Council Elections in Mauritius

Elections Municipales a Maurice par GDL

The recent council elections in Mauritius saw  the opposition winning three out of the five councils.
In can be said, three and a half because in Curepipe, the opposition did not win nor did loose. Each of the major blocks won seven seats each. One independent from the MMSD will decide who will administer the town for the next five years.

It was a lost for the government as they have been too long in control of the towns. Instead of having the elections after the five-year term, they stayed in power for another two years. This postponement of the elections was purely a tactic from the central government allowing the councillors to stay in their positions and enjoyed. Unfortunately, they did not use these additional two years towards a more responsible approach but kept indulging in inner bickering, routs and corrupt behaviours.
It looks as if the sound and effective administration of the towns and the welfare of the city dwellers was not their priority.

The leader of the Government and the ruling coalition realising that their councillors have not been up to scratch, put a new team to face the elections. The Prime Minster, Navin Ramgoolam, invested in the campaigns and even danced the sega in the streets to attract media attention. He also got mad when the national television did not show him campaigning at Cite Atlee in Curepipe.

According to an article by Anil Gayan which appeared in L'Express on 11th December 2012, Navin Ramgoolam played the division game during the campaign. He has a type of rhetoric to the Muslims of Plaine Verte and used another language to the Hindus of Palma and La Source. According to the author, this was an attempt at balkanising Mauritius and dividing the electorate on community grounds. Anil Gayan expressed his disgust at such a tactic by the Prime Minister of the country. Many times Navin forget that he is a statesperson and feel more comfortable in the politician role. This is not only a weakness on his part but a shortcoming. He lacks the stature of a PM.

However, this is no strange or new; Navin Ramgoolam  won the past elections while playing on the emotions of the Hindus in rural areas telling them not to vote Paul Berenger as he is not an Hindu. This strategy of divide and rule has up to now worked in his favour. But not this time it seems.

This time he  tried to sow division between the Muslims and the Hindus and targeted Aneerood Jughnuth as the enemy of Muslims. He vehemently attacked SAJ seein him as a direct competitor,  more so because the Jughnuths  are of the same cast as him, Vaish. The results in Sodnac in Quatre Bornes show that there is a change of voting patters of the Hindus. They do not overwhelmingly support Navin Ramgoolam and his corrupt government.

While the victory was overwhelming in Beau Bassin/ Rose Hill, the results were tighter  in Port Louis and Quatre Bornes but a win is a win. It was a psychological boost for the opposition which will give hope to their supporters that the next general elections are winnable.

No matter what happened in Curepipe, the facts are, the government has lost control over the town councils and apparently even in the village councils. The voters sanctioned the government councillors for their lack of dignity, for their abuse of power, the maladministration of the towns and their manze, bwar, amuse, voyager attitudes.

The writings are on the walls for the government alliance. Having all the ministers on the campaign trail,( some even to the extent of bribing the electorate with macaroni packets), was toxic for the government as they are all perceived to be corrupt and incompetent. They repulse the people more than they attract them. There was also the broyani affair which the people of Quatres Bornes were waiting to sanction Nita Deerplasing,  the campaign manager in the town.

The Remake 2000, through these results received the blessing of the people of the towns ( and also of the villages ). But the tandem SAJ and PB need to work harder and not take for granted that the wave is bulding up and the tsunami will strike in 2015.

George's Blog: The lucky country by GDL

George's Blog: The lucky country by GDL: In Australia, we do ot seem to be afraid of uncertainty and not scared of what tomorrow will be. We take forgranted that live in the world...

The lucky country by GDL

In Australia, we do ot seem to be afraid of uncertainty and not scared of what tomorrow will be. We take forgranted that we live in the land of plenty, in the lucky country and that we are  allright. How many times have we not heard, said to someone in trouble, " You'll be allright mate".

In Australia, we have seen boom and bust, we have seen recession and growth, we have seen changes from left wing to right wing governments, we have seen natural catastrophes like flood, fire, cyclones, even earthquakes, but we are still going.

Australia is in fact the lucky country. Many migrants who were living in abject poverty, living on the edge and starving in their thirdworld contries, or again in refugee camps  where tomorrow culd not even be compemplated, have come to this country and now living like a decent human being.
Some have come from wartorn countries to find peace and harmony in Australia, and sleeping tight at night. Others have fled persecutions and discrimnation to find their self-esteem restored here.
Others without any qualifications whatsoever, or could not even say a word of english, have found their way in life here. Not  only they are living very comfrotably, but have had children who are today graduades and professionals.

Australia is a first world  country by living standard and its high GDP per capita.  The country has a rich deposit of mineral resources, has vast arabe land and pastures, and the fundamentals of its economy are strong. We have 10 percent of the very rich, a very big middle class and a very small percentage of  proletariat. Poverty is a relative term in Australia. Someone will  find that he is poor  only by comparison. A relatively poor person in Australia, will always be able to cut his/her clothes according to the cloth. There is always a shop where a poor person can find what he/she needs, and/or find ways to have a roof over his/her head.

Australia is a generous welfare state, with an effective social security system including dole for the unemployed, invalidity benefits, new start allowance, Austudy for the students, and a means-tested old aged pension, just to name a few.

Like most of the developed world and economies, Australia has its social problems. The level of mental health is very high, 285 people are diagnosed with diabetes everyday, there is a high rate of death from cancer and alcohol related diseases. The unemployment rate, if it is only around five percent, means that close to 400,000 people are living on the dole and not able to envisage a clear future. The youth suicide is high and drugs is on the rise among the youth.
There is a proliferation of nursing home because of our ageing population, and that the baby boomers have now reached retirement age. Many children found it easier to send their old ones in nursing homes rather than to care for them, even if it amounts to paying back their respect and dues to their fathers and mothers.
With affluence come individualism and Australians and even migrants, are going down that path. In Australia most people do not know the name of their neighbour and rarely hear a cry for help and step out of your comfort zone and lend a hand, not even find the time to do it. The call is most of the time simply ignored.
This is what characterises our society, the modern and post modern society: individualism, indifference, consumerism, competition, greed, money, money and money.... And the individual will only find this out the day he/she faces the hard reality. But then its is already too late, after the nursing home is the grave, and then forgotten for ever..

GDL.

cultural ghetto

Assimilation, multiculturalism or cultural ghettos by GDL

The case of a Mauritian artist revisiting Australia has sparked passionate debate among the Mauritian community in Australia. The debate was even echoed by  the Mauritian media.
It all started when a local artist, Mr Lindsay Xavier  expressed surprise to see the Mauritian sega singer back in Australia after his pitiful performance the year before.
According to Mr Xavier, last time the artist in question, arrived on stage two and a half hours late and only performed for forty minutes all while repeating the same songs.                                                    
Mr Xavier made the point on Emission Kontak that the those who were at the concert were disappointed with his performance as felt that they were taken for a drive.                                             " All I am asking is quality. An artist should always give the best of himself in front of a paid assistance. It is not asking too much from a professional. " he said.
 Following on from what he witnessed last time, Mr Xavier explained that he will surely not attend the next show. Mr Xavier was backed by the Secretary of the Mauritian Community Welfare Association of Sydney and a radio broadcaster, Mr Lamvohee, who advocated that these shows are not doing any good  to the community and that some of the artists here can do a better job.                   The concert went ahead and it was not surprising that the turnout was meagre. However, despite the low attendance the artist made a better performance than last year. It was obvious that a lesson seems to have been learnt there.
Unfortunately, some in the same Mauritian community attacked vehemently Mr Xavier, and Mr Lamvohee,  to the extent of personal attacks and libel. Their attacks were based on the grounds that both Mr Xavier and Mr Lamvohee are downgrading Mauritian artists and the Mauritian sega.
On Emission Kontak, Mr Xavier brushed aside these accusations as false and malicious, that it was clear  that some have not understood, or deliberately deformed and misconstrued the facts, preferring to attack the messenger rather than the message.

The debate was amplified by a member of the community from Melbourne who went as far as accusing  the Mauritians  of Sydney of not being true blue Mauritians and lowering their self-esteem.  All this  because they did not attend  the sega show in Sydney (!!!) while there was 500 or more Mauritians attending the concert n Melbourne. It was a clear strategy of reigniting the old rivalry of Sydney v/s Melbourne.

The lesson to be drawn from this episode is that the Mauritians of Sydney look more opened and have not closed themselves in their Mauritian cultural ghetto. It is true and clear that Mauritians of Sydney do not flock together as much as those of Melbourne.
Sydney is a bigger metropolis and  a  more sophisticated city. Such a situation seems to have taken its toll on the Sydney inhabitants in general, not only on Mauritians. In Sydney there are more things happening, there is a wider choice of leisure and entertainment. It is therefore  normal for people to be exposed to a different lifestyle and influenced by the prevailing atmosphere.

This episode also denotes that Mauritians of Melbourne are more linked with their motherland and more embedded in their culture to the extent of  always being together at sports and cultural events. While it is not a bad thing it itself, whereas those of Sydney are more likely to think and decide where to go and have a good time.

GDL.

Obama winner or loser ?

A win for Obama or a lost for Romney ? by gdl.

While 50.2 percent of Americans rejoicing of the reelection of Barak Obama, there are still 49.8 percent of Americans who think that Obama' first term as President of the USA was a failure.
Those who disapproved Obama's social, economic domestic policies, as well as his military and foreign policies, are said to be more on the conservative side, or coming from the conservative states.
These so called conservatives, accepted the Mitt Romney's policies no matter how controversial they are seen by the other side. Romney's voters are categorised to be from the right ( traditional Republicans) and from the far right( followers of the Tea Party). They reject social policies like the rights of marriage to gays and lesbians, are anti-abortionists and more inward looking. They opine that America should lead the world (unipolar) and confrontation with the Arab world (an open war with Iran for example) and accusing China of currency manipulation are good policies!!!
Obama's first term has not been overwhelmingly good. America has a deficit of $16 trillion dollars and an unemployment rate is nearly eight percent. There is a looming  "fiscal cliff" of $600 billion to face on the 1 January of 2013. However, Obama ended the war in Iraq, withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan and killed Osama Bin Laden, are the positive highlights of his first term. He  has also managed quite well the Global Financial Crisis and there are ominous signs that the America's economy is recovering, although still very ailing.
The results from these elections show that the USA is divided into 2 blocks. On one side the progressists, and on the other the conservatives. The victory at the electoral colleges,( state based) means nothing besides the popular vote. The popular vote is the real reflection of the Americans' mood in terms of real democracy.
Obama knows that he has 49.8 percent of Americans watching, and expecting him to fall and fail. But,  as he will not be standing for elections again, he has nothing to lose in opening up and compromise with the Senate and House of reps to overcome the "fiscal cliff" on one side, and bring down the deficit to a reasonable level on the other. These are  the real challenges for Obama and his team. The "reasonable" budget deficit acceptable by the IMF is normally three percent of GDP while America's deficit is nor more than 50 percent of its GDP, actaully 84 percent !!!! .
Surely, this is a mammoth job for the Democrats, let alone unachievable by the Obama's administration in the next forr years. It is virtually impossible for them to even balance the budget in the next for years. Again the legacy of Barak Obama, when he will definitely leave office, will not be bright in this field and will leave Hillary Clinton, (who is poised to be the next Democrate candidate to the Presidency ) to " please explain ".
But so what the USA have always lived the deficit anyway...

Revisiting Bali ten years later

Bali without the Sari club 10 years later, by GDL

Ten years ago there was a bomb at the Sari Club which killed 220 westerners.  While the Sari Club has disappeared and in its place now  just a car park,  next to it is the memorial that will always remind visitors of the atrocity which happened there in 2002. The memorial has become to some extent, a tourist attraction as everyone who goes to Bali visits the memorial.
While the memory of the bombing will stand there forever, the memory of the killings seems to have disappeared in view of the strong coming back to Bali by westerners. The comeback denotes that the fear of any new bombing in Bali does not even cross the mind of westerners or tourists when they book their holidays to Bali. The fact remains that that Bali is still the cheapest holidays in Asia where the weather is always warm, the beaches beautiful, the hotels affordable, the food and  beers are still very cheap.                                                                                                                                                 Bali  welcomes some 2.5 million tourists every year. The demand is increasing as hotel constructions are seen everywhere on Bali .From January to June 2012, 1,369,758 tourists arrived in Bali representing a cumulative growth of 7.7 percent . In June 2012,  238,296 foreign visitors came to Bali. Extrapolating foreign arrivals by assuming a steady 7.7 percent growth rate through the end of the current year, Bali should welcome close to 3 million tourists by the end of 2012. According to some very optimistic projections, in 2015 number of visitors can go as high as 5 million.
Bali Island has much to offer, beautiful beaches, cheap shopping at Cuta, night life and entertainment, varied cuisine, the country side is beautiful, the safari parks, the volcano, the big temple, etc… The best way to go around is to hire a car fully air-conditioned with a chauffeur from dawn to dusk for only $30. Balenese respect the tourists and do their utmost to get them to come again.
However the island is fast becoming overcrowded with 3 millions inhabitants of whom 95 percent are of the Hindu faith, three percent Christians and two percent Muslims. Religion is not in the forefront as Balinese, except for the few Islamists fanatics, understand secularism. Not a single women in Bali wears the “Saree” and the men will only wear their “Sarong and Udong ” for religious ceremonies.
The construction of a new international airport on Lombok is poised to alleviate Bali and promoting the island, but this does not seem to be the case until now. Lombok is a Muslim island, it has the same temperature and beautiful beaches and hotels but the atmosphere and ambiance at Lombok is far from the one in Bali. Time will tell if  Lombock will pick up.
The competitions to Bali, however, are coming from the Gilli Islands namely Gilli Tragawan, Gilli Meno and Gilli Air. These small islands are little paradises where there are no cars, no motor bikes, no traffic, no noise or any form of pollution. Tourists tour the islands on bike or horse carts. The hotels on Gilli Tragawan for example, are of high standard and most tourists coming to Bali would spend at least three nights on Gilli Tragawan. Dining out on Gilli Tragawan is a real delice with a wide choice of grilled seafood and salad bar.
Back to Bali. Herald Sun Insight editor Keith Moor, spent months interviewing people, examining thousands of pages of court transcripts and having exclusive access to a range of police and other documents - all of which enabled him to piece together why and how a group of fanatical Muslims declared war on the West, and attacked Westerners simply out enjoying themselves. Much of the details came from the mouths of the bombers themselves in witness statements made to police. Moor's report traced the bombers' background, reconstructed what happened on the night through the eyes of those in the Sari Club and Paddy's Pub, and examined the police hunt for the terrorists. The conclusion is that the ideology of Bin Laden has found its way in Bali among some young and weak Muslims who believe that the Jihad must go on.                                                                                     
If the fear of another bombing, as pointed out above, seems to have somehow disappeared, this is like discarding the reality or playing the ostrich. The possibility of another bombing in Bali still exists as long as there are elements of Jamma Islamia on Bali. The treat is definitely still there. When Julia Gillard and her delegation visited the island for the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the killings of Australians by Islamists of Jamma Islamia, there was a threat which prompted the Indonesia government to take extra security measures. Much has been done in that respect since the bombings.  The Indonesian government takes any threat seriously even though their intelligence service is now very effective. Security measures are very high and everyone is checked when entering big hotels; but this is not the case fro the pubs and nightclubs of Cuta, Legian and Seminiak.  Places like Ku de Ta and Potato Head, which attract up-market tourists, have  very strong security measures. This is surely not a hazard but rather an omen that these places could be potential targets.
However, the possibility of any bomb on the Gillis is very very remote and they should and will remain the little paradises, not lost, of the Indian Ocean. This is excellent news.
                                                                         

Al Qaida presence in Australlia by GDL

 

 

"AL-QA'IDA sympathisers were among those involved in violent weekend protests in Sydney, which saw Muslim men engage in a series of running battles with officers from both the NSW and Australian Federal Police.Several of the hundreds of demonstrators who marched on the city's US consulate were carrying the black flags adopted by the proscribed terror organisation and its splinter groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq."(The Australian newspaper).

The protesters, these Islamists fundamentalists extremists who have no moral values, used women and children during their uncivilised and unlawful protest to show how hatred was at the centre of their message. Some photos show children holding signs saying: "Behead those that insult the prophet." This demonstrates how low some can go with such a savage and bellingerent mentality.

"Some of this will have to be looked at from a legal perspective to see what offences are actually committed by some of these text messages," Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldastold the Seven Network on Monday. (The daily Telegraph)

It is the wish of all law abiding citizens of Australia that these rascals be dealt with severely to serve as a lesson to others with the same mindset. From what we saw in TV on Saturday, it is obvious that some people cannot adapt to the western democracy style and philosophy.

What we saw can only be qualified as barbaric behaviours which is the modus operandi of these extremists. It is needless to educate them, a waste of time; if they have not changed they will never change.They deserve other treatments tailored for their needs.

Australia has for too long been too tolerant to extremism  in the name of political correctness. The Labour government with its involvemnt in Afghanitan, its lack of a coherent migration policy and its failure on border protection, is encouraging criminals and other extremists to enter the country without proper check and balances of their backgrounds. No surprise that some of them come without any identification. They purposely destroyed these. 

The unlawful protest by these extremists was disgusting and enraging to say the least. Australia should have tougher laws to deal with these extremists.They should be expelled from the country as they do not understand what democracy stands for and what are Australian values.

Go back to where you come from....you are the parias of our society.

WE DO NOT WANT YOU HERE.