Download Speech on the occasion of the National Day 2012

Speech National Day 2012
Honourable Stella Ndabeni, Deputy Minister of Communication
H.E. the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps
Excellencies and dear Colleagues
Ms. Carla da Silva, the Regional Manager of Air Mauritius
Mauritian nationals
Distinguished guests
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you as we celebrate the 44th Anniversary of
the Independence of the Republic of Mauritius and the 20th Anniversary of our
accession of Mauritius to the status of a Republic.
The theme chosen by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius for this year’s
celebrations is Maurice Ile Durable, or Mauritius a Sustainable Island.
The Maurice Ile Durable, also referred to as MID, is a vision of the Government of
the Republic of Mauritius that seeks to transform the environmental, economic and
social landscape of the country. The MID vision is about sustainable development
and inclusive growth. It is embedded in a strategic framework embracing five
development pillars namely, Education, Environment, Energy, Employment and
Equity.
The country has set ambitious targets for achieving this vision such as inculcating a
culture of Eco-Responsibility in all our citizens, including the young; proper
management of water and land resources; strong focus on recycling; achievement
of 35% autonomy for our energy needs by 2025 through an increased use of green
energy; introduction of fossil energy reduction projects such as solar water heaters,
energy saving lamps and low energy street lighting and traffic lights, just to name a
few.
Allow me to open a parenthesis whilst we are on this issue to congratulate South
Africa for the successful organisation of COP 17 last December. The conference
was a landmark achievement both in terms of organisation and logistics as well as
advancement in the process. The challenge for COP 17 was that it was feared that
Durban would be the burying place of the Kyoto Protocol. The 11th hour climate
deal (also known as the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action) does away with
ranking countries as developing and developed ones, a criticism of the Kyoto
Protocol and a stumbling block during previous negotiations.
Whilst we are on the same chapter, we are looking forward to the United Nations
Conference on Sustainable Development meeting to be held in Rio de Janeiro in
June this year. It is our hope that the Summit, which will be held twenty years after
the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and 10 years after the landmark 2002 Johannesburg
Summit, will provide the political commitment and chart the way forward for
reduction of poverty, advancement of social equity and ensuring environmental
protection on an ever more crowded planet.
Hon. Deputy Minister,
Excellencies and Distinguished Guests,
I am personally delighted to note that the bilateral relations between the Republic
of Mauritius and the Republic of South Africa continue to flourish since the days
the Diplomatic Mission was opened in Pretoria in 1993. I wish to point out that
South Africa is one of the most important trade and economic partner of Mauritius.
Cooperation between our two countries have intensified over the years and covers
areas as diverse as education, arts and culture, social development, trade and
economic portfolios, money laundering, drug trafficking, to name a few. We are
encouraged by the increased awareness of the South African business community
of the potential for investment in Mauritius. Likewise, the Mauritius business
community is interested in availing of business opportunities in South Africa or
engaging in strategic partnership with South African companies in tapping the
opportunities in the region.
The Government of Mauritius continues to devote serious attention to enhancing
trade and economic activities with other countries of the region, in particular the
SADC Member-States. Regional integration remains a cornerstone of our foreign
policy and this explains the serious engagement of Mauritius at the political level
in enlarging the platform for doing business for our economic operators through
our active involvement in the discussions on the creation of a larger Free Trade
Area which would combine the SADC/COMESA/EAC Member-states. Such
engagement is based on the premise that a larger economic space for trade and
economic interaction will accelerate the regional integration process. The
combined Free Trade Area would lead to an integrated market made up of the 26
countries from the three regional groupings (COMESA, SADC and the EAC) with
a combined population of 600 million people and a total GDP approaching 1trillion
USD.
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen
A bold economic reform programme was introduced as far back as 2005 in
Mauritius to move the island from a preference-based economy to global
competitiveness. Fiscal and non-fiscal incentives coupled with high quality
services are some of the measures put in place to expedite the transformation of
Mauritius into a dynamic economy. Sectors of activities such as manufacturing,
agro-industry, tourism, financial services, property development, hospitality
management, ICT, agri-business are constantly being revamped to meet the needs
of the domestic and international spheres of potential investment. The Government
has also embarked on a process that will lead to the democratization of the
economy, which in turn would lead to a broadening of the economic and business
circle in the country.
Since 2006 we have constantly improved our rankings in major international
indices such as the World Competitiveness Report, the Africa Competitiveness
Report and the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Report. Just recently
Mauritius was ranked first in Africa in the Heritage Foundation of Economic
Freedom and 8th in the World ahead of developed countries such as the US, the
UK, Japan, Germany or France. (+)
We continue to improve the Doing Business Climate in Mauritius. However, we
are not simply content with the improved ease of doing business in Mauritius. We
would like to see significant improvements in the ease of doing business in the
whole region and we are spearheading an initiative, in collaboration with the
World Bank and the Regional Multidisciplinary Centre of Excellence, now
formally set up in Mauritius to encourage other countries in the region to improve
the ease of doing business. This initiative has received the support of the relevant
authorities of the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of Botswana, the
Republic of Rwanda and we are hopeful that other countries would partner with us
shortly.
We celebrate today; yet we should not forget the stark challenges that loom ahead
of us with the specter of rising food and oil prices that could bring back memories
of rising inflation and costs of living. There is of course the Euro crisis which has
the potential to be an economic tsunami, that could rival the days of the Great
Depression in the late 1920’s.
Closer to us is the scourge of piracy which is affecting fishing, commercial and
tourism activities of many African countries, including Mauritius, as well as being
a threat to regional and international peace and security. With the deployment of
military vessels in the horn of Africa, the pirate vessels have moved further south
and are now encroaching on the EEZ of Mauritius. Maritime Piracy has resulted in
increased insurance premiums, hiring of private security guards by ships and long
detours being undertaken by the vessels to avoid piracy attacks. This has resulted
in an increase in the cost of transportation of goods with these increased costs
being passed to the consumers
Mauritius hosted the Second Regional Ministerial Conference on Piracy on 6-7
October 2010. The meeting adopted a Regional Strategy which provides for a
regional framework to prevent and combat piracy, and promote maritime security.
We have demonstrated our commitment in the fight against piracy by signing an
agreement with the EU for the transfer of suspected pirates for trial and detention
in Mauritius.
In this same context, Dr. the Honourable Navinchandra Ramgoolam, the Prime
Minister of Mauritius, participated in the London Conference on Somalia which
was held last month. Important decisions leading towards the restoration of the
State of Somalia were taken at that meeting.
It is my firm conviction that we will be able to rise above these challenges. Now,
more than ever, we need, amongst other things, a reinforced integration and a
consolidated regional approach not only to overcome these crises but to usher in a
new era for our people. On the domestic front we have all the right ingredients in
place to continue successfully along the path we have chartered for us.
On this Note, may I now invite you to raise your glasses in a toast to H.E the
President and people of South Africa.