Africa-Press – Mauritius. To his credit, whether by political considerations or through the influence of the Fabian society thinkers of the times, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam had the wisdom to keep separate two key ministries: that of the nation’s budget and financial governance and that of the island’s economic development and planning.
Accountants peopled the former and could focus on good governance practices, while the latter harboured some of our brighter economists, analysing our strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in different industries and also chalking out future prospects of growth and development.
It also kept some balance between the short-term and annual horizons with the longer-term and twenty-year perspective, preventing either from hogging the limelight and pulling the rug towards its particular agenda.
Those young economists who staffed that Ministry of Economic Development and Planning (MEDP) then, working on various dossiers of national interest were all enthralled by a job that did not simply pay their monthly stipends, but they felt a sense of worthwhile contribution to our national development priorities and the narrative of Mauritius in the making.
Later they would be the architects of pioneering developments both in import substitution industries and, later the push for export-based textile industries, the delocalised « zone franche », or even the freeport.
While the political brass was expectedly taking the credit for our successes, few paid tribute to the handful of top-notch bureaucrats and administrators that charted our course from the 80s onwards on the strength of social developments and achievements of the 70s.
A history of Mauritius would be incomplete without a chapter on these forbears as the MEPD was eventually dismantled to be integrated in the new massive power centre of Finance.
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