Bérenger Statements That Don't Survive A Fact-Check

1. I'm the real father of the economic miracle (2019). Ramgoolam also said the same thing in parliament a few weeks ago. The problem with this statement is that Bérenger was Finance Minister for only nine months as from June 1982 and alliance partners spent a lot of their time fighting which left very little time to hatch such a miracle. Plus Bérenger returned as FM between 2000 and 2003 during which time he presented not one but three budgets. We know what one of his colleagues had to say about the economy back then. And that there are problems with this notion of economic miracle.

2. Mauritius is the best managed country in the world (2003). That's what Bérenger repeated several times when he was PM. You need to wonder which yardsticks he was using to arrive at such a conclusion. 

3. We want to make Mauritius a beacon in the region (2014). That was said after the dangerous LP/MMM alliance was sealed. That alliance was based on three crazy things: replace our excellent Westminster system with a semi-Presidential system, add a dose of PR to our battle-tested FPTP system and appoint Sithanen as FM. We've seen what happened between the PM and the President in 2012 and around the time Mauritius turned 50. The problems with PR are well-documented and we don't want them especially when better solutions are available. And what to say of having Sithanen as Minister of Finance again?

4. France Telecom is the real deal (2000). A statement made when FT was in the process of buying 40% of Mauritius Telecom. At that time FT was one if not the most indebted company in the world. And it's not a secret that management practices at the French company were not exactly world-beating at that time.

5. The sugar industry is in mortal danger (2014). Sugar has been dead for a long time.

6. The rates of return on the IPP contracts are too high. 10% is good (2010). This was said after if was revealed that IPPs made annual returns in excess of 35% and that too without taking any risks. The process of determining a fair rate of return is well-established. Which risks does Bérenger think the 10% would be rewarding?

7. Mauritius is one of the rare countries to use the FPTP system (2023). Really?

 

8. Our FPTP electoral system is a curse (2023). The electoral system we have coupled with the BLS is the best electoral system in the world. 

   

9. Ramgoolam has provoked the Tamil-Mauritians by sidelining Sithanen (2010). Tamil-Mauritians are aware that Sithanen fried the economy between 2005 and 2010 and is probably the biggest electoral liability ever. We saw what happened to his political career since then.

10. We need the Chagos money to get out of the mess the MSM has thrown Mauritius into (2024). Statement made to the BBC. Well, we'll be receiving these funds but government has nevertheless moved the eligibility for old age pension from 60 to 65 years. Bérenger clearly has no idea of the mess we've been in since 2006 and its cause.

11. We made the rich pay so we could do the maximum for the poor (2025). Implementing a fair-share contribution to return to a more sustainable tax structure like it was before Sithanen started killing the economy with his 15% flat tax for a maximum of three years is no maximum. You should at least keep it literally forever. And we know the kind of effect snatching old age pension from 60 to 65 year-olds will have. We've been there before.

12. For a democrat like me who's been fighting to deepen our democracy for many years, the electoral reform proposed by the MSM which restores the numerical advantage produced by the FPTP is revolting (2018). Restoring the numerical advantage of the FPTP shows that the MSM understands electoral reform better than the MMM and surprisingly the Labour Party but their proposal would create all kinds of serious problems. I have proposed a much better solution based on thinking and writing about this topic since 2005. We know what should be done to deepen our democracy.

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Ramgoolam Statements That Don't Survive A Fact-Check

1. Your shopping trolley was full when I was PM (2023 onwards). Depends for whom. Let's see what the data shows.

2. When we were in power we didn't allow pump prices to go as high as they did on world markets (2024). The APM indeed reduced the volatility in oil prices. But let's see what happened when they crashed during the Great Recession.

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Demokrasi, meritokrasi ek Law & Order

1. En vre reform elektoral avek omwin 1/3 fam kom kandida dan eleksion zeneral. Vre reform la se sirtu sa mari kuyonad azut en doz PR dan nu system FPTP ki meyer sistem elektoral dan lemond pu ras en mari zarm depi dan lame ban elekter ki permet zot avoy ninport ki manb lasanble national dan karo kan dan en eleksion zeneral. Li pu osi permet ninport ki dirizan parti/minis fer mari dominer ek lepep e kone ki ena fort sans li revin dan parlman e mem kom minis pu kontinie kraz lepep.

2. Eleksion Prezidan par en kolez elektoral. Nu pa bizin sa la. Sirtu pu le moman. Nu ti truve ki AGF ti fer an 2018. Mazin u si li ti ena plis puvwar.

Subron Statements That Don't Survive A Fact-Check

1. We have reached the end of a cycle so we need a new constitution (2023 onwards). Bérenger and Ramgoolam have reached an advanced age and are way past the date they should have retired from active politics. Ramgoolam hasn't been looking healthy for quite some time – and he's been an unmitigated disaster as PM when he was – while Bérenger is seeing at least one ghost in Parliament. Subron is now a pensioner. Our constitution has not aged one bit though. It's still a national treasure that will serve us well for the next 100,000 years albeit with a few overdue additions. Subron seems to be confusing the cycles that a typical human goes through with our awesome constitution that was built to last many centuries. It's like the Hindu numerals, they have not gone out of fashion for the past 2,000 years. I don't know of anybody who wants their smartphone to run on Roman numerals.

2. Our FPTP system doesn't allow any new party to emerge (At least since 2010). 

Sis Kolos Travayis Ki Pa Ti Pu Vot Pu Navin

Maurice Curé. Listwar Parti Travayis (Ptr) kumans ar li. En lorea kin al apran medsin langleter, kin develop en bon klientel parmi ban nanti kan lin returne an 1913 me ki pa ti ditu kontan, Selvon ek Teelock rakont nu, kot so pei ti ete. Li ti ena osi ban klian dan vilaz e sa fer li trakase move kalite pu lasante travayer ler li truv zot leta. An 1934 li dan Konsey Guvernmantal kot pu so promie diskur li deman reprezantasion travayer dan sa konsey la e rekonesans muvman sindikal. Sitiasion telman dan dife ki sis mwa pa gayn letan pase e ala li pe fer ban nuvo revandikasion: pansion vieyes e ameliorasion kondision ban travayer lindistri sikriyer. 

Lagazet tret li de kominist e li perdi dan eleksion Zanvie 1936. Me li pa dekuraze u perdi letan. Mwa swivan, 88 banane zordi, le 23 Fevriye 1936 li organiz en miting dan San de Mars ansam ek Moutou, Sahadeo ek ankor pu fond pli gran parti dan listwar Moris. Ban miting e rasanbleman Ptr se ban seans pu edik ban gro laful dimun vit lor ban zafer estra inportan pu zot byinet e pu kre en vag progresis. Curé viktim telman represion ki li fayit e demisione depi Ptr an 1941. En lot kolos lamem pu pran labar.