Government of Change: 16 out of 25 ministers will make their debut
The Ministers:
- Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam –
Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Minister of Finance - Paul Berenger
Deputy Prime Minister - Shakeel Mohamed
Minister of Housing and Lands - Rajesh Bhagwan
Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change - Arvin Boolell
Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries - Ajay Gunness
Minister of National Infrastructure - Anil Bachoo
Minister of Health and Wellness - Richard Duval
Minister of Tourism & Leisure - Ashok Subron
Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity - Jyoti Jeetun
Minister of Financial Services and Economic Planning - Patrick Assirvaden
Minister of Energy and Public Utilities - Ritish Ramful
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade - Deven Nagalingum
Minister of Youth & Sport - Reza Uteem
Minister of Labor & Industrial Relations - Osman Mahomed
Minister of Land Transport - Arriane Navarre Marie
Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare - Michael Sik Yuen
Minister of Commerce & Consumer Protection - Dr. Kaviraj Sukon
Minister of Tertiary Education, Science & Research - Adil Ameer Meea
Minister of Industry, SME & Cooperatives - Mahen Gungaparsad
Minister of Education and Human Resource - Avinash Ramtohul
Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation - Raj Pentiah
Minister of Public Service, and administrative reforms - Ranjiv Woochit
Minister of Local Government - Mahen Goondeea
Minister of Arts and Culture
Junior Ministers:
- Dhanesh Damry – Junior Minister of Finance
- Joana Berenger – Junior Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change
- Fabrice David – Junior Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries
- Karen Fook Yune – Junior Minister of Youth & Sport
- Sydney Pierre – Junior Minister of Tourism
- Fawzi Allymun – Junior Minister of Local Government
- Anishta Babooram – Junior minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare
- Rajen Narsinghen – Junior Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade
- Kugan Parapen – Junior Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity
- Veronique Leu-Govind – Junior Minister of Arts and Culture
Rajesh Bhagwan joins the Front Bench alongside Ramgoolam, Bérenger and Mohamed, with the abolition of the posts of Deputy Prime Minister
The two priorities of the hour: the payment of the 14th month despite "the difficult situation" and the fall in the price of petroleum products at the pump
On the international front, the Special Envoy on the Chagos, Jonathan Powell, is expected in Mauritius on Monday, before going to Washington.
For 80 minutes, 23 ministers and ten junior ministers, constituting the government of the Alliance of Change resulting from the ballot boxes of the legislative elections of Sunday, November 10, took the oath before the President of the Republic, Pradeep Roopun, yesterday afternoon at the State House. The Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, had already taken this step since last week while the Attorney General Designate, Me Gavin Glover, Senior Counsel, will have to join the government at a later date, the time to settle current affairs at the level of his study.
Two new facts compared to the presentation of the government, namely the abolition of the post of Deputy Prime Minister and the appointment of ten Junior Ministers to replace the Parliamentary Private Secretaries. It should also be noted that Rajesh Bhagwan, who is in his 10th successive term, joins the government's Front Bench alongside the Leader of the House, Navin Ramgoolam, Deputy Prime Minister Paul Bérenger and Shakeel Mohamed, Minister of Housing and Lands.
Furthermore, within the 25-member Cabinet, 16 of them will be making their debut in a government. With the ten Junior Ministers, the number of women is increased to six, with two women ministers sitting on the Council of Ministers. In terms of the allocation of ministerial responsibilities, there is the Prime Minister's choice to retain the Finance portfolio for the third time, given the urgency of the economic and financial situation.
"The MSM has done a lot of damage and we are beginning to see what has happened, because we are taking stock of the financial situation. I use the term a lot of damage to say nothing else. They have squandered everywhere, and that is why I want to take on the responsibility of Minister of Finance. We have made a commitment to support SMEs and we will respect our commitment. The Cabinet will take a decision on the reductions in the prices of gasoline and basic products,” he said, while reassuring that the 14th month will be paid.
The next step will have to be the opening of the National Assembly for the 8th session, with the swearing-in of the 66 parliamentarians and the election of Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra and Veda Baloomoody as Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Everything seems to indicate that this will be the case soon, even if, in response to a question from the press after the swearing-in ceremony, Navin Ramgoolam will simply say that “we'll cross the bridge when we meet it”.
The first meeting of the Council of Ministers will be held next Friday, to allow the ministers to get their bearings on the main issues and, above all, to establish an initial assessment of the post-MSM situation at the Government House in the various ministries. Moreover, ministers have already planned to go to the office today or to go down to the field, as will be the case for Minister Bhagwan, who plans to visit the Mare-Chicose landfill site with Junior Minister Joanna Bérenger.
Furthermore, another major issue remains at the forefront, namely the exercise of Mauritius' sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago following the joint declaration between London and Port-Louis on 3 October. After the courtesy visit on Thursday by the British High Commissioner, Charlotte Pierre, and with the issue raised during the discussions, the Prime Minister is preparing for a highly strategic working session on Monday.
Indeed, the British Prime Minister's Special Envoy on the Chagos, Jonathan Powell, is expected in Mauritius on Monday for discussions on the details of the treaty to be initialled between the two governments, namely the restitution of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius and the 99-year lease of Diego Garcia for the needs of the American base.
After the meeting with the Prime Minister on Monday, Jonathan Powell will have to head to Washington for consultations with the American administration before the advent of the presidency of Donald Trump, from January 20.
Last night, the Prime Minister also had a long telephone conversation with the French President, Emmanuel Macron (see page 32).
