Ramgoolam Appoints Toxic Bean-Counter As BoM Governor

It came as a shock to people who had voted for the Alliance of Change as they haven't forgotten how Rama Sithanen had badly messed up their livelihoods during his last stint as Minister of Finance between 2005 and 2010 with an extreme version of trickle-down economics. It was so bad that he could not be given a ticket – a first for an outgoing FM – in GE1010 and didn't take the risk of running as an independent candidate. Of course before that the then PM had to give a second Presidential term to SAJ and help get PJ elected in the 2009 by-election to prove his goodwill before sealing an alliance with the MSM so as to avoid electoral mayhem. He was also not elected in GE2014 and GE2019 and that too in two different constituencies while for GE2024 the risk was too great for Ramgoolam to give him a chance to return to parliament.

The 70-year-old Sithanen has also made a number of disturbing statements. Here's one.

And here's some more.

Book That Makes Mauritian Voters Smart As Hell Published

It's available in several locations worldwide since yesterday. The Mauritian diaspora will be able to understand GE2024 and politics in their motherland and elsewhere like never before.

GE2024 Ep1: Dernie Traizon Navin Ramgoolam

Sanjay Jagatsingh · Dernie traizon Navin Ramgoolam

Voter Survey for GE2024 Goes Live

Takes only a couple of minutes. We'd love to get your responses in this anonymous poll. And we'll publish the aggregate results.

No Electoral System Gives More Power to Voters Than the FPTP

Meet A 94-year-old Who Has A Gift For the PM

Ms. Dassyn was the first one to garland SSR when he was first elected in 1948. Now twenty-one years later she's the oldest elector in riding No.5 and on the same platform as him in Pamplemousses. They are meeting again for the inauguration of an ultra-modern hospital. So we discover on reading the chapter of Petals of Dust that starts on page 94.

The 357-bed hospital with 120,000 square feet of covered space has been meticulously planned and sports the first ICU of the island, an isolation ward among other important features and had become a necessity as a rapidly increasing population – the demographic bomb was in the midst of being defused – had reduced the beds/1,000 pax from 2.5 to 1.9 and was in line with government's promise and plan of upgrading the delivery of public health.

The 38-year-old Minister of Health who'd been in the job for two years – as well as eight in that of the General Secretary of the Labour Party – doesn't fail to give credit where it is due. He tells us that the foundation stone was laid in 1963 when Guy Forget had the portfolio while Harold Walter presided over almost all of the building work when he was in charge. There was even an arts competition. Architects, sculptors and labourers are thanked. He seemed to have had a lot of fun equipping the new gem.

The first time I went to the SSRNH I was quite impressed by the sophistication, scale of the facilities and ambiance there. Mind you this was the feeling of a boy who was probably in Standard III just waiting in the car. Many years later when I read Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first impression of Brasilia – Oscar Niemeyer designed it as an airplane – I immediately thought of my first encounter with lopital di nor. "The impression I have is that I'm arriving on a different planet." 

Suddenly, Mastering QM Becomes Fun

I've made an awesome book out of the QM pages of my much-appreciated CFA^® Level 1 Lifesaver. You can download it on your Apple device if you have access to a particpating store. I suspect people heading to university or wanting to master QM will also love it. IA is also there.

Eski Plant Plis Kan Se En Bon Stratezi Pu Moris?

ReA Se En Parti Extrem Drwat

World Celebrates Birth and Awakening of Lord Buddha

It's called Vesak and is understanbly the most important celebration any Buddhist can participate in. Hindus too celebrate Buddha's jayanti tomorrow May 22 as they consider him the 9th avatar of Vishnu. It's difficult not to consider him the successor of the previous avatar, Lord Krishna, when you take the time to carefully examine their recommendations given about twenty-five centuries apart. Especially the fundamental one that urges us to test what they prescribe. Happy Vesak Day!

Kozelidir Person of the Year 2024

Credits: News18

Anu Tiek En Palab Ki Abitie Fer Lor FPTP

The Jag! After 2016

The last time we took stock of the output there we had just finished the fifth part in our series on electoral reform. Since then we've added four more pieces in that thread and thirty-nine other posts till now. There were no articles last year though, the first time since 2016 but it's not the longest drought period on that blog. I have a good excuse. 2024 looks better with already two and both of them are in kreol. The first one was an analysis on six pledges of the LP/MMM/PMSD alliance – it uses four of our clips – and the last on why six titans of the Mauritius Labour Party are unlikely to vote for Navin Ramgoolam in 2024 or for the other two main parties for that matter.

Of course Covid-19 happened during this 7-year period which explains why we had pieces on the vaccination status and jabs to buy in 2022 after we had become less ignorant about viruses. That was also the year of the 75th anniversary of India's independence. We published one piece on the Gentle Elephant when it was Midnight on August 15 in Bharat. Two days earlier we wrote a post on faith which started with a tribute to an extraordinary actor that said goodbye during the pandemic. We also investigated who's been the longest-serving General Secretary of the MLP. 

Other pieces included celebrating the 90th anniversary of a maverick, the Pope's visit, ideas to roll back drug use, an interesting piece on transport policy, comments on the offerings in the 2019 general election, fact-checking a toxic politician, decolonisation, the Central Water Authority, the World Bank and economic miracles. Plus one on the importance of the national currency in determining the wealth of a nation and another on an infamous anniversary. And more.

That's a lot of good stuff to read don't you think?

Zistwar Kadi

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Socks For Laura

That's what Ram Dass is showing to the amused audience which is there to listen to his remarks in honour of the late Aldous Huxley, the author of the dystopian novel Brave New World. Mr. Huxley was so good with words I heard Alan Watts say that mescaline was given to him so he could give the best description of the effects of the mind-altering drug – the result was Doors of Perception. I haven't read any books by AH but I was blown away by his description of the Nataraj. That was given in 1961 when he had already been diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. 

Huxley has had an interesting influence on the world through his writing and the people who pushed in the same direction like Tim Leary, Ram Dass and later Steve Jobs. And 60 years ago today he left this world hours after Laura had acceded to his written request for a 100 microgram injection of LSD. The timing of his departure was not exactly extraordinary given what had happened a bit earlier in Dallas. 

Investment Analytics Now On Apple Books

Since Thursday owners of any Apple internet devices in many countries can get Investment Analytics from Apple Books. IA which was initially published in 1999 has helped hundreds of readers learn finance in a very enjoyable way and prepare for their CFA and MBA exams. Now with this digital edition the learning experience is being taken to an entirely new level. Happy learning!

75 Years Ago, Mad Man Opens His First Agency

The Father of Advertising, David Ogilvy, is not only important to people who make a living in that industry but to a much wider range of folks. This is what happens when you're so good in a field or are very smart that your insights and track record catch the attention of plenty of different people. 

Like the one above on leadership which we've used to compare two PMs of Mauritius. Or the famous Rolls-Royce headline that we've quoted to highlight how we're lucky to have such a good constitution that includes the FPTP, the best electoral system in the world, and at the same time draw the attention of voters of the necessity of treading very carefully. 

Naturally, Mr. Ogilvy's body of work in advertising is priceless in doing that lifelong activity called explaining. This stems largely from staying curious and sticking to the facts for decades.

How One European Country Will Make FIFA History Today

At the end of the final match of the fabulous 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup between Spain and England later today in Sydney one of them will cause history to accelerate. That team will not only win its first Women World Cup and become only one of five nations to have done so – blame the USA for having grabbed half of the eight previous editions organised so far for that – but will also become only the second country to have won both the Men's and Women's FIFA World Cup at least once. Yep, the winner will join Germany which has won at least two of each. 

But that's not all. Either England or Spain will improve their powerhouse ranking by three or two spots when they take the sixth place currently occupied by the Bleus. This will not exactly get Uruguay nervous though although its last WC win occurred seventy-three years ago. That victory made the largest football crowd ever to be assembled so sad that one nine-year old promised his sobbing father that he'd win one for him. He ended up winning three.

Remembering the Dragon Who Told Us What To Be

 

Bruce Lee died 50 years ago today. Most people remember him as an amazing martial artist but what fewer know is that he was very well-read – his personal library had more than 2,000 books – and was a beginner till the very end. When I read Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse's extraordinary book, I wondered if he had read it too given his recommendation to us which he repeated in the famous 1971 Pierre Berton interview above. According to one website he did read it. Mr. Lee also wanted to publish his magnum opus shown below in 1971 but his busy movie schedule got in the way. Anyway, how many great books can you take in a singe year?

If you can't have enough of Mr. H20 then may I suggest that you head to his daughter Shannon's interesting podcast where you'll learn plenty of details about Jun-Fan? Still standing? Then make sure to watch the 3-season Warrior series if you haven't already.