Editorial

Judging from whistleblower’s revelations that have hogged the headlines down the years, it would seem that the State lands saga has doggedly continued to this day, and it’s not likely that the latest cases that have been brought up would be the last of such controversies. Given the enduring nature of these “transactions” in which State lands have been allegedly distributed to cronies, political supporters, activists and family members of politicians in power, the public appears to have taken it for granted that this type of questionable practices is endemic – that is, it will continue unabated since nothing can be done about it.

Readers will recall the allegations made by the then Opposition against the Duval brothers when they were in Cabinet many years ago, one of them being in charge of the Ministry of Lands, and associating them with the so-called “Festival de la Terre”. Similar allegations were levelled against a former Minister of Housing and Lands, one of whose relatives would have sold his lease rights over a plot of State lands to Chinese investors, sale which would have been approved by the former minister himself. The press reported in 2020 the fishy case of one government MP and PPS family securing sea-front state lands for a dental clinic later transformed apparently into a “dental facility with bungalows”. The latest that has come into the limelight relates to the ‘Black Label Stag Party’ apparently held to celebrate the conclusion of a deal over hundreds of acres of State lands in the vicinity of Grand Bassin and in which bribe money would have been paid.

All these allegations convey the impression that political cronies and activists, financiers or even family members have been covertly helped to acquire plots of State lands, and such accusations have been made against successive governments. They are usually levelled by the opposition. Once this Opposition gets elected to power, the previous government, now in opposition, takes on the role of accusing the new government of ingratiating selected political beneficiaries by rewarding them with lavish donations of State lands for pecuniary or other support provided during the electoral campaign. However no concrete action has to date followed to ensure that an end would be put to such practices perpetrated by the preceding government/s.

What is striking – and frustrating — for the thousands of citizens who have the interest of the country and its (limited) resources at heart is that, despite so much controversy having surrounded the allocation of State lands over the years, there is no guarantee that a transparent mechanism for allocation of lands to avoid casting every such deal in the shadow of corruption would be put in place now or in the future. Transparency would obviously have been a reasonable alternative course to follow. Should not the cadastre of available State lands for commercial purposes be publicly disclosed? It is not difficult to understand why successive governments have not chosen to take action to forestall corrupt practices in land allocation. Politicians in power would lose the chance to make those allocations in their absolute discretion if there was a transparent process.

Economists and other technicians would argue that it is normally not the business of governments to take decisions with regard to the allocation of commercial public properties among individuals. They can only make the broad policies about which State lands can and which ones cannot be allocated as well as the broad terms and conditions, and their role stops there. It has also been argued that there may be some good reasons for doing so given the historical context in which land allocations to a selected few have operated in earlier times.

However, it may not be advisable to allow things to continue as they are because these occult deals do not serve the interest of the people at large. As things are going in the matter of land and national assets, we have no choice but to plead for some enlightened judicial activism. That only can stop the rot.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 8 September 2023