Mahmood Cheeroo : « People are not getting poorer”

vendredi 25 mai 2012

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Mahmood Cheeroo : « People are not getting poorer”

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Touria Prayag | 07/10/2011

The Secretary general of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) comments the Business Confidence Indicator published by his organization and other socioeconomic issues.

■ Mr. Cheeroo, you made a statement to the press about the economic situation in Mauritius and it all seems like doom and gloom. What exactly do you want?

Let me correct you fi rst. It’s not about the economic situation. It is about the release of the latest issue of the Business Confi dence Indicator of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI). This is normally what businessmen think about the situation. It’s a scientific tool that we use and this is the seventh issue. It shows what businessmen in different sectors of the economy, commerce, industry and services think about the situation. The index is a reflection of that.

■ The figures in front of me do not call for any alarm. Apart from inflation which rose from 1.7% in July 2010 to today’s 5.8%. There seems to be nothing to worry about.

That depends on how you see things. The good thing about economics is that it also talks about the future. It’s only next year, 2012, that we will see the beginning of what is to come. Most probably the weakest link will be employment. What people tend to forget is that every year we have 10,000 new jobseekers.

■ That’s normal: there is a gap between the time graduates and other new job seekers come into the job market and the time they are absorbed by the market. What’s alarming about that?

If there are no jobs in the next three to six months, these jobseekers will join the unemployed.

■ Are we talking just about external factors?

Yes, because that’s where we export our products and services

■ Then why do we continue to export only to Europe and the U.S? Why are we sitting and crying and doing nothing about it?

That’s a good question. Let me tell you one thing. This does not only apply to us but to any country that’s used to a particular business model for a number of years. They tend to innovate at the margin. However, we have been able to tap South Africa as a new market for textile products. Between 1995 and 2000, we negotiated the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Trade Protocol and it took four or fi ve years just to see the first significant effects of this preferential market access.

■ Isn’t all this alarmism a way of lobbying for a weaker rupee?

There have been a lot of misconceptions about this issue of exchange rate. If you see from a historical perspective, Mauritius has had a policy of slight depreciation of the rupee for 30 years to try to support the export industries. It has been of benefit.

Interview by Touria Prayag

Read the full interview on lexpress e-paper

Commentaires

Par:-well wisher

one does not need be economist or mathematician to see that life has been so expensive in Mtius. In which world does this person live - everything has gone up so much in Mtius.....transport ...those who have to take the public transport the cost is so high.....people in the position of Mr Cheeroo use the chaufeur driven car or all these personal us as well so they save on petrol or the cost of having a second car for their wife and children use.....basis food cost is extremely expensive .....a packet of Kraft cheddar cheese is around Rs 60 plus.same goes for milk and basis food stuff. He must be talking for himself.

Par:-MBCTV

A commentator based in the CITY,the international business square mile of London,made the headlines,by rightly suggesting that it is the big banks in the US that run and manage the USA and not the democratically elected governments or Presidents!The commentator went on to suggest that the Cameron’s,the Obama’s are mere slaves of the system.slaving day and night to meet the demands of the banks or find themselves booted out at the next election!Bankers do not have to face the electorate every four or five years!INDEED,IT IS THE GREED MENTALITY THAT HAVE BROUGHT THE US ECONOMY AND PEOPLE TO THE PRECIPICE! As observed by US multi billionaire Warren Buffet!Clearly Mr Cheeroo,does not count himself as forming part of the Cameron.s,Obama's crowd!It is a well known fact that business lobbies do force US Presidents to invade/declare war on other countries in order to grab their natural resources including oil.with the consequence that today A some 46 million US citizens live on or below the poverty line!46 million US citizens would have proven to be a good market for Mauritian goods,were they economically active!Just think of the remaining two billion plus people living similar precarious situations,like their poverty stricken US citizens,were they economically active too!It is a fact that Ramgoolam's government has been destroying the Mauritian middle class in a calculated and systematic way,for example to finance the ill organised free transport system!No rural taxes!Taxes on bank accounts!Billions wasted on poor commercial decisions,where helas the culprits remain unpunished!And yet Mauritius remains to be a unique country where it should be possible to create and sustain a well enhanced middle class and a zero poverty trap for anyone!Ultimately,the economic solution must be a global one ,to include the BRICS countries,not a US or European one!

Par:-Begum

Longtemps mo ti capave acheter toute sorte qualite biscuits dans supermarche, maintenant mo choisir sa ki lors promotions. Sa c'est ene seul l'exemple, pourtant mo dans la classe moyenne! Nepli exister la classe moyenne. Tout dimoune ape vine plus pauvres, sauf les riches et les millionaires de Loto!

Par:-Adam Hadit

Strait and to the point ....in a mauritian-type of economy where corruption is rife and politicians unaccountable rich people get richer and poor people have their eyes to cry .....

Par:-Visitor

I visited Mauritius after only 2 years. Mr. Cheeroo you said people are not becoming poorer! Do you really know how a family with kids at school are coping with. What they are having to eat everyday on their table for dinner? What sacrifices parents need to do with lots of cut backs just to provide for the kids? Get on the field and know the truth, just by sitting in the office and looking at the paperwork you can't generalize. You have a position job with all benefits paid, you can't compare your benefits with low income people. Living in Mauritius is so expensive, I just kept thinking how people are being able to cope with all the prices going up. And you say people are not becoming poorer, you need to think twice Sir.

Par:-shekwant

Missier Cheeroo, eski ou capav dire lecteurs express combien mission lors frais gouvernement ou fine aller sa 5 dernieres lannées la? Combien passage avion bizness ou first class ine couter? Combien perdiem inn payer? svp. merci

Par:-Fernando

Cheeroo arret coz nimporte!!! Saki cheeroo bisin dir c'est ki li finn arrive grand temps pou ki morisiens travaille pli dir pou fer zot l'avenir ek l'avenir zot zenfants(sirtou incluant bann rentiers ki nek conne plaigner)!!!

Par:-Cheeky

Rupee depreciation has been of benefit? To whom? Upton Sinclair could enlighten us: It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.

Par:-narain

Mr Cheeroo, are mauritians getting richer? You are referring only to your friends who drive big german cars and go shopping at Bagatelle. Go for walk in the 'cités' and the suburbs before making any declaration.