and the welfare of citizens. We cannot be paranoiacally hostile to the common man’s view as though all those who oppose rulers have to belong to the opposition. Opposition is a necessary ingredient of wisdom in policy-making.
12 Jul 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: The Con Artist
A con artist is a person adept at cajolery, or glib self-serving talk as well as lying. We have a con artist in our midst. For months he is no longer in government. His stand on the political front has been a total empty barrel. He has been beating drums to rally support in his bid to become prime minister. This is his most urgent, pressing, greedy ambition. The more he beats the drums the more he sees the chances of achieving what he considers to be his anointed right in the manner of kings and queens slipping away fast. …
12 Jul 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Things that matter
At the first economic and business conference of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation held on the 4th and 5th July at Le Méridien, a consultant told me of an impressive Mauritian success story.
12 Jul 2013, Le Matinal
Blog: Shocking
Following the Varma incident two of the cases that emerged from that event, namely the accident and the alleged assault have been relegated into near oblivion. All that the police are interested in is the alleged case of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice on the mere allegation of Mario Jeannot, the father of Florent Jeannot, that he was offered money to withdraw the allegation of assault against the former Attorney General. Maurice Allet whose name has been mentioned in the course of the investigation was arrested in the VIP lounge by the police after he landed at Sir …
06 Jul 2013, Le Matinal