Sunday, December 11, 2016

Two Years of Lepep And No Miracle in Sight

As expected. They haven't taken the one decision which would have brought some sanity back: end the trickle-down economics started by Sithanen with the blessing of Ramgoolam. We're not only closing 2016 with the 6th consecutive annual growth rate under 4% -- half of the 8% promised -- and a GDP shortfall of nearly a trillion rupees but the economy was thrown into a recession in dollar terms in 2015. Indeed our economic output in USD contracted by about 10% last year from 12.5 billion to 11.3 billion. The decline was even steeper in the first quarter of 2015 which coincided with the first three months of the return of Basant Roi to the BOM. We knew the guy was obsessed with depreciation: the British Pound was worth an extra Rs23 at the end of his first stint. Now one of his recent statements seem to imply that our currency should be set at a level that allows the weakest of our exporters to break-even.

Many Lepep mams have already vire and are cursing that it's our worst government ever. Which would explain the increasingly large crowds turning out to hear Ramgoolam score some easy points. Can we blame them when a Minister -- who is probably mad that February 1st is a public holiday -- has proposed the following trade-off to us voters: food or sand? Or another one who wants to sell the CWA because he doesn't like its hotline? The trouble is that these toxic dynamics were set in motion by Ramgoolam ten years ago. And there's little he's said during the past two years that makes him a credible alternative to lead the country again.

6 comments:

akagugo said...

No miracle, not even a list of accomplishments, except for some kil-divan cases. Examples abound:
- RES now more accessible to foreigners. In fact, if you factor in the numerous tax reliefs, these massive resettlements are in fact being subsidised!
- After a severe epidemic that wiped out the herds in Rodrigues the initial reaction was a 3-year ban of cattle imports, but less than 3 months later cattle imports are now being authorised again
- Speed cameras are now being reactivated, after a surge in road fatalities
- After dilly-dallying with personal freedom, we are still required to submit to fingerprints for being issued ID acrds, but on top of that Police state is creeping everywhere: even access to the UoM auditorium is now under police scrutiny
- Triple shock is making a comeback?
- An increase of cases involving law-enforcement officers being caught on the other side: still taking in policemen with no idea of integrity?
- Giving out a meager wage compensation while Basant is waging a war on the Rupee and minimum wage is still a distant mirage.

Bravo Lepep!

akagugo said...

Another example of aborted wishes: it took Ivan just 6 months to make a turn on his laudable vision of 100% renewables within 4 years, towards back-pedalling completely, forgetting that most developping countries have committed themselves to achieving it.
Lepep seems to be bent on stealing the "Back-pedalling governement" label from Anil Baichoo's zig-zags...
2 lost years, indeed, oh dear!

Sanjay Jagatsingh said...

Actions ou sanctions contre CSL? Pa kav gayn enn meeting ar banla pu eksplik zot ki zafer pa marse? Kav usi amen hotline la in-house ek engaz sa bann zenes ki pena travay la non? Btw, 15-20 banane de sela call services ti vreman top. Apre bann zozo finn vann 40% MT ek FT. Ala rezilta. Minis kare kare ti bizin find out kisana finn gayn pitaye ek sa deal la. Ubyen li kav kit sa ek KGB.

Sanjay Jagatsingh said...

New milestone: SAJ steps down and still no miracle.

Sanjay Jagatsingh said...

Thanks to the depreciation-obsessed Basant Roi our economy in USD at the end of 2015 was about as big as it was in... 2011. How do you like that?

Sanjay Jagatsingh said...

SAJ said that the first miracle happened after four years. That would be next year :) Tic Tac Tic Tac...