? Mr. de Navacelle, in an opinion paper published in l’Express back in 2005, you called upon the population to ‘wake up and …have a debate on real issues’. What were these issues and are they the same today?

By ‘real issues’, I meant issues important for the progress of society in general such as political programmes, communalism, competition in business, the role of religions, education of children etc… Too often, Mauritians avoid debating these issues since they fear being victimized. The private business sector behaves the same way since they want to protect their interests. As a result, there is no debate and the press itself is satisfied with superficial comments on secondary issues. And politicians are not competent enough to engage in debate.

? Isn’t that a sweeping generalization? I mean surely we don’t cover only superficial issues, do we? And politicians cannot all be incompetent can they?

If they are not incompetent, they seem to be so frightened of losing voters that they do not want to engage in contradictory debates where they might be seen as not knowledgeable or saying things which would not please some of their voters. They love meetings where they can talk loudly for as many hours as they like without any risk of being challenged and without tackling the real issues.

? What exactly are these issues you think they should be dealing with?

The main issue is the absence of political projects or programmes to be proposed to the voters. Voters should make their decisions based on programmes, not persons.

? What about the often talked about Code of Ethics? - the Electoral Supervisory Commission says that it will be ready in time for the elections. Do you think it will be exhaustive? Will it be respected by all parties?

I think the code of conduct will contain many important things and this is very good news. We need to put in place means of controlling and measuring the actual adherence to the code with sanctions attached.

? You seem to be very optimistic. Is the business community also optimistic? What is the mood?

The business community wants the authorities to develop and maintain the conditions of a good economic recovery together with an efficient distribution of wealth amongst the population.

? Will that happen with or without Rama Sithanen as Minister of Finance?

I personally prefer to see a competent economist at the helm of the Ministry of Finance since it is the cornerstone of economic development. I know Sithanen has the competence. However, a Minister of Finance, in my view, cannot perform his job without the help of advisors with the required expertise in his area of responsibility.

? How well do you think we have fared through the economic crisis?

It is clear for me that the resilience of our economy during those difficult times is closely linked to the work done by the Minister of Finance and the government, as a collective body, which has been supporting the minister’s policies.

? What are the challenges facing our economy now that we have almost made our way out of the crisis?

Many challenges: The education system has to be revamped and Mr. Bunwaree has started the work. We must continue. Nothing has been done until recently about the infrastructure especially roads and electricity. The fight against poverty is extremely important as it has a direct impact on peace and stability in the country. Corruption and drugs are also very worrying. We must tackle the causes instead of fighting the consequences.

Touria PRAYAG