MOOD SWINGS

We’ve always been hearing that Mauritius is an open country.  We love foreigners: tourists, investors and expats.  They feel at home among the cosmopolitan Mauritian who are so eager to be of service, with their legendary warmth and smile.  Well, there seem to be some mood swings that right now.  Suddenly the Prime Minister’s Office seems not to appreciate the success of its open-minded schemes.  Too many foreigners employed in Mauritius, he says and then appoints two guys from his office to review and decide on all new Occupation Permit application.

From there, nothing moves.  We’ve handed the guns to two persons who always wanted to shoot.  And they are shooting – systematically at every target at sight. No occupation permit is being given for now to people who are eligible by the officially published and publicized prospectus of the Board of Investment.  It won’t be long to hear the Prime Ministers saying ‘no one is interested to work in Mauritius’.  He’s apparently tightened some loose ropes claiming an abuse of the system by foreigners.  You’ll agree that an abuse is only possible if you leave the room for it.  If you don’t, then it’s no longer an abuse but an illegal act and you can act upon these through different instruments.  Well then is it not a disguised mea-culpa?  As far as I know, there has been some expulsion; some permits revoked…but overall people have been able to abuse the system for the past three years!  And they’re still tanning on the beach at Tamarin.

Tightening loose ends and firing at sight are obviously not the solutions.   You cannot say ‘come to Mauritius, it’s easy and nice here’ and kick butts once people have moved in.  Moving to a new country implies changing life, destabilizing your family while betting on a better future.  It means resigning from your job and taking new risks in a foreign land.  It also means getting your cats and dogs do a full battery of health tests – thought this was worth mentioning.

And after doing all this, two camouflaged ninjas believe you’re not worth an Occupation Permit.  No reasons to give, they don’t need you, that’s the attitude, and that’s not what they advertise.  I guess they’ve messed up with what they were assigned to.  To control and supervise application means, at least for me, to provide a deeper examination of cases and provide objective conclusions AND to give permits to deserved cases.  These people are all-in, playing a game kill’em’all.

Let me give you one example.  While we are, ambitiously, trying to turn the island into a cyber island, we do not seem to grasp the importance of mobile technology.  Let me explain, a foreign company, well established in mobile software development is unable to get Permit for his Managing Director, a high-calibre professional - expert in the development of software for Steve Job's machine... and the androids.   Such expertise is nowhere to be found in Mauritius.  First, we don't have schools that teach such subjects, and second we're still thinking that information technology refers to computers and computers are either laptops or desktop. No one seems to see the future of mobile technology, except those young teenagers out there.  So, the only way to train local competence is to get foreign expertise in.  Our business plan mentions that the expatriate director will also be responsible to train local counterparts on the technical side of the business.  We expose the different aspects of mobile computing and expose  the innovative side of the business. Nothing doing.  Seems our two cowboys don’t see things that way.  For them, a reputed business, seduced by apparent facilities offered by Mauritius, is a suspicious matter.  I don’t know, but that’s how I see it on my part.

Another company wants to recruit a team of foreign managers for its business.  The company offers back-office solutions to professionals of the tourism industry around the world.  Super business, brilliant ideas!  Mixing BPO and tourism is like holding 4 aces on a Poker table, I thought so.  It was again flushed out.  No reason whatsoever.  Shoot to kill.

I’m stunned.  Am I missing something here?  Go and visit the www.investmauritius.com website and then read this blog again.

The Government seems to be into fast lane, moving full cruise…but on the wrong direction.  Now my question is: when will they notice this? Mauritius is beautiful, a nice place to live in, the words ‘lush’ and ‘pristine’ are used repeatedly on all official documents.  They’re, on one side inviting people, and on the other, kicking them out.  In between you are paying for Air Mauritius tickets…and I think that’s how Air Mauritius is claiming 400% profits…I’m being silly I know but then I’m just aping those two cowboys sitting at the Occupation Permit Committee.


Before you sell your house, your car, your dog... to come to Mauritius, you better seek precise advice and save yourself an air ticket.   Put your trust in God, it's going to be useful.  Be positive!