03
Leisure Activities
Travel
Trade The trade deficit for Mauritius has widened by 23% in June 2014, according to information released by Statistics Mauritius.
05
A senior official at Air Mauritius announced that it is increasing its flights on Chennai and Bangalore possibly from next May.
06
It seems that the dormant Waterpark located at Belle Mare could soon be revived as officials have said that they are currently ..............
mauritiusnow
SEPTEMBER 2014
Seascape
AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open
Two of Mauritius’ beaches acclaimed worldwide
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T
he beaches of Île aux Cerfs and l’Île Plate, situated on two different island belonging to the state of Mauritius were elected the most beautiful among 40 most beautiful beaches in the world by Minube in August 2014. According to a survey carried out by Minube, a
renowned travel planning site, beaches located at Île aux Cerfs and Île were classified among the best beaches in the world. This prestigious ranking were based on assessments of travellers and tourists who visited the island during the period of 2013 and 2014.
In addition, the sandy beach located at Île Plate was ranked on the sixth position whereas Île aux Cerfs stood at the fourteenth place. Grace Bay situated in the Caicos Island stood at the first place followed by the Navagio Beach in Greece. The Isola Dei Conigli, Italy, stood at the third place
closely followed by Jericoacoara of Brazil. The two above named islands are tourist’s areas that has consequently attracted thousands of tourists visiting the country since they became sightseeing and relaxing areas.
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02 mauritiusnow September 2014
Press Conference
Pravind Jugnauth criticized hypocrisy of Paul Berenger
“
Paul Berenger has said that it would be a disaster for the country if there is no alliance between the MMM and the PTR! There would certainly be a disaster if the two are to go together for the next polls”, urged Pravind Jugnauth, leader of the MSM during a press conference scheduled lately in August.
PTR has always been on an on and off mode”, stated Prajvind Jugnauth as he compared the endless discussions between Berenger and the PM as being like the Hindi serials broadcasted in India where they always say that the next episode will be the last one so that people make it a must to wait and watch for it.
The latter did not wait to bounce on the comments made by Paul Berenger during his press conference earlier on August 29 stating that Pravind Jugnauth is still a child and does not understand anything in politics.
Commenting on the latest twists with regards to the endless talks between Mr Berenger and Mr Ramgoolam, Pravind Jugnauth argued that the Leader of the Opposition is blinded by the love for Mr Ramgoolam.
However, the leader of the MSM has long criticized Paul Berenger for the latter’s hypocrisy and his petty talks with the Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam during his press conference at the Sun Trust Building in Port-Louis.
Pravind Jugnauth also took the opportunity to mock the central committees and political meeting of the MMM that has been revoked by Paul Berenger
“An alliance between the MMM and the
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Editor Eshan Badal
Journalists & Contributors Jamirouddin Yeadally Leevy Frivet Lock Sohodeb Amishta Sohoraye Ludmilla Iyavoo Priya N. Hein Will Mathieson Des Hegarty Kerry Hegarty Kabir Jeetoo Avinash Nankoosing Shazia Mowlabaccus Deeshen Ruttun
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hostage” by Paul Bérengerand Navin Ramgoolam, Pravind Jugnauth stated that the draft electoral reform has been replaced by the endless talks pertaining to a real alliance between the MMM and the MSM.
“The country has fallen on its knees due to the will of the Mr Berenger and Ramgoolam”, highlighted Pravind Jugnauth as he added that there is no leadership nor any vision and decision from both political giants to move the country forward.
Deploring once again the closure of Parliament and the “taking the country
PTR/MMM Alliance
Emblematic political parties to seal bond
T
he suspense ended at last as a PTR/MMM alliance is emerging on the horizon. Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has made an announcement to seal an alliance between his party (PTR) and the (MMM). This confirmation came from the PM during a much rushed press meeting on September 1st. Scheduled late in the evening at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), this press meeting was led only by the PM. Today I can say my deep appreciation to all the Mauritians out there as the two biggest parties in the country will now work together for a better future of
Mauritius”, said an apparently satisfied Prime Minister thus referring to Paul Berenger’s statements made shortly before the press conference as he said that both PTR and MMM have agreed on the terms of an alliance. Moreover, Prime Minister Ramgoolam added that: “just like the MMM, members of the PTR will meet on August 5 to ratify this alliance”. However, PM Ramgoolam concluded this statement without answering questions from the press who sought especially to know whether the elections are planned this year.
Politics Xavier Duval warns over Berenger becoming Prime Minister
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If ever Paul Berenger becomes the Prime Minister, he will ruin our lives”. Such were the comments made by the former Minister of Finance and Leader of the PMSD Xavier Duval during a congress in Rose Hill. Speaking on the PTR \ MMM alliance, he warned citizens over Paul Berenger’s history stating that if ever he becomes the PM, he will ruin the lives of many Mauritians as, according to him, the Leader of the MMM has a n authoritarian and totalitarian tendency. However, Mr Duval has strongly discouraged people that attended his congress to not vote for Paul Berenger and Ramgoolam.
“Under the circumstances, they should get 75% during the election”, urged Mr Duval. For Xavier Duval, he considers that it is very important that Paul Berenger and
Navin Ramgoolam are not elected at the head of the country in the coming polls in order to preserve the right to speak of citizens.
NEWS
mauritiusnow September 2014 03
Indian Ocean Summit Prime Minister pleads for economic cooperation
“
Mauritius would contribute for the organisation of the general elections in the Comoros in November 2014”, said Prime Minister, Navin Ramgooolam at the IOC Summit. Held on the 23rd of August in Moroni, Comoros, the 4thSummit of Heads of State and Government of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) saw a plethora of delegates and affluent politicians from the Indian Ocean. These included the President of Comoros, Ikililou Dhoinine, French President - Francois Hollande, Prime Minister of Mauritius – Navin Ramgoolam, President of the Seychelles - James Alix Michel and the President of Madagascar, Hery Rajaonarimampianina. The objective of this summit was to address issues pertaining to trade and cooperation between states located in the Indian Ocean. However, in his address at the Summit, Prime Minister Ramgoolam thus reiterated the island’s commitment at the level of IOC Member countries as he stressed that Mauritius would contribute for the organisation of the general elections in the Comoros in November 2014.
In addition, Cabinet has taken note that Government of Mauritius would make a contribution of USD 200 000 for the holding of elections in the Comoros. Prime Minister Ramgoolam also underlined the role of Mauritius as a regional hub for tourism and trade and as a gateway to Africa for Asian and European investors
General of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF). He thanked IOC Member States who have individually expressed their support forthe candidacy of Mr de l’Estrac. “Francophone African countries should team up to designate one Africanas the next General Secretary of the OIF. That
candidate would be the only way to ensure that African identity and specificities are taken into account at the OIF”, highlighted Mr Ramgoolam. For his part, the Secretary General of the IOC, Jean-Claude de l’Estrac, presented a report outlining the future projects of the Indian Ocean Commission.
Furthermore, has said the Prime Minister, Mauritius will lead the round table to discuss on the oceans and biodiversity which is in line with the Blue Economy project of Mauritius at the conference on Small Island Developing States(SIDS) to be held in Samoa in early September 2014. Touching on the topic in relation with the concept of Indiaoceanie, the Prime Minister raised the need for a synergy among Member countries to work collectively for the overall development of the Indian Ocean region as he made reference to the new SSR terminal as an instrument at the service of Indiaocéanie. The Prime Minister also invited the IOC to formally support the candidacy of JeanClaude de l’Estrac to the post of Secretary
Trade
Deficit amounted to Rs 6 292 million in June
T
he trade deficit for Mauritius has widened by 23% in June 2014, according to information released by Statistics Mauritius. Trade deficit has showed a deficit of Rs 6,292 million in June 2014 higher by 22.1% compared to the previous month and by 23.0% compared to the corresponding month of the previous year. The report pointed out that the main items that contributed to the rise in imports for June 2014 were mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials with Rs 3,557 million, compared to last month where it were set at Rs 2,284 million. The figures indicated that total imports rose by 10.4% in June this year compared to May 2014 and by 11.6% compared to June 2013. Compared to 2013 at the same period, data has shown a decrease of Rs 172 million, but compared to May 2014, it has showed a major increase of Rs 1,273 million, where in May 2014 mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials were set at Rs 2,284 million. In regards to machinery and transport equipment which came second under the import section, were set at Rs 3, 274 million, compared to June 2013, where an increase of Rs 1,060 million was noted.
Finally, food and live animals were set at Rs 2,362 million, which is a rise of Rs 73 million compared to last month, May 2014. Furthermore, compared to June 2013, it shows a net increase as it was set at Rs 2, 120 million. In June 2014, total exports climbed up by 3.2% compared to the previous month and by 4.4% compared to June 2013. The most exported products were miscellaneous manufactured articles with
Rs 2,883 million at the end of June 2014, and show an increase of Rs 226 million compared to May 2014. Compared to June 2013, an increase of Rs 233 million was also registered where last year, miscellaneous manufactured articles were set at Rs 2,650 million. Food and live animals, which is the second most exported product, has shown a decrease of Rs 150 million to be set at Rs 2,147 million at the end of June 2014,
compared to last year at the same period where a major decrease was registered and thus food and live animals was set at Rs 2,648 million. Finally, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, United States of America and France were the major exports destinations in June 2014, while imports were mainly from India, China, France and South Africa with 26.2 %, 16.2%, 7.0% and 6.2 % respectively.
NEWS
04 mauritiusnow September 2014
Double Taxation Agreement
Politics Press faces PM’s anger!
T
he Prime Minsiter, Navin Ramgoolam launched a tirade against the press at a dinner at the Islamic Cultural Centre (ICC) in Plaine Verte. He said that the press is only worried about money and not about publishing worthy news. “For the press in money, money is what is the important thing”, said a furious Prime Minister during his welcoming speech at the ICC, thus, referring to the publications of photographs in l’express showing him exchanging some few sega steps with businesswoman, Nandanee Soornack. Prime Minister Ramgoolam stated that the press do not want a right to information but rather is more concentrated to make money.
the President of the United States, Barack Obama that the US must be on the right side of history, during his visit to the US lately. Navin Ramgoolam also announced the establishing of a committee that will be headed by Finance Secretary, Dev Manraj, to regulate the status of religious Muslim marriages that took place between 1987 and 1990.
Mauritius updates tax treaty with Rwanda
F
ollowing the suspension of the Double Tax Treaty Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) signed in 2001 with the Republic of Rwanda, the state of Mauritius has re-negotiated the DTAA with this particular country located in the mainland of Africa. To this fact, a new DTAA which were signed between both countries recently came into force on the 4th of August after the completion of necessary internal procedures by both countries. As a reminder, DTAA allows the levying
of tax by two or more jurisdictions on the same declared income (in the case of income taxes), asset (in the case of capital taxes), or financial transaction (in the case of sales taxes). This double liability is often mitigated by tax treaties between countries. According to local authorities, such an endeavour from the Mauritian side could be explained by the fact that the DTAA with Rwanda has not been revived since its inception in early 2000’s.
Apart from launching tirade against the local press, the PM also criticized the international press for it coverage on the Israeli-Gaza conflict thus claiming that the media is controlled. “Instead of informing the mass, the media distort the information and believe that they can manipulate people”, urged Prime Minister Ramgoolam. He went on to argue that the Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves and their land from being attacked and whenever they do it, they are treated and called as being terrorists. Prime Minister also said that he has urged
Education
Mauritius Model African Union Summit: Forging tomorrow’s leaders
M
ore than 250 Mauritian students as well as a myriad of African and Indian nationalities from ten public and private tertiary institutions took part in the first edition of the Model African Union (AU) Summit held on 19 and 20 August 2014 at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute. Organised for the first time in Mauritius by the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology in collaboration with the African Union Southern Africa Regional Office (AUSARO), this event had as objective to prepare tertiary institutions students as tomorrow’s leaders, policy makers and diplomats. Issues relevant to Africa namely; agriculture, peace and security, environment and climate change, education, among others, were discussed during the two days. The Minister of Tertiary Education, Dr Rajesh Jeetah, stated that the two-day event was a resounding success with the positive level of debate and the depth of discussions. “It is important to enable young people to focus on the development of Africa, its
major concerns and priorities as well as its integration policies”, said Dr Jeetah. He further added that, he called on AU-SARO to enable best delegates from Model AU Summit to participate in forthcoming summits in other countries with a view of developing a network of young people on the continent. In simulating the real AU Summit, students were called upon to play the roles of delegates representing the 54 AU member states, chairpersons/co-chairs of the committee and assembly sessions, rapporteurs, security officers, floor officers as well as press officers. They were thus able to learn of the system of deliberation in the AU, the implementation of resolutions as well as the linkages of the AU with other international bilateral and multilateral agencies. The Ambassador of AU, and Regional Delegate to Southern Africa, Dr Salif Sada Sall, said that he was impressed by the passion, skills and abilities of the participants as well as the effectiveness of the local organisation committee.
“In Mauritius, the holding of the Model AU Summit has been unique because it has involved the participation of both public and private tertiary institutions and because of the diversity and skills of the participants”, said Dr. Sall.
The AU-SARO, was founded in 2001 to foster collaborations among AU member states and organisations within the 14 countries it represents. One of its main mandates is to create awareness of the AU.
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mauritiusnow September 2014 05
Travel Air Mauritius to increase flight frequency on Chennai and Bangalore
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senior official at Air Mauritius announced that it is increasing its flights on Chennai and Bangalore possibly from next May. This endeavour from Air Mauritius is, according to the official, because of the growing number of Indians visiting the island.
week,” said Vinith G, manager-India and South Asian Sub-Continent.
“We may increase the flight frequency from Chennai and Bangalore possibly from next May onwards from the current once a
“On their return journey, people go to Dubai first. From Dubai they comeback to India,” Vinith said by agreeing that Air Mauritius enjoys monopoly in direct flights
Even though Hyderabad and Kolkata offer good potential, the traffic load is not sufficient to fill up the Mauritian airline’s A330 aircrafts, according to Vinith.
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to the island. According to him, the Dubai-based Emirates represent competition for Air Mauritius as the airline carries Indians back home. The annual load factor for Air Mauritius out of India is around 82 percent and that the corporate travellers flying on their company’s expenses make use of the 24-business class seats.
“Indians fly economy class when they bear the flight cost and business class on official trips,” he said. According to the annual report, Air India and Air Mauritius are currently working to enhance the present cooperation by developing into a free flow codeshare, and its scope will cover domestic codeshare in India.
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06 mauritiusnow September 2014
Demographics
Statistics shows rise in population
Y
against 12.1 in 2013.
ear by year, the number of inhabitants on the island is increasing. Statistics Mauritius has revealed a rise in the number of people living in Mauritius and on islands governed by the state, in its recent report published during the week ending August.
“Some 13 610 live births are expected for the year 2014 whereas crude birth rate works out to 10. 8 per 1 000 mid-year population in 2014 compared to 10 .9 in 2013”, highlighted the report.
Figures have shown a rise of 0.2% in the number of Mauritian inhabitants for the year 2014.
On the other hand, the report also mentioned that some 4 660 deaths were registered during the first six months of 2014, thus, stating showing some 98 more than the corresponding period in 2013.
“About 9,640 deaths are expected for the year 2014, resulting in a crude death rate of 7.6 per 1,000 mid-year population compared to 7.5 in 2013”, stated report. However, infant deaths registered during the period January to June 2014 was 104 against 83 for the same period in 2013. About 198 infant deaths are estimated for the year 2014, resulting in an infant mortality rate of 14.5 per 1,000 live births,
The report also highlighted that the number of marriages registered from January to June 2014 was 4 709 compared to 4 387 for the same period in 2013. “About 10,270 marriages are expected for the year 2014. The crude marriage rate works out to 16.3 persons married per 1,000 mid-year population against 15.2 in 2013”, noted report.
The Republic of Mauritius hosted 2 281 residents since the beginning of the year, thus, bringing the total number of inhabitants from 1, 258, 927 compared to 1, 261, 208 as at 1st July 2013. In its demographic report, SM pointed out that the island of Mauritius constituted of 1, 219, 265 people, Rodrigues (41, 669) and other islands belonging to Mauritius (274). The report further highlighted that the population density of Mauritius was around 618 persons per square kilometre as at 01st July 2014. Furthermore, it pointed out that the number of live births registered during the first semester of 2014 was 6 955 compared to 6 949 registered during the first semester of 2013.
Transport
Unionists say no to 19% salary rise
A
shok Subron, negotiator for the United Bus Industry Worker’s (UBIW) condemned the Cabinet decision to grant public transport workers in the bus sector a 19% salary rise. The General Workers Federation has also condemned this decision emanating from the Prime Minister’s Office. The UBIW thought to have recourse to a vote by secret ballot and afterwards to give the green go to its members for a general strike in the transport sector. This initiative from the UBIW could best be explained by the fact that workers in that particular sector have not received salary rise for the past ten years. Ashok Subron has said that unionists are not satisfied over the recommendations of the National Remuneration Board as it proposed 10% risk allowance to bus drivers and receivers and the suggestion to offer annual allocations to workers who have completed more than ten years of service. However, this point neither was raised in the Cabinet Decision of the PMO, according to Mr Subron.
He has warned the government and concerned authorities of a general strike in the transport sector if the demands of those concerned employees, that is a rise in salary ranging from 7 to 34% in different categories of employment, is not taken into consideration. Minister of Labour, Shakeel Mohamed has said that bus companies will be unable to absorb the estimated cost Rs 440 million for entire industry. He, however, argued that it would be illegal to grant a further increase to employees in this particular sector.
Leisure Activities
Waterpark to be reborn from closure
I
t seems that the dormant Waterpark located at Belle Mare could soon be revived as officials have said that they are currently in an advanced negotiation with some Dubai investors for a strategic partnership which should allow the relaunching of activities at this leisure centre. For the record, the Waterpark had to shut down its doors following the deaths of two which occurred in the swimming pool at the end of 2013. The Mauritian Government had ordered the immediate administrative closure of the site of
the recreation park of the Waterpark aftermath this tragic incident. According to official sources, interested investors have thus already travelled several times to Mauritius for negotiations to become a strategic partner of this recreational site and to start activities. It has been said that the new infrastructure should thus be built in the heart of the Waterpark and the construction of a hotel establishment has also been forward.
mauritiusnow September 2014 07
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08 mauritiusnow September 2014
Spinal Disorder
KKT opens clinic in Phoenix
O
ften described as the “scourge of the century”, back pains and related disorders have always frustrated patients and kept doctors in dilemma with regards to providing a remedy. With the advancement of technology and kinetic treatment have emerged a ray of hope for those suffering from it. To enable local citizens to have recourse to such treatment, KKT international opened a clinic in Phoenix, the launching ceremony taking place on August 26th, in the presence of Ministers Suren Dayal and Cader SayedHossen. The KKT Orthopaedic Spine Centre proposes the Khan Kinetic Treatment (KKT), which makes use of special machines that allow to realign the spine and delay its aging, as well as to better position intervertebral discs. The treatment, developed by Dr Aslam Khan, is being provided in Mauritius by
Dr Reebye. “This treatment does not imply surgery or injection. It is painless and non-invasive,” pointed out Dr Reebye in his address during the launching ceremony of the clinic.
According to statistical analyses, the Mauritian Government should pay Rs 18.7 billion to an increasing figure of old age
T
he department of Foreign Investment of the Ministry of planning and investment of Vietnam said it has received eight projects from investors in Africa including Mauritius to the tune of dome 30.3 million dollars of capital for the first six months of the year 2014. Mauritius has developed a project of 15 million dollars to Vietnam while on the other hand, the Seychelles have engaged 15.1 million dollars’ worth of projects in the country.
“We send them x-ray reports that they analyse before commending any kind of treatment. It is at the level of the Canadian KKT Orthopaedic Spine Centre that the number of sessions that will be required for a patient is decided,” underlined Dr Reebye.
According to Africa Inside, nine African countries have invested 79 projects for 313 million dollars of capital in Vietnam as
He also stated that the clinic will soon embark on organising outreach programs throughout the island.
Government should disburse Rs 18.7 billion by 2053
L
Mauritius positions itself
He added that the KKT treatment comprises 12 sessions of 15 minutes each, and is carried out under instruction from the parent company based in Canada.
Old Age Pension
ocal authorities have unlocked some Rs 8.7 billion in 2013 for the universal old age pension payment, thus, showing a 9.5% increase from the 2012 budget. However? It worth to point out that there are 177 721 beneficiaries on the island that are currently receiving payment of their basic pension.
Investment in Vietnam
citizens (356 000) by 2053. As a reminder, seniors accounted for 12% of the local population in 2012 with 154 369 persons over 60 years identified. In some 40 years, the Ministry of health of Mauritius has forecasted that 30% of the local population will be over 60 years which is nearly a third of the Mauritian population, with a life expectancy of 80 years for women and 75 years for men.
at June 2014. Mauritius is committed among other areas of textile and garments, livestock, aquatic products processing and wood in Vietnam. Mauritian authorities have expressed their wish to sign a double taxation treaty with their Vietnamese counterparts to intensify trade flows of investment between Hanoi and Port-Louis. At the level of bilateral trade, Mauritius and Vietnam exchange goods to the tune of 120 million dollars, of which 72.7 million dollars relate to Vietnamese exports for the period 2013.
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mauritiusnow September 2014 09
Concert
Spirituality
“
“
Local fans warm up to welcome “La Fouine”
A sick show”. This is what Mauritian fans are hoping from La Fouine to perform on stage in October. The French rapper, La Fouine has promised his fans an exceptional 3 hour show. The popular French rapper of Moroccan origin will perform on stage at l’Aventure du Sucre, Beau-Plan on Friday, October 17, 2014 at 9 p.m. Laouni Mouhid known by his stage name La Fouine was born in Trappes, Yvelines, in France. The Rapper was voted as being the Best French artist at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2011 and 2013. La Fouine last album “Team BS” has already hit record sales (50 000) since late June 2014 and five months after its release. The rapper also owns his own record label, Banlieue Sale Music, and his own clothing line called “Street Swagg”.
Father Maurice Labour
Religious men should be allowed to speak up’, has urged Father Jean Maurice Labour, Vicar General, in his address during a mass given in honour of Saint Louis in the Saint Louis Cathedral. For he believes the roles and duties of religious men predispose them to the understanding of social problems. Several members of the parliament including the Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam and Leader of the Opposition, Paul Berenger attended the ceremony.# Commenting on the Christians are living nowadays, Father Labour stated that; “the greatest challenge facing Christians across the globe is one of living together’. According to him, there is an absence of intercultural activities that could allow people from different religions to het more acquainted with each other’s religious teachings. However, Father Labour added that the Council of Religions in collaboration with
the University of Mauritius (UOM) has taken the step forward to provide courses on peace and interfaith. On the other hand, he urged politicians to follow the example of Saint Louis who was deeply committed to religious principles as Father Labour believed that Saint Louis could be a source of inspiration for both politicians and religious men.
NEWS
10 mauritiusnow September 2014
Celebrations
Trade
Local fruits in high demand in Europe
M
auritius has leapfrogged in the exportation of local fruits to European market. According to official figures from the ministry, the island should be able to export 2 500 tons of fruits this year compared to 900 tons six years back.
Birth of Lord Ganesh marked in Mauritius
market. On the other hand, the ministry strongly believes that the 2 500 tons of fruits exportation could be exceeded if ever this trend is maintained for the end of 2014.
However, local fruits exportation amounted to some 2 209 tons in 2013, pointed out report.
It is worth to highlight that professionals in the sector are now also considering substantial fruits for export shipments to new markets like Asia and the Middle-East.
Fruits such as pineapples, lychees, mangoes, passion fruit and breadfruit are thus in high demand from traders and consumers throughout the European
As a reminder, the Mauritian Government contributed in giving a push to the sector by providing a grant of Rs 3.50 per kilogram of exported fruit by local traders.
H
indu community of Marathi origin religiously celebrated on August 30 the birth of Lord Ganesh, son of Supreme Lord Shiva and Parvati. The deity with the head of elephant that characterises for the devotees, wisdom, intelligence and education was celebrated during Ganesh Chaturthi (holiday in Mauritius) in the temples of the island after 30 days of fasting.
An array of colourful processions marched from temples to the seashores and rivers of Mauritius to immersed Lord Ganesh in water in order to perpetuate the cycle of creation and of the dissolution in nature of all evils. A series of cultural activities took place during the week to mark the annual event animated with songs, dances and offerings to Lord Ganesha.
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mauritiusnow September 2014 11
Environment
UK to assist Mauritius in 2050 Pathways Calculator to address climate change
M
auritius’ ambition of moving to a more sustainable and greener island seem to gain momentum as the United Kingdom has agreed to give a push to release strategy to this endeavour. To this effect, a grant was signed between the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the development of a 2050 Pathways Calculator for Mauritius Witnessed by the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Devanand Virahsawmy, and the British High Commissioner Jonathan Drew, this strategy was developed by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) with an objective to allow countries to answer the fundamental questions of how far emissions could be reduced and energy needs be met.
terms of greenhouse gas emission reduction”, stated Mr Drew during the grant signing ceremony that took place at the seat of the ministry in Port-Louis.
presenting a strategic framework to discuss some of the options available and the choices and trade-offs that will have to be made over the next 40 years.
For his part, Minister Virahsawmy underlined that Government has placed both mitigation and adaptation to climate change high on its agenda.
Commenting on this endeavour, Jonathan Drew stated that global warming and its consequences is the most serious threat we face today and we must take action now.
According to him, climate change mitigation is also an integral part of the sustainable development model through the Maurice Ile Durable (MID) concept.
According to High Commissioner Drew, the UK DECC will assist Mauritius mainly in terms of capacity building on the formulation and use of the 2050 Pathways Calculator. “It will also support the country in the quantification of mitigation actions in
For the record, the 2050 Pathways Calculator will help the island in
Petrol
Leisure
Chamarel eco-tourism Park takes shape
A
Named as Ebony Forest, this multi million project has been derived based on the initiative Owen Griffiths, an Australian biologist. According to the government, the total estimated cost of the project should vary around Rs 40 million and would have as objective to preserve the fauna and flora of Mauritius.
He also expressed his delight that Mauritius is taking an active role in addressing the issue of climate change, especially through the MID project.
“Government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to address the adverse impacts of climate change and enhance the resilience of the population”, highlighted the Minister in his address.
“The shift to green and low carbon development is also an important stepping stone to mitigate climate change”, stressed Minister Virahsawmy as he added that Mauritius aims to achieve the national target of 35% renewable energy by 2025.
s Mauritius has affirmed itself with the ‘Maurice Ile Durable’ project since some years, government took the decision to construct an eco-tourism park at Chamarel. To this fact, it is believed that concerned authorities will start works relating to this project in September 2014.
“We are all vulnerable to the forces of nature and we all have a part to play in the challenges we face”, affirmed Mr Drew.
With an area of 28 acres of land, the project will also serve as sanctuary to thousands of indigenous trees such as Ebony wood, Tamaka, Bois clou Bois de pomme and birds namely, the Paille-enqueue and the Rooster Hood. 100, 00 native plants have been spotted to be planted in various corners in the Ebony Forest. The project will also accommodate a Museum and an educational component will enable schoolchildren, students and tourists to acquire scientific knowledge on the subject and to be aware of the preservation of wildlife and flora of Mauritius via managed specific courses.
Government revised prices downwards
P
etrol prices in Mauritius went down for the first time in August 2014 since March 2013. The Petroleum Pricing Committee (PPC) decided to fix the retail prices of Mogas and Gas Oil at Rs 50.15 and Rs 41.9 per litre from Rs 52.25 and Rs 43.95 respectively. Since 2004 the PPC has calculated price adjustments based on thresholds in a bid to bring about a change in prices of petrol
in Mauritius. The average value for petrol prices for Mauritius from 19 May to 25 August 2014 was 1.38 US Dollar with a minimum of 1.32 US Dollar on 25-Aug-2014 and a maximum of 1.38 US Dollar on 19-May2014. For comparison, the average price of diesel in the world for this period is 1.19 US Dollar.
NEWS
12 mauritiusnow September 2014
Harsh Punishment
CCM fined brewing companies over collusion
T
wo Mauritius’ major brewing company, Phoenix & Stag Beverages were both slapped with Rs 26.87 penalty by the Competition Commission of Mauritius (CCM) as they both were found guilty of collusion in August. Upon CCM enquiry led under the supervision of CEO Kiran Meetarbhan, has found that the two companies were guilty and has recommended to the Commission that financial penalties be imposed on Phoenix Beverages Ltd and Stag Beverages Ltd in view of their having colluded over beer supply in Mauritius. Enquiries have shown that there was a strong possibility that the two brewing companies had agreed to share the beer market in Mauritius and restrict the supply of beer market throughout Mauritius. Phoenix Beverages Ltd has been subjected to a financial penalty for breach of provisions under section 41 of the Act of Rs 20.30 million, subject to its continued co-operation with the CCM and
compliance with its undertakings whereas a financial penalty of Rs 6.58 million was imposed on Stag Beverages Ltd for breach of the provisions under the same act. The CMM highlighted in its media release that; “this would be in addition to the imposition of directions pursuant to a potential collusive agreement that may exist between the two brewing companies”.
curtailed. “This is the first cartel investigation in which a financial penalty has been imposed. It is worth noting that the financial penalty is a reduced amount, because one of the parties took the
The CCM considered that the breach is of a serious nature and that the agreement may have already caused significant harm to competition between companies involved in the process of beer making in the island. CEO Kiran Meetarbhan thus highlighted in the communiqué published on the CCM’s website that they hope that by imposing several directions on the parties, the damage on competition in the beer market in Mauritius through the exit of Stag Beverages Limited will to a large extent be
Food
D
T
WHO validates national plan for Mauritius
Dr. Gachar undertook a visit to Mauritius during the beginning of August at the request of local health authorities. Health authorities have said that they have taken all the precautionary measures to against the spread of the Ebola virus as they said that they have been monitoring all entries into Mauritius with the help of thermal cameras installed in places like the SSR International
According to her, leniency is internationally recognised as the best means of cartel detection and prosecution.
However, the CCM ordered that the respective financial penalties must be paid within 25 working days of this decision on the 23rd of August.
Prevention of Ebola
r. Wilson Gafar, Kenyan expert from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that he was satisfied over the measures that Mauritius has taken against the possibility of a spread of the haemorrhagic fever Ebola which has hit hard the western coast of Africa recently.
benefit of the provisions regarding leniency,” Kiran Meetarbhan stressed.
Airport and the port. The national prevention plan that strengthens the health monitoring of entries at the airport as well as within the port and put infrastructure in place under the authority of the office of the Prime Minister has been validated by the expert from the WHO. Mauritius has already received 4000 protective equipment body for hospital staff who would be in charge of possible Ebola cases. The Ministry has also said that it has accommodated spaces for two insulations rooms located at the Souillac Hospital to take care of possible infected patients.
Dr. Wilson Gafar, Kenyan expert from the World Health Organisation (WHO) together with the Minister of Health, Lormus Bundhoo
Mauritius aims for large-scale rice production
he Rose Belle Sugar Estate group in collaboration with a Singaporean company and its local subsidiary Vita Rice Limited want to further develop its rice crops in Mauritius. This endeavour has as objective to better introduce its crops to the local market as well as for exportation. Planted on nearly 330 hectares at Rose Belle in the South of Mauritius, this rice
less caloric in sugar with a low glucose and suitable for diabetics - should soon see its area increased by 170 hectares. However, government has encouraged planters who have abandoned their fields of sugar cane to invest in a program in order to reach for 2 000 hectares of rice grown in Mauritius.
TOURISM
mauritiusnow September 2014 13
Tourism Employment in slight decline despite a growth in activities
W
hile tourist arrivals in Mauritius have experienced an increase of 4.3% from January to July 2014 in the wake of the growth of 2.9% in 2013, the number of employees working in the sector of tourism within the hotels and tour operators companies in Mauritius is on its side down between 2012 and 2013. They were thus 28 387 people working in this sector of activity in 2012 against 28 356 in 2013. According to economists, this slight decrease while the activity is growing can be explained mainly by the fact that tourists spend less and which would
require the tourism actors to reduce their staffs. As a reminder, 572 632 tourists disembarked on the island against 549 038 passengers in 2013 from January to July 2014. For the record, tourist arrivals in Mauritius have registered a growth of 2.9% last year with 993 106 visitors registered. However, Statistics Mauritius still aimed for an increase of tourist arrivals in 2014 (3.7%) and is expecting approximately 1 030 000 travellers who should visit Mauritius this year.
Money Revenues in the tourism sector up to 2.4%
M
auritius tourism revenues have gone up 2.4% in first half of 2014. According to Statistics Mauritius (SM), the main reason behind this rise in revenues has been attributed to the risingg tide of Chinese visitors on the island. SM has indicated that tourist numbers have also taken the high tide, rising 4% to 490 697, mainly driven by a growth of 86.9% in visitors from China. The massive flood of visitors from “the East� to Mauritius has propelled tourism revenues to Rs 22.57 billion in the first half of 2014, has estimated the Bank of Mauritius estimates. According to the central bank, this figure represent a rise of 2.4% over the corresponding period of 2013. But, as the number of tourists have flooded to the shores of the island, SM
noted that tourism earnings per tourist declined by 1.6% from Rs 46 760 to Rs 46 010. The reason could be explained due to a higher increase in the number of tourists at 4%, highlighted the report. Local authorities, however, have hoped that the rising tide of Chinese tourists will make up for the drying stream of visitors from Europe and US, as the countries from these regions are slowly and painfully emerging from the global financial crisis.
Data have also showed that in spite of a decrease of 4.3%, France remained the top tourist generating country and contributed 24.2% of all tourist arrivals in the first half of 2014. In addition, the island when compared to rival destinations in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka and Maldives registered doubledigit growth rates of 24.6% and 11.1%
Accordingly, there was barely a 0.8% rise in tourists to the island from Europe, which have inched up to 266 295 in the first six months of 2014, but continued to comprise more than half the total visitors to the island economy in the first six months of the year.
Tourism Mauritius elected as Best All-Season International Destination
T
he island of Mauritius continues to attract and seduce Indian tourists. Its pristine beaches, world class-resorts and lavish landscapes are wooing more and more Indian tourists to choose the island for weddings and other ceremonies. To this fact, Mauritius has won the Best All-Season International Destination for TODAY’S TRAVELLER AWARD 2014 under the International Tourism category. As far as the award is concerned, a ceremony will be held in the capital-city of India, Delhi, on the 16th of September 2014 where it is believed that the Director of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion
Authority (MTPA), Karl Mootoosamy, will receive the prestigious trophy from chief guest, Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of Tourism & Culture for India. The destination has also built its reputation on the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) segment, and to further penetrate this market, Mauritius participates actively with the travel trade partners in several wedding fairs and road shows. Mauritius has become famous in the Indian market for the myriad of weddings, engagements and birthday ceremonies
that have been recently organised on the island. In addition, tourism arrivals from India registered a growth rate of 3, 7% in 2013. According to official figures, 57 255 Indian tourists, made up of mostly honeymooners and holidaymakers, visited Mauritius last year, compared to 55 197 in 2012. For 2014, authorities are expecting a growth in figures as they believe more than 60 000 Indian tourists could visit the island.
respectively while Seychelles experienced a 1.5% dip. Figures have showed that in the first semester of 2014, 13 cruise ships arrived in the country and carried some 19 702 cruise travellers made up of 1 927 tourists, 10 889 excursionists and 6 886 crew members.
ARTS & CULTURE
14 mauritiusnow September 2014
Mauritius Now Arts & Culture Editor Pritish Beesooa unleashes the British writing season, showcasing the multitude of Diaspora writing concerning the vibrant nature of multicultural Britain. In this month’s edition, we explore the turbulent mind of up and coming Italian novelist Crugi Smear and his rumbling misfortunes in the city of London ... ... ...
Thump, Thump! went the beat inside the apse. The low drone filled the air with its humming and throbbing, while a portentous soprano voice emerged from the mellow choir. Like a dragonfly, it wiggled its head out from the surface of a lush pond. It was a glorious chorus of joy that chanted about the beauty of acceptance and welcoming of the Word. Since I had a word or two to tell the congregation, I went in assuming I'd be welcomed. Yet, faaar from it. I introduced myself to the nice chap standing by the main gate of the church as a special emissary of the Acoustics Association. I was there to inspect the site on behalf of the Neighbours' Initiative to Cull Enmity (NICE). He did not seem to think much of it. As a matter of fact, he just looked at me with his empty, veiled eyes and kept on puffing his cigarette. I took that for a goahead, and so I went inside. I remember from when I was a kid in catholicism-ridden Italy that churches were mainly momentary containers for old disgruntled fur-laden ladies in their seventies who thought the world and the people around them were scheming either to rape them or to steal their pensions. But here, awash in the bright coloured lights from the glass-stained windows, the half-heartedly grand architecture displayed a lively and excited crowd who jumped on their feet to show their joy. And so I did so too and, meaning to show that I was having a really good time, I tried to grab a couple of partners on the way, sort of flirty phishing, but they all refused for reason that may have to do with rules. There are rules for joy too!
A reverend man wearing a white band below his pummel came to me. He seemed worried:
“Do you need any help?” “Do you have any cocktails around here?” -
CRUGI SMEAR Save the Children A short story about faith, blind faith & London
“I won't cant! I just want to make a point!” - I tried to protest. “Oh please let him talk!” - pleaded an ecstatic black woman who happened to overhear us right there where we were at the back of the worshipping flock. “I beg you let him speak his mind, let Jesus fill his mouth with words of wisdom for us all!” She pleaded with her eyes too and, clearly against the will of the man, all of a sudden she took me by the hand and started to lead me. I looked at him as if I was excusing myself, and she led me through the mayhem of the jubilating crowd up to a microphone that stood solitary next to the altar. The band was pumping notes like the world would collapse had they ever stopped. I turned to look at them, and since I was there, I went to shake my bones a little near the source. I almost fell stumbling on a cable. The soprano was twittering the final note from 'God Forfend I Should Judge My Brothers and Sisters', when her gaze fell on me, and she stopped. Her jaw dropped. The band shut down. Eventually the dancing froze and the only thing that was left for me to do was to go up to the mic and speak up. I cleared my voice and began:
“Dear fellow citizens of this lurid scheme that is called world, brothers and sisters, reverends and less so...” - I searched the eyes of the audience:
puzzlement.
“I am grateful to Gertrude…” - I pointed to her, and the sympathetic black woman smiled at me and encouraged me to go on. The reverend stood next to her and seemed very tense and in a hurry. “I thank you for this opportunity to speak in public about issues that affect our neighbourhood.” Gertrude kept smiling at me. The reverend less so.
I asked innocently. The party was definitely lacking something.
“I'm sorry, but this a place for worship, not recreation.” He took me by the arm and hustled me towards the entrance. He was dead serious by now. When we halted by the gate, as he waited for me to leave, I turned to him and said:
“But, before I forget, I have something to say to the congregation!” “No you can't!” - replied the reverend man, pretty arrogantly if you ask me.
“I and all my esteemed colleagues from the street would like to thank you all for your kind entertainment and the genuine improvement that you've achieved in terms of quality of music and quality of dancing.” A murmur was heard from the crowd. A couple of people had a pinch of doubtfulness in their eyes and a bit of a muted jeering too, I could tell.
“HAIL TO JESUS!” - I burst out, me being at a loss of devices to lure the crowd
with, really.
Elevating
the profi profile le of
Mauritius in the UK
T
he 2014 edition of the Mauritian Open Air Festival has underlined the event’s status as the biggest gathering of the Mauritian diaspora in the world, outside the country itself. The sixth edition attracted around 15,000 people to Down Park Lane in North London on a sunny afternoon in early August, more than double the number when the event was first staged just six years ago. And to put this remarkable growth into perspective, this crowd number puts the event among the premier tier day festivals to be staged in London, alongside rock and dance music equivalents. One of the event organisers, Eshan Badal said this year had been the biggest and best edition yet: “This event has gone from one extreme to the other; this year we’ve almost outgrown Down Lane Park and we’re contemplating whether we have to move because demand has become so massive. “The attraction of the festival has always been Mauritius, but now we find that it’s not just Mauritians turning up, but a lot of people that have heard about Mauritius and want to find out more about Mauritius. So they come along to experience the food, the music, the dance...”
Eshan explained that, through ticket purchase monitoring, the Festival were able to monitor the geographical distribution of festival-goers and they were pleasantly surprised to find people coming from across the UK and Europe.
And to underline the event’s pervasion into the public consciousness, this year’s festival was visited by BBC Africa, while celebrities including David Lammy and Rav Wilding were connecting with hundreds of thousands on social media to publicise the event; it truly has gone global in its scope. This year showcased one of the best festival lineups in its history. Contemporary megastars Alain Ramanisium and Laura Beg headlined the festival with their closing set, and as Eshan put it, although they finished at 8pm, “everyone in the crowd would have happily carried on until midday the next day if they could!” These stars of today were joined by living legend Jean Claude Gaspard, who chose the Festival to bow out of music after a stunning 50-year career, a true testament to the event’s status. The European diaspora were represented by French hip hop collective, The Mauritian All Stars, and upcoming talent from Belgium “Supa Sane” who electrified the crowds.
This year we’ve almost outgrown Down Lane Park and we’re contemplating whether we have to move because demand has become so massive. And these stars were joined on stage by winners from a talent competition that had been staged at top London-based Mauritian night, Back2Reality earlier in the year. There were also a variety of Mauritian Bands and Sega dancers, as well as a plethora of stalls serving traditional cuisine, that make up such an integral part of Mauritian culture. Eshan thanked the sponsors of the event for making it possible again but he added that, in order to take the event to the next level, they need additional help. The rise of the Festival in prominence has been so rapid that it has effectively outgrown itself, hence Eshan’s request for support. “We need as much as help as we can going forward next year. We are looking to businesses and the government to help us take this next to the level.”
Eshan evidenced the need for support by highlighting some issues that had arisen with the fast-track ticketing. Such was demand, that many were left queuing for longer than had been planned. And that is why more support for infrastructural investment is necessary. But the 2014 edition of the Festival was an unprecedented success and the show’s potential to act as a flagbearer for the global Mauritian community is now indisputable. As Eshan said, “we’re now looking to plan an even bigger
and better Festival and we’re constantly trying to innovate and improve. We’re going to have more artists next year, including new and upcoming talent, but we need the help. Whether it’s the government of Mauritius, or anyone else looking to be a part of this, please come together. The main thing is to elevate the profile of Mauritius.”
www.mauritianopenair.com
ARTS & CULTURE
mauritiusnow September 2014 19
CRUGI SMEAR Save the Children
A short story about faith, blind faith & London
“Hail to Jesus!” - they replied like a suspicious monolith. “Fine!” - I replied in turn with a sneer of panic. What I had to say was dangerous, and they were not a pleasing crowd. So I took a deep breath and spat:
“SAVE THE CHILDREN!”
“For Allat, Uzza and Manat… GOD IS DEAD!” “Ooooh…!” - replied the flock taken aback as if it had been hit by a mighty wave
of Truth.
“He is dead every time a reverend man expels another man from merriness for he smells,” - I went on. “Eeeew…!” - said a child who had come close to me to inspect whatever it was I was wearing. I continued unperturbed:
“He is dead whenever you wake up an utterly drunk crowd, like my distinguished fellows on the street, with sudden and frankly all-too-loud music. I have borrowed earplugs, and I can assure you they're not enough. We have rights too, you know! So you see where I stand! I am naked…”
Reminiscent of my Chinese studies, I deliberately quoted from The Real Story of AQ by Lu Xun. But I'm sure no one caught the reference. This is how I am, an unpretentious intellectual with no inclination for being understood. Nevertheless, it seemed to me that the cannibalistic stance of the Chinese story – where children were fed to a dying race of degenerate imperial adherents – found an analogy in the way children's natural propensity for empathy was being systematically devoured by the prejudices of congregations such as this. The kid was my most vehement opposer. As I walked towards the exit – like a Moses I cut through the watery columns of people sneering at me – the kid was very much on my case. He kept asking what was wrong with me and why I didn't get a job – note that he would not wait for a reply. Even he had a job, for Christ sake! He was paid three quid for two hours of work starting from six in the morning every day as a newspaper boy. I asked him whether I could maybe pass my CV on to him for consideration, but by that time, I had reached the exit, and the door was slammed quite vigorously at my back.
This is how I am, An unpretentious intellectual with no inclination for being understood.
- I opened my arms theatrically.
“No you're not!” - countered the child “And you smell bad!” “Dear, don't humiliate the homeless!” - his embarrassed mother scolded him. “She's right. You see, I have a PhD!”
- I replied with no hope for a constructive discussion.
Paradise Personified. MTPA proudly serving Mauritius.
Overall, that had quite a bathetic effect, and they didn't look too impressed. I guess the value of PhD's has decreased since the democratisation of education. Be it as it may, the murmuring was now generalised, the kid kicked me in my shin, and it didn't look like a lot of people from the crowd were actually willing to listen to me anymore and so, out of desperation, I yelled:
The same guy as before was standing by the gate of the church puffing away at his cigarette. Clearly, a chain-smoker. He looked at me in the eyes, then grabbed my right hand, opened it and put five quid in it, saying:
“Buzz off!” but no trace of hatred in his eyes. They just kept being veiled and empty. I gladly took the money and ran for my mates. And after I explained everything that was there to be explained, and after I showed them the reward I got for my service to the community, we all agreed that in the future we should all go to church much more.
The Interview
20 mauritiusnow September 2014
ARTS & CULTURE
Resurrecting the Diaspora ... Mahen Utchanah & Aapravasi Ghat
Mauritius Now Arts & Culture Editor Pritish Beesooa interviews Mahen Utchanah, Chairman of Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund. Aapravasi Ghat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is undergoing a multi million Rupee spectacular renovation and due for opening later this year.
Pritish Beesooa
A pleasure to see you once again Mahen and thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to part take in this interview for Mauritius Now, especially considering the grand opening in only a matter of weeks away. To start off with and for the benefit of our readers, what is Aapravasi Ghat and what is its importance to Mauritius?
Mahen Utchanah
Pleasure is mine Pritish. Quite simply Aapravasi Gaht was the landing station for the Indentured labourers that arrived during the 18th and 19th century as a replacement labour force to the abolishment of slavery across the colonies. Pritish Beesooa
You are of course referring to the ‘The Great Experiment� of the British empire and the half a million Indian Indentured labourers that arrived in Mauritius and took over the burden left behind by the slave trade?
in Guyana and Kenya for example, at one point the first wave of migrants that settled there, passed through the very shores of Mauritius and Aapravasi Ghat. It is my understanding that Aapravasi Ghat, and to be specific for our readers whom the majority are British based or born to parents of Mauritian ancestry, you are located in the heart of Port Louis near the waterfront and you have been undergoing a major renovation of late? Indeed we have. Under the guise of Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam and the full support of the Ministry of Arts and Culture and our trusted partners, our dedicated team have, with a sizable budget, been transforming the site into a major tourist destination befitting our status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fact that some of the original buildings are intact and the job to restore and preserve whist maintaining active archeological areas of interest and categorizing, has been a monumental task that I am happy to report is on schedule and due for opening later this year.
Mahen Utchanah
Yes, but not exclusively Indian labourers. Our research team over many years has uncovered fascinating insights into the ancestral roots of the labourers and although the majority originated from India, some have stories and voyages from China, Madagascar, Asia and East Africa to name a few. It is also important to note that Aapravasi Gaht was a landing station and embarkation point for many of the labourers that ended up in Africa and Americas. So when you consider the vibrant Indo communities
Due you feel that the renovation and the end product will give tourists and Mauritians an attraction that will both teach and fill with amazement? I hope so. It was always our intention to inform in a spectacular way. We want people to enjoy a particular unique point of history that mainstream media seems to have forgotten. The Diaspora and its transformation overs
ARTS & CULTURE
the centuries and decades began in earnest in India, administered in Mauritius (Aapravsai Ghat) and transported throughout the world. It is only just that we deliver a heritage site worthy of this title and cultural importance.
mauritiusnow September 2014 21
Miss England 2014 Carina Tyrrell proudly supporting Mauritius Now
Like a Holy Grail in many ways for Indo Mauritians ‌ Not just Mauritians as I alluded to before. Think worldwide Indo based communities. Think Guyana, think Kenya, there is spirituality here and the preservation of the Diaspora is alive in the walls and steps of Aapravasi Ghat. Do you hope that many British Mauritians will visit and gain a greater depth of understanding of their cultural roots? Yes I hope they will visit us in the future. In fact I would like to take this opportunity now to send an open invitation to the British Mauritian community to visit the newly renovated Aapravsai Ghat in the future. It is important that the British born Mauritian diaspora acknowledges its importance in history. The story of the Indentured labour system has too long been forgotten. Mauritius in its short history has played an important part in its own rights. Indeed I am reminded at this juncture by the worlds of one of our great masters of Hindi literature Abhimanyu Unnuth, a fellow Mauritian from Triolet who writes extensively on the Indian Diaspora and the plight of the indentured labourers stated,
History turning a blind eye bore him witness History standing mute told not his full story He who first had watered this land with his sweat And turned stone into green fields of gold The first immigrant He, son of this land He was mine, he was yours, he was our very own.
Rum like never before.
Have you anything planned in the UK for promotion or information about Aapravasi Ghat to coincide with the opening and a new era of awareness?
As you can imagine we are very busy with the final preparations for the grand opening, however we have made PR and publicity a strong agenda. There is no point spending millions on construction if you do not publicize and promote. We are in discussion with a few partners in the UK with a view to participate in an conference event scheduled for the end of October to celebrate the Diaspora and it is only fitting that Aapravasi Ghat be present. I am sure your readers will be aware of this event in due time and I hope they attend. I am sure they will, Mahen on behalf of Mauritius Now, thank you very much for time and I wish you all the best with the preparations and renovations.
Coming soon to the UK www.npkrhum.com Digital Art by Prit Bees
NEWS
22 mauritiusnow September 2014
AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open Afrasia Bank launches Golf Tournament with 1 million Euros as reward
T
he AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was launched on August 28 at the C Beach Club of Heritage Resorts on Domaine de Bel Ombre, becoming thus the first ever tri-sanctioned golf tournament endorsed by the Sunshine, European and Asian Tours, all of whom are founding members of the International Federation of PGA Tours. The tournament, which is expected to draw top performing golfers from each of the three Tours, will be held at the Heritage Golf Club from the 7th to the 10th of May, 2015. The golf club, recently ranked amongst the top-10 golf courses in Africa by global news broadcaster CNN, was chosen as the perfect venue for the three golf Tours to come together. A total prize fund of €1 million available to the professional golfers is the highest prize purse ever to be paid out for a golf tournament held in Mauritius.
Golf is a major part of Mauritius’ tourism strategy and through the support of AfrAsia Bank, MTPA, Air Mauritius, Rogers, Villas Valriche and Anahita Mauritius amongst others, the tournament will showcase the island to a worldwide television audience as part of The 2015 Race to Dubai. Selwyn Nathan Executive Director of the Sunshine Tour, Keith Waters the European Tour’s Chief Operating Officer and Director of International Policy and Mike Kerr, CEO of the Asian Tour were unanimous: “We are pleased to be competing together in staging the first-
ever tri-sanctioned event in Mauritius. With excellent relationships with all three Tours, this ground-breaking tournament in Mauritius will bring the three Tours ever closer and, importantly for us, offer our members another opportunity to compete at the highest levels on the world stage.” The 136-man field, made up of at least 40 professionals from each of the participating Tours plus qualifiers and local invitees, will compete in a 72-hole stroke play championship which will last four days. The results from this tournament count towards the individual Tours’ Orders of Merit and Official World Ranking points, Race to Dubai and Chase to the Investec
Cup. Commenting on the tournament, Christophe Curé, the President of the Mauritius Golf Federation said that this event will play a pivotal role in helping Mauritius to build its competitive edge and draw the world’s attention to the outstanding courses. The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open looks set to attract not only top professional golfers, but also golfing fans from around the world. This 4-day tournament promises to be a world class golfing event.
Dr. Karl Mootoosamy, Director of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, affirmed: “We are delighted to be the hosts of this tournament which will be a tremendous engine for the promotion of Mauritius as a prestigious Golf destination. It will not only contribute to the development of the sport in Mauritius, but will also showcase the beauty of our country worldwide. From our famous white sand beaches, and clear blue waters, coupled with the warm tropical weather, Mauritius is the perfect destination for the visitors. We can’t wait to treat all the golfers and fans, to our famous Mauritius hospitality.”
INTERVIEW OF... D-SEW “I would like to thank the Mauritian Open Air Festival team for giving us the chance to perform in front of such a big audience” Diya Sewruttun, artist name D-SEW, started singing at the tender age of 9. Her passion and ardour for music, poetry and keyboard were unveiled when she was still at school and we knew from back then that she was an artist in the making. Her determination and perseverance were rewarded when she released her first E.P in 2012 entitled Do It Your Always, produced by DJ Woool which is an acronym of her own name. Her singing pursuit reached another high when she got the opportunity to sing/rap live at the Mauritian Open Air Festival where she wowed the audience with her brilliant voice and stage presence. The Mauritius Now team decided to interview her after such a gig, and let’s hear her debrief. So Diya, since when did you start singing? Well, I started since I was at school. I always loved music and even at home and with my cousins, we used to sing, rap, hip hop and I wanted to take it to the next level. I even did
music for my GCSE. Is singing your full time job? I am currently working in IT at Oxford Circus which is my full time job. But since music is in my soul, I am always connected to it and produce my own beats and samples whenever I have some spare time. How is your singing going now? It’s going fine to be honest. I released my External playlist back in 2012 and my album Storyboard, which is my original production, should follow soon. I’ve met my producer DJ Woool who is from Los Angeles and we are quite excited about this new project. How is the recording done? I’ve been to a couple of studios including JI Studio, Morfius Studio, Lost Gardens Studio among others and I have mounted a mini personal studio in my room where I create my own beats and lyrics How come you’ve decided to sing at the MOAF? Being Mauritian, I have always been an admirer of the open air festival and when i heard of
the auditions that would allow us to sing live, I decided to give it a go. I was delighted to hear that I was selected and I will seize this opportunity to thank Eshan (Badal) for giving us the chance to realise our dreams and to give the young talents a break. Some people might be really gifted but they never get the break they deserve and such platforms can make dreams happen and help to discover the next talent.
Apart from the live performances, did you enjoy the MOAF overall? Yeah, especially the food, *laugh* Apart from singing, rapping and hip hop, what are your other hobbies? I like IT, travelling, music concerts and conferences, and community work.
How do you think your performance went on the day? It went very well. I was so blessed to sing for my people, and the fact that my mum came to see me made it even more memorable. I sang/rapped the song ‘Preach’ which is one of my new songs and DJ Shorty accompanied it perfectly. DJ Shorty, is he part of your band? We met a few months ago as I was looking for a DJ to accompany me. He then volunteered to be my DJ and I would say that was the best thing that happened. He is so talented and a very experienced musician. It is very rare to find such a gem and overall it went very good.
Please subscribe to D-Sew if you want to hear more of her. Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/dsew Bandcamp: www.dsew.bandcamp.com Twitter: @dsew utube: www.youtube.com/dsewtv
NEWS
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X-Factor Australia
Writers Award
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Mauritian boy wins
Jason sets X-Factor alight!
he sixth series of The X Factor Australia premiered on the Seven Network on 13 July 2014. The judging panel consists of Ronan Keating, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Redfoo and Dannii Minogue. Keating is mentoring the Under 25 Girls, Bassingthwaighte is mentoring the Under 25 Boys, Minogue is mentoring the Groups and Redfoo is mentoring the Overs 25s Boys. Taking the show by storm is a talented musician, record producer and father of two by the name of Jason Heerah. Heerah is a 31 year-old contestant from Victoria Australia and of Mauritian origin. Heerah’s father (Eddie Heerah) taught him how to play the drums and he used to gig with his father’s band when he was younger. At Jason’s first audition he sang “Happy” by Pharrell Williams and progressed to the super bootcamp round of the competition. For the first bootcamp challenge, Heerah was placed in a group with two other contestants from his category to perform a song together for the judges. Heerah made it to the second bootcamp challenge, where he performed a soulful version of “I Love It” by Icona
ten-year-old boy has been crowned the winner of a national writing competition and now has been inspired to write his own book.
Pop to the judges and a live audience of one thousand. He then progressed to the Judge’s houses round in Las Vegas where he performed “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John in front of his mentor Redfoo and guest mentor Nicole Scherzinger. Redfoo later selected Heerah for the live shows.
Hansraj Ramlagan from Tunbridge Wells, has been named the winner of the National Young Writer’s Award after his story was selected the best out 14,000 entries.
Last month, Jason received rapturous applause from his mentor Red Foo after a breath-taking performance of a Stevie Wonder classic.
Entrants were required to write a 500word story with the theme ‘fairy tales and fables’. The young writer, from Claremont Primary School, was given his prize of a cup, a family trip to Disneyland Paris and £500 worth of books for his school, at a surprise assembly.
Heerah was back behind the drums for the first time on the show as he produced a powerful rendition of “Higher Ground”, which ultimately led to Foo declaring that he was the best singer/drummer in the world today. “Growing up all I wanted to do was play the drums and playing the drums with you just the other day was a highlight,” Foo said. “Then seeing you sing and play a Stevie Wonder song - you’ve got to be the best singing drummer in the world, hands
Jason Heerah
down. I’ve never seen anything like that.” Ronan Keating was also mightily impressed with Heerah’s performance, saying that people don’t know how hard it is to combine drumming with singing to ultimately produce a performance of that magnitude.
This year’s judge, best-selling illustrator and author of the Tom Gates series of books, Liz Pichon, presented him with his prize in front of the whole school, on Banner Farm Road. Well done Hansraj!
“I don’t know if people at home realise how difficult it is to play drums and to sing lead vocal like that,” Keating said. “If you don’t win X Factor I want you in my band because I want you to play drums for me because that is unbelievable.” Heerah has been one of the most consistent performers throughout the live shows this year, performing everything from Michael Jackson to Ed Sheeran to almost perfection every week. We wish you the best of luck Jason! You have our support from the UK!
X Factor Judges
World Travel Market Hosts auction of Holiday.com
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ritish Mauritian entrepreneur Farad “Laaforce” Emambocus will be exclusively auctioning one of the world’s rarest premium domain names at this year’s World Travel Market through his luxury company Breathe Luxury and there is no doubt all eyes will be on Holiday.com Holiday.com has been with its current owners for approximately 16 years and some believe it to be the “Holy Grail” for the travel industry. With many major travel companies battling to acquireHoliday.com over the years, in order to increase their market share, has failed… it is only now that the owners are at ease to part with it. Here at Breathe Luxury we believe that Holiday.com has all the hallmarks to be the No.1 leading travel brand and dedicated online platform in serving holidaymakers worldwide. As the keyword ‘Holiday’ is so widely searched on major
search engines that over 90% of online travel businesses are using ‘holiday’ as one of their top 5 keywords search term, to reach customers online.
Liz Pichon, Hansraj and Sarah Stenning from Explore Learning and the National Young Writer’s Award
“Met Sega La” Breathe Luxury has already received offers in the seven figures range, but intends to give Holiday.com the best platform and stage it truly deserves, and where better, then the World Travel Market, the leading global B2B event for the travel industry, It is a unique opportunity for the whole global travel trade to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business. This is truly a first in the domain industry’s history that a paramount domain name will be auctioned at such an event where all the major travel companies will be there and Holiday.com has all the potential of being among the top 5 highest sold domains and it is clearly a world record breaker in the making. Holiday.com will be auctioned live at World Travel Market, 5th November 2014 at London Excel.
Ivan Antalika hits No 1!
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van Antalika who currently resides in the UK has had huge success with his Sega anthem “Met Sega La”. The song recently reached the number one spot on the MBC’s Hit Parade program on Senn Kreol. Senn Kreol is a TV Channel in Mauritius, owned by the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, which broadcasts Creole shows such as, Cooking shows, Music shows, Documentaries and more. Well done Ivan!
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BOLLYWOOD
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Banter with Vallisa!
Hi my name is Vallisa and I am a Radio Presentver, Film Producer/Director/Scriptwriter, I have my own Female only DJ Roadshow and now I will be adding Writer to my list. Each month I will be bringing you banter from all over, including Bollywood, Bhangra and Urban Asian. So welcome to my page!
Irrfan Khan to star opposite Aishwariya Rai Bachchan
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3.Deepika Padukone in Finding Fanny – An Indian/English satirical film that is based on a road trip set in Goa and follows the journey of five characters. 4. Parineeti Chopra in Daawat E Ishq - A comedy drama based on the romantic journey of the characters Gullu and Taru. 5. Sonam Kapoor in Khoobsurat – A romantic comedy and a remake of the 1980’s hit with the same name. Sonam Kapoor will play Rekha’s character.
Bhangra News
What happened with Karan and Kajol?
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would attend events like this together. The tow deny reports that there is a rift
between them but the question remains if they are not arguing then why are they avoiding each other.
Once inseparable, it has come to media attention that the two are no longer friends. The tow had worked together in number of films and according to reports came face to face at fashion show recently but avoided each other. They sat as far apart from each other as possible, which is surprising considering at one point they
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‘I always wanted to experiment with my hair, but I was scared. Then I joined the film industry and I had to change my looks for my roles. I tried many products, some promised zero damage in one
wash, others had shiny packaging and big price tags’ she has said in a statement. ‘I experiment with a new look for each film – be it short hair for ‘Hasse Toh Phasse’ or coloured hair for ‘Kill Dill’… I’m always pushing myself to take up different roles, new ways to seep into the character and tis often requires me to change my look from film to film.’
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‘I am open for anything (on TV) I would like to do a show like Oprah Winfrey who tackles everything… meets people from
different fields, talks on various things. I think it will be a good show,” Rani said in an interview here. The show is influential especially amoung women and many of the topis relate to pop culture.The actress also believes it is important to watch TV. “I do watch TV whenever I get time. I think
The categories include Best Newcomer, Best Songwriter, Best International Act, Best Non Asian Music Producer, Best Club DJ, Best Music Video, Best Urban Single, Best Band, Best Asian Music Producer, Best Female Act, Best Album, Best Male Act, Best Single and Best Urban Asian Act. The awards will be taking place on Saturday 4th October 2014 and the NIA Birmingham.
Rani Mukerjee wants to be the Indian Oprah Winfrey
n icon in the USA who wouldn’t want to be like Oprah Winfrey with her charm and wit. Recently Rani Mukerjee has expressed her desire to work in television and would like to do a show like ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’
This month saw the Brit Asia awards nomination party take place on Thursday 28th August. It had the music industry attend in style with the likes of Bally Jagpal, Roachkilla, Maz – Bonafide, Intenso, Tazzz, Jags Klimax, Foji Gill, Salique, Mumzy Stranger, Rameet Kaur ,Tasha Tah, Char Avell, AJD, Aman Hayer, Benny Dhaliwal, Dr Zeus, PBN and many many more. The nominations per category were announced on the night and these can be found at http://www.britasiamusicawards. com/
Parineeti Chopra : I was scared to experiment with my hair efore becoming a Bollywood beauty and a style icon Parineeti Chopra said that she was scared to experiment with her hair.
1. Priyanka Chopra in Mary Kom – An indian biographical sports drama based on the life of Indian boxer Mary Kom.. 2. Bipasha Basu in Creature 3D – A 3D monster thriller science fiction film.
ince giving birth to daughter Aaradya in 2011 Ashwariya has been keeping it on the down low and concentrating on being a mum. It was then announced that she would be making her comeback in the Sanjay Gupta film Jazbaa. There was speculation that her husbands friend John Abraham would play the leading man opposite her however it has now been confirmed that in fact Irrfan Khan will be starring opposite the beauty. Jazbaa is said to be an action thriller drama and will feature Ashwariya as a strong female character playing the role of a lawyer. Irrfan will be playing a suspended cop who has issues with authority and being disciplined. This will be the first time Ash will play the role of a lawyer on the big screen.
ecoming enemies is no new concept on Bollywod and the latest friends to join the legue of high profile fall outs is non other then Karan Johar and Kajol. Rumours say things have taken a sour turn between them.
Bollywood Actresses take over September
it is a stress buster for everyone to watch a film or a TV show. I think it is important to watch TV and known what is happening around,” she said. The newly-wed actress said her husband, producer-director Aditya Chopra has a similar taste when it comes to watching television. “Adtiya and I have similar taste. So that way we are lucky,” she said.
KIDS
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Feno the little DODO About the Author
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riya N. Hein (née Rughooputh) is the bestselling author of A Little Dodo Called Feno series published by EOI in Mauritius. Her latest book, Little Dodo’s ABC Book, published by Editions Orphie in France received the Coup de Coeur FNAC, Paris. Priya N. Hein lives in Munich with her husband and her two children and regularly visits Mauritius. For more information please visit: www.priyahein.com
Under the Flamboyant Tree, published by L’Atelier Littéraire, was launched on the 26th of July at l’Institut Français de Maurice (l’IFM) in Rose-Hill in the presence of the French Ambassador.
The book is now available for pre-order! To order your copy (in English and/or French) please send an email to: priyacity@hotmail.com As the sun begins to set and the sky starts to glow, Grand Dada and Grand Dadi settle comfortably in their small beach house facing the ocean as they recount all kinds of wonderful stories as told by their grandparents. Find out about the fascinating legend of Grand Bassin, the enchanted lake inhabited by fairies and the story of the beautiful mermaid and the weeping rock. Read about the fabulous treasure which lies buried beneath the pristine white beaches and many more fabulous legends from Mauritius!
Pictures taken by Fabien Dubessay
Ki pase la? KI PASE LA ? MARSAN DILE KI DILE ? DILE KAYE KI KAYE ? KAYE DEVWAR KI DEVWAR? DEVWAR ANGLE KI ANGLE? ANGLE POTIS KI POTIS? POTIS ZASAR KI ZASAR ? ZASAR MANG KI MANG ? MANG LAKORD KI LAKORD ? LAKORD KOKO KI KOKO ? KOKO MANZE KI MANZE ? MANZE KOSON KI KOSON ? KOSON DAN PARK KI PARK ? PARK DIBOI KI DIBOI? DIBOI KOLOFAN SI TO KAS LI KAT KOUT DIBOI LOR TO LERIN
KIDS
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Squawk Talk with Didi Squawk! Squawk! It has taken me years to master the art of Karate. Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. You see I just typed ’Karate’ into my computer and it came up with 507 do-it-yourself video clips. Within an hour I could smash cement blocks with a tap of my beak; my wings were like two shields of steel, and I could reduce a brick wall to rubble with my flying kicks. In truth, I ended up with a twisted beak, bruised feathers and two sprained ankles. I have decided that when I feel better I might take up knitting instead! Squawk! - Didi
Didi Van Damme presents: ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dodo’
Didi the Dodo is written and illustrated by: Des & Kerry Hegarty ©
LAW
28 mauritiusnow September 2014
How strong is the principle of Meritocracy in Britain?
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our parents must have certainly told you that if you work hard, do well at school you are likely to succeed and end up in a good/well paid job. This, dear readers, has been made possible as the United Kingdom is (in principle) a society based on the principle of Meritocracy. Meritocracy is a term used by sociologist to describe a social system in which people success in life depends on their talents, abilities and effort. Therefore your parents could be from a working class background (as opposed to middle class) and you could still do well as long as you strive to succeed and do your best endeavours to obtain good grades at school, enrol to University, gets plenty of work experience…... Lord Alan Sugar will illustrate this principle- although he did not attend University he still manage to become a successful multi-millionaire and built up his empire since the early age of 16. Did he attend top school? No. Is he from a rich family? Not at all and he actually grew up in Hackney and was from a very modest background. His determination, business orientated mind led him to where he is today. The principle of Meritocracy has been put under scrutiny recently after a study from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty study Commission was published and revealed that the United Kingdom was deeply elitist as people in top jobs were mainly from the middle class background and educated from private schools and Oxbridge. The study also reported that 71% of senior judges attended fee-paying schools, in the politic field half of the members of the House of Lords attended independent schools (as opposed to State Schools which are funded by the government). For example the Mayor of London and our Prime Minister have both attended Eaton and Oxford University. Eaton school is mainly attended by children from the middle class, so unless your parents can afford these fees paying school it would be nearly impossible for children from working class background to attend any of them. The report therefore concluded that poorer children or those from working class background were less likely to attend private paying school or to end up in Oxbridge and therefore this would prevent social mobility between classes. This to me clearly sounds like a vicious circle as the richer your family is the more you can afford these prestigious schools/ Universities and end up in top jobs. Our government system may be to blamed, our shadow education Secretary Tristram Hunt explains that the coalition government has failed to address the issue of social mobility and stated that ‘Under the Tories, the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and the rest is increasing, millions of hardworking people are seeing their living standards go backwards and child poverty is set to increase’. The report eventually hinted that those in top jobs are mainly from a wealthy background thus affecting the principle of Meritocracy.
Does it mean that people from poorer background can not succeed?
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he study has heavily been criticised as many take the view that the recent statistics incorrectly interprets the current situation in the UK. One headmaster at a private school disagreed with the finding that people from a privately educated background were more likely to detain position of influence and even stated that it was a ‘lazy stereotype and that the finding underestimated the diversity of social classes within the sector’, however it is interesting to note that despite this comment no proper arguments or facts were provided by that headmaster to support his statement. One of the Chairman of an independent school also stated that it strongly supported social mobility and that his school is making lot of efforts to raise bursaries and encourage students from poorer backgrounds with strong abilities to attend his school. Despite this statement the statistics shows that among the number of students educated at private schools in the UK only 1% of them were from modest backgrounds or had the benefits of a bursary. During my research I came across a comment made by a member of the public who stated that the fact that top jobs are held by people from Oxford and Cambridge tend to show that these Universities attract and select candidates with the greatest potential. I was quite surprised with this comment, Ok let’s face it Oxford and Cambridge are prestigious Universities and every students gaining the privilege to attend these Universities should be proud of themselves, however saying that the statistics demonstrate that these Universities only attract and select candidates with the greatest potential while external sources mentioned that selection may not be based on merits purely but also on other factors such as the candidate’s social backgrounds then I am afraid I have to disagree with that comment.
What will be the solution to ensure equality of access to top jobs?
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here are no answers to this debate and opinions are diverse. For example some take the view that private schools should disappear as it would ensure that all students regardless of their backgrounds receive the same level and quality of education. However this argument would probably not work as richer families would still be able to relocate in better cities and allow their children to get access to better school. Some recommends that the UK should follow the same education system as other European Countries. In France for example students do not have to pay for attending top University as they are mostly/mainly funded by the State and access to these University are based on academic results only. The EU system seems to be working well as seen by the number of well-educated EU citizens present in London and interestingly these students seems to be from different social backgrounds. My views are that the leading Universities should become more meritocratic in the sense that selection of students should be based on their efforts and performance rather than on an individual’s backgrounds or which schools they may have attended before. It therefore looks like Britain still has a long way to go and need to take drastic actions to allow the principle of Meritocracy to prevail. By Ludmilla Iyavoo (LLB Honours), Solicitor at KTS Legal Solicitors.
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STUDENT LIFE
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rg e t o r o f o t d we te n , o not e d m i d t n e a h e f ft ed and ics of li Most o n s i a m b r e e r et igno r o n g, d t s , simply d o i n g i s. o k g n i h w t o h ve re a l i s e f positi o r e w po re a l t h e
The power of positive thinking By Amishta Sohoraye
8 things new employees should never do When you’re new to a job, you’re subject to a whole different set of rules than you are once you’ve been there longer. Co-workers don’t know you well yet, so small behaviours can carry more weight. Actions that might go unnoticed six months down the road can raise concerns about your work ethic, reliability and judgment. Here are eight things that you shouldn’t do when you’re new to the job – but that are OK to do later. 1. Asking for vacation time during your first few months. In most cases, taking time off soon after starting a job will raise eyebrows. Your manager is likely to think, “She just started, she’s still being trained and she already wants time off?” Exceptions to this are if a close family member is seriously ill or if you requested the time off before accepting the job.
Read more about tips on how to be a good student on our website www.thestudentpress.co.uk Love The Student Press? Find us on Facebook: The Student Press P.S: if you have any further questions feel free to drop me a line at info@thestudentpress.co.uk.
2. Complaining to your co-workers about your new boss. Frankly, it’s not great to complain to your co-workers about your boss no matter how long you’re been at your job – but when you’re new, it comes across as especially tone-deaf. Even co-workers who aren’t your manager’s biggest fans are likely to be put off by it, simply because complaining so early on signals that you’re likely to be a prima donna who doesn’t even settle in before finding fault. 3. Bad-mouthing your old job or old boss. Once they know you better, your new co-workers might be thrilled to hear your war stories about your crazy former boss or your nightmare cubicle-mate at your old job. But if you share that stuff when you’re new, you’ll just come across as someone willing to bad-mouth colleagues. People are more likely to think, “Wow, that’s going to be us she’s talking about one day.” Wait until you know each other better before you break out the work horror stories. 4. Taking long lunches before you know the lunch culture of your new workplace. This sometimes trips up people coming from a workplace where hourlong lunches were the norm and are moving to an office where people take half an hour or simply eat at their desks. When you’re starting a new job, it’s smart to observe the lunch culture for a few days until you have a feel for your new office’s norms. It’s also fine to ask a co-worker, “What do people normally do v for lunch?”
Pr e s s ? t n e d he Stu : Lo ve T cebook a F n o Fi n d u s t Pr e s s n e d u t Th e S
5. Pushing the envelope on business expenses. As the new guy, there’s no faster way to torpedo your reputation than asking to stay at a more expensive hotel during business travel or rent a nicer car. Once you’ve established yourself as a great employee, you might be able to get away with arguing the merits of these things – but if you try it as a new employee, it will define you in a way that will hurt you. 6. Using bawdy humor. It might never be OK to do this in your workplace, but there are certainly some offices that have a higher tolerance for risqué humor than others. However, if you plunge right in without getting to know your new co-workers better, you risk alienating and offending people if you’ve read them wrong. Wait until you have a much better feel for your new office’s culture before breaking out even borderline jokes. Even at that point, proceed with caution. Just because you’ve seen one person doing it doesn’t mean that everyone else is comfortable with it. 7. Spending time on Facebook or other social sites. Once you’ve proven yourself as someone who works hard and produces high-quality work, it might be entirely fine to take the occasional Facebook break. But when you’re new on the job, being spotted on time-wasting sites is likely to make your co-workers – and especially your manager – worry about your work ethic. 8. Calling in sick during your first month, unless it’s truly dire. Rightly or wrongly, if you call in sick while you’re new on the job, your manager is likely to worry that it’s going to be the start of pattern and that you’re not reliable. Of course, if you’re truly sick and especially if you’re contagious, you might have no choice. In that case, you should make it clear that it’s an unusual occurrence. It doesn’t hurt to add, “I’m mortified that this happened during my first month.” The idea is that you want to reassure your new manager that this isn’t the first of many absences.
SPORT
30 mauritiusnow September 2014
MAN CITY v LIVERPOOL How Liverpool frailties in defence were exposed again. By Deeshen R (Football Analyst)
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he 3 goals Liverpool conceded were as a result of defensive mistakes and poor positioning of the players. This was the case against Southampton as well but as it has been said many times in football, the best team will punish you and that’s what happened against City in their last game. City were the better team, well composed, had the better players and their back 4 have been together for long. However, what makes it deplorable is the way Liverpool played compared to the one against City at the Etihad last season. Moreover, Liverpool fans would not have been impressed by the 2 games they have played so far. Liverpool have 3 points yes, but it could easily have been zero or one point and worse, there is something not working. It is not the time to press the alarm button and I am sure Brendan Rodgers will find a solution to this dilemma. In a nutshell, let’s have a look at what went wrong: The first goal Liverpool conceded is a catalogue of defensive mistakes. It started with Lovren’s positioning and being more interested in marking his man rather than closing the space to deny the Silva’s run into the box. He should have moved across since Skrtel and Johnson were already in a better position to deal with Dzeko in case the danger would have come from him. He thus delayed in closing Silva and I would say that Gerrard should have done better defensively as well as he is stronger and more powerful than Silva and he should have tracked him till the end. Delaying in closing Silva resulted
in Lovren’s poor header towards Moreno who then thought he had all the time in the world to clear the ball. This is the Premier League and you do not get that much time on the ball. Allen and Mignolet were shouting at Moreno to clear the ball but he could not do it on time and Liverpool conceded. Now where Brendan Rodgers got it wrong, he knew that City’s danger would be coming from the left and Coutinho were ineffective in the attack but he still stuck with him. As a result, Coutinho had to help Moreno to shield that City’s right hand channel which he is not too good or
too keen at doing. What BR should have done was to switch Henderson to the left hand side and Coutinho (or his sub) to the right. We know how good and determined Henderson is at defending. You would probably notice that all 3 goals came from Liverpool’s left hand side with Moreno, Coutinho, Allen, and Lovren who plays on the left in the CB area being the weak link. City’s manager must have spotted that the weak spot for Liverpool would be at particular area of the field and that channel was employed most of the time (51%) and they battered us.
concentration and a Lovren’s mistake again. Poor positioning from the back 3 at that time which should have been deeper and a player like Aguero will punish you. Had the back 3 been a little bit deeper, Navas would not have probably spotted that run or played that ball. The next challenge for Liverpool and manager Brendan Rodgers is to find a solution to accommodate Sakho in the team and play a 3-5-2 formation with Moreno and Manquillo as wing backs or else make sure the defence is strong enough to cope against the assaults of the bigger guns in the premier league.
For the 3rd goal, simply lack of
2014 Commonwealth Games Medal Winners
Prime Minister rewarded medallists of 2014 Commonwealth Games
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You are the pride of the nation”, said the Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam as he rewarded Kennedy St Pierre who won the silver medal for his performance in boxing and Annabelle La Providence who won the bronze medal in judo at the Commonwealth Games held from 23 July to 3 August 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland. The prize giving was held at the Treasury Building in Port Louis on 22 August 2014 where the Prime Minister greeted the two athletes as well as their respective coaches and families. Kennedy St Pierre won the silver medal for his performance in boxing in the finals of the -81 kg category, while Ms Annabelle La Providence won the bronze medal in judo in the +78 kg category. Though the Prime Minister lauded the exceptional performance of two Mauritian, he stated that; “their
performances has made Mauritius to rank 27th among 71 countries in this competition”. “Sacrifice, perseverance and discipline are determining aspects that lead to success in every field”, said Prime Minister Ramgoolam as he stressed that he had a special thought for athletes who participated in the Games but did not receive any medals, recalling that these athletes gave their best try. In addition, the Prime Minister expressed belief that efforts need to be rewarded. “It is with this objective that we had increased the cash prize for the Olympic Games and we are doing the same for the Commonwealth Games”, pointed out the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister moreover called upon Mauritian youth to take the Commonwealth
Games medallists as example and become determined and keep trying to achieve success no matter what difficulties they might encounter. He nevertheless assured that Government will continue to give all the necessary means and support for their progress.
Kennedy St Pierre received a reward of Rs 200 000 (Rs 150 000 and an additional Rs 50 000) while Ms Annabelle La Providence was presented a prize of Rs 100 000 (Rs 75 000 and an additional 25 000). The coaches of both athletes namely; Judex Bazile (boxing - Rs 80 000) and Joseph Mounawah (judo - Rs 40 000) were also rewarded.
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