The leaders of the Platform of Hope met yesterday afternoon in preparation for the municipal elections, which we believe are imminent. Xavier-Luc Duval issued a statement on behalf of the Platform of Hope. The theme of their campaign will be “Honesty and Competence”. During the campaign they intend to develop national arguments and local issues.
To compensate for the significant loss of purchasing power the platform will demand an immediate increase in the old age pension to Rs11,000 per month. For salaried workers, the minimum wage should be increased to Ra15,000 per month. In this context, financial assistance from the Mauritius Investment Corporation (MIC) to SMEs will be necessary.
Regarding local problems, their programme will include as a priority the construction, widening and cleaning of drains. But also a sports project for young people who will have free access to all municipal infrastructures. This will be done in order to curb delinquency, alcoholism and drug use. The town halls will also be responsible for developing an economic policy to help create jobs in the towns and the development of SMEs. Local government legislation will also be reformed following proposals to be finalised. This is just a start. A full election manifesto including all points of the programme will be published soon.
