Pauline Etienne
20 July 2007
Port Louis — Almost everyone is complaining about price increases. The end-of-the-month shopping trolley at the supermarket is undeniably emptier than a few months back.
The price of milk has gone up, that of oil has skyrocketed and even those of pulses - probably one of the most famous and common dishes of any Mauritian family - have increased lately. Consumers may want to turn to someone to voice their anger. They often turn to the government, remind it of its promise to change their lives. But no local authority can be liable for these increases and the population might have no other choice than be patient and hope that minister Sithanen's reforms will soon bear fruit.
However, such increases appear as a godsend for the opposition. Members of the opposition are racking their brains to see how they could use these price increases against the government. After all, the present government did exactly the same while its members were in the opposition but this little game should stop because it does not serve the population. And, without being naïve, may I recall the MPs that they were elected by the people and owe them a minimum of honesty?
Inflation is a popular issue and undoubtedly hits the bull's eye for the mere reason that it affects directly the lives of the people. However, there are problems at an international level that cause price rises to products arriving in Port-Louis. The government can't be held responsible for the drought in Australia, can it?
However, they must be held liable for being honest towards the population. The acting prime minister, Rashid Beebeejaun, made a first step in that direction when he acknowledged that prices would keep going up because of external factors. It is of no use to hide the reality from the population hoping that the situation will be different by then.
Having been at the head of the country just before, the present opposition knows perfectly that the government has no real power on oil prices, for instance. This is just why it set up the Automatic Pricing Mechanism (APM).
But it seems Mauritian politicians have some difficulty being above the fray of party politics even when they are in power. The problem may be that, as soon as an election is finished, all parties are already thinking of the next one.
The government keeps saying that every problem Mauritius is facing is due to the skeletons left by their predecessors while the opposition keeps saying that the government is leading the country to bankruptcy and that it is the only one that can save the country and its people. It's been like that for years and there is little hope that this trial of strength will end.
But, if the opposition could pressure the government into giving means to the most vulnerable to face the rise in the cost of living instead of wasting time on issues on which it has absolutely no control, I am sure the people would be forever grateful to both!
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