Q. Mr President, the island is often qualified as the rainbow country, a small ‘United Nations’, due to the harmonious relations between the different communities and religions living side by side. We are nearing the new millennium, is Mauritius giving a message of hope to other nations who are destroying themselves?
A. If our country is recognised as a society where it is pleasant to live and is
often quoted as a model where peace and harmony prevail, this is thanks to the spirit of
tolerance that we have shown towards one another. The various components of the Mauritian
society have, over the years, learnt to understand and to respect each other.
To my mind, the survival of any society calls for the creation and the maintenance of
conditions of mutual trust and tolerance. There are positive attitudes that we need to
adopt if we want to avoid hatred and violence in society.
Today, we think more in terms of global village and world citizenship. Hence, our
neighbour is not only he who lives next door but also anywhere in the world. We therefore
need to know better all those who do not belong to our own ethnic group and religion.
Ignorance of other people’s culture breeds suspicion. We should be able to welcome
those who are different from us in the same way as we would receive those who belong to
our own ethnic group; we need to get rid ourselves of all prejudices against others. This
is the reason why, I keep emphasising the importance and the need to inculcate in our
children, right from their tender age, the notion of tolerance, love, mutual respect and
solidarity and to cultivate these systematically so that they eventually become a way of
life. If everyone of us adopted these simple basic principles, we would certainly help to
create a better world.
Q. Mauritius has undergone an extraordinary economic development. What have
been the key ingredients to that success according you?
A. We owe our economic success to our political stability, to our economic
pragmatism, to a strong leadership an a dynamic Private Sector as well as an educated and
adaptable workforce which have been instrumental in securing a sustained growth in various
sectors of our economy, and to the absence, over a long time, of natural calamities.
Another no less important factor is the population control campaign, which succeeded in
bringing down the rate of population growth to a manageable level.
We have succeeded in giving due importance to an integrated and balanced form of
economic and social policies. We must also not lose sight of the fact that our cultural
heritage has been instrumental in our social and economic development. A vibrant democracy
has also been one of our most precious assets – democracy is our way of life.
Mauritius, on the other hand, is one of the rare developing countries to be able to
boast of a high literacy rate and high standard of education. This privileged situation
has enabled us to acquire a versatile workforce, which can easily adapt itself to new and
changing production techniques.
We have always followed a policy of free enterprise, with a minimum intervention from
the state, which functions essentially as a facilitator. It is this policy, coupled with
social stability, which has encouraged foreign investment and which will continue to do so
in the years ahead, not to mention the numerous incentives the Government offers to
further encourage foreign investment.
If we wish to sustain this economic development, we should ensure that our institutions
function normally and that our sense of values do not wither away to the benefit of an
egocentric and materialistic outlook, as has been the case with certain societies which
have witnessed rapid economic development. We therefore have to ensure that Man continues
to be at the centre of economic development. To attain this goal, we have to work doubly
hard, as we live today in an increasingly competitive world and as productivity increases,
so should social justice.
Q. You are big a defender of public causes like schooling, poverty, how do you see the
future of Mauritius and what are your wishes?
A. I think that we are, in Mauritius, following a path which will eventually enable
our citizens, besides leading a comfortable life, to evolve in an environment which is
healthy, more caring and more fraternal, while at the same time developing culturally and
enjoying some leisure. My earnest hope is to contribute towards making of Mauritius a
modern country, where poverty would have been eliminated, as well as clean and united
country. Its transformation into a haven of peace could serve as a model to the countries
of our ancestors and to the multi-racial countries of the world. It should be possible to
strike the right balance between modernity and tradition.
| The measures being taken to combat poverty ought to enable us achieve the objective of
eliminating it by the year 2007.This goal of progress and development which we are aiming
at is however subject to the political will and the determination of Mauritius to ensure
that the country enjoys a healthy and stable social climate where the guiding principle
would be the respect of others with productivity, in all spheres, neither declining nor
stagnating, but constantly on the increase. We need to work towards making more inroads in
Information Technology which will inevitably lead to great changes in the general outlook
of our country in this era of huge technological strides which the world is experiencing.
Q. Mauritius is a member of several important international organisations, what is
according to you the role that Mauritius will have to play on both international and
regional level?
A. Mauritius today enjoys a prestigious position on the international scene. This
is due to the fact that our country has been able to extricate itself from
underdevelopment and carve a place in the midst of the few developing countries, which
have achieved a positive balance sheet. The image of excellence, which we have been trying
to project on the international scene, through responsible behaviour and good governance,
has also contributed to this good reputation. If it happens, as I think it will, that we
can maintain the tempo of our economic development and consolidate our democratic
institutions, Mauritius will certainly play an important role on the international scene.
We hope to have an influence on the decisions to be taken in the context of ACP/EU
relations. As you are aware, Mauritius is already playing a key role, within the ACP
group, in the negotiations, which will eventually lead to the renewal of the LOME
Convention.
Our small country cannot hope, in this post-GATT era, to be isolated from the rest of
an increasingly interdependent world in which competition is becoming more and more
severe. It is in our interest, to be a regional player so as to diversify our markets.
With the creation of regional economic groupings like COMESA, SADC and the Indian Ocean
Rim Association to which we belong, the countries of the region could envisage a common
economic destiny and promote trade relations among themselves. It is today essential for
us to look for new partners especially in the East of the Indian Ocean. We therefore have
to ensure that Mauritius plays a pivotal role within the regional organisation of the
Indian Ocean. We therefore have to ensure that Mauritius plays a pivotal role within the
regional organisation of the "Indian Ocean Rim Association", which it has helped
to create.
Q. As a final issue what would be your final message to our readers?
A. The Mauritian, intrinsically, is of a tolerant nature and is somebody who
appreciates and respects others with their qualities, virtues and weaknesses. He has an
innate sense of solidarity and is ever ready to come to the help of a weaker person.
He is quick to learn and knows how to make a judicious mix of tradition and modernity.
In this lies, in my view, the genius of the Mauritian workforce, and the reason to hope
that Mauritius is well on the way to transform itself in the near future in a "great
little country".
In short, Mauritius is an ideal place for tourists and investors alike and I should
like to invite your readers to come and see for themselves what we have to offer. |
