Moris: the bigger picture

Institutions are expected to regulate the power and estate distribution of society. Alternatively, when government policies tend to be extractive, giving rise to disproportionate economic power to the entitled few, it is only a matter of time before cracks permeate the system. More often than not, we are the product of the environment we live in. A country is well run when, from top to bottom, citizens internalise a set of rules that are indiscriminately and consistently enforced. In short, our civic sense is a critical determinant in whether we succeed in building a nation that is simultaneously high performing, greener and healthier.

Mauritius is belatedly waking up to the accident-waiting-to-happen development model it has so one-track-mindedly been following. Ironically, we seem to be stuck in paralysis mode. Not with an overload of (sound) analysis, but rather with the control of toxic networks of patronage and, indeed, without any strategic thinking to turn around. The symptoms of the national decay can intuitively be identified. Meanwhile the absence of a holistic approach to problem-solving at all levels has been spinning the resulting vicious circle faster and faster. The crisis of confidence gripping citizens could not have been more predictable. Most naturally, outsiders of the collapsing system increasingly dream of either joining the self-seekers inside or migrating to more favourable skies. Under these circumstances, on the one hand, clientelism flourishes to exploit the vulnerability of the masses and to satisfy the zeal of contract, job and rent seekers. On the other hand, weaponising our cultural differences sets up the coup de grâce.

Today many citizens are realising that the brand of "democracy", "miracle" and "development" we have been celebrating so fondly has neither been inclusive nor structural. Our "democracy" has been a full-fledged electocracy (meaning governments can be more caring than reckless, and vice versa, for five years practically as per their whims) with growing disconnect between governments and people's aspiration; our "miracle" has failed to nurture talent and creativity, instead it has actively bred social ills and brain drain; "our development" has been a de facto obsession with infrastructural muscle-flexing, with hardly any commitment to efficiency, cost structure, compliance, aesthetics, eco-friendliness etc. Consent manufactured around the extractive model is slowly being debunked. The well-being of citizens and their ability to deliver with a competitive edge having badly gone missing in political discourses. 

The parliament lies at the heart of a functioning democracy. Its fundamental role is to implement laws and policies that preserve and improve the welfare of all citizens. Opposition parties, media outlets and civil society are expected to keep governments on their toes. The impartiality of the judiciary and the police being non-negotiable. No institutions can be trustworthy without a "zero tolerance to BS" signal sent by a (still elusive) savvy prime minister to everyone heading them in order to instill accountability, transparency, stability and equal opportunities nationwide. Trust as much as cynicism between governments and citizens are mutually reinforcing.

Vigilant watchdogs to resolutely crack down on systemic corruption will deter economic clientelism, defuse market concentration, balance our national accounts, sanitise the rupee and reduce inequalities. A skewed system invariably inflates costs and adds a premium on prices, stifling our overall competitiveness. Providing incentives for wealth creation by innovative and motivated citizens and foreigners is a key driver.

Mauritius is sending a distress call, no revolutionary, no ideology is being urged. The system is begging for few quick fixes and hundreds of incremental measures to be implemented in synchronicity to bond all stakeholders. Delusion just does not last. There is a thin line between sociopathic rule and psychopathic rule. Who can hear the roar for a metamorphosis?