The General Secretary of the Association des Consommateurs de l’Ile Maurice (ACIM) is once again disillusioned. He was hopeful that the Commissioner of Police would back down and allow them to voice out consumers’ pain on 19 March. Jayen Chellum filed a complaint in the Supreme Court on Wednesday 16 March and said he had confidence in the Court.
“We are challenging the fact that the police are not allowing us to protest,” said Jayen Chellum at a press briefing in Bell Village on Wednesday 16 March. He said that “our rally is to denounce the increase in fuel prices, the taxation system and the surcharges… We condemn the way the state is using its power“.
The General Secretary of ACIM has filed a complaint in the Supreme Court against this ban. On this Saturday 19th March, ACIM was to conduct this rally from 14 h to 16 h in the streets of the Capital with its public. During the press conference, Jayen Chellum did not fail to recall that following the previous bans and the conditions imposed by the Police, the Association has been cooperative in respecting the letter of the impositions. The Court is expected to render its decision in the next few days and Jayen Chellum concluded by saying: “We trust the Supreme Court“.
Bike Rally
This is a symbolic initiative of Raouf Khodabaccus, an activist and social worker. He organized a bike rally in the streets of the Capital at midday on Wednesday 16th March. To respect the number of less than 11 demonstrators, they campaigned with 10 bikes against the various taxes imposed on fuel. From 11:30 am to 12:30 pm, they roamed the streets from Magon Street in Plaine Verte to the Place de la Cathédrale in Port-Louis. Raouf Khodabaccus puts forward the different taxes that will affect the price of the bus ticket, the housewife’s basket and the trade in general. This symbolism of the bicycle was to demonstrate a possible trend to come from the public with these obvious increases in the price of public transport.
