Competent Mauritius?

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Just read a comment by kass-cole on Le Défi Media website following the terrible events of yesterday in Port-Louis:

“dans moris mank dimune competent,et bane ki competent zot pas gagne zot chance et tous bane protezé et bane non competent ki gagne travail dans bane secter important [...] ab li normal nous bizin xpect bane defaillance .”

and, a few minutes ago, the Minister of Public Infrastructure, National Development Unit, Land Transport & Shipping, Anil Bachoo, said the following on radio (I’m quoting from memory…):

“anyone who has an idea why Port-Louis is flooding and can help to find a solution is going to be heard. For the time being, we don’t have a solution.”

I was having a conversation with some friends yesterday on that very topic : the lack of competency. And I think, as kass-cole observed, that there is an element of politics in it. It’s not normal to nominate incompetents. But, when I think about it, most competent people in the country, and they are a lot of them, suffer from being unknown to the public and, by extension, to those above.

Do you think that, if those with competencies were better known, they would have been invited to join committees and participate in the running of our Republic?

Or is Mauritius doomed?

(Image courtesy of mayukichan on deviantart)

My top posts of 2012

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I started blogging in March 2004 and, like a lot of bloggers, I blog a bit less now.

Here are a few of my highlights from 2012:

Feel free to revive the posts, comment on them and share them on social networks too.

Enjoy!

Youth decide!

All young people living in towns need to vote for the Municipal elections tomorrow. You live in a town and, as a adult, it is essential for you to have a say in how you want your Municipality to be managed and what kind of services you expect to obtain.

Tomorrow is a unique opportunity for young people to directly influence the future of our towns and, ultimately, of the country at large.

Youth decide now. You decide now.

Made In Moris?!?

It’s funny how we, Mauritians, have still not understood that Kreol Morisien is a full-fledged language.

Take for example the Made In Moris campaign. What is  ”Made In Moris” supposed to mean? Why do people insist in mixing Kreol Morisien with English? Or French?

I have no problem using either Kreol Morisien, English or French. “Ine fer Moris”, “Fabriqué à Maurice” or “Made in Mauritius” all sound ok.

For example, for the local market, “Ine fer Moris” would be great. But for export products to France, “Fabriqué à Maurice” is good too and, of course, “Made in Mauritius” for all other uses.

What would you have chosen?

Now, coming to the three logos themselves, I must say I’m not too happy with any of them:

  1. The first one is way too complex and too, ahem, intellectual: a fingerprint in the shape of the island! It’s typically what non-designers come up with when they have to design a logo.
  2. The second one is too easy. Looks like a myriad of logos which are used everywhere in the world except that Mauritian colours are used.
  3. The third one is way too black and Facebooky.

Don’t tell me that criticising is easy while actually doing one logo is hard. I know that. But, as you all know, no one is paying me to come up with a logo.

In essence, don’t mix languages. Respect our Kreol Morisien.

And, please, come up with a nice logo.

I Say No

A country needs to have good politicians. As most of the existing ones in Mauritius are not that good, I Say No!

Today, instead of wasting my time going to one of the political meetings, I’m staying at home, doing some productive work, playing with the kids, repairing a bloody door which had been bothering me since a few days, listening to the radio from time to time to see if  any of the politicians is saying something worthwhile (and, no, that’s not the case).

Time to start thinking about Mauritius 2.0 I guess.