{"id":3346,"date":"2015-02-06T08:38:48","date_gmt":"2015-02-06T08:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/2015\/02\/06\/opiniontribune\/"},"modified":"2018-05-10T21:57:42","modified_gmt":"2018-05-10T17:57:42","slug":"opiniontribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/opiniontribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Investment Promotion & MEDIA"},"content":{"rendered":"
Opinion\/Tribune<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

<\/p>\n

I would like to travel down memory lane to write about two institutions that have made a mark in the economic progress of Mauritius. First, the Mauritius Export and Investment Authority (MEDIA), which gained a certain notoriety since its early days not only in Mauritius but also abroad as one of the best promotional organisations among the ACP countries – so much so that we were invited by the European Union to explain to other ACP countries how a very small, newly-born state was doing so well to make the country known to foreign buyers as well as investors.<\/p>\n

Promoting Mauritius to Indian industrialists in those days was a very difficult task. There was certainly keen interest among Indian investors, but transferring capital out of India posed a formidable hurdle to the investors. Mauritius was then logging a double-digit unemployment rate. The idea floated – and implemented – was to have MEDIA put up buildings around the island to house light industrial projects of foreign investors and thus help absorb the expanding labour force and keep a check on unemployment.<\/p>\n

MEDIA could not provide subsidized rents which would have helped the industrialists intending to come over to Mauritius. The situation today is different as the Board of Investment wields a greater amount of flexibility. However, the marketing team then in the service of MEDIA, though limited in number, was very dedicated and was guided by two very able leaders: Chand Bhadain and Satar Aboobakar.<\/p>\n

We also had an effective, though small, board with Benoit Arouff as chairman, with three of the five board members coming from the private sector. Hard work was the norm; public as well as private sector employees were often taken to task for not chasing projects actively enough, as MEDIA meant business. No one can dispute the results achieved as a result of this kind of dedication.<\/p>\n

The BOI has done quite well to bring quantitative investment flows, but what about the quality of the investment? It may be helpful to think this over again. What is required today is value added manufacturing and services so that our graduates can find gainful employment appropriate to their qualifications and skills.<\/p>\n

With the opening of the COMESA and SADC markets, opportunities to attract industrialists from both Europe and Asia exist \u2013 just as we did it when Europe was offering duty free access to exports from Mauritius. It may be argued that cheap labour was available here at that time and it helped. We do have an educated workforce at our disposal today and we need to keep this aspect under consideration. Failure to act appropriately and fast on our part will amount to aggravating the situation: those who have graduated as well their parents have expectations that must not be ignored.<\/p>\n

I remember my meeting with the owners of Danielleti following the setting up of an electronic factory in MEDIA’s building in Beau Vallon: they inquired from us about which special incentives we had proposed to Mr Thorsen when he had visited Mauritius to explore the possibility of putting a unit in Mauritius. When Danieletti started their factory here, their measuring units were first sent to Singapore before they were exported. Thereafter the Mauritius unit started to export directly, reflecting the catching-up done in the meantime.<\/p>\n

There are still some other high-value manufacturing units operating in Mauritius with potential to absorb a more sophisticated labour force. The role of BOI should consist in looking for such kinds of enterprises; a special status with special incentives could be granted to them. The resources of the ocean should also retain the attention of BOI as the new Eldorado.<\/p>\n

Ashok Mody<\/strong><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Les Deux Capitaines<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dans une mer du sud, vers fin 2014, deux capitaines qui se connaissaient se trouv\u00e8rent face \u00e0 face dans un certain bateau transportant des r\u00e9gimes de bananes pour le compte d\u2019une r\u00e9publique banani\u00e8re. Les deux comp\u00e8res avaient en eux leur lot d\u2019arrogance, d\u2019\u00e9go\u00efsme et de vantardise, ainsi qu\u2019un faible pour les femmes et un amour inv\u00e9t\u00e9r\u00e9 pour le flafla \u2013 un peu comme certains politiciens de Paradise Island.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mais voil\u00e0 qu\u2019une temp\u00eate se leva et les rafales devinrent si fortes en si peu de temps qu\u2019il y eut comme un tsunami. Les deux Capitaines se chamaillaient pour diriger le bateau, avec forces jurons et autres invectives, et ce qui devait arriver arriva. Le bateau fit naufrage sur des r\u00e9cifs. Heureusement, apr\u00e8s une nuit cauchemardesque, le temps finit par devenir plus cl\u00e9ment et un soleil radieux, tout orange, apparut.<\/p>\n

Peu de temps apr\u00e8s, un bateau dirig\u00e9 par un vieux loup de mer se pointa \u00e0 l\u2019horizon et vint \u00e0 leur rescousse. Aussit\u00f4t que les deux bateaux furent suffisamment proches l\u2019un de l\u2019autre, un des deux Capitaines du bateau naufrag\u00e9 sauta rapidement dans les bras du vieux loup de mer, qu\u2019il connaissait apparemment de longue date. Et il lui raconta alors combien l\u2019autre Capitaine, connu comme Capitaine Nayewinn, \u00e9tait rempli d\u2019arrogance, de vantardise, et d\u2019autres vilaines choses encore.<\/p>\n

Toutefois, le vieux resta bouche cousue<\/em>. Seul un coq \u00e0 cr\u00eate rouge qui \u00e9tait dans un cageot suspendu au m\u00e2t fit cocorico trois fois de suite, comme si, en langage de basse-cour, il voulait dire quelque chose. Peut-\u00eatre un avertissement pr\u00e9monitoire de la part d\u2019un coq, en plein jour\u2026.<\/p>\n

Quant au Capitaine Nayewinn, il avait pris la sage d\u00e9cision de rester avec son bateau. Il s\u2019affairait \u00e0 redresser les m\u00e2ts et \u00e0 r\u00e9cup\u00e9rer sur les r\u00e9cifs tout ce qu\u2019il pouvait afin de remettre le bateau \u00e0 flot \u00e0 la mar\u00e9e montante. Pendant ce temps, son ancien compagnon, appel\u00e9 affectueusement Capitaine Polonoff, racontait des histoires \u00e0 dormir debout aux matelots avec lesquels il venait de faire connaissance. Il eut m\u00eame l\u2019outrecuidance de menacer et de maltraiter ceux qui ne voulaient pas croire \u00e0 ses histoires hors de l\u2019ordinaire. Quant \u00e0 son sobriquet, on le lui avait coll\u00e9 depuis belle lurette, lors de son stage \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9cole navale, parce qu\u2019il \u00e9tait si adepte et si habile \u00e0 un jeu alors tr\u00e8s populaire connu comme onoff-onoff.<\/p>\n

Quand le bateau du vieux loup de mer fut \u00e0 une certaine distance des rochers, Capitaine Polonoff h\u00e9la Capitaine Nayewinn pour lui faire un pied de nez et aussi, comme \u00e0 son habitude, pour prof\u00e9rer quelques expressions grossi\u00e8res de son r\u00e9pertoire bien fourni. Alors Capitaine Nayewinn lui lan\u00e7a avec d\u00e9dain: \u00ab Toi, Polonoff, apr\u00e8s tout ce que tu as dit et fait, mes amis Peaux Rouges de Chicoutimi t\u2019auraient trait\u00e9 de \u2018sale visage p\u00e2le \u00e0 la langue fourchue\u2019. \u00bb<\/p>\n

A ce moment pr\u00e9cis, Capitaine Polonoff, qui \u00e9tait \u00e0 la poupe du bateau \u00e0 califourchon sur le rebord, se tordit de rire et ricana tellement qu\u2019il perdit l\u2019\u00e9quilibre, glissa et tomba \u00e0 l\u2019eau. Il fut englouti instantan\u00e9ment par les flots et toutes les tentatives pour le r\u00e9cup\u00e9rer furent vaines. Les mauvaises langues pr\u00e9tendent que le vieux loup de mer avait, en fait, d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de l\u2019abandonner \u00e0 son triste sort, \u00e0 cet endroit manifestement infest\u00e9 de requins.<\/p>\n

Toutefois, ses amis les plus fid\u00e8les sont d\u2019avis que Capitaine Polonoff, un vrai coriace, a \u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e9pargn\u00e9 par les requins parce que, apparemment, quand il est sous l\u2019eau, il ressemble \u00e0 un requin-marteau. Ils pr\u00e9tendent que, d\u2019apr\u00e8s une voyante de renom, leur Capitaine bien-aim\u00e9 a trouv\u00e9 refuge dans l\u2019immense grotte d\u2019une pieuvre g\u00e9ante qui s\u2019est li\u00e9e d\u2019amiti\u00e9 tentaculaire avec lui et qu\u2019il sera bient\u00f4t de retour au pays natal, apr\u00e8s des f\u00eates de fin d\u2019ann\u00e9e sous-marines. D\u2019autres pr\u00e9f\u00e8rent se fier \u00e0 la version d\u2019un astrologue de la Grande P\u00e9ninsule qui avait affirm\u00e9 que Capitaine Polonoff se trouve actuellement dans le ventre d\u2019une grosse baleine qui l\u2019aurait aval\u00e9 par m\u00e9garde – un peu comme Jonas, jadis. Mais, quant \u00e0 savoir si Polonoff arrivera \u00e0 s\u2019en extirper un jour, l\u2019astrologue indien n\u2019a pas voulu hasarder \u00e0 se prononcer l\u00e0-dessus\u2026<\/p>\n

RAFAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Royals & Friends Action Line)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

* Published in print edition on 6 February \u00a02015<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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