DEVELOPMENT-MAURITIUS: “MDGs Are Only for Poor Africans”

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Nasseem Ackbarally

PORT LOUIS, Dec 14 2006 (IPS) - Six years after the launch of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), many Mauritians still know nothing about them. Some have heard about the goals but are unsure of their significance. Others believe such initiatives concern only poor countries in Africa because “things are different on the small island state”.

IPS explored the level of knowledge and attitudes towards the United Nations MDGs by conducting random interviews with people on the streets of the capital, Port Louis, and in villages in the north of the island.

There are eight goals, ranging from “eradicating extreme poverty and hunger” to developing “a global partnership for development”. The year 2015 has been set as the target date for fulfilment of many of the goals.

“MDGs – what is that?” replies Abdool Bassir in Central Market, Port Louis, when asked about the UN goals. This vegetable seller has never heard of the MDGs. Many of those who were stopped for comment responded in a similar way. They ranged from tailors, masons and street vendors to teachers, lawyers, bank officials and government officials.

Some blame the government for not promoting awareness about the goals. Others feel that life is not so bad on the island, “so why should we set goals like in African countries?”

One such person is Farhad Fareedun, a university student who argues that “we are not Africans, we do not live in Africa”. After listening to a few of the goals, he emphasises that a lot of progress has been achieved in Mauritius – be it in health, education or the environment. This makes Mauritius different to “Africa”, he believes.

Reshmi Badal, a government official, holds similar views: “In spite of our present economic difficulties, we cannot compare our living conditions to those of people in Africa.”

But Jamalludeen Guillaume, chairperson of the Terre Rouge Village Council in northern Mauritius, points out that poverty remains rampant in many areas of the island. One problem is that many poor people do not send their children to school.

While education is compulsory until the age of 16, many poor families do not heed the law – even though education, school materials and transport for students are all paid for by government. Primary schools also offer food at school to their pupils.

IPS asked Alan Polimond who lives in a village in the north of Mauritius why he does not send his children to school. After a long pause, he says: “I keep on running from one place to another to find small jobs. It is difficult. I have no time to look after them.”

Gaillaume believes that “if we do not educate the kids from poor families, they will also become the victims of poverty. With a certificate in primary education in hand they can at least take jobs such as cleaners or messengers, and help their families”.

All those interviewed agree that Mauritius still has some way to go in reaching goals such as the ones set out in the MDGs. Environmental degradation features among their concerns.

Khemraj Sooknah of the Mauritian Wildlife Club believes “the problem of plastic waste in the island has become worse. This is despite some traders having stopped the free distributions of plastic bags and the levy that government has imposed on plastic bottles”.

Sooknah points to new regulations adopted by the government in July last year prohibiting shops from offering free plastic bags to customers. This has not discouraged everybody from using plastic bags as they were being offered free of charge again after a few months, in some places.

“About 75 million plastic bottles are disposed of in the environment annually and only a few thousand are collected. When will they be recycled?” he asks. This is one of the biggest challenges that face the island, according to him.

Engaging the youth is the best way of advancing protection of the environment, Sooknah explains. “But they are always at school and in built-up environments. They rarely go into nature to have a look.” This makes it more difficult to get environmental messages across.

Indradev Balgobin also worries about the environment in Mauritius. He knows about the MDGs because he has been working with a non-governmental organisation, the Young Farmers, for several years.

According to him the authorities are not collecting all of the solid waste that is being produced daily. “We are also using too much chemicals, fertilisers and herbicides that are polluting our rivers. There is more need for composting.”

There is some good news ahead for early next year, as a solid waste recycling plant is under construction in the island, observes Balgobin. Part of the plan is for the plant to manufacture compost using about 300 tons of waste which will be obtained daily from the landfill at Mare Chicose in southern Mauritius.

Balgobin feels that, compared to other African countries, “we are well off in many respects. We have running water in our taps, good electricity supply, free health services and we are making progress with taking care of our environment”.

Another concern which also features among the MDGs is HIV/AIDS. Sandhya Boygah, who chairs a local district council in the north of Mauritius, sees many activities around HIV/AIDS but still not enough to educate the population which, according to her, does not know much about the pandemic.

HIV/AIDS patients are still being discriminated against in Mauritius. “The population should be educated to accept people as they are. This is the job of the government. It should convey this message more aggressively,” she says.

“Can you believe that many Mauritians still think that they can catch the virus by talking to an AIDS patient on the phone? It is astonishing.”