Conflicts within

So the Minister of Finance and Economic Development Mr. Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo is really in bad shape with the acute bronchitis he has developed. Still bedridden, he will not participate in the official celebrations marking the 48th anniversary of the Independence and the 24th anniversary of the Republic of Mauritius. His slow recovery has prompted the government to ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Mr. Etienne Sinatambou to step in and preside over the various functions during which Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo was to hold talks with the delegation led by the President of the Republic of Madagascar His Excellency Mr. Hery Rajaonarimampianina. The Malagasy President is the Guest of Honour of the Republic of Mauritius and his official visit is an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations and develop further our economic cooperation. As a front bench member of the government, Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo was expected to play a frontline role in the bilateral consultations between the Mauritian government and the Malagasy delegation. However his press attaché told the media that the Minister of Finance would still be unwell for at least a week and that he would not resume duty before that period of time. Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo has been sick for more than twenty-five days, out of which he spent some ten days in a private clinic, and he has missed at least four meetings of the cabinet of ministers. If some believe that Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo really fell ill after he returned from an official mission to Washington, others see in this a means to openly express his discontent on a number of issues. That there exists a conflict between the Minister of Finance and Economic Development Mr. Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo and his colleague, the Minister of Financial Services, Good Governance and Institutional Reforms Mr. Roshi Bhadain is now an open secret. However, both are playing with words and trying to avoid bursting out their inner feelings. For instance, in reply to a question from the editor-in-chief of L’Express Mr. Raj Meetarbhan, in the context of an interview published in the daily on Tuesday 8th March,2016,Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo states the following: “ (…) team spirit is very important if we wish to accomplish the mission that has been conferred to us by the population. A colleague who harms another colleague harms the whole government (…)”. It must be underlined at this stage that the interview he gave to l’Express and published on Tuesday 8 March, 2016 was conducted from his hospital bed, mind you. Contradictory pieces of information are being published on this issue. While it is reported in Le Defi Quotidien of Thursday 10 March, 2016 that the MSM, to which Mr. Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo has recently adhered again, has established contacts with the Minister of Finance so as to find ways and means to put an end to this situation, we learn in the same article in the same newspaper, that the Prime Minister has not expressed himself on the matter because there seems that there is no issue at all!. “Mr.Lutchmeenaraidoo is ill and overworked, not to say jaded. These speculations are unfounded”, says a source from the Prime Minister’s Office. Again inconsistent elements crop up when it comes to the next move of Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo. While some say that he is very committed to bring about the much-awaited second economic miracle as promised to the nation, others seem to suggest that he is in a reflection mode and that he would soon decide on his political future. Rumours are swirling in that he might even resign both as Minister of Finance and MP. That would trigger both a cabinet reshuffle and a by-election in constituency number 7 (Piton and Rivière-du-Rempart). Usually, remarks from listeners of Radio Plus are indeed very forceful and could put to shame some of our political scientists and commentators. Quite rightly, on Sunday, a listener asked himself why so far the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, who happens to be the leader of the Lepep Alliance did not intervene when the conflict between MP Sangeet Fowdar and his party, the Muvman Liberater had arisen. A very legitimate question to which we would add the following: are meetings known as “réunion des éléphants” (literally meaning the meeting of the elephants but in fact refers to the meeting of the supreme joint team from the parties forming the alliance) still being held? If not, why not? Now, has Sir Anerood Jugnauth visited his Minister of Finance, if only by courtesy, not to say good manners? When the former Minister of Health and Quality of Life Mrs. Maya Hanoomanjee, currently serving as Speaker, fell ill as police and ICAC were to arrest her in the context of the enquiry on the purchase of the former MedPoint clinic by the government, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, who was then the President of the Republic, paid her a visit at the Apollo Bramwell Hospital. Those who know Sir Anerood Jugnauth closely can testify how considerate he is. We should never get weary to underline that before December 2014, Sir Anerood Jugnauth had made a personal appeal to Mr. Lutchmenaraidoo to join the Lepep Alliance and that he would nominate him as his Minister of Finance so that together they could repeat the economic miracle of the 1980’s. Sir Anerood Jugnauth even accepted the various conditions put by Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo, namely that he will not join any of the three parties and that he would stand as candidate in constituency number 7. How could the Leaders of the Lepep Alliance allow things to get worse to that extent? We learn from an article published in Le Mauricien on Thursday 10 March, 2016 that the Sun Trust has sent an emissary to take the pulse of the Minister of Finance and that he has reported back that “the temperature is still very high and that there are risks of convulsions”. Why should the Sun Trust send am emissary? Why can’t the Prime Minister give Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo a call and find out about the status of his health and eventually about his political discontents? This situation has lasted too long and should not have been kept in abeyance and extended over the week-end, whether there is political truce or not. Coming back to the conflict between the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Good Governance, it would appear that initially both were good friends and that they jointly decided on the different moves regarding the fate of the ex-Bramer Banking Corporation and the BAI Investment but that the management of this crisis led to serious disputes subsequently. Probably their contrasting personalities and opposed styles led to further their differences. The two Ministers were to have conflicting views on the thorny issue of the Non Double Taxation Agreement (NDTA) with India. Minister Bhadain rushed into matters with the Indians and Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo had to clear the whole mess later. Meanwhile, the Minister of Good Governance would don his mantle of investigator and ensure a follow-up of all foreign missions of his colleague, the Minister of Finance. In a bid to have some political leverage, Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo requested and obtained his adhesion to the MSM. Was that a good move, in the sense that Mr. Bhadain is seen as being a prominent member of the inner circle of the leader of the MSM, which incidentally operates from the Sun Trust, transformed into another center of political power? That could explain why an otherwise intelligent Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo candidly told Mr. Meetarbhan in L’Express that “ the judgment in the case of Pravind Jugnauth has enormously affected the government. Because Pravind Jugnauth is the next Prime Minister of the country”. In other words, the fact that Mr. Pravind Jugnauth has resigned from the government has caused a serious imbalance. But how does Mr. Roshi Bhadain fit in this unusual equation? Again, his role in the project of the Heritage City has gained importance over the months while that of Mr. Lutchmeenaraidoo has been considerably reduced. So much that the cabinet of Ministers has decided that Mr. Bhadain will chair a steering committee on the project. More importantly, Heritage City was at first a component in the Highlands Project, which initially was chaired by the Minister of Finance. In parallel, government has not approved any of the projects of setting up of smart cities proudly announced by the Minister of Finance in his Budget 2016 Speech. In clear, it is obvious that “smart cities conflict” has aggravated the situation, with one Minister having the support of Arab financers while the other having the unconditional support of the traditional local private sector. In addition, the Mauritius Yihai Garden project at the Domaines Les Pailles is yet another bone of contention. By the way, have you noticed how the Leader of the Opposition and of the MMM Mr. Paul Bérenger and the Leader of the Mauritius Labour Party Dr. Navin Ramgoolam have spoken with a common voice over the issue of the annoyance of India regarding the way we are treating this friendly country?