Mauritius, a small African island situated in the Far East of Mozambique. Flying from Johannesburg, you’d spend four hours to get there, first over Mozambique, the Indian Ocean, Madagascar, again the Indian Ocean then Mauritius. Mauritius is today a well marketed holiday destination. This island is green with flourishing vegetation all year round. The sea shores are rich with coral reefs with colorful fish species. The people of Mauritius are warm and welcoming to everyone tourist. It’s like the government takes her people for hospitality classes time and again.  

 

I’m an analyst by profession, of which I’m very good at, and work as a Statistician and Quality Assurance Manager for a government parastatal in Swaziland. I do a lot of writing in many forums and in this blog. I also publish some of my articles with one well recognized online article directory. I have in the past freelanced for some Swazi based magazines. I have also written several drama scripts that I am planning to sell or try on directing myself. So, please understand that I may be tempted to use Swaziland as an example a lot. This would only serve to make practical and applicable examples from what I know. 

 

I was born in a rural area in the southern part of Swaziland. I spent most of my time with my mother who gave me the best education ever in my life. It is education that I personally consider far better than the academic qualifications I have achieved. My mother shaped my life to be what it is today and I thank God for her because I love what my life came out to be. She made mistakes sometimes, but they were not worse than those of any other mom. Though she’s late, but her memories remain in the self disciplined life that I live today. I believe these teachings by my mom shall control me all the days of my life and I’m determined to pass it on to my children. Back then in the rural areas we lived under harsh conditions yet today I understand that this background is good for me in many ways. I can reflect back, compare and note the difference of what Swaziland is today and what it was some years ago. Surprisingly, the old time life qualities I know are still visible in Mauritius. How refreshing it was for me to taste my olden day’s life.

 

Ever since man existed, there has always been a model to follow. It doesn’t matter what the model is. It could be an organization, a committee, an individual as well as a country. This therefore means that there are those people who are willing to take extra steps to making a better world for themselves than the rest of the people. Let’s take the case of the Mauritian economy. Back in 1980, the government opted for a widespread political consensus on broad policy measures; after which the economy experienced steady growth, declining inflation, high employment, and increased domestic savings. As such, in 1986 Mauritius had its first trade surplus in twelve years. Tourism also boomed, with a concomitant expansion in the number of hotel beds and air flights. This denoted significant strides in economic development.

 

Like any other country, I believe that Mauritius has unlimited potential to take the lead in Africa, yet I still believe Mauritius can be used as a model country. My analysis shall focus on socio economic factors. First let me put my terms on the table for a model country. It is a country that favors human natural needs, one that would make a good second home for anyone. Human natural needs are security, peace, love and freedom. These are qualities that are unfortunately fading away in many parts of the world today. Think of your country several years ago, you’ll recall that some time in the past these four factors were in abundance. You may not notice the difference unless you take time to think about it in a refreshing environment. I got an opportunity to refresh in Mauritius in the year 2008. I spent fourteen days in Mauritius that made me realize that there is something to write home about.

 

Those who have traveled Mauritius may have their own observations and could conclude otherwise, but I noted the position of the country in terms of the following:

 

  • 1. Health,
  • 2. Social status,
  • 3. Economic growth and,
  • 4. Excellence

 

The tendency is for the natives not to realize the advantages they enjoy until they are gone. So, I won’t blame any Mauritian who may find this clumsy, yet I wish Mauritian people could realize the existing favorable socio economic status their country enjoys.  

 

It is true that experience is often the best teacher yet it is also confirmed to be an expensive option. If I could have it my way, the Mauritius government would work more on preserving and promoting the existing balanced socio economic factors, than letting experience teach her to do so. Many governments have been cautioned well on time yet have lost it all to apathy. It doesn’t matter whether you are in America, Africa, Asia, Europe or wherever in the world; you’ll be a witness to the fact that if time would turn back 20 years, we’d love it more than today. I am a witness to this even though this is not to say that that my home country is the worst of all countries. I will go through each of the following factors to substantiate my claim.  

 

HIV/Aids Status

 

Mauritius today is more or less like what Swaziland (or any other HIV/Aids stricken country) was several years ago. I’ll make an estimate of about 20 years. I want to confirm that noting this really inspires me a lot. I wish I had power to maintain or make better the HIV/Aids infection status in Mauritius. Swaziland’s HIV/Aids infection rate is at 38 percent (it dropped from 42 percent in 2006), while in Mauritius its ONLY 2.8. It’s a fact that it may seem obvious yet not so to many that at one point Swaziland’s infection rate was once at less than 2.8 percent. It took just a few years for it to escalate to such a high percentage. I’m afraid Mauritius’ HIV/Aids infection rate can also worsen in no time if there are no proactive measurers taken to control it.   

 

I used to like it back when there was no one teaching pre-school children about sex and Sexually Transmitted Infections, no one shunned helping accident victims from getting contaminated, and when no families were headed by children. At that time, we didn’t realize that that status was a blessing. It could be the same with Mauritian people; they may not realize it today. However, I want to believe that Mauritian government is at an advantage today to recouping the situation because of modern measures that are present today. For example, I believe that a relatively high percentage of the population including children is aware of how HIV/Aids can be contaminated, controlled and its consequences. 

 

On the other hand, I must say that it was not all good news that I noticed in as far as casual sexual practices are concerned. My personal experience in one Hotel in the North shocked me. I had a casual talk with a waiter (male) serving in the restaurant. Our discussion was on traveling alone in a foreign country. This gentleman quickly offered to organize me a lady for the rest of my stay in Mauritius. I declined the offer and put it clear that the discussion was just for fun and nothing serious. For some reason he thought I didn’t have a budget for this, then he told me the price and further reduced it each time I showed no interest. It came to the point where I had to leave it at that and walk back to my room. As if the message had not been understood, soon after mid-night a hard knock at the door woke me up. Being in a hotel, I thought there was something seriously going wrong as it is uncommon to get a call at that time of the night. To my surprise, it was the very same waiter telling me the ‘good news’ that the lady is waiting to come in. I tried to be polite by saying it wouldn’t work because I’m sharing the room with someone. He requested that I should at least meet the girl at tell her that I love her, even though I wouldn’t take her in. That is when I decided to say a big ‘No’ and shut the door. Whatever the deal, I’m certain that the waiter would get a share from the earnings.

 

Another case is when I went for supper at waterfront – Port Louise with a friend from Malawi. We walked from a nearby hotel to and from the restaurant. On our way back, we saw some ladies next to a park by one Main Street dressed for the job. For some reason the only lady that was on our way shunned us and went across the road. Apparently this Malawian friend is a Health Specialist who had been assigned by the United Nations to assist Mauritius in issues of HIV/Aids. He told me news I couldn’t believe were happening in Mauritius. He was an eye witness to the girls serving their customers right in a nearby park. This is a result of those customers who don’t have transport or an alternative convenient place to take the girls, so they opt for quick service in the park. He said he saw this during the day. I’m sure he definitely was a reliable resource. Then I thought to myself that there could be a lot worse going in some parts of the country than what he saw.

 

Taking you a few years back, you will notice a difference in funeral schedules. It was uncommon to have funerals on any other day other than on Saturday. Also, under no circumstance were children allowed to attend a funeral. As death rates increased, people opted for Sundays as well. Children began attending funerals and today its no longer an issues to see a five year old in the grave yard during a funeral proceeding. In those days it was morally incorrect to do work that would force you to use soil such as mixing sand for brick laying, erecting fence poles and weeding the fields. This was to be observed by a wide community area within the new grave. Today, all seven days of the week can be used for funerals and it’s acceptable in all communities. I managed to ask some Mauritian friends on the funeral issue and I was surprised to lean that they now also schedule any day for funerals.

 

Racism, Apartheid and Xenophobia

 

These three words relatively share the same meaning. However, I thought it proper to put all of them in the subtopic. Reflecting back, there were times when we welcomed foreigners with an unsuspicious mind in Swaziland. People from Mozambique, Uganda (mostly teachers and nurses), Nigeria (various professions), South Africa, America, Great Britain, etc. we treated them with respect and dignity. Without making a racial comparison, it was difficult to separate legal from illegal immigrants because most ended up participating in economic activities, particularly the black people.

 

It is with dismay to note that indeed some of the immigrants did take advantage of the humble and accommodative approach our communities had. Unfortunately, this has created a negative legacy about black immigrants. Even worse, somehow immigrants have been perceived as a threat in several respects, as such we hear of unpleasing stories on racism, apartheid and xenophobia. On the contrary, my experience with the Mauritans was different. I saw different races and nationalities living together in harmony. Notable nationalities include Indians, French, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese. I admit that I had gone there for a different reason, yet I still think I have guards to put forward my claim. 

 

Independently Sustainable Economy

 

The economy of Mauritius seems stable. Unlike many SADC countries, Mauritius seems to be independent from the South African economy. I know that bulk of beef imports is from South Africa. However, I also learn that Mauritius has trading links with several Asian countries that have dynamic economies like Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Republic of Korea. Highly dependant on the location of the country, tourism has been noted as a strong economic pillar. The attractive climate and numerous good sea shore beaches of Mauritius contribute to attracting unbelievable record numbers of tourists over the years. As such, Mauritius is widely known as an ideal holiday destination.

 

The stability of the economy has contributed to social development. Visible development indicators include the following:

 

  1. All national roads are tarred
  2. All settlements are powered on electricity
  3. All communities have access to clean water
  4. Infrastructure development is at a high levels

 

I didn’t get enough time to study the quality of their education and politics. However, I didn’t see any street kids, yet I know there could be some.

 

On the downside, I did note that there is a lot of piracy going right in Port Louis (Capital City). I’m sure the trend spreads to the rest of the towns. Its pathetic, millions and millions of copied motion pictures, music, cartoons and games are sold without fearing the hand of the laws. It’s like there is no law against piracy. To make matters worse, some shops don’t even print the surface of disc to disguise their wrong doing. You’d have to spend time looking around for shops that sell original stuff.  Mauritius is unfortunately killing these industries.  

 

Nature

 

Mauritius is a country rich with flourishing vegetation. I understand this condition exists throughout the year. The island is surrounded with lovely coral reefs. As a layman and having visited Mauritius as a tourist, I don’t have an in-depth knowledge to define the condition of the coral reefs but they were really impressive to me. However, Mauritius may have to put in place systems to preserve as well as improve the condition of the coral reefs.

 

Crime

Crime levels in Mauritius are low, though petty crime, such as pickpocketing, bag snatching and robbery, is on the rise. Most crime against foreign tourists is petty crime, although incidents of assault and rape occur. The rate of crime is higher in downtown Port Louis, and in the coastal tourist centers of Grand Bay, Pereybere, Flic en Flac and Tamarin. Security risks increase after dark especially on beaches, poorly-lit city streets and in other secluded areas. You should avoid walking alone at night. There have been incidents of tourists being assaulted and robbed while staying at beachside bungalows run by unregistered proprietors. Money and valuables should be secured at all times.

Religion, Ethnicity and Language

I’m certainly not interested in the history of religion, but am impressed at what I saw and experienced. Mauritian society is noteworthy for its high degree of religious tolerance. Mauritians often share in the observances of religious groups other than their own. I learnt that as a result of the multiplicity of religions, Mauritius has more than twenty national holidays. According to the 1990 census, 49 percent of the population was Hindu, 27 percent Roman Catholic, 16 percent Muslim, and 0.5 percent Protestant; 7.5 percent belonged to other groups. People chose what they want to believe on conviction and not by force.

Next to where I lodged in Port Louis, I note a Roman Catholic Church that is open all day long for people to walk in and out at will. I thought it was remarkable for people to have the liberty to go to church and do whenever they wanted to.

I learnt through interviews that native people living in Mauritius originate from India, Mozambique, and china, which could influence their religious beliefs. In effect, no one is better than the other, all of them are Mauritian. Hospitality that is fading away in Swaziland is still noticed in streets, offices, restaurants and homes.

 

Language is perhaps the most complex aspect of the Mauritian social variety. This complexity derives from the number of ethnic groups. French predominates in the streets and the media, English is used in offices and possibly in learning institutions. 

 

Professionalism and Commitment to Work

 

I went to Mauritius on business and it truly was business, when its time to work nothing else gets on the way. I was doing business with one remarkable organization that was proud to show me international quality recognition awards. I must say that the quality was not only on the framed award certificates, but it was also noticeable in practice.

 

To substantiate my claim, I want to reflect on what I have noted about Mauritian representatives that I have met in other forums. I have been in several meeting where Mauritian organizations were represented. Even though sometimes they are not the best, but the indicators always show an above average effort put into the work. Its no surprise the Mauritian economy has strengthened over the years.

 

Conclusion

 

Its ones choice to learn and copy from other people’s good doing, yet it’s also a choice to criticize and ignore good practices. I’m not advocating for Mauritius, but there is a lesson that the government could learn from this beautiful island.

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