6,716 Road Fatalities in 5 Decades

As the chart shows fatalities increased by about one-third as from the third decade and pretty much stayed at that level since then. Which roughly coincides with the time we've been stuck in the middle-income trap – half of which we've been in the flat-tax trap.

Lepep Had Promised Several Referendums

In its electoral manifesto (see p7). The PM should forget about several and instead organise one with some crucially important questions like in the chart below. I can't think of more important issues like tax structure and electoral reform. We know what the flat tax has done to the finances of our government and to the country. We are also aware how lucky we are to have such a good constitution. Hey, it has produced clear winners immediately after 10 out 11general elections and stable government after stable government. That's no small benefit for a SIDS like us. Plus we are very mature voters. We have handled five changes of government with four of these happening in the past 23 years. No small feat. So ask us what we think. And get our permission.

Organising a referendum will also bring two major advantages to Lepep. The first one is to avoid a catastrophe in a year by getting precious feedback from voters now for an immediate course-correct. The second one is to be the first government to organise a referendum. That's some bragging rights. If the questions are genuine that is.

Eski Etnisite Pli Gro Fakter Dan Eleksyon Zeneral?

Dan enn interviu an Fevriye 2014 dan Mauritius Times Sithanen dir ki etnisite eksplik ant 65% a 70% rezilta sak eleksyon an mwayenn ek li finn al ziska 85% trwa fwa ek ant 50% ek 55% pu de 60-0. Li ti osi dir ki sa zame pu sanze. Nu rapel usi ki li ti prevwar ki Ptr/MMM ti pu gayne par 60-0 parski "40% + 40% = 80%". Pa bliye ki li ti sanz sirkonskripsyon. Li ti kit nimero 18 kot li ti for pu al dan nimero 13. Si linn buz dan nimero 13 se sirma pu bann rezon etnik parski samem fakter pli inportan dapre li. Amwin li kwar ki dimunn laba pa kone ki li ti fer ar lintere labank. Ek se sirman pu bann mem rezon etnik ki li ti poz dan nimero 18 plizir fwa.

Be kuma li eksplike ki linn tronp li par 47 siez pu Desam 2014, ki li mem finn perdi so siez ek ki Ramgoolam ek Boolell pa finn eli alor ki zot ti eli dan zot sirkonskripsyon sinq ek sis fwa dafile? Lot zafer se kifer li pann poz so kandida dan nimero 18 an Desam 2017? Drol usi ki pann truv li lor lestrad Ptr ant 2015 ek preske lafin 2017 non? Ek kifer li pann gayn tiket an 2010 uswa poze kuma indepandan swa dan nimero 18 ubyen dan nimero 13? Anfet li ti dekrir sa bayantaz la kuma pli gran trayizon politik (lol!). Be si sa ti vre li ti kav prezant li divan lelektora ek nu ti va gete si pa li ti pu fer enn top skor kuma Dayal an 2000 (Dayal ki ti perdi so job kuma komiser lapolis ti pu eli si mwins ki 300 dimunn ti vot li olye Daureeawoo).

Bon se vre ki se pa promye fwa ki li ti pe montre ki li pa tro for dan analiz. Pa limem ti dir nu pu gayn krwasans 8% si bes taks kuma linn fer a partir 2006 (mank omwin 300 milyar rupi dan lakes guvernman par rapor a so previzyon)? Apre nunn truv so reform elektoral: enn veritab galimatia danzere. Sa zafer etnik la se enn diversyon pu ki zot kav kontinye kul Moris ek bann politik ki favoriz zot ek zis enn ti ponye dimunn.

Zot pe gayn traka parksi dimunn zot lizye pe uver de plis an plis. Dernye de reklam se Desam 2014 ek Desam 2017. 

Strong Fingers Needed

Galbraith At 110

The first time I heard about him was when I saw my dad showing a couple of the books of the great economist to some people in his study – which also served as living room. I was probably watching Spiderman – thank you Stan Lee – but kept an eye on what they were doing. You know just in case the massive personal library did have some cartoon books somewhere. It looked like he was a fan. How could he not be? They were both curious writers, sharp observers, had designed policies and even spent a fair amount of time in India.

I think the first JKG book I read from cover to cover was The Great Crash and funnily enough I read it in 1987 a year in which the Dow Jones collapsed by 508 points in a single day. It didn't take long to like the guy and learn plenty of stuff. For example it is in one of his books that I learned that we owe the sentence the survival of the fittest not to Charles Darwin but to Herbert Spencer. Elsewhere that trickle-down economics aka supply-side economics was in fact the horse and sparrow theory of the 1890s. It was obvious that Ken had read an extremely large amount of stuff. And it is important to read him to get the big picture, avoid groupthink and develop enough of self-preserving wit.

I always wondered if my dad and Galbraith had met. Thanks to Assange I found out that he was trying to get him to visit Mauritius back in 1974. They probably have. When I feel nostalgic about JKG I go read this obituary to be reminded that it takes several versions for a text to feel right and that spontaneity doesn't arrive before the fourth day. November 15 also turns out to be the birthday of another great: Guy Rozemont.