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Mauritius: The Law of the Majority!
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L'Express (Port Louis)
COLUMN
20 December 2007
Posted to the web 20 December 2007
Pauline Etienne
Port Louis
Has this ever happened in any other country? The government, which has always bought flour from Les Moulins de La Concorde (LMLC), finds that its latest prices are too high and calls upon another supplier through the State Trading Corporation (STC).
In addition to the fury it caused to the management of LMLC, the public at large starts wondering whether the Chinese flour is of good quality. Faced with such doubts, the government suddenly changes its mind and gives back 50% of the supply order to the local company.
The PM's unease could already be felt at one of the last sittings of the National assembly when the opposition leader chose to centre his Private Notice Question (PNQ) on the quality of the flour and its conditions of negotiation. He may not have been so comfortable with minister Jeetah's decision to negotiate with the Chinese government. One of the reasons for this might be the lack of precisions on the quality of flour and its adaptability to the Mauritian context.
But the reason for the recent decision does not matter much. What truly matters is the signal sent through the recent decision. It gives the disturbing feeling that the government is not quite sure of what it is doing and changes its mind according to public opinion.
The presence of a religious leader in the delegation that flew to China to check the quality of the flour is equally eloquent. Instead of reassuring the public after counter-checking facts, those heading the country preferred to pay a ticket to a religious leader while he does not have any specific qualifications that could justify it. The impression conveyed by this story is that the government has blinded all stakeholders with small actions so that they stop making a fuss.
This decision has certainly been welcome by the employees of LMLC who may have been faced with dismissal a few days before Christmas and New Year festivities if the total amount of flour was to be imported from China. But why did the STC go that far with the import from China if it was to back down halfway afterwards.
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This episode may have an impact on the credibility of the government at large. As in previous cases where the public have protested against a decision, the majority has taken it all. This is not the way things should happen. The government should lead the way But to achieve this, the government should be sure of what it is doing!
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