Acting PM appeals for peace following disturbances in certain areas of the country

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Acting PM appeals for peace following disturbances in certain areas of the country
Acting PM appeals for peace following disturbances in certain areas of the country

Africa-Press – Mauritius. Today we are making an appeal for calm as we acknowledge that consumers are facing difficulties and that there are sufferings and that sufferings can sometimes bring about anger but violence cannot be the solution in any case.

Violence is not a solution and the solution lies in dialogue’. The Acting Prime Minister, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo, made this statement during an address to the nation, this afternoon, at Air Mauritius Building, in Port-Louis.

The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, Dr Mohammad Anwar Husnoo, and the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Georges Pierre Lesjongard, were present.

The Acting Prime Minister thus called for peace and understanding which have always represented the strength of our population and the beauty of Mauritius.

He also recalled that the country has witnessed disturbances since Thursday night with incidents at Camp Levieux, Rose Hill, as well as in seven to eight other regions last night.

These incidents have not occurred all over the country nor have they involved many people as is being falsely reported on social media, he stated. According to him, these incidents do not constitute merely protests and manifestations but acts of extreme violence.

He highlighted that fire has been set, rocks have been placed on roads, cocktail Molotov has been used, Police stations and police officers have been attacked and public infrastructure such as Metro Station in Barkly has been damaged.

The country, he said, has not witnessed such acts since a long time to the point that foreign newspapers have qualified what has happened in Mauritius as ‘urban guerrilla’.

The Police have as far as possible exerted restraint and over the two days only three people have been arrested and the two people arrested on Thursday were released on the same day while the one arrested on Friday was released today on bail, he indicated.

There are more than four police officers who have sustained serious injuries in these acts of violence and are currently hospitalised, he pointed out.

As per information, these acts of violence were not spontaneous and have been plotted and organised well in advance, said the Acting Prime Minister. The protestors involved were neither trade unionists nor representatives of neighbourhood watch and Force Vives, he indicated.

These protestors were rather people having an experience in organising violent tumults that can be qualified as ‘urban guerrilla’ and have used activists with a criminal record, Mr Obeegadoo emphasised.

These people wanted since long to create turmoil and now have capitalised on the rise in prices to do so, he said. Moreover, the Acting Prime Minister acknowledged that there has been a rise in prices. Government, he highlighted, acknowledges that the rise in prices affects consumers and impacts the most vulnerable.

This is why during the past three years, with difficulties brought about by the COVID-19, Government has introduced the Wage Assistance Scheme and the Self-Employed Assistance Scheme to ensure the livelihoods of citizens and protect employment.

Mauritians, said Mr Obeegadoo, are intelligent and are aware why there has been a rise in prices a consequence of the pandemic and which has brought about an economic crisis.

Other factors for the rise in prices are climate change with torrential rains that have affected our agriculture and our economy, he remarked. However, what has made the situation worse is the Ukraine-Russia conflict which is ongoing for nearly two months now, he underscored.

This has resulted in the increase in the price of foodstuffs like never before and the prices of all products are exploding and this is not only impacting Mauritius.

All countries, populations and Governments are affected by an unfair price increase that nobody deserves, he stressed. Our country, he emphasised, is undergoing a difficult phase and there is no simple solution.

If a solution is found on the short-term there is a risk to pay a hefty price in the future, he cautioned. For the Acting Prime Minister, social dialogue is important to find solutions and to protect those who are suffering.

Presently budget consultations are ongoing between the Finance Minister and several stakeholders to prepare the budget and to consider proposals put forth in that regard, he recalled.

He also spoke about the system of political dialogue that takes place at the National Assembly. These social and political dialogues exist to implement actions on the economic front to alleviate the sufferings of the most vulnerable, he remarked.

In addition, Mr Obeegadoo said that it is unfortunate that those people who have caused disturbances have chosen to do so at a time when the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister are not in the country.

The Prime Minister is returning tomorrow and his priority will be to work to find solutions, he announced. Speaking about manifestations, he said that these are allowed in Mauritius but we live in a State where there is rule of law which allows all people to live in peace together.

Mauritians do not like violence and disturbances and it is not in our habit or traditions, he underpinned. ‘If we have been successful in building this country over the past 300 years it is because people who came from different parts of the world have collaborated and worked together to ensure development’, he indicated.

Mauritius is starting to move forward again after having experienced three difficult years brought about by the COVID-19. He cited tourism as one such sector which has picked up its activities.

However, one day of disturbance in one region and one night of violence in seven/eight regions can adversely harm our country and its image, he warned.

The country and the population at large must stand up again together and the solution and the future are not acts of violence and attacks against the police, he reaffirmed. The Police will do its job to protect the population, our regions and infrastructure, he added.

Finally, in the name of the Prime Minister and Government and in these trying times, Mr Obeegadoo, appealed to all fellow citizens to play their roles and assume their responsibilities to open up once again a social dialogue to find solutions and ensure that Mauritius does not undergo another night of violence in certain localities.

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