7.10.12

posted by Dev Virahsawmy at 9:56 am 0 comments

25.10.04

SMASHING NEO-COLONIAL FETTERS

This is a series of 6 short articles by Dev Virahsawmy expressing a personal view of what could be done in the present juncture.
BOUKIE BANANE: www.boukiebanane.orange.mu

BOUKIE BANANE III: http://poezi.blogspot.com
BOUKIE BANANE VI:http://seleksionpoemdev.blogspot.com
BOUKIE BANANE VII: http://prezidanotelo.blogspot.com
BOUKIE BANANE VIII: http://parolpetengn.blogspot.com
(1) Let's Get Back To It!


Everybody agrees. Call it Economic State of Emergency or what you will. The situation certainly calls for urgent action but above all for a new way of looking at things, a new vision and a new project.

 It all started in the sixties when the call for independence did not generate much enthusiasm. The upper class was against; an important fraction of the middle class, specially the intellingentsia, was simply not on; support had a clear ethnic colouring. Independence came and we need not be surprised that a feeling of national identity and a sense of belonging to a nation has never really developed. The opposite is true. Speeches and emotional pleas will bear no fruits.

 Political leaders have their fair share of the blame. Have we not recently witnessed - O how revealing - the pedestrian delving of our chief histrionic bungling botcher in a mess of bouillabaisse in Rue de la Canebiere feverishly looking for his roots?

 More importantly, neoliberals who control media houses now conceitedly clamour the end of history and the death of ideology.

 The end of state capitalism commonly known as - the so-called - communism does not mean the end of history or ideology. Probably it's only the end of the beginning. The serious problems engendered by capitalism (ecological disaster, oil crisis, etc.) should on the contrary drive us from entropy to new creativity in thought and action, to a new outlook or ideology, to more soul-searching solutions. Less government, privatisation and globalisation under the thumb of US imperialism will simply not work.

 A neocolony which Mauritius is has to get back to the drawing board. The present shambles at all levels can be tackled only if we take the right road. We must break the neocolonial shackles. We must chart the course to New Independence which will be nationalistic and democratic or will not be.

 To achieve this we need the right approach, programme and leadership.

25 August 2004


(2) Politics At The Helm

A combination of long-term difficulties eroding the efficiency and performance of export sectors, including tourism coupled with our dependence on an increasingly expensive fossil fuel mean that we have to rethink our development strategy and lifestyle.

Besides judicious adjustments and innovations to keep our textile and tourist heads above water, we need new energy producing schemes but for heaven's sake let's not go 'nuke-crazy'. The sugar industry will willy-nilly have to become the cane energy industry and sweetener will be just a mere byproduct. Parallel to this we must develop an energy-saving mindset and culture. New daring town and country planning leading to locally-centered economies which encourage the use of bicycles will also be part of the new landscape. Most importantly food production must top our political agenda and that would probably mean an agrarian reform capable of releasing our creative and productive potentials. Import substitution of a new kind could be envisaged. It will be argued that WTO rules rule this out. This is true if protective administrative measures are taken but if the people of Mauritius freely choose to buy Mauritian it would be undemocratic to stop them.

This new orientation to our economy and culture will not be the oeuvre of bureacrats or technocrats of the old mindset. It requires new thinking and new leadership at all levels to mobilise national human and material resources.

Of course 'compradores' will initially be dead against. But world economic and ecological reality will eventually force them to join national efforts. This survival strategy rests on a class alliance which is all inclusive. This is not to be interpreted as a reneger, an abandonment of class struggle. The struggle against neocolonialism is an expression of class struggle.

There is no doubt that in the process of rebuilding our motherland, establishing strong links with our immediate neighbours (Indian Ocean Islands, SADC etc.) and adopting environment-friendly policies we will strengthen Morisianism (positive nationalism) and build a new forward-looking culture.

This new culture will have to be based on tolerance, justice, caring and sharing. Above all it will have to be democratic. We will have to build a democracy which is not just a system of government but has become a way of life and is vibrant at work, at home, everywhere. At the heart of it there must be gender democracy.

The most difficult task at present is to find the leadership which can incarnate all this. 'Anne, ma soeur Anne, ne vois tu rien venir?'
26 August 2004


(3) Back To School

To successfully steer our country from the neocolonial stranglehold, besides the right leadership and programme, we must also promote high standards of relevant education. And most importantly we must get our priorities right.

The key to progress in all fields is a high standard of literacy and numeracy. Let it be noted that we are not here, I repeat NOT, concerned with the so-called (mythical) polyglotism whereby 'Franse ze koz-koz; Angle ze debrouy' but with skills related to the proper handling of the written word.

What is the situation on the literacy front? According to official figures the national rate is approximately 85% but there is no clear definition of literacy. Some define it as the ability to sign/scribble one's name. Others define it in terms of school attendance, directly linking literacy with schooling, assuming that all those who are schooled do attain a reasonable level of literacy. Certainly a wrong assumption. Some figures can help us to a proper understanding. First and foremost it must be made unequivocal that by the term literacy we mean 'functional literacy' which is best defined as 'the level of skill in reading and writing that an individual needs to cope with everyday adult life' (reading newspapers, filling forms, reading and understanding instructions of all sorts etc). In Mauritian terms it would not be unreasonable to associate this skill with at least a pass at secondary school certificate (Form 5).

Broadly speaking, in 2003, out of approximately 90,000 aged between 16 and 19 only 11,000 had a secondary school certificate (SC) and 5,400 had passed the higher school certificate (HSC). Let's be generous and grant the existence of an additional 1,600 literate people in that age group. That still gives us the very low rate of 20%.

With such a low literacy rate Mauritius will never unlock the manacles of poverty, let alone smash neocolonial fetters. To succeed we should aim in the short term at a functional literacy rate in the neighbourhood of 50% and universal functional literacy in the long run. Moreover any ambition to shine in IT and the knowledge industry requires that in the very short term we manage to produce, yearly, over 10,000 HSC holders or equivalent. To achieve this, the language policy must change.

Up to now all reform attempts have shied away from this crucial issue. Now it's a question of do or die.

27 August 2004

(4) Language policy

A word of caution. The neocolonial struggle is not to be construed as xenophobia or autarky (total self-sufficiency). It is not a struggle against the people of the USA or any other country but one against a system which exploits, plunders and destroys and those who wield power within it. Moreover we must condemn the belief that everything which comes from countries governed by the agents of imperialism is bad and is to be opposed. Do not throw away the baby with the bath water.

In the preceding article 'Back to School' we claim that a judicious language policy is indispensable to promote the appropriate learning required to service the building of a nation, the smashing of neocolonial fetters and the fostering of the new society.

What is basically wrong with the present policy? The first major flaw is that it is totally blind to mother tongue reality, importance and role. Moreover it pretends that universal basic education can be successfully dispensed in foreign languages. And to crown its infirmity, it first gives no thought to and makes no allowance for the sound pedagogical principle of staggering i.e. spreading the introduction of foreign languages over a long period of time and not, as it is done, bung them all together in a messy, ill-planned and unproductive assortment; and secondly it ignores basic findings in psycholinguistics.

The ongoing language teaching practice is also warped by terminological confusion. Words and expressions such as 'L1', mother tongue (first language), second language, foreign language, medium of instruction, support language, language as subject etc. are used loosely and thus prevents a lucid and firm grasp of the matter.

Yoked to the fundamentally defective policy is a severe misconception about the nature and objective of basic education. Instead of focussing on LITERACY and NUMERACY, the system tries to teach so much that consequently it fails to teach anything and year after year it churns out non-literate and non-numerate children by the thousand.

To put our country on the right path of development we must have an educational menu which fosters and sustains literacy and numeracy because these skills are essential to all other educational orientations (academic, vocational, professional). To achieve universal functional literacy our languge policy must have at its core two languages: the quasi first language of the republic (Mauritian) and the essential cum official language (English). In pre-primary and primary schools the medium must be Mauritian and English must be taught as a second language. The ethnic languages and French should be taught as subjects in post-primary institutions where the medium must be English and Mauritian taught as a subject.

In passing, then and only then will 11 year schooling have any sense.

29 August 2004



(5) The Powerful Corporations

To fully comprehend the task ahead we must understand the role and power of the giant corporations which rule the USA and the world. Governments have become mere puppets in their hands. What is now happening to Mauritius Telecom, once a jewel in the crown, since it's forced marriage to France Telecom, gives a clear idea of what is in store for us when globalisation and its Siamese twin, privatisation, have unchallenged sway and masterdom.

Management pundits of the Peter Drucker calibre have expressed themselves clearly on the subject. 'The largest 100 corporations hold 25 percent of the worldwide productive assets, which in turn control 75 percent of international trade and 98 percent of all foreign direct investment. The multinational corporation puts the economic decision beyond the effective reach of the political process and its decision-makers, national governments.' This simply means that political independence has become an empty word devoid of substance for colonialism has been replaced by neocolonialism, the rule of corporations. Our political leaders, specially young Jugnauth and the neoliberal Berenger, want to divert attention from real issues each time they vociferate and harangue on the virtues of patriotism.

The struggle against the stranglehold by multinational corporations is not going to be easy but it has to be done. Do or die.

How will the local bourgeoisie (old and new money) react and respond. Having most of the time seen their interests closely bound to colonialism and imperialism, their natural reflex is to seek a junior partnership with some giant and hope for the best. Disenchantment will quickly set in. Gargantuan greed is the quintessence of multinational corporations and junior partners are just little snacks. But most importantly, besides the plunder of local resources (although a few will get their kick, package and baksheesh) there will be a rise in poverty, unemployment and all social problems linked with these. Life will get harder and harder leading to greater and greater instability and economic and social chaos. Repression will not work.

Can we expect the local bourgeoisie, specially the upper class, to understand that the solution to existing and forthcoming problems is a strong alliance with the people, the real lifeblood of this country. Selfishness and cupidity are a recipe to catastrophe.

This is going to be a long struggle for self-preservation and dignity. In the process, a long-outstanding problem could also be resolved. The descendants of the victims of slavery could be compensated not with cash but with land for food production.

The struggle for real freedom could also become a great moment of national solidarity and reconciliation.

30 August 2004



(6) A New Lifestyle

The hard times we are most likely to go through, are a blessing in disguise for if we opt for the right solutions we could, in the process, find remedies for many difficulties pestering us. Moreover we must make nation-building rhyme with improvement in the quality of life if it is to have any meaning at all.

The Mauritian economy must be overhauled. This should not be interpreted as an invitation to scrap everything and start anew. It simply suggests the need to fine tune certain sectors, adapt and modernise; new sectors must be developed and old ones reorientated. For example is it reasonable now to think the textile sector in terms of massive cheap unskilled or semi-skilled labour or rather in terms of skilled, literate labour operating sophisticated technology? With the deepening energy crisis coupled with the dramatic universal ecological catastrophe ahead, is it reasonable to expect a substantial rise in middle-market tourist arrival from distant sources or should we rather couple upmarket tourism with, on the one hand, local tourism, encouraging Mauritians to use local tourism infrastructure for their holidays and on the other attract our neighbours from the Indian Ocean islands and SADC countries etc.? Is it wise to invest in new hotels or should we rather ensure that the existing ones run efficiently to full capacity?

Whether the ICT sector will one day become a pillar of the economy can only so far be a matter for speculation but what is certain is that our country must become computer literate. How do we achieve it? Certainly not by decorating a few schools, social halls with a few computers. FIRST OF ALL WE MUST MAKE MAURITIUS A LITERATE COUNTRY WHICH IT IS NOT. Less than 25% of the population are functionnally literate.

Our political culture must undergo important changes. Democracy must become a way of life. The most important innovation process concerns women. They should not accept to be tea-makers while the blokes are discussing whatever they say they are discussing. They should be massively present at all decision-making levels in the private and public sectors. The fight against HIV-AIDS demands that we empower women. Moreover real sex education, which is not to be confused with courses in reproductive biology, should be a recurrent feature of school, extracurricular and adult education.

Changes in economic, political and social life should be concurrent with cultural innovations. Our eating habits need a thorough investigation for they are suspected to be at the root of many serious diseases affecting us. Moreover different types of addiction should be treated in a humane way. Healthy leisure habits should be promoted whereby the joys of digital/satellite TV or the internet should be balanced with exercises and outdoor activities. Artistic and sports activities for which suitable venues must be built all over the country will help make of our country a place where the feel-good factor will be strong. Grassroots media houses should also be encouraged.

Conservatism, backward-looking reflexes will only slow down progress. Treasuring cultural elements from the past cannot be erected as walls against the emergence of new, dynamic and vibrant cultural forces of progress. Such an attitude will only prolong our period of misery.

In this series of six short articles I have tried to share with you my fears and my hopes. I only hope that the young professionals, intellectuals and leaders of today will find in them food for thought.

God bless you all. 01.09.04



posted by Dev Virahsawmy at 8:31 am 0 comments