A debate is raging in France at the moment about the interest which the Chinese have shown in investing in the car maker Peugeot. The outcry is with regard to the unwelcome involvement of foreigners in what the French consider as their patriotic and industrial legacy. On another level this debate reminds us about all the problems France is having with the integration of immigrants there. While there is nothing wrong with any country protecting what it considers to be in its national interest – what the United States of America did i.e invoking national security considerations a couple of years ago when Dubai was turned away from its proposed investment in US ports – still the time has come for us in this “plaisir” country of ours to have another look at what France Telecom is doing and has done to ourMauritius Telecom.

It has been said before that Mauritius Telecom is simply a cash cow for France Telecom and it may help the public to have an idea of how much money was invested by France Telecom initially and how much money it has obtained as return on its investment. I am sure that the figures will be staggering and they will demonstrate that Mauritius has had a raw deal. In the spirit of transparency I hope that the authorities will even during this festive period be able to enlighten us.

When the deal was mooted between Mauritius Telecom and France Telecom it was on the basis that Mauritius Telecom with a strategic partner like France Telecom would be in a far more comfortable position to position itself in Africa. The results are pitiful as France Telecom operates independently in the African market.

In fact we have come full circle. Before Mauritius Telecom was launched we had Cable & Wireless – a British company – that controlled all telecommunications and there was virtually nothing that Mauritius was getting from that. Having escaped from the Cable & Wireless grip, we have found ourselves again in the grip of another European operator.

The Minister who purports to control IT has announced – once again and this happens regularly every December – that all of us will have faster Internet connections next year. I hate to have to say that this is again a pious wish. But most visitors to our country rail against the slow Internet connectivity and the high costs thereof and this is a major impediment to the rapid development of the IT sector.

Mauritians must also have a debate about the role major conglomerates have in our economy. I refuse to accept that we are incapable of enlightened debate and we must remind ourselves of a famous French saying : “Du choc des idees jaillit la lumiere.”

The French were obviously right about this and it must hold true for everyone. At a time when the talk in town is the opening up of Africa to Mauritian businesses, we must undo whatever might be an obstacle in this African venture. Otherwise it will be simply an adventure. We must identify our permanent interests and forget that we can have permanent friends. That is not the way the world walks and works at the present time.

Merry Xmas all the same.