Mauritius Economic Society

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AFTEERMATH OF CORONAVIRUS

Since world war II, the decisions taken at Brentwood conference to regularize the parity of money in various countries economy has not substantially been updated, to fit the decorum of the globalization or world economy.
The patch-up work has continued ever since 1944 when the decisions were taken to stabilize the currency market in a more rational way.
Today, especially after the world economy is seriously hit by the coronavirus plague, there is a felt need to revise the Bretton Woods conference decisions and update them so that may remedy the conflicting situation of pushing the World close to a Communist regime

Since world war II, the decisions taken at Brentonwoods conference to regularize the parity of money in various countries economy has not substantially been updated, to fit the decorum of the globalization or world economy.
The patch-up work has continued ever since 1944 when the decisions were taken to stabilize the currency market in a more rational way.
Today, especially after the world economy is seriously hit by the coronavirus pandemic, There is a felt need to revise the Bretton Woods conference decisions and update them so that remedies could be timely brought to the conflicting situation of pushing the World close to a Communist regime.

PETITION OF RIGHT
‘The Petition of Right is a major English constitutional document that sets out specific liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from infringing.’ It would appear that such legislation would be applicable as well in all Commonwealth countries including Mauritius.
In short, this piece of conventional legislation has for purpose to bring in safeguards to the people against tyranny of the State, especially on the imposition of taxes. In fact it would mean that no taxation shall be levied on the people of Mauritius without prior approval by Parliament, the National Assembly.
The present practice in Mauritius flouts this provision as taxes are being imposed, all year round, by delegated legislations. In view of its constitutional significance, I wonder why has nobody, in Mauritius, so far, deemed it necessary to move for a Petition of Right for redress.

UN COUP D’ETAT RATE D’AMEENA GURIB-FAKIM A MAURICE
Mme Ameena Gurib-Fakim est partie. Mais les séquelles sont toujours là. D’abord elle ne voulait pas partir de la State House. Elle avait parfaitement raison. Il faut d’abord établir par preuves qu’elle a réellement fauté sur un point de droit ` Serious misconduct `. Ce n’est pas le travail de la presse qui va le faire. Mais un Tribunal spécial. Bien entendu, elle s’attendait peut être à la nomination de ce tribunal pour se blanchir. Mais de là nommer unilatéralement une Commission d’enquête sans consultation du Cabinet ministériel n’est pas un délit, mais un acte de trahison envers l’Etat mauricien. Il se pourrait qu’elle n’ait pas songé aux conséquences de cet acte. Mais le fait est là. Elle doit porter les conséquences.
Si elle n’avait pas pris la porte de sortie, quels auraient été les dégâts causés au pays et aux Mauriciens ?
Tout d’abord il n’y aurait point de consultation entre elle et le PM. Les ponts seraient coupés. On assisterait à un match de boxe. Ce serait une bataille entre deux éléphants. Elle prendrait son temps. Cette situation serait maintenue aussi longtemps que le litige n’est pas résolu au niveau la Cour Suprême. En cas d’appel il irait au Priva Council. Entretemps la population serait en ébullition et la paix sociale compromise. Le Parlement ne pourrait pas fonctionner convenablement et les nouvelles lois ne seraient plus applicables.
De cette situation tendue le Président pourrait démettre le PM de ses fonctions ainsi que tous les ministres. Une fois dans l’illégalité vaut mieux s’avancer que de reculer. Dans une telle situation le pays serait, en otage, sans gouvernement. Les fonctionnaires et les pensionnaires n’auraient plus de paies. Toutes les dépenses de l`Etat seraient bloquées. Le pays serait à la dérive et le peuple en désarroi. C’est en considérant ces circonstances que l’action du President peut paraitre dangereuse. Fort heureusement qu’on a échappé bel. La question qui se pose maintenant est « Que faire pour éviter un tel catastrophe au pays ?

MASS MEDIA ARE TAKING OVER THE ROLE OF TEACHERS AND POLITICIANS.
As human beings, we do crave for love. We want to be treated alike. Yet some want it differently. They want to be in the limelight; to have their names on the front page of Newspapers and their photos on Television. A few want to be worshipped as God. In short everyone wants to be leaders and not followers. To attain their aim some use their inborn talents. Others cultivate skills through education. Those with good communications skills take the lead to front- line position. Those who can’t match with them have to follow .Yet in a democracy everybody claims for both equality in status and position. Is it not a conflicting issue?
Education means empowering people to move upward in the social stratum; from backward rank to the front-line position. The motivating means to this end is evidently competitions. Yet we do know that competition results in more discrimination, rivalry, frustrations and hatred. Yet in a democracy we do tolerate it.
Education is about communications. We used teachers who had good communication skills to teach our children. We also wanted them to be good role models for our children to copy. To-day that teacher is not the only one using communications to educate the children. There are many more communications gurus in the social field. Formerly we had very few leaders. Nowadays the number has increased tremendously. Thanks to the Mass media, including the press, TV, internet, radio, smart phones etc.
In fact we do not need traditional teachers to teach us. Mass Media are offering many more facilities to upgrade our knowledge and skills and even those of our children. Naturally more and more adults trust their gurus instead of the traditional school teachers. With such trend, the position of teachers as Makers of civilization is dwindling. Their initial role is being taken over by the Mass media Gurus. Yet nobody cares whether they are good Role Models or not.
Mass media are becoming not only the dominating partners in the education system but will surely have an upper hand control on the life of the people and the affairs of country. In fact they are positioned to act fully as front- line leaders. Yet nobody cares to know whether they are truly the Good Role Models.

BATISSONS LA NATION MAURICIENNE
La Culture est un manteau social que portent les citoyens d’une nation. Chaque nation a son propre manteau. Ce manteau renferme des signes ou traits particuliers qui mettent en valeur les qualités intrinsèques de la vie d’un peuple, surtout en rapport à son histoire, ses comportements, ses régimes vestimentaire et alimentaire et les histoires de la vie qui façonnent ses pensées.
La culture sociale n’est pas un menu prêt à servir. Elle est construite en maillons. Chaque maillon dépend l’un de l’autre pour faire valoir à la chaine sa cohérence et puissance. De ce fait, la culture est à la fois personnelle et collective, tout comme le maillon et la chaine. La Culture comprend un processus de développement rationnel et émotif et qui se fait à deux niveaux, au foyer, la famille et la collectivité, le social.
Tout comme les droits; ils sont soit civils ou criminels. Bien entendu, au foyer ou à la maison les droits s’exercent en toutes libertés. Mais dans la collectivité ou le social ils doivent forcement être restrictifs. Que ceci ne déplaise à l’ONU qui veut par la confusion et la zizanie sur les droits, forcer la mise en place d’un gouvernement fédéral-central au service de la mondialisation.
Y-a-t-il une culture mauricienne?
L’histoire nous apprend que nous sommes tous descendants d’immigrants, malgré eux, de plusieurs pays du monde. Nos ancêtres avaient leurs propres cultures personnelles et sociales. Une fois à Maurice, dans leur isolement, ils ont pris conscience, plus de leurs cultures personnelles respectives, vu que la culture collective leur était difficilement acceptable et conflictuelle à leur égard. De plus cette culture collective leur était imposée d’en haut ; chose qui leur déplaisait évidemment.
Durant les années sous la colonisation, surtout britannique, la culture personnelle servait de bouclier contre la politique de conversion religieuse et de renfort pour des droits à l’émancipation. L’Indépendance du pays devrait être l’occasion pour créer un sentiment de fierté et la pose de la première pierre vers la réalisation de l’édifice de la Nation mauricienne. Mais un obstacle majeur se dresse en face. Alors que le Parti Mauricien de Jules Koenig et de Gaétan Duval voulait d’abord créer la nation mauricienne et ensuite exiger l’indépendance du pays, le Parti Travailliste militait pour l’Indépendance d’bord et ensuite pour la création de la nation mauricienne. Bien entendu les arguments avancés par le PM qui apparemment voulait créer d’abord une nation mauricienne ont bien au contraire démoli la base même de cet édifice difficile à poser.
Cinquante ans après, que pouvons-nous espérer? Une nation ou l’effritement d’un peuple! C’est bien le constat que tout un chacun se fait actuellement lors de la célébration de cette noce d’argent. Mais une chose est certaine, 50 ans dans la vie d’un peuple n’est pas un grand évènement. Maintenant que nous prenons conscience de nos manquements, ne faut –il pas alors voir comment construire cette nation de sorte que 50 ans après la génération à venir puisse se sentir plus heureux que nous dans ce sentiment de solidarité qui nous manque encore.
Bâtir la Nation mauricienne
Malgré les controverses politiques et le déchirement de la population sur la question de l’indépendance et la nation mauricienne, cependant, certaines personnes de bonne foi tentaient à leur manière de poser les jalons pour la création de cette nation mauricienne. Ici je pense à M. Edwin De Robillard; celui qui créa le mouvement de « Bâtir la nation mauricienne » en regroupant les jeunes de son temps à travers des activités sociales et amicales, telle que la Caravane de jeunesse et la prière dite en commun renforçant le souhait et les préceptes à l’arrière de cette construction. Edwin de Robillard est mort, mais certains des monuments qu’il a fait construire dans certaines parties du pays sont toujours là pour nous rafraichir la mémoire que le vœu pour la réalisation de ce rêve était bien partagé par une large couche de la population mauricienne, sauf bien entendu, certains politiciens.
En ce jour de la célébration de cet évènement je souhaite proposer à la nation mauricienne une formule de construction de cette entité, non venant d’en haut, mais avec la participation de tous les citoyens de bonne foi, comme fut feu Edwin De Robillard.
Après une très longue absence, je retourne sur la toile pour aider à construire cette entité tant attendue. C’est dans ce but que je souhaite créer une nouvelle page, sur Facebook, intitulée « Bâtissons la Nation mauricienne ».
Pour le faire, il nous faut des propositions venant de tous les mauriciens qui le souhaite vraiment ; non à critiquer, mais à proposer des idées pour la construction de cet idéal, la création de ce manteau social.

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LESSON 25
ALL ASSOCIATIONS ARE LEGAL ENTITIES EXCEPT POLITICAL PARTIES.
An association is a group of persons joining together for a common purpose. In short it is a formal group. As such it should have a common goal. Under the law no money can be collected by any group of persons, even amongst themselves, unless the group or association has been previously registered. There are three categories of associations, namely:
(i) Friendly associations, non profit making concerns, (clubs, Trade Unions etc.)
(ii) Companies, profit –making businesses, and
(iii) Cooperatives for the development and empowerment of the citizens through active participation in life- sharing experimentations.
Each type of organizations is required under the law to be registered with a specific Registrar. Friendly associations are registered the Registrar of Associations; companies with the Registrar of Companies; and Cooperatives with the Registrar of Co-operative Societies. The only type of association which is being tolerated is the Political parties. They openly flout the laws of the land. Most of them are not registered. Unless they are registered, they do not have the right t to collect money even from members of their group; let alone members of the public.
Recently a few cases of funding of Political parties by some Profit-making concerns were reported in the press. The sums amounted to a few millions of rupees. Yet no Police action followed to track down these illicit practices. They are simply above the law. Because of their position with Power they do commit abuses. They are neither queried nor even warned. No arrest. No charge. Nobody bought to the Courts. Nor any action followed even under Money Laundering law. They are not accountable to anyone, not even to the Nation whom they are supposed to serve.
There is no specific law in Mauritius granting them such privileges. Yet the Police Commissioner closes his eyes on these practices. Political Parties need only to be registered with the Electoral Service Commission for their participation in elections. Being themselves non legal entities, how can their political manifestos be upheld in the Courts?
However for anyone else, they need prior authorization from the Police Commissioner to effect a public collection of money. This is a glaring case of injustice and a denial to the principle of fairness, justice and the Rule of Law. Despite the fact that they are known to be the breeding grounds for corruptive practices in a democracy, yet their existence as such is being religiously tolerated.
In a Democracy accountability is one of the fundamental tenets of good governance. How can we tolerate this anomaly in our Democracy when we have set our benchmark high on Good Governance? Has the time not come to require all the political parties to be registered as Friendly associations?
For sure nobody is above the law. We cannot tolerate a non- legal entity to exercise our proxy or our rights to decide on the future of our children and our country through their representatives who are simply not-law abiding citizens?
To add insult to injury, there are proposals for state subsidy to be allocated to them.
This is one of the points I raised in my Project for reforms in Mauritius. I wish to read your views and comments thereon.

LESSON 24

WHY SHOULD THERE BE A PRESIDENT AND WHAT ARE HIS FUNCTIONS?

In a committee there may be 7, 9, 11, 13 or more members. The number must always be an odd number to facilitate voting. A decision which cannot be reached by consensus will have to be determined by a vote. At the National Assembly this is called a ‘Division’. It is q***r to note that the number of members at the National Assemble may be an even one, 70 instead of 69 or 71.
When a group discussion takes place, if everyone talks at the same time, nobody will hear the others and there will be brouhaha. Moreover the fact that these people have been convened is for a definite purpose. When a group of people engages in discussions and if there is no discipline as to the order of each one to make him heard, it will be difficult to take a decision. A member who attends a committee meeting expects to return home within a time limit. He has a family. It is important that the committee meetings do not hinder his family relationship. For this reason someone has to be appointed among the members to act as a “Time keeper”. This office, in a committee, is assigned to the President and at the National Assembly to the Speaker.
The President is just like a facilitator. His job is to give to every member the opportunity to make his case on each item of the agenda. In practice a committee meeting should not last longer than two hours. If the number of items on the agenda is too numerous, it will be difficult for the President to rush through the process of decision-making. Sometimes he will have to call a member to order so that the latter does not abuse the time allocated for a particular item on the agenda. This may cause conflicts as nobody wants his right or liberty of expression to be curtailed. Some members prefer to sit and hear and only wait to cast their voice.
The President in between committees sees to it that the decisions taken are implemented so that when the committee meets again most of the decisions have been implemented. The Secretary and the Treasurer are the real executives of an organisation or an association. A good President speaks less and allows the members to do the talking.
Before putting a motion to vote he does the summing up, reminding the members of the salient points for and against. He should see to it that all the aspects of the decisions cleared so that, at implementation stage, the executives do not have to complete the decision by their own.
The President, too, has a voting right. A good president should see to it that motions are approved by consensus. If ever he has to exercise his vote, it should only be when a casting vote is necessary. As a moderator, he should avoid being a party to a dispute.