The leaders of the Opposition alliance faced the press this morning. Navin Ramgoolam commented on the incidents at La Citadelle last weekend. For him, it demonstrates a total failure on the part of the National Security Service (NSS) and the Police. For him, everything must be done to preserve unity and harmony within the country. He stressed the importance of learning to live as a country. Navin Ramgoolam appealed not to fall into the communal trap. He also spoke of the robberies and attacks that are currently taking place. He recalled how he had introduced civic education for the entire population, as it is important to establish discipline in the country.
Navin Ramgoolam returned to the 2014 constitutional amendment that allowed certain candidates not to declare their community. “In 2014, we had decided that Mauritians should not be obliged to declare their community in order to be candidates. Automatically, these people will not be corrective deputies,” he said. He also returned to the subject of the Contribution Sociale Généralisée (CSG). “I would never have thought that he would have squandered money so quickly,” he said.
The Fisheries Bill will jeopardize the fishing and bluefish industries
Xavier spoke about the Fisheries Bill, which will be presented to Parliament next Tuesday. We need to do everything we can to block this bill, which could jeopardize the fishing and bluefish industries. With this new 190-page law, we’ll have a license to fish and to sell fish. The country has around 200 fishermen, with some 10,000 people working in seafood processing. This project intends to introduce some 45 permits, but more permits can lead to more corruption. There’s no way to appeal to arbitrary decisions, a law to padlock this sector and big fines. Xavier Duval also spoke of confidentiality clauses in certain contracts.
Bérenger: “They’re playing with fire on the economy”.
Paul Bérenger returned to the subject of CSG yesterday morning. He said that the government is playing with fire when it comes to the economy. “Debt has become dramatic. They are mortgaging our children’s future,” he said. We don’t have a pension system like we used to. We have a tax. Referring to the State Trading Corporation’s decision to award a contract to the Mercantile and Maritime Group without going through a call for tenders, Paul Bérenger declared that there was inevitably corruption. He was astonished that there had been a separate negotiation after a public tender.
