Civil Service Hostage of Finance Ministry

So says union boss Rashid Imrith. He reminded us that one Audit report mentioned that less than half of the occupational health and safety inspections were carried out. And that one Minister blamed the Ministry of Finance for not being able to operate his Ministry normally.

This is not exactly new stuff. Ministers between 2005 and 2010 have personally told me that Sithanen kept babbling a pair of words: pena kas. And now the CWA has started applying cuts again. Which gives us an idea of the credibility of the so-called reforms.

Imrith has also given XLD one week to meet with union leaders. Before they make a statement to the Police.

Btw, don't forget to send your best wishes.

2010: The Year in Review

January: The civil society started the decade unsure about who they would be voting as PM later during the year but clear that Paglanomics had to be stopped. Ramgoolam's pathetic second mandate was analysed along the dimensions he said mattered most to us while Elvis is suspected to have commented on the budget. Tens of billions of rupees of FDI were unable to reduce unemployment to single-digits. The audit report will be late just when we needed it the most.

February: 65% of a poll says Sithanen will not stay on as Finance Minister. Union bosses ask PM not to renew Mansoor's contract. The latter cuts the FS to size while Sithanen's university buddy is said to second-guess Parliament. The real reason behind the HR guidelines is analysed. The share of coal in electricity production is now 49 times larger than when Navin first became PM. He also makes a U-turn to announce that the death penalty will be reintroduced.

March: Titmuss never won any Nobel. Lousy economic polices forces a twice shy Ramgoolam to consider the MSM as a potential ally. The job creation record of the two zinku compared. The PM dissolves Parliament and invites voters to a 35-day campaign.

Read the review for Q2, Q3, Q4.

Imrith Saying Financial Secretary Second-guesses Parliament

You can listen to the interview he gave to Deepa Bhookun here and feel totally outraged. If that's true -- and it's easy to verify -- then Mansoor should immediately be given a one-way ticket to Foggy Bottom.

What's it with February anyway? Three years ago Sithanen second-guessed Ramgoolam with respect to one of his prerogatives: the nomination of the Governor of the Central Bank.

Union Boss Gives Statement Against Minister

He avers that this morning the Finance Minister called him twice on his cell phone in connection with the controversial Mansoor Plan and threatened him. Rashid Imrith said Rama Sithanen also used foul language seven times. He added that the foul language used would make the roughest thug blush.

The Ali Mansoor Plan which called for the freezing of careers in the public sector didn't go down too well with the state employees and the population at large. It was unceremoniously killed by the PM today.

PM Cuts Mansoor To Size

And gives unambiguous instructions to immediately end the latest installment of the madness that the bean-counting duet have been serving the beautiful people of Mauritius. By sending the Mansoor Plan to hell the PM is implicitly arranging an impromptu face-to-face meeting with Beelzebub for Sithanen .

That meeting could last a while if you ask me.