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Mauritius: Cheapskates
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L'Express (Port Louis)
OPINION
20 August 2007
Posted to the web 20 August 2007
Deepa Bhookhun
Port Louis
I think I won't pay my phone bill this month. I mean why should I? Isn't reasonable of me to expect to be able to communicate freely with people? Then surely, if I am to communicate "freely", charging me for it must somehow violate this fundamental liberty, huh? You know those freedoms and rights guaranteed by the Constitution and all?
No? I thought so. But hey, I thought it was worth a try. It seems that, in this country, if you don't want to pay for something, you just need to start making the right noises at the right tempo and at the right volume and you could just get away with cheating public finances.
This absurd theory has made such headway in our psyche that some politicians and trade unionists, sensible as ever (NOT), are now asking us not to fill in completely our tax returns and are calling for civil disobedience. Why? Because they don't think it's reasonable to pay a residential tax. Because they don't think it's reasonable that, in exchange for such services as the collection of refuse or the maintenance of roads or that of street lights for that matter, one should maybe, hum pay?
I guess there are many people who share this twisted opinion. They are the same ones who would be the first on the streets if ever garbage collection wasn't being done on time, if ever roads weren't being maintained or if street lights weren't working. They want it all and they want it for free. It's a winner isn't it?
Look where this mentality has landed us. The university of Mauritius is not able to do what it has been created to do simply because they don't have the funds to do so. And do you think that, when it will be suggested that people pay a fee in return for their education, they will see the sense in the argument and will readily agree to pay? Yeah right. Our model students might then wake up and go on strike, supported by politicians and trade unionists.
You ask people who live on prime land on the sea front to pay the market price for the privilege of enjoying the view (and depriving others of it) and do you know what they tell you? They are being victimised. Must be something to do with the colour of their skin. Of course!
People take loans and refuse to repay them and then they tell you to scrap the sale by levy because hey, the system is unfair isn't it?
And our dear government in all of this? Still gathering the courage to tell the cheapskates to go to hell and to pay up, I guess.
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What's that saying again? Pay peanuts, get monkeys? I guess that would explain much about what's wrong with this country.
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