Chetan Ramchurn
The government is new and while a number of nominations, some abysmal, some comical and a few good, have been announced, it is still finding its bearings. The extent of destruction of our economy has yet to be gauged and will ultimately determine the room to maneuver for the new team. Some of the ministers have been in full PR mode while others seem to be in the early stages of understanding what their ministry does. We have been told that an autopsy of the previous government’s reign is the first of the tasks to be completed.
The present state of rot
Mauritius has been soiled by a laisser-aller attitude in several sectors for years. Institutions have been significantly weakened by the absence of impartial nominations at their heads as by the repeated invasions of politicians in their day-to-day activities. The decay is significant and threatens to leave us mired in it for long and to fully uncover.
One of the appalling features of the Mauritius we hope to leave behind is the morbid fascination with money. This obsession with amassing riches has led to several cases of unexplained wealth, billions being placed in an obviously sinking Silver ship with clear ties to a man, nay an ‘Uncle’, desecrated at international level as well as suspicions of political-assassinations. This insatiable greed cannot be a lodestar. At some point over the last decade, a former DPP was even attacked with thinly-veiled allusions to his caste. This is how low Mauritius had stooped in previous years. As part of the glaring mistakes of the former regime was the mushrooming of private clinics across the island which will have to be investigated and their sustainability analysed. More so since the system is a ‘hybrid’ one with many doctors plying their trade in both public and private sectors. Would this absence of foresight in granting licenses not squeeze an already under pressure public health sector?
Curing it
People should not expect progressive measures in the next three years with the architects of the Illovo deal that get to team up with that of the flat tax, stimulus package and the widening of inequality gap (measured by the Gini coefficient) now at the helm. Now that a new neo-liberal wreckage team is being assembled under this regime, may we hope that progressive voices within the government make their voices heard.
Care for the Elderly
Over the last decade, concern for the elderly has only been addressed through more money. You would expect more public toilets to be built with many senior citizens suffering from incontinence. Another issue is loneliness. Can more programmes be introduced so that the elderly feel that they are still connected to the collective? Additionally, some elderly people live on their own and when they pass, no one knows for days and weeks which is terrible for those close to him. Would introducing a neighbourhood watch programme so that authorities are informed should elderly people be not reachable for more than 3 days not make our society more humane?
« Autrui en tant qu’autre n’est pas seulement un alter ego ; il est ce que moi je ne suis pas. » (Lévinas)
Youth Empathy Programme
Our society is one when there is growing individualism. One way to create empathy towards others would be through a 3-month commitment to the society. This can be spent with the elderly but not only. It could involve educating little ones, cleaning, planting, caring or creating for others. This would help with connecting a growingly-disconnected segment to others and ultimately build a better society.
Education
One of the many mistakes of the previous 10 years was giving up on public institutions. Textbooks would sometimes be given to students late in the third term. This along with dismal pass rates should have alerted the authorities but they did not. Focusing solely on academic success closes several doors which could offer career paths to our citizens. These have to be probed and new destinies could be paved by treading upon them.
Another key point would be to no longer teach a stifled version of our history to future generations. Students have to be taught that maroonage was borne out of the rebellious spirit of the individuals and that it is present in all of us.
Pas Kiltir
An allocation to students so that they can learn or read or watch any creation approved by a panel of independent observers that would work on a list of movies, learning courses or a seminar on any art form which would be accessible to everyone. Mauritian creators would be prominently present in that list of selected creations which would also help our culture flourish. This allocation would offer the possibility to our children to go to the opera, watch movies and learn to create, which will ultimately elevate our civilization. This would be the first step towards creating a 24/7 of culture instead of merely applying foreign concepts to Mauritius.
In 2009, I wrote about this possibility:
“Ateliers would be on hand for aspiring entertainers, reading sessions of masters of prose like Cabon, Poe, Joyce and Balzac would allow whole generations to discover the power of words, historians would tell of the unique destinies of our land and its people, live musicians would confirm the greatness of our diversity, street theatre performers would demonstrate the mettle of our artists, local filmmakers would get to show us creations inspired by Mauritian life, contemporary sages would interact with various audiences offering a rich blend of ideas… ultimately creating an atmosphere that would make us grow as human beings.”
Democratisation
The best idea to have ever been propounded by Ramgoolam which was never applied in the proper way and will hopefully be relaunched despite pawns of the historic bourgeoisie very much still present in the landscape. For democratisation to thrive, it has to benefit the masses and not be reduced to merely rewarding one clan instead of the other. Many expect tensions to boil over this battle between pro- and anti-oligarchy. Let us hope that wisdom prevails. Is a land and wealth tax not long overdue to correct the many injustices across the centuries? Would this not help in re-equilibrating the playing field and give further opportunities to the many? This country can only be successful if a progressive government acts as the breaker of cartels and oligarchies.
Made in Mauritius
As crucial is the need to re-ignite the manufacturing sector to bolster an economy principally based on services. Made in Mauritius cannot be left to a clique defending specific interests and has to be a nationally-driven quest for excellence. When limited to a group, it will never generate enough momentum to create a nationwide desire to achieve the constant improvement of our quality.
Food Security
Neglected under the previous regime, food security should figure high up the agenda of the present one. This along with a careful scrutiny of the use of pesticides will be determining in improving the wellbeing of our citizens. As crucial is the training of planters in new techniques that will improve the nutritional aspect of their crops and their yields. It will be vital to ensure access to agricultural land which has been in sharp decline in Mauritius and Rodrigues. The recommendations from an August 2024 report on empowering food security are myriad. Some of them are:
Bettering resource allocation: An inventory of all available land proper for agriculture and guarantee that it is used in the best possible way along with efficient water management and irrigation arrangements to improve productivity and keep costs as low as possible.
Practice climate-smart agriculture: Propagate the acceptance of climate-resistant produces and know how. The report highlights hydroponics and agri-voltaic systems which would reduce the effects of climate change and improve food production.
Ensuring production is carried out in a contemporary way: Invest in modern farming techniques, which include “sheltered farming and controlled environment agriculture, to improve yields, reduce pesticide use, and attract young entrepreneurs through ICT integration.”
Law and Order
With law and order having greatly fallen off in the years preceding the change of government and now with a new capable commissioner that is at the helm of the MPF, there will be the need to ensure that the many mistakes of the previous regime are not repeated. The decrease in substance abuse will entail among others a serious prevention programme that is taught in schools. For our youth to have the steel to say no to drugs will require the teaching of “personal and social skills, such as decision making, stress management, communication, social interaction, conflict resolution, and assertiveness.”
Other programmes that could prove interesting as per the U.S National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is a character-building one that would mitigate risk factors for alcohol and other drugs as well as a family bond enhancing one. The latter would seek to accomplish inter alia:
- “Reach families of children at each stage of development”;
- “Train parents in behavioral skills to reduce conduct problems in children”;
- “Improve parent-child relationships, provide consistent discipline and rulemaking, and monitor children’s activities during adolescence”;
- “Include an educational component for parents with drug information for them and their children”;
- “Direct services to families with children in kindergarten through 12th grade (Comment is by the article’s author: about 17 and 18 years old) to enhance protective factors”;
- “Provide access to counseling services to families at risk”.
Much is to be initiated and it will take tremendous courage to clean the Augean stable that our country has been turned into. While some of the early decisions show an absence of firmitas and prudentia, the people who have said a vehement ‘No’ watch with weary eyes having been disappointed time and time again. Hope can quickly turn into wrath.
References:
Empowering Food Security in Mauritius: advancing crop and livestock production An overview with recommendations to policymakers Accessed December 2024 Link: https://www.interacademies.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/BOOKLET_Empowering%20Food%20Security%20in%20Mauritius%20online%20reduce.pdf
Promising Strategies to Reduce Substance Abuse by the U.S Department of Justice, 2000 Accessed in December 2024
Of Mass Consumption, Culture and Us. Link: https://chetanramchurn.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/of-mass-consumption-culture-and-us/ Accessed in December 2024
The Man by E.B Dongala from Jazz et vin de palme, Link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03064228408533734?download=true Accessed in December 2024