Opposition MPs are ready for the new parliamentary term. They met on Saturday. Afterwards, the main leaders held a press conference. Xavier-Luc Duval said that the opposition MPs “are in a fighting mood”. He added that despite the many difficulties, they were “ready to expose nepotism, incompetence and lack of transparency”. He also deplored the way the parliament functions. Moreover, he added, independent bodies, in Mauritius as elsewhere, denounce the fact that Mauritius is no longer a democracy. “Instead of being a place where transparency exists, Parliament has become the court of King Petaud,” he lamented. He recalled that lying in Parliament or pretending not to know is a serious offence. “During this session, we are not going to get answers very often. We are also going to see the dodging of questions. There will be no answers too. But the absence of an answer is also an answer in many cases,” he said.
The entire opposition severely criticizes the Governor of the Bank of Mauritius. “I wonder if the Governor is listening to himself. Because he is the one who is responsible for what happened to the reserves of the Bank of Mauritius. He is the one who made the transfer. So much so that today the central bank is forced to borrow in order to support the rupee,” Xavier-Luc Duval said. He added that the International Monetary Fund is insisting that the country recapitalise the Bank of Mauritius. “It does not realise the crime it has committed. He is trying to pass the buck to other people. This, even though I don’t exclude that some banks may have benefited. But the Governor of the Bank of Mauritius and the Minister of Finance are the ones most responsible,” he said. Xavier-Luc Duval added that according to his estimates, the rupee will continue to depreciate because nobody has confidence anymore.
A call to lift Boolell’s suspension
Xavier-Luc Duval and Paul Bérenger made a request to the Speaker and the majority to lift the suspension of Arvin Boolell. The opposition leader reminded the press conference on Saturday that the leader of the PTr in Parliament has been suspended since November 2022. “Enough is enough! We are petitioning for Arvin Boolell to be reinstated this Tuesday,” he said. He also denounced the large number of suspensions and naming. As for Paul Bérenger, he said that the entire opposition is asking for the lifting of the suspension of Arvin Boolell. He said the opposition has planned a symbolic demonstration in solidarity on Tuesday. But they hope not to have to do it,” he said. Paul Berenger also said the opposition will not change its behaviour towards the Speaker until he changes the way he presides over debates.
