2012: The Year in Review

January: PM thinks we should benchmark against Trinidad & Tobago, a country which had an income level per capita similar to ours when he first became PM but which now has one twice ours. Messi grabs third consecutive Ballon d'Or. France loses AAA rating. Jaufeerally pleads for end of growth worship. Photo-giant Kodak files for bankruptcy. Journalist helps democracy work better. Sithanen's electoral reform proposal makes a travesty of our democracy. Disinterested alternative presented.

February: University students unconvinced by Sithanen's proposal. 75% of poll don't want their Ministers unelected. CWA applies harsher cuts, after downpour. Whitney Houston found dead in hotel room. A380 has cracks in wings. Chuttoo organises debate on political financing. Riots break out in Reunion over cost of living. Somalian pirates to be tried in Mauritius.

March: iPad 3 unveiled. Foreign military parades on March 12. MPC undergoes makeover. Country crying for 3 leaders. Things get ugly atop republic. Chagos petition appear doomed. SAJ drags Reduit into partisan politics.

Read the review for Q2, Q3, Q4.

Should We Benchmark Against Trinidad and Tobago?

The Prime Minister thinks we should. I don't. See although T&T started at about USD5,000 per capita just like us when Ramgoolam II first became PM, they now roughly have twice our income level per Mauritian. Higher oil prices since then must have helped given that in T&T oil and gas accounts for 40% of GDP and 80% of exports. This could explain why it clocked a 12.6% growth rate in 2006. Something Ramgoolam won't tell you.

Just like he was bragging about having a higher growth rate than Singapore back in 2008 but stopped talking about the South East economic dynamo when the Tiger rebounded out of recession with a 14.5% growth rate in 2010. He then started talking about Greece. Seems that he always looks for countries that happen to do worse than us at one point in time. Which is fine though because you are watching Pyongyang TV.