Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Sarah Jane Lebrasse
Published on 2024-03-18 11:20:47
The leaders of the PTr-MMM-PMSD alliance – Navin Ramgoolam, Paul Bérenger, and Xavier-Luc Duval – asserted on Saturday that the general elections will arrive “sooner than expected.” Regarding the increase in the old-age pension of around Rs 2,500, they pointed out that it comes “almost five years after it was promised,” namely in October 2019, at a time when the rupee has depreciated by 49.2% since 2014, “including 26% in just one year,” and the cumulative inflation is 28%. As for the Agalega airstrip, they emphasize the need to “be vigilant” about its usage.
First to speak, Navin Ramgoolam noted that, in light of the various decisions made by the government, the general elections are not far away. He added, “Now that March 12 is behind us, we will accelerate our mobilization for May 1, in front of the Port Louis municipality.”
He emphasized on the recent increases in old-age pension allowances. “Pravind Jugnauth had promised since October 2019 that the old-age pension would be raised to Rs 13,500. He then did the opposite by abolishing the salary compensation for pension beneficiaries, while continuing to dig into the pockets of Mauritians,” he said. According to him, in reality, “this sum of Rs 13,500 is equivalent to Rs 10,500 today since Pravind Jugnauth’s promise. It’s a financial mirage!”
The leader of the PTr continued, “Mauritians have suffered during these past five years. They have had to struggle to survive. The rupee has lost 49.2% of its value against the dollar since 2014. It has been demonstrated that 92% of our inflation is caused by the rupee depreciation. In one year, it has depreciated by 26%, while the cumulative inflation is estimated at 28%.”
He then addressed the issue of fuel prices. While the price of gasoline has decreased worldwide, he claims that in Mauritius, “it remained unchanged until recently, on the eve of elections.” He believes that the government made profits of Rs 8 billion on gasoline. On another note, Navin Ramgoolam criticizes the lack of transparency surrounding the dismissal of former minister Vikram Hurdoyal, mentioning that there are still “many question marks” on this matter.
Xavier-Luc Duval echoed Navin Ramgoolam’s analysis regarding the pension increase. “We are extremely happy for all those who have contributed to the progress of the country in extremely difficult conditions after independence. However, it must be acknowledged that the money the population is receiving today is a monetary illusion,” he said.
He argued that, thanks to the tax revenues obtained from gasoline taxes, “the government has built a War Chest, which is used to give the population the impression that pockets are filled in the short term.” He added that “the government has accumulated over Rs 30 billion in Special Funds” to ensure financing for the “vote-buying campaign” during election time.
The leader of the Blues also brought up the Agalega issue by announcing that he had written to the Cabinet Secretary, with a copy to the Prime Minister, asking for arrangements to be made so that he and other opposition members can visit the archipelago and see the real situation. “We have built a 3 km long airstrip and a Deep Water Jetty. But there need to be flights to get there. These are infrastructure projects that have cost billions of rupees,” he stated.
The opposition leader also mentioned a list of constitutional nominations on which he should have been consulted, but were made by the Prime Minister. “When I say yes, it’s yes. When I say no, it’s still yes. And all my requests to meet certain individuals whose names are recommended are ignored. As was the case for the appointment of the FIU director,” he indicated.
He objected to the appointment of Navin Beekarry as the CEO of the Financial Crimes Commission, arguing that it threatens the powers of the DPP. He also announced his upcoming visit to Rodrigues at the invitation of Mgr Moura to attend his installation as the island’s bishop by Cardinal Maurice E. Piat, tomorrow. He will also review the situation at the Rodrigues Regional Authority.
Paul Bérenger expressed the opinion that the opposition alliance has unanimously concluded that the general elections are imminent. Regarding the increase in the old-age pension, he recalled that on December 27 last year, the Ptr/MMM/PMSD alliance had committed to taking five priority measures, including restoring purchasing power and “bringing justice to widows and orphans.”
He also touched upon the former minister Hurdoyal, pointing out that the reasons for his dismissal are still unknown. However, he insisted that “the population needs to know the truth.”
He further discussed the Corexsolar and Utility Regulatory Authority (URA) issue, criticizing the awarding of a Rs 6 billion contract to the company when it was not qualified, as it did not have land. He also doubted that the Rs 360,000 per day fine imposed on the company for not meeting deadlines would be paid.
Regarding the URA, the MMM leader claimed that a South African specialist appointed by the government in 2022 for three years had been suspended, and a disciplinary committee had been set up about him. He questioned whether the committee had already met and who its members were. “People had high hopes for the URA. But this entity was stillborn. It’s a highly politicized Bad Joke thanks to the Minister of Public Utilities and the CEB,” he stated.
On the Agalega matter, Paul Bérenger explained that there was an official visit to the archipelago with parliamentarians from the government and the opposition. “As of now, there is no military presence,” he acknowledged. However, he concurred with Xavier-Luc Duval about the lack of relevance in building a 3 km long airstrip for a population of 330 inhabitants. Furthermore, the issue of personnel stationed in Agalega has not yet been resolved, he added.
Paul Bérenger revealed that on October 17 of last year, during a PNQ from the opposition leader, the Prime Minister had promised a response would be given a few weeks later, but “nothing has happened so far.” He believes it is necessary to “stay vigilant” regarding a possible military presence in the archipelago. He agrees with Xavier-Luc Duval’s request to visit the site regularly.
Answering questions from the press, Xavier-Luc Duval mentioned that the issue of Agalega was not discussed with the President of the Republic of India. However, she mentioned in her speech “joint maritime surveillance between Mauritius and India.” He added that he does not oppose the use of the archipelago for maritime surveillance of the economic zone, as long as it is under Mauritius’ control and does not question the country’s sovereignty. He affirmed that “the opposition will closely monitor the staffing at Agalega.”
He also expressed surprise that no details were provided about a mini-hospital built on the archipelago. The three leaders demanded that the agreement between India and Mauritius regarding Agalega be made public.
Answering further questions from the press, Navin Ramgoolam stated that a Ptr-MMM-PMSD government would not reduce the old-age pension but would ensure the restoration of purchasing power.
Read the original article(French) on Le Mauricien
