Budget 2018/2019 priorities : promoting Equality and Social Inclusion

This week we address the last part of our analysis of the top ten priorities of the 2018/2019 Budget, while waiting for the D-Day scheduled for next Thursday 14th June 2018. The top 10 priorities include poverty eradication, gender equality and building an inclusive and equal society.

One week to go before the presentation of the 2018/2019 Budget. The technicians of the Ministry of Finance are finalising the measures that will be used to meet the major challenge of achieving the main priorities of this annual exercise. Eradicating poverty, strengthening gender equality, building an inclusive and equal society, and preventing climate change are all important issues that will be tackled on 14th June.

The eradication of poverty has always been high on the agenda every year. Since unemployment is a factor contributing to poverty, it is by creating jobs for those at the bottom of the social ladder that we try to remedy the situation. To achieve this, the state invests in education and training to make people employable. In addition to job creation in traditional and emerging economic sectors, there is also the non-exploitation of the concept of social enterprise, which the Budget should explore.

To date, there are thousands of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country that must seek funding to survive. But the concept of social enterprise can help them generate their own income and become less dependent on the state, the National CSR Foundation or on private companies. NGOs are able to manage important social projects and create jobs for disadvantaged people while contributing to the eradication of poverty and economic empowerment of the poor.

Another suggestion: Many unemployed people run mobile fast food stalls near schools, factories, bus stations, etc. across the country. We also see people selling vegetables or fish at every street corner. In Ebène, we see car boot sales of food at lunchtime. If these people are able to sell their products, it is because the demand is there. Most of these entrepreneurs operate in difficult, and sometimes unhygienic conditions. For a real 'empowerment', the authorities must consider coming up with a plan to identify places across the island and set up stalls equipped with all the facilities (water, electricity, drains, etc.) for the benefit of these people and consumers in general, thereby giving due recognition to their efforts.

Sponsor a family

This is a concept that works elsewhere so why not introduce it here? If in the top 20,000 wealthy families in Mauritius each sponsors a poor family, the fight against poverty will be won. The government must offer fiscal incentives (tax deductions, etc.) to encourage this concept in Mauritius. Well-off families will be able to take charge of the education of poor children and their provisions. One could even work out plans to further engage expatriates and foreigners holding a permanent residence permit in this endeavour.

Inequalities

The government wants to bring more equality to our society. Indeed, despite all the efforts of successive governments, there are still various types of inequality prevailing. It should be noted that even the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) does not have the means to handle all the cases referred to it.

This is because the legislation covers only a selection of discrimination types, for example related to age, ethnic origin, gender or political affiliation. To better promote an equal society, we must begin by strengthening the Equal Opportunities Act to enlarge its mandate. A citizen today has no recourse if there is an inequality in the distribution of development projects across the country. For example, some regions may be better off in terms of infrastructure and amenities, where roads are reasphalted regularly while others appear to be neglected, but the EOC cannot deal with cases of regional discrimination.

Even at institutional level, there are sometimes discriminatory policies. For example, the role of the National Transport Authority is to charge Road Tax according to the engine capacity of vehicles, not according to the status of the owners. While the government is free to subsidise Road Tax for specific users such as planters, breeders or fishermen, the NTA as a statutory body is obliged to treat everyone equally! Another thorny issue is the municipal tax which is levied only on urban dwellers while rural areas are exempted.

This creates two categories of Mauritian citizens. There are even cases where villages have been proclaimed as municipal wards and council taxes charged immediately, without any upgrade of local infrastructure or amenities!

Other inequalities: Disparities between public and private sectors, for example we have a Ministry of Civil Service that caters for 60,000 civil servants while the Ministry of Labour has to deal with about 500,000 workers! Private sector employees are not eligible for a customs and excise duty exemption on the acquisition of a personal car even though they also contribute to the national economy.

Public sector employees are entitled to a substantial salary review every three years, irrespective of economic growth or productivity gain rates, while in the private sector, wages remain more or less stagnate. The Prime Minister rightly wants to make our society more equal, but will he have the courage to eliminate all inequalities for more fairness?

Anushka Virahsawmy : “We need projects with measurable goals”

Anushka Virahsawmy, Country Manager of Gender Links, says she has put forward a few proposals and hopes that they will be taken into consideration. “Gender Equality should be very high on the agenda and at Gender Links we want to see money going in the right direction on projects with measurable goals and clear deliverables. I think it is always a danger to have things done piece-meal and with the ticking the box approach,” she claims.

In September 2017 Gender Links opened a Half way home, Safe Haven, for young adults who are victims of violence and the system. “It is a huge shame that they we not eligible for funds from the government as the residents are 18 and even if they have been in violent situations at home and been put in shelters and in RYC etc, the system will only cater for women who have been abused by their partner.

I have written to our Prime Minister, to the Minister of Gender Equality and to the Attorney General and I have been told it is a difficult matter. Those young adults are potential survivors of GBV. At GL we are adamant that a budget should be voted for half way homes that are taking on board 18-year-old youth. Please note that Gender Links Safe Haven is the only Half Way home of this type in Mauritius,” she states. She has made some proposals, as follows:

• Shelters are great but what about the budget for the real rehabilitation of the survivors
• Should budget on a mechanism for the rehabilitation of the perpetrators as today there is no institution to ensure the perpetrators are given care and do not backslide. The reality today is that most perpetrators have this syndrome…
• The number of people mostly/ solely women who have died under a Protection Order is alarming; a clear budget should be allocated to ensure order
• Budget for training of Magistrates on Human Righs and GBV – They  should be given advanced training to know how to deal with individual situations as they are dealing with humans. (One of our beneficiaries was given a Protection Order and was asked to go back home …Business as usual! (No psychological help)
• Funding for rehabilitation projects.
• Women aspiring to do politics – review the Quota system and more training for men and women
• Gender Mainstreaming in private sectors should be high on the agenda. GL has worked with the AFDB to improve the Gender Policies. Gender mainstreaming should not be taken lightly or as a buzz concept of the day. There should be measured deliverables and dedicated staff to ensure the system works. If this is done piecemeal it will be a total waste of time and just a tick in the box. This is unfortunately what has happened in ministries.
• Equal Pay should be on the agenda. A budget should be dedicated to research and understand what is happening in the private sector.
• We should stop with the ticking boxes syndrome! At GL we believe in affirmative actions together with clear deliverables and a strong monitoring and evaluation tool to analyse the quantitative and most importantly the qualitative data.

Darmen Appadoo : “Inequality still prevails”

Darmen Appadoo, social worker and president of SOS PAPA, wonders when we will have a man as Minister of Gender Equality because, he says, since its creation, this post has always been occupied by a woman.

“By the principle of equality, the Ministry that advocates gender equality must one day be led by a man,” he suggests. He lists other situations where there is no real equality between men and women. For example, a father has to pay alimony if he does not get custody of his children after a divorce, even if the ex-wife works.

Worse, while alimony is exempt from tax, it is not deductible for the payer, which is an anomaly, not to say injustice and must be corrected. Darmen Appadoo also notes that the activities of the Ministry of Gender Equality are more women centered and there are not enough activities or programs for men.

He concludes that the government must make an effort to subsidise more shelters because these institutions do a great job supporting the homeless, and the victims of violence, among others.

Gavin Ng Lung Kit : « Inequalities impact on productivity and social well-being »

For Analyst Gavin Ng Lung Kit, a Budget exercise cannot solve all the nation’s problems at one go. “However much the good intention is there, it is not possible to address all issues with a National Budget which is first and foremost an exercise of allocating funds to different planned expenditures. Secondly, the Budget traces out the fiscal policies of the government.

Thirdly, it spells out broadly the overall strategies for growth and development as well as consolidation of the welfare state. However, it is impossible to solve all issues at once,” says Gavin Ng Lung Kit.

He however finds it very proper for the Prime Minister to include inequalities in his list of top 10 priorities. “Inequality leads to frustration of citizens who feel victimized and this can impact negatively on productivity and social well-being, therefore it is vital to address inequality issues.”