She called in during the Radio+ program this afternoon to share her story: when the 50% SC/HSC subsidies were abolished by the Sithanen-Mansoor duet she didn't get to write her HSC exams because her dad had only enough money to pay for the SC fees of her younger brother.
Isn't that ironic? Here's one guy who keeps telling us that he didn't go to school for two years because he was poor and who, as soon as he's in the driver's seat, starts playing Russian roulette with the future of the kids of this country.
Don't think he's gonna be missed.
The people of Paradise Island want 100% subsidy on SC/HSC fees, free education, free transport, subsidy on basic foodstuff and cooking gas, universal old-age pension. At the same time, they want no tax on interest income and no National Residental Tax. They want to keep the flat income tax of 15% and to get back the tax exemptions that the government abolished. Where in hell will the government get money to fund all this Welfare State? And Pravind Jugnauth is promising to make the country duty-free and tax-free. Soon we will be bankrupt like Greece.
ReplyDeleteSithanen mentioned that giving EU money to the sugar industry was a proposal by the Ministry of Agriculture.
ReplyDeleteDid you send any question by mail?
@Anonymous: A progressive taxation system can pay for all this Read this and this. Besides the flat tax is also not sustainable.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: actually when Boolell met with trade union bosses he told them that Sithanen didn't want a lot of public debate on the Multi-Annual Adaptation Stragegy. Yes I sent six questions. Here they are:
1. Will you tell us how the STC lost Rs3 billion on oil-hedging when in fact it doesn't have to do any hedging given that all increases in prices are passed on to us through the APM?
2. Where's the logic of giving Rs5 billion to an industry that represents only 2% of our economy and not finding Rs100 million to subsidise the SC/HSC fees?
3. The Indian state of Bihar registered an average growth rate of 11% during the past five years compared to 4.3% for Mauritius -- that's 2.5 times more. Are you planning to visit Bihar anytime soon to learn from them?
4. The empowerment fund was supposed to spend Rs5 billion over 5 years or Rs1 billion per year. What percentage of this and the many funds (like the Rs1 billion food security fund) you announced during the past few budgets has actually been spent?
5. Indian Minister Shashi Taroor resigned after two meetings with Manmohan Sing on Sunday. Why haven't you resigned yet after 7 meetings that lasted 10 hours over 15 days with Ramgoolam and 2 press conferences?
6. Will you be available for a debate with Lutchmeenaraidoo after May 5 given that you will not even be member of a district council?
@ Sanjay Jagatsingh
ReplyDeleteSithanen said yesterday that normally politicians who claim to be of the left adopt liberal policies when they are in Government. I's exactly what he did with the exams fees file and with other files as well. He definitely cannot see his faults even after being brought down to reality.
@ Anonymous 1
If Government can find the money to finance useless and dubious stimulus packages and to fund useless para-statal organisations why can't it finance social related services?
@Anonymous 2
Again the same Pas-moi-li-sa syndrome.
@Kozemotande: One of many little nonsense slogans that Sithanen uses to divert the attention.
ReplyDeleteI thought Noorbux let him run away with murder yesterday. In fact he has remained spellbound by the bean-counter-in-chief throughout the last 5 years. And that has meant more work for us at Kozelidir.
@ S Jagatsingh:
ReplyDelete"not even be member of a district council"...
Enn mari kalott ça!! I missed the question time, mais fauder comprend: Nawaz c'est enn bon all-rounder, mais pas vraiment enn "requin des surfaces", vicieux couma Finlay, ki ena fiel pou mett enn killer-question de ça calibre-la lors la-table.
Bann lezott questions, sans conteste zott ti bizin posé pou essaye embarasse li, pou conner ki li ena dans so ventre.
Si ou ti la-bas dans studio Missié SJ, fort possible Rama ki pou re-commence miauler: "Complot!" ou bien li ti pou persister ar so bann "Je n'ai vraiment rien à me reprocher" ou bien "Pas ti éna le choix". Kifer? Parski, comme il le dit si bien, "mo-mem meilleur!"
Why did he not resign? He said, i think, at least 5 times that "mo conne impé politique" but he still believes that Navin's motive to ignore him on the candidates' list remains a mystery to him - but with 4 possible alternative hypotheses, not less! Which is which?
@akagugo: dialog district council la c t so exkiz pu pa faire ene fas a fas r Vishnu. Finlay li zis pa kontan torti, sat marron li kontan.
ReplyDeleteTou so ban diss ine reye.
li p fek dire li pas pou vote ptr la. li commnent un ti zenfan gate.
ReplyDeletepauvre bougre
I finally managed to watch/hear a bit of the talk.
ReplyDeleteAt times, I thought the connection was lagging, since he kept repeating the same thing ad nauseam.
He never really did answer the question about the girl not being able to pay the exam fees. On paper the policy looked good, but as always with Sithanen, he is a textbook Finance Minister. He does not look into the social aspects or the mauritian way of life when implementing his policies.
Funny to hear him say that he is from a poor family and becoming successful. But on the otherhand, he is denying poor people the chance for education.
Ah well, like he said, all the decisions were from the whole government!
@ConversationLimited: Lin don limpressyon li bien fer fout r problem dimoun. Li pa laisse oken laporte ouvert o ka ou li fin tromp li.
ReplyDeleteTan dir later pwaret tourne kuma deboulon li depi lor sa fotey minis la le 5 mai o pli tar.
Sushil Khushiram (aka stipidite competitive depreciation) ti done ene interview interessant dans Mauritius Times kot li ti p vante supply-economics (sirman pu seye fer lakor MMM-Ptr konkretize). Sa pa ti pu etone mwa ki MMM fer parey seki Sithanen ine fer. Selman zot pa ti pu kav fan dal ek sa lefikasite ki Sithanen ine fan dal la. Kitfwa akoz samem zot triste 'mo mem meyer' pe vadass.
@Sanjay:
ReplyDeleteBy any chance, do you know if Mauritius Times is available online?
Seems to have a lot of free time on my hand today!
@ConversationLimited: God bless Google!
ReplyDeleteHmm. That site really doesnt look like a news website to me! Stumbled on it the first time and thought it was some kind of blog posting.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Since its launch, Kozelidir has been aiming at demanufacturing consent.The comments are refreshing. Obviously, more and more dissenters are on the run. In the hope that it won't take too long before progressive citizens feel truly vindicated.
ReplyDeleteShould you wish to drill deeper into
mythbusting, you may read Reform as Propaganda ( http://www.pluriconseil.com/conjoncture/Conjoncture-juin07.pdf) and Quelle rupture ?(http://www.pluriconseil.com/conjoncture/Conjoncture-Janvier07.pdf)
@ SJ
ReplyDeleteI got your point, Sir, pour enn fas-a-fas, Rama pena courage (ni arguments) pou mate ar Vishnu, mais saki touye moi c'est kouma li capave plaingne so malerr, apitoye lor li mem, tappe so prop zepol et flatte so l'origine modeste ek so ego, tousala en mem temps... Li fort sa Rama-la!
"Finlay li zis pa kontan torti, sat marron li kontan" :-D
Am still rolling under my desk, wetting my pants from laughter...! Yeah, i got that analogy too!
@ Samad:
Merci missié pou ou bann links - drilling in process, until I find petrol!
It's a real pity Lutchmeenaraidoo is not a candidate in BR/QB because his little cousin would have voted for him (read Rabin Bhaja's interview in Lexpress dimanche today). Mega LOL!!!!
ReplyDeleteGilbert Bablee de Radio plus ti pe dire ki ena cas kot 2 parents handicape gagne pensions mais total fer en sort qui zot enfants pa eligible pou gagne subsides SC/HSC. Bravo Sithanen! Bravo Mansoor!
ReplyDeleteYou may also wish to check veeren's comment (the last one as of now).
ReplyDeleteGuess we can add the cleaners to the list.
ReplyDelete