Duval accuses the Government of wasting Rs74billion on ‘useless projects’

Opposition leader Xavier Duval has expressed serious concerns that Mauritius is on the way to become another Sri Lanka, claiming that the country’s coffers are empty “because Rs74billion were wasted on useless projects.”

Defending his Motion of no-confidence against PM Pravind Jugnauth, Duval said: “We are in an unprecedented situation and the only tool that I have to sound the alarm is to expose the problems of the population.”

He accused the government of wasting public money on useless projects. “It’s an ‘after us the deluge’ policy.”

He cited the National Wage Council report which revealed that 90,000 Mauritians, or 20% of the working population, earn less than Rs 11,000 per month. “These people at the bottom of the social ladder will suffer most of inflation.”

He also deplored that the Generalized Social Contribution (CSG) introduced in September 2020, has generated Rs 15 billion to the government but has not been used to help the poor.

Subsidies just announced by the Government are “ridiculous”, he said, because they affect only 300 out of 40,000 products and 15 out of 4,800 drugs.