Africa-Press – Mauritius. There are renewed calls these days that our public and political overheads should be seriously reviewed and trimmed down, some arguing for the election of an “assemblée constituante” to review either the Republic concocted in haste in the early nineties or the Constitution our departing colonial masters left us in 1968.
The accumulated experience will have highlighted some of its features that have proved essential to avoid a drift to authoritarianism. The constitutional independence of the Office of the DPP, which the incoming government in 2015 was intent on ring-fencing under manifestly indefensible pretexts, is a case in point.
Those and other posts whose independence from political overlordship or pressures, are of such vital importance for our continued future sustainability that ways and means to strengthen them should be the order of day.
Sadly, but somewhat fortuitously, recent experience has also glaringly revealed structural weaknesses and flaws in our constitutional make-up and the appointment processes of political nominees at key posts, that savvy and experienced heads in Opposition parties would, we trust, be studying closely.
The tip of the iceberg, one could argue, are State overheads. We already have a Presidential Office with massive costs, lifetime perks and privileges but with the barest of representation duties and responsibilities.
Their status is equally unclear: should they, on vacating the prestigious post, enjoy retirement benefits and renew with active politics? While a former President should without doubt enjoy some publicly-funded financial freedom, the scale of such generosity can be easily trimmed down without looking miserly.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
