• Transport (p. 32) – SPTC will continue to be subsidized but we are still waiting for ‘private participation’ as promised. It is high time that we do away with these fumes factories of Tata buses and replace them with some form of transportation which makes more environmental sense. Traffic management needs to be taken more seriously. Too much dependence on ‘new cars’ mentality will not only increase pollution but is a huge drain on the precious forex reserves. The huge taxes levied on private transportation should go towards the upkeep and modernization of the road infrastructure. Zot donn en pti pasaz dan sa gro ‘Jeep’.
• Land Management (p. 33) – It is boldly stated in a few short lines that ‘one of the principal constraints faced by
• Environment (p. 34) – ‘At no point will economic development be allowed to compromise our reputation’…very important statements that unfortunately do not reflect today’s reality as we have now opened our country as a free for all. Environment protection has now been compromised by greed and SPPF has turned our patrimony into a playground for the ‘forex elite’ & their cronies who have no concern for the environment whatsoever (Albert Rene was adamant on protecting Silhouette and other islands but has now opened them up to exploitation). How can we trust the SPPF government that allows hotels which prevent us from enjoying this environment, sell large portions of it for one rupee or undisclosed deals… Tou forex i ek zot!
• Agriculture (p. 35) – Economic mismanagement of the more than 30years of SPPF rule has left our country with no proper agricultural policy. The animal feed crisis that is now upon us is living proof that agriculture does not have a priority on the SPPF agenda. Today we are reaping the rewards of past failures such as Seycom, Nail, SMB and all the communist principles of state control. Scarcity of land means we have to import the bulk of our foodstuff. The lack of forex means erratic supply. The rupee devaluation means doubled prices… Zot pa les nou mor lafen! Nou pa pe gany nou 5 porsyon…
• Support Services (p. 36) – After missing the boat a few years ago, the vision is to ‘conduct a study’ on the installation fibre optic cable! How can we become efficient & competitive when we have one of the most expensive telecommunications systems in the world? What support is SPPF providing to the local business community with a tax, tax, tax policy? Where is the grandiose project (already paid for) of a ‘wired’ civil service to improve efficiency? They now want to ‘improve access to hardware’ but the teachers are still awaiting their promised laptops. Kominikasyon bat latet!
Our fourth part review of this key document (pgs.37- 43) will focus on the chapters covering social aspects, which seems to have less significance judging from its contents & skimp elaboration. Tune in next week!! The State of the Nation is up soon and it will be all rosy & more lies…2017- are we there yet…?