The resignation of Sherry Singh, the depreciation of the rupee and the cost of living, the incidents in the parliament but also the easing of health restrictions. These were the three main issues discussed at the PTR’s political bureau meeting at Hennessy Park Hotel in Ebony on Friday, July 8.
The lifting of the masks is a big mistake
For the PTr Leader, Dr Navin Ramgoolam, “This is a big mistake by the government. Covid 19 is still there. It was necessary to keep in force the wearing of masks in closed spaces, not only in pharmacies,” he said. According to him, the easing of the wearing of masks and the relaxation of sanitary measures will cause an increase in the number of cases in the country in the face of the resumption of transmissions in other large countries. During his speech he even mentioned that the opposition leader, Xavier Luc Duval, tested positive for Covid-19.
Rupee depreciation and cost of living
On the subject, he mentioned that the “extraordinary” increases are on basic foodstuffs, medicines among others. This the Red leader took as “proof that the country is run by an amateur”! He contrasted this with the great global recession during his term of office: “Why didn’t the population feel it?
Regarding the continuous depreciation of the rupee, he said “there are many similarities with the situation in Sri Lanka”.
The Speaker and his behaviour
“Sooroojdev Phokeer did not do Pravind Jugnauth any favours,” he said, giving his opinion on the Speaker’s actions in Parliament on Tuesday, 5 July. But how come it was already typed?” he asked, announcing that “this shows that there was already a conspiracy”. Navin Ramgoolam said that the questions of Opposition Leader Xavier Luc Duval were fair and deserved to be answered, not interrupted.
“Bechwagate”
This is how he described the Sherry Singh/Pravind Jugnauth controversy. Explaining, “everything has a qualifier. Bechwagate derives from the term Sell” he said. If Sherry Singh’s allegations are true, the sovereignty of the country is in danger,” he said. The Reds’ leader said the allegations, which touch on the protection of personal data, are very serious. “This is an attack on the freedom of all those who use fibre optics and MT networks that is unacceptable and unforgivable. The damage will be enormous. Sherry Singh has done well to suggest that the mistake of 2019 must be corrected. He further questioned “How can India deal with a survey on state security through TM when France Telecom, a leader in the telecommunication sector which owns 40 % of Mauritius Telecom, was neither consulted nor notified?”
He then referred to the political situation in England. “Boris Johnson has resigned following the scandals. In Mauritius they put their interests above everything else” making it clear that in Mauritius, “thuggery” has won over democracy.
Stopping the PM in his tracks
Announcing a demonstration in the coming days Navin Ramgoolam said “we have to create a system to stop this PM in his tracks so that another one cannot repeat his steps. I will be meeting with the leaders of the other parties tomorrow. I am appealing to the patriots to join the PTr. The machine is on the move and no one will be able to stop this steamroller,” he said, announcing new blood in the party’s executive that will be presented at the annual convention in August.
