Dear Leader of the Opposition,

I hope London is treating you well and that your mom is doing fine. You’ve invited folks to email you on xavier@duval.mu to share ideas and insights on what should be included in an electoral program. Hereunder are some points that l’express and its readers would like to push forward.

With the economy on its knees, it is imperative to cut public spending in order to contain the record-high budget deficit and public debt. In addition to a series of bold and innovative measures from engaged and informed citizens to rethink the economic model, which are published almost daily, we propose today eight main budget cuts to adjust its lavish and wasteful lifestyle to the unprecedented economic crisis we are going through.

1 Halve the number of ministers and drastically reduce the number of advisers in ministries. The country’s finances can no longer support those who don’t do much but still cost a lot, such as the Vice President of the Republic. We should also swap ministers’ fossil fuel-powered limousines for small hybrid cars that are climate-change friendly and suitable for a small island state like Mauritius.

2 Eliminate all semi-public organizations where defeated candidates or cronies of the ruling regime are placed. Chairpersons and directors should return their official cars and stop milking the system. We already have enough civil servants who are more competent than party apparatchiks to do the work.

3 End the generous lifetime pensions for former presidents, vice-presidents, prime ministers, ministers and deputies. Some receive an old-age pension alongside their various other pensions. We need to systematically target and stop granting universal pensions, especially to our millionaires and billionaires.

4 Cut all the fees for senior officials or ‘advisers’ who warm the ‘boards’ of state and parastatal companies. Some proteges of the system sit on more than nine boards while holding responsibilities within their respective ministries. How do they manage to be everywhere at once?!

5 Merge redundant entities like MBC and Government Information Service or IBA and ICTA to reduce excessive staff and salary expenses and fringe benefits.

6 Stop subsidies to sociocultural organizations. These ethnic groups prevent the emergence of a Mauritian identity and consume the money of all taxpayers, including those who do not feel concerned by sociocultural associations.

7 Introduce a rural tax so that cities and villages are on equal fiscal footing. This measure, which will update the NRPT, will bring money into the government’s empty coffers, even if it risks upsetting the ‘Hindu belt.’

8 Continue to communicate via Zoom, WhatsApp and Skype and give up official trips, which are costly. Since the first lockdown, it’s a fact: all meetings or conferences can be attended remotely. There’s no risk of catching a variant, and we will save a lot on air tickets and especially on per diem!

We could not agree more with Joseph Stiglitz when he posits that «with the right political reforms, democracies can become more inclusive, more responsive to citizens and less responsive to the corporations and rich individuals who currently hold the purse strings.» However, salvaging democratic politics also will require far-reaching economic reforms and some non-populist measures! Above is a modest roadmap on where you could start before tackling the complex macroeconomic challenges that lie ahead.

Best Always,

Nad SIVARAMEN

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Reply of Xavier-Luc Duval:

Dear Nad,

Thank you for your open letter, with your proposals for curtailing government spending.

It is a fact that huge levels of government wastage deprive many crucial areas of much needed funds which could dramatically improve our quality of life.

These include education, including at university level, health care and hospitals, the police service, fighting the drug scourge, the rehabilitation of drug addicts, road safety as opposed to mere construction of roads, cleanliness of our environment and improving municipal services, to mention but a few areas.

You may rest assured that the preparation of our common program is taken very seriously by the Alliance partners.

The consultation process is itself a break with past practice and is a defining moment in our endeavour to bring about real change in our island’s political life.

I believe that a new vision for our country is eagerly awaited by all right thinking citizens.

I cannot comment on any of your specific proposals as this is the work of our joint Program Committee, but I wish to thank you for participating in this exercise along with more than one hundred mauritians to date.

Yours sincerely,

Xavier-Luc DUVAL

Leader of the Opposition

Chair of Alliance Program Committee