Navin Ramgoolam: “We know more about intensive care”

The leader of the PTr believes that the government will do everything possible to propose “labous dou” measures to the population in the next Budget. He deplores the state of the economy, which he attributes to the various actions and decisions taken.

Instead of an economic miracle, it is an economic mirage that the MSM and its allies have created. “All macroeconomic indicators are red. We receive intensive care. He is in a state of emergency. Inflation is wreaking havoc,” declared Navin Ramgoolam, who spoke on Saturday at the press conference of the Labor Party (PTr)/Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM)/New Democrats (ND) alliance.

The rupee, he points out, has been devalued by 46%. He also notes that the public debt now stands at Rs 524 billion, which represents approximately Rs 400,000 of debt per Mauritian.

The government, he criticizes, amended the legislation to draw on the reserves of the Bank of Mauritius (BoM). “No finance minister has ever done this, and it contributed to the increase in the interest rate. The cost of living has now become impossible. The end of the month is no longer the 30th, but the 10th from now on. »And yet the government continues to collect billions of rupees from VAT.

Navin Ramgoolam deplores the lack of creation of new economic sectors in recent years. “Sel de sekter ki MSM en cree, se lindistri kokin ek ladrog,” he adds. All this economic mismanagement, according to Navin Ramgoolam, has contributed to the high cost of living: “Se enn fe ki nepli kav ranpli kadi. Bill CEB inn goes up. Medsinn kout ser. Zot fou pa mal ek lekonomi. »

Moreover, he adds, with the next budget, the government will seek at all costs to propose “labous dou” measures because, according to him, “zot nat dan koutvan e se enn gouvernman sortan”, insists the leader of the red.

Commenting on the fuel price situation, Navin Ramgoolam regrets that it is only on the eve of the elections that the government is considering lowering the price of gasoline and diesel, while the opposition has insisted on a reduction since then. two years.

For his part, the leader of the MMM, Paul Bérenger, points out that this is the first time in the history of the country that the presentation of the next budget will be done in the absence of five opposition parliamentarians who have been suspended by the Speaker. “The opposition leader, opposition whip, MMM leader, MMM secretary general and a PTr MP have all been suspended. But despite this, we prepare our work. »

NLTA

After announcing, during his speech on May 1, that Mauritians will only have to pay car registration fees once, Navin Ramgoolam affirms that a possible government PTr/MMM/ ND will commit to digitalizing the services of the National Land Transport Authority (NLTA). “Dimounn pe bizin al NLTA gramatin, met lake e trwa-er firm. “We're going to be able to win the lottery, but we're not going to be there,” he says. With the digitalization of NLTA services, Navin Ramgoolam explains that all these procedures can be done online, with a secure payment system.

Lee Shim

The situation of the horse racing industry as well as the upcoming withdrawal of People's Turf PLC (PTP) from the Champ de Mars were also discussed. Navin Ramgoolam accuses Jean-Michel Lee Shim, gambling magnate and majority shareholder of PTP, of having, with the complicity of Pravind Jugnauth, completely ruined a heritage of more than 200 years. According to Navin Ramgoolam, everything was done to “kraz MTC e aster kan eleksion deryer laport pe rod amenn MTC”.

He recalls that in December 2022, he had called for the return of the MTC to the Champ de Mars, but the government preferred to turn a deaf ear: “Lee Shim is the biggest funder of the MSM and Pravind Jugnauth. »

He criticizes the Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD) which, according to him, imposed the withdrawal of Jean-Michel Lee Shim from the Champ de Mars as a condition for entering into an alliance with the MSM. “Zot pe anvir rant dan korbiyar, enn so bann condision t’en return MTC”, affirms Navin Ramgoolam.

For the leader of ND, Richard Duval, the commotion at the Champ de Mars is a political movement aimed at accommodating the PMSD within an alliance with the MSM. “Se enn stratezi well orchestrated, pe iron krwar pe netway everywhere. Vwala ki manyer pe rod met lord,” he says.

Colleges requested

Navin Ramgoolam also expresses his concerns regarding private colleges. He claims to have had a meeting with several managers of private colleges and believes that we are heading towards a crisis on the eve of the general elections, due to the fault of the Minister of Education and her husband, who is at the head of the Private Secondary Education Authority (PSEA): “We will make proposals and undertake to review everything concerning secondary education, in particular the role of the PSEA. »

Position of opposition leader

Navin Ramgoolam criticizes the MSM's comments regarding the ongoing permutations around the position of opposition leader. According to him, the MSM ran a “communal” campaign when Shakeel Mohamed was initially appointed to take over the position in the absence of Arvin Boolell. And now that Arvin Boolell's return is imminent, the criticism is coming back with a vengeance. “This is the disgusting campaign that the MSM is waging. You can gain everything you can for yours. »

“Same day counting”

Richard Duval, who claims to be in favor of counting the ballots on the day of the elections, nevertheless believes that vigilance must be exercised when transferring the ballot boxes. He recalls the incidents that occurred during the last general elections, in particular the discovery of a ballot paper from constituency no. 1 (Port-Louis Ouest/Grande-Rivière-Nord-Ouest) in constituency no. 19 (Stanley/Rose -Hill). He also announced his intention to soon submit a parliamentary question on the possibility of installing surveillance cameras in counting centers.

Freight price

The 146% freight increase was also commented on by Richard Duval. According to him, this situation is leading more and more Mauritians to complain about the cost of living, in particular the price of medicines. In the same breath, he deplores the absence of price controls: “Kot mo pase lor koltar, dimounn plengn pri medikaman. »

Double Taxation Avoidance Convention

Paul Bérenger appeals to the government not to ratify the amendments to the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention with India. According to him, the Mauritian side did not consult the sector's operators “and once again, the offshore sector is paying the price for this government's incompetence”. “We also appeal to Lind to keep them informed all the time after the election,” he adds.

Chagos and Diego Garcia

For Paul Bérenger, it is clear that the English led Pravind Jugnauth and Maurice for a ride regarding the negotiations on Mauritius' sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago. The status quo on this issue simply testifies to the incompetence of the government, which he also accuses of total ignorance.