Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Gaël Rangain
Published on 2024-03-03 13:00:10
Eliézer François, leader of the Mauritian Authentic Movement (MAM), has once again called on the government to declare Easter Monday a public holiday. This was during a press conference held on Thursday in Roche-Bois. “In 114 countries, Easter (Good Friday or Easter Monday) is a public holiday, including in India, Indonesia, Jordan, and Hong Kong. This is also the case in neighboring countries such as Reunion, Seychelles, Madagascar, and Mayotte,” he pointed out.
Eliézer François emphasized that several religious figures have spoken about the importance of this holiday, including Cardinal Maurice E. Piat, Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône, and Bishop Ian Ernest of the Anglican Church. “I call on Christians, especially Catholics in Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Agalega, to pray with faith that Easter Monday will be proclaimed a public holiday,” he said.
The leader of the MAM also asked Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône to convey this request to the government. “The Bishop of Port Louis himself has stated in the past that Easter is the greatest celebration on his calendar.” The leader of the MAM also issued a warning to the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation for adequate coverage of Lent and Easter. In fact, he plans to hold a demonstration in front of the MBC offices on this issue soon.
Furthermore, Eliézer François criticized the management of the Vacoas meteorological station. “It is not acceptable for alerts to be issued at 4 a.m. This causes huge problems for parents who have to keep their children at home instead of sending them to school. Even recently, tourists were caught off guard by Cyclone Eleanor. Not everyone stays in hotels, and they depend on supermarkets and restaurants for food. If everything is closed in the morning, where will they go to buy food?” he denounced.
On the other hand, entomologist Raheem Gopaul discussed the dengue fever epidemic in Mauritius. “Dengue symptoms are similar to chikungunya, but it can be deadly in case of severe bleeding. It is important to be very careful with dengue,” said the former employee of the Ministry of Health. He called on the population to clean up vacant lots and pick up trash, “because the Aedes mosquito spreads in these conditions,” he added.
Read the original article(French) on Le Mauricien
