A promising straw in the wind

Once more the Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth has proved that he is not only a resilient political leader but that he still has the capacity to bounce back. The feel good factor, which had gripped the population after the December 10, 2014, was fading away. The announcement made by the Prime Minister on Wednesday regarding the setting up of the aviation hub seems to have changed the parameters of the situation dramatically.

But why is the feel good factor staging a comeback? For the simple reason that even the most pessimistic and conservative leaders of the private sector will not allow such an opportunity to slip through their fingers. The agreement with Singapore, having as prime objective that of transforming Mauritius into Dubayy-inspired regional aviation hub, is indeed a historic one. This will undoubtedly resolve the thorny problem of connectivity between Mauritius and the African continent. At the same time, it will reinstate the island reputation as the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean, acting as a bridge between the Asian and African continents. This agreement with Singapore, along with the one with Changi Airport and the imminent memorandum of understanding with Singapore airlines, is a promising straw in the wind. The government is being modest in forecasting windfall gains for the tourism sector only. If the project takes off as scheduled on 12 March next, Mauritius might very well embark on an exciting experience that could be beneficial to other emerging sectors like the education hub, the medical hub, spiritual tourism, fashion, entertainment cinema, to name a few. There was a felt need to propose something new to the population after several months of cleaning operation that has prompted an incessant “défilé” of VVIPs at the office of the Central CID. Sure, the Prime Minister had spelt out the vision of his government in his economic mission statement (Vision 2030) on 22 August last but still it required concrete actions. And setting up the aviation hub forms part of the series of initiatives that the government is taking or will take to boost the economy.

[blockquote]Those from the younger generation would probably be surprised to learn that only two decades ago, Kreol was very rarely used on radio and television. With the advent of private radios, the use of Kreol language and phone-in programmes, freedom of expression if not to say democracy, proper democracy has been enhanced.[/blockquote]

In his address on that day, the Prime Minister had stated the following: “ (…) I am taking personal interest in looking into the possibility of setting up a regional airline company in Mauritius to connect us to mainland Africa with the active participation of our national carrier Air Mauritius which is being restructured under my personal purview. This will not only drive more traffic into Mauritius but further diversify our tourism and hospitality industry, fuel our duty free shopping initiative and develop our country as an aviation hub with all the linked benefits (…)”. [row custom_class=""][/row] However, the government will have to ensure that concerted action be taken to enable this ambitious project to see daylight. For instance, till date Air Mauritius does not have a Chief Executive Officer. In reply to a question from the media regarding the appointment of a new CEO, the chairman of Air Mauritius Dr. Arjoon Sudhoo said on Wednesday that the board is meeting on 30 October next to take a decision in that respect. According to the media, Mr. Sushil Baguant, former Executive Vice- President of the Information Service and Cargo of Air Mauritius stands a better chance than Mr. Gabriel Tillmann, a German. Then comes the delicate question of renewing the fleet of Air Mauritius. And also the improvement of its service both on board and at ground level. Everything will also depend on the how the other related services react to this project. More importantly, the captains of the business sector should feel convinced of the opportunities that are being unfolded. So far, they have reacted positively. Undoubtedly as optimism returns, so will their confidence. On Tuesday, at the National Assembly, Sir Anerood Jugnauth has replied to the Private Notice Question of the Leader of the Opposition Mr. Paul Bérenger in a very clever way. He stated in no uncertain terms that he is not prepared “to accept a PR model that will disturb the verdict of the Mauritian electorate and frustrate the will of our people”. He then announced that he proposes to set up a Ministerial Committee, “to examine and make recommendations on electoral reforms as proposed in our Government Programme 2015-2019”. The Prime Minister also explained that “appropriate consultations will thereafter be held with all stakeholders. In clear, he has brushed aside the attempt of another series of “koze kozer” (informal talks) with leaders of other political parties. He went a step further and said the following: “We all know that the kind of amendment that was being proposed by the MMM in the past would certainly have disturbed the verdict of the electorate.” In other words, Sir Anerood Jugnauth meant to say that the MSM and the MMM are poles apart on the question of electoral reform, in particular the “dose” of proportional representation. Sir Anerood Jugnauth does not believe in Select Committees of the House either, at least on the question of electoral reform. He told Mr. Alan Ganoo straightaway in a reply to a supplementary question. “When there have been Select Committees in the past and my personal feeling is that we will never come to a conclusion, we will never come to an agreement. We will have taken the responsibility to discharge that burden which is on us and finally re-consult the population. I hope the population will agree with us”. However, this is in contradiction with what is on the agenda of the National Assembly this Friday. In fact a motion of the Right Honourable Prime Minister stands very high on the agenda. It has to do with the approval of “the Report of the Select Committee on the Live Broadcasting of the Proceedings of the House and Matters Ancillary Thereto which was laid on the Table of the National Assembly on Tuesday 29 September 2015”. At least, there is an issue on which Government and Opposition have agreed : that of the live broadcasting of Proceedings of the House. It is a vivid example of how consultations between members of both sides of the House can lead to a progressive situation. The live broadcast of the proceedings of the National Assembly will further enhance our democracy. Lalit has a good argument in trying to propose the use of Kreol language at the National Assembly. However this should not be done at the expense of other languages currently being used in Parliament. Those from the younger generation would probably be surprised to learn that only two decades ago, Kreol was very rarely used on radio and television. With the advent of private radios, the use of Kreol language and phone-in programmes, freedom of expression if not to say democracy, proper democracy has been enhanced. Now our MPs will have to mind their language. Television is a double-edged sword; it could make several casualties.