The political platform calls for a “punishment vote”. Xavier-Luc Duval said at the very beginning of the platform’s press conference to launch the campaign that no one knows the date of the election. But he added that during the pandemic, 150 countries organised elections, whether at a regional or national level. For him, therefore, it is necessary to organize this election.
For his part, Paul Bérenger said that the four leaders will now go on the ground in each city. He acknowledged that the limit of 50 people allowed at the rallies will be an obstacle. But, according to him, L’Espoir has decided to go ahead with its campaign because it wants to take back the five town halls and restore local government to its rightful place. He added that the slogan of L’Espoir is “Honesty and competence”.
In this context, he called for a “punishment vote” against the MSM. The next election, which the platform is clamouring for, is not only municipal but also national. For him, it is necessary to “sanction the MSM for what it has done to the country and what it is doing to it”. He mentioned in particular the aspect of “money politics”, corruption, attacks on democracy, the management of Parliament, the functioning of the Icac and the police. “The MSM is rotting the country,” he said.
Duval: “Mauritius is breaking records on the rise in the cost of living”
For Xavier-Luc Duval, the results of the next municipal elections will have a regional but also national impact. For him, the cost of living remains a big problem. It is urgent, he said, that the government takes the necessary actions. The opposition leader believes that the recent price increases reflect “the incompetence and inability of the government to take the necessary actions”. Moreover, according to him, the depreciation of the rupee should be stopped and even appreciated. He also said that various pensions should be increased as well as the minimum wage. “People must be able to live honestly,” he added, before calling for an end to waste, incompetence, corruption and theft of public money. He also asked the government to encourage importers to tighten their belts and to remove certain taxes on fuel. For Xavier-Luc Duval, given the government’s record in the town halls for 7 years, particularly in terms of drains, it would be a shame to offer it another 6 years. Nando Bodha explained that the ‘Espoir platform wants to see a change in the running of the cities. He explained that cities are currently paralysed by corruption and drugs. The objective, according to him, is to make the cities breathe, to make them become places where it is good to live. As for Roshi Bhadain, he focused his speech on the more than warm relationship between the four leaders of Alliance Espoir who have been working together for over a year.
Duval : “The least we say, the better”
In the question-and-answer session, there was a lot of talk about Navin Ramgoolam, who had held a press conference yesterday after the PTr’s political bureau meeting. Xavier-Luc Duval was the most trenchant. “I think that the less we say in public at the level of negotiations, the better. Because every sentence said can give rise to all sorts of interpretations,” he said.
Paul Bérenger, for his part, said that the leaders of the Espoir platform had taken note of what Ramgoolam had said. “If there will be developments, we will see later. If there will be an arrangement as Ramgoolam said, we will see,” he added.
