Sir Anerood Jugnauth : «Je suis là, je suis aux commandes»

Le Premier ministre sir Anerood Jugnauth donne la réplique à ses détracteurs qui estiment qu’il « ne contrôle plus rien ».

Interrogé par des journalistes sur les critiques formulées contre lui par ses « détracteurs » qui remettent en question son leadership, sir Anerood Jugnauth fait cette déclaration laconique : « Tou dimunn gayn drwa atak mo leadership. Mai mwa mo la ! Mo pe “lead”. »

Sir Anerood Jugnauth participait mercredi matin 24 août à la cérémonie d’ouverture de la 47e Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Africa Region Conference à l’hôtel Intercontinental à Balaclava.

Intégralité du discours de sir Anerood Jugnauth à la 47e  Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Africa Region Conference :

Honourable Ministers, Madam Speakers of  Montserrat, Uganda and Mauritius Legislative Assemblies.

Distinguished Executive members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association,

The Chairperson of CPA Africa Region,

The Acting Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Africa Region,

Distinguished Parliamentarians and delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to all of you, especially to our friends from abroad and wish them a pleasant stay in our island.

It is indeed a privilege and honour for Mauritius to host the 47th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Africa Region Conference, under the theme ‘Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals: the Role of Parliaments’.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are blessed to belong to the great family of the Commonwealth.  It is well known that the twin pillars of the Commonwealth’s activities are the promotion of democracy and socio-economic development.  In fact democracy and development are interconnected and mutually reinforcing.  

Democracy creates the necessary conditions that favour economic development by giving the citizens the liberty to freely make choices for their wellbeing and future.  On the other hand, when there is development and the economy goes well, there is political stability which reinforces democracy.

Sustainable development brings along another crucial element which is environmental stability without which life would itself be threatened. It also calls for judicious and responsible utilisation of natural resources that are at the core of our existence on Earth. This brings me to the issue of climate change that is affecting the whole world including obviously Africa. 

As a small island developing state, Mauritius is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. We are fully aware of the dangers we face and that is the reason why we have been at the forefront in international forums to make a plea for financial and technical assistance so that countries like ours and Least Developed countries can implement climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. 

As you are aware, at the last Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting in Malta, I was present at the launch of the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub which will assist in unlocking existing and new climate finance to SIDS and Least Developed Countries and facilitate cross-Commonwealth cooperation.  The hub is hosted in Mauritius and we are actively doing the needful to make it operational. 

I am informed that a General Manager for the hub has already been recruited and he is expected to join office as from next month.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Commonwealth has a solid track record of resilience-building in small states as well as in developing and least developed countries. 

Taking that into consideration, I am pleased that this conference will focus on how parliaments can ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations are achieved in Africa.

The African continent is being increasingly referred to as the land of opportunities and the next frontier of growth. While this is certainly so, we feel aggrieved by the level of poverty in many parts of Africa. 

The SDG goals, if even partly attained in Africa, can change the face of the whole continent.

Indeed, as rightly pointed out in its report, the Africa Progress Panel led by Kofi Annan, highlighted: 

“The Sustainable Development Goals do much more than just extend for another 15 years the remit of the Millennium Development Goals. The SDG agenda, an unprecedented push to tackle the root causes of poverty, looks at the big picture.  It embraces the need for economic development that leaves no one behind and gives every child a fair chance of leading a decent life. And it faces squarely our duty to protect future generations by limiting climate change, adopting renewable energy and managing resources sustainably”. 

To add to these are challenges related to gender equality and empowerment of women in Africa. 

Although progress has been noted and this is testified by the presence of distinguished Madam Speakers and lady parliamentarians in the audience today, much remains to be done towards a transformational change for women and girls in Africa.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

In the face of such challenges, there is no room for complacency. The role of Parliaments is crucial.  Members of Parliament have indeed a daunting task.  In choosing to discuss on the way forward in this conference, we are all committing ourselves to deliver in the interest of our respective people.

As you are probably aware, my Government has made of sustainable development the lynchpin of its socio-economic strategy. Preserving our environmental assets and promoting inclusive development top our priority list. 

We want economic development to benefit one and all. We are fighting absolute poverty in an unprecedented manner. 

We have introduced in this year’s budget a scheme under which every adult on the Social Register will be entitled to a monthly subsistence allowance based on a threshold of 2,720 Rupees. 

This threshold is 40% higher than the World Bank’s absolute poverty threshold of USD 3.10 per day per individual calculated on the basis of purchasing power parity.  

This means that henceforth we shall be wiping out absolute poverty in Mauritius as per World Bank’s criteria. 

By so doing, we shall be progressing steadily on our agenda to meet the objectives of the SDGs as regards poverty alleviation. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Democracy must have an effective social dimension, if we want it to flourish. Parliamentarians must endeavour to convince their constituents that democratic institutions can transform their lives.  

For this to be possible there must be mutual trust between Members of Parliament and constituents. Through the democratic process, your constituents have entrusted you with the responsibility to better their fate. You cannot, in any circumstances, betray this trust. 

Parliament is the forum which gives you the opportunity to voice out the needs and apprehensions of your constituents, especially the poor and the marginalised. 

If through your intervention in Parliament, you succeed in bringing the Executive to address the aspirations of your constituents, you would have succeeded in boosting up social peace and stability. And when there is peace and stability, there is development.  

As the link between the electorate and the Executive, you are in a privileged position to influence government decisions. You can, through your participation in debates, influence or improve legislation and through committees monitor implementation of government projects so that development is fair and just.  Moreover, through oversight of government action, you can promote accountability and good governance.

We should not forget that good governance is important for democracy and for development and progress. Poor governance leads to malpractices and corruption.  These ills, if not contained, undermine the legitimacy of Government.  It is a real and serious threat to stability and democratic institutions.  It is therefore our duty to tackle the scourge of corruption.  

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have, in the course of my address, touched upon the role of democracy in the achievement of the SDG’s. I have at the same time addressed matters which may be real obstructions to the attainment of these Goals.  

I am sure that this Conference will enable you to exchange views, share your experience and bring new ideas and perspectives in the light of my observations. 

I look forward to the outcome of your deliberations. 

With these words, I have the pleasure to declare open the 47th Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Africa Region. 

I thank you for your kind attention.