Navin Ramgoolam, Paul Bérenger and Xavier-Luc Duval faced the press this morning. The PTr leader spoke at length about the Petroleum Pricing Committee’s decision to review fuel prices once again, 6 days later. For him, this demonstrates the government’s calamitous management of the economy.
“It was after what I said that they decided to review the price of petrol. But at Rs 69 a liter, it’s still expensive. As for diesel, the increase is now, in the space of 6 days, Rs 9.40. In what country do we see this? This is a yo-yo government”, he declared.
The PTr leader also felt that the whole situation was a slap in the face to the new Minister of Commerce, Dorine Chukowry, and to the Managing Director of the State Trading Corporation, Rajiv Servansing. He also maintains that the government’s announcement that subsidies of Rs 5 per liter will be granted to certain categories of operators makes no sense. “Why not lower the price of diesel? Especially as planters, bus operators, school vans and certain others will benefit. But it will be very difficult to manage. There will be rigging. It would have been easier to remove certain taxes”, he declared.
Navin Ramgoolam, Paul Bérenger and Xavier-Luc Duval all spoke about the meeting of the PTr-MMM-PMSD alliance on October 13 at Plaine Verte. The PTr leader explained that they wanted to postpone the popular gathering to the first week of November in view of the Durga Pooja festival. However, this was not possible due to two public holidays. He added that the decision was finally taken to maintain October 13. Paul Bérenger, for his part, insisted that the rally would be for constituencies 2 and 3… even though all Port-Louis residents are invited. “We will find another date for constituencies 1 and 4,” he stressed. As for Xavier-Luc Duval, he asked the population to participate in the process of change by coming out and not by following the meeting on social networks. “We did the math. A total of 736,000 people viewed our Mare d’Albert gathering. This obviously includes Mauritians living abroad. But we’re asking people to get out there,” he said.
XLD: “A small victory that the Speaker didn’t get his apartment in Diplomat Garden”
Xavier-Luc Duval addressed the return to parliament. He declared that opposition MPs are on the attack. “We are on a war footing”, he declared. He also said he was sad to see the Speaker still in office. “There were rumors that he might be replaced. But he’s still there,” lamented the opposition leader. He is pleased, however, that Sooroojdev Phokeer didn’t get the apartment he wanted. “He now has to rent a small house… I suppose with his own money. It’s a small victory,” he said.
