The likelyhood of hitting obstacles is higher when moving than when sitting idle. Ambitious people very seldomly lose themselves in comfort zones, unless they believe that their objectives have been met. But then again, ambition evolves with our environment. They can be like the horizon, moving one step with each step you make. In my humble opinion, Mauritius is an ambitious country, and so is its population. The country is moving forward.
At a time when many countries are facing dire difficulties in their financial (and social) adaptation to the changing world, the paradise-island is always finding some ways to keep it's shoulders out of the trouble waters. The worldwide financial crisis reached our shores, but the vision and strategy of the government and major decision makers washed out any potential harm that this could do to us. True, we are dependent on the world market, but is it not marvelous that despite this we are progressing? There is, in the backstage, a real collective ambition to transform the country into a leading business hub and a first-class tourist destination. We are steadily moving towards our objectives. The shift from an agriculture based economy to a tourism destination raised a lot of questions. Collateral damage was part of the game too. The end-result justified the moves of successive governments (and their vision); each one with it's loads of impopular measures. At times, they were blamed for selling our lagoons to foreign investors and hotel promoters. Today, when we realized the progress made, almost everyone wants a share of the cake. Local tour operators, restaurants and tourism enterprises are flourishing - those who believed in Tourism and entered the industry early are now unreachable businesses for new competitors.
We are, maybe, at the doorsteps of a scenario similar to the one described above. Opening the door to foreign capital and expertise was not something Mauritians unanimously accepted. Mind pollution is a dirty game, and many play it well here. Again, the government is being blamed for selling the country to Dollar and Euro owners. Some years later, those carrying out the blaming exercise will realize that they just missed the bus. Well, I'm not a pro-government activist and neither am I a friend of our Prime Minister (like so many of those big-mouthed people I know). But I admire the guts and daring attitude of this government, particularly of the Prime Minister. The opposition is left in a total confusion of its own, messing political battle with country's progress. Everything becomes a scandal. Fortunately, the government is focussed and keeps moving the country towards new heights. The population too.
Every action cannot be explained while it is being performed. You have to let time show you the results and the results justify the action. When the action is being performed, you've got to trust the performer. Right now, the population, well the majority of it, trusts the government. Some dogs will always bark but this doesn't stop the caravan, right? This government is ruling its second successive mandate of 5 years. The results are visible - even to the blind. Mauritius is a vast construction site: shopping malls lifting their heads out the ground, extension of our main highway, upgrading of infrastructures, increasing tourists and superb hotels. Again, there are inevitable collateral damages, as in every sphere of life. We are not perfect... But then, no one is. When you start to see Lambos and Ferraris on your roads, you realize that there's at least something positive for some people. It whispers the words 'Yes, we can' gently in my ears. Those behind the wheels of the angry bull and the black horse are not superstars and neither ministers, they are people who have seized the right opportunities at the right time. Somewhere, .. they believed in the country, it's economy and business potential AND its ability to fulfill their dreams. These people did not waste their time analyzing claimed scandals, they kept themselves focussed on benefits they could reap from the country's constant progress. Could be a materialistic statement, but I take full responsibility of my words here.
Then opposition has been blaming government on two massive projects: JinFei and Neotown. In the first case, the government gave Chinese investors major concessions to build a new city in the outskirts of Port Louis and in the second, you replace Chinese by Indians. It's true that the concessions, maybe, can be termed as excessive(low land lease, relaxed constructions norms and business conditions). No one seems to point to the fact that those lands, even being prime lands, were idle and required massive investments for development. Both of the projects mentioned are revolutionary in their concepts. They are paving the way for the future Mauritius. Why would investors come to this tiny island if no concessions are made? Why do they need to target a one million population market when they can easily go to Dubai and Singapore? There are concessions, of course, but there's also belief in our country. They know what we are planning to be and they know that we are giving ourselves the means to that objective. They believe in MauritIus.
In ten years time, Mauritius will be completely uplifted. The duty-free island will be a reality and many of world's giants will have a presence over here, if have not done so already. This is not a mere prediction, this is what many Mauritians see in front. Would you argue with your dad if he took one coin from your pocket and bought the winning lottery ticket with it? It's an open question which can bring many answers ... justified or unjustified protests. That's exactly what's happening in Mauritius. The essential thing to remember here is that we have the winning lottery ticket!
