Muvman Liberasyon Fam warning to Ramgoolam and Bérenger
16.06.2014
PRESS STATEMENT
Muvman Liberasyon Fam (MLF) calls for The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition not to, once again, start using the 30% “tickets for women in future General Elections” as a “bait” in order to trap us into colluding with an agenda that is dangerous for everyone and, in particular, for women.
“Not in our name!” the Open Meeting organized by the MLF and held on Saturday 14 June called out, after three hours discussion of the political, economic and social situation in the country.
Just one hour later Opposition Leader Paul Bérenger announced that the negotiations with Ramgoolam are, supposedly, now definitely “off”. So much the better.And let this remain true.
The women present warned both Bérenger and Ramgoolam not to once again start using the offer of 30% Parliamentary seats to women in order to silence us while an authoritarian State meanwhile gets installed in order for those with capital to force the effects of the crisis on to the shoulders of working people, in particular working women. The meeting called on all other women’s organizations in the country to take the same stand.
The women’s open meeting, called by the MLF to address the subject “Women up against economic, political and social crisis” , came to the roaring conclusion that the offer of 30% candidatures in future electoral reform should never be used as a means of silencing women about all the “toxic” issues on the political agendas of Navin Ramgoolam and Paul Bérenger being bundled up together with the issue of 30% tickets for women.
In particular, the women present abhorred the use of this lure of 30% representation in the National Assembly in order to conspire towards the following two aspects of their agendas:
1. Women present oppose any future coalition between Ramgoolam’s Labour Party in Government and Bérenger’s MMM in Opposition. Such a coalition, the meeting concluded, is designed to wipe out opposition from working people in the face of measures imposed to force them to bear the brunt of the economic crisis that looms in Mauritius. This crisis is the result of the failure of the employing classes to create employment, while the main industries they choose to invest in (like cane, free zone, and tourism) systematically fail to assure proper jobs. It is also a result of the State being unable to force the bosses to create jobs, nor even to provide food security or housing to the people, in particular, to women.
2.Women present also oppose any so-called “Second Republic” or “New Republic” that, instead of according more power to the people in order to address the real problem of the excessive powers vested in the post of Prime Minister, just goes ahead and shares out this excessive power dangerously between the two men, Ramgoolam and Bérenger. This will risk locking the political process into a thinly veiled communal mould, extending to Vice President, Vice Prime Minister, Number Three in Government and even the Speaker. When, in the women’s movement, we measure democracy, we use the yardstick of how much control the people have over the Prime Minister and the rest of the Executive. We want the electorate to have the right to recall any elected person, including the Prime Minister and other Ministers. We also demand increased indirect power through a strengthened National Assembly relative to the Executive i.e. an increase the size of Parliament (in the number of our representatives) and a decrease the size of the Cabinet (Ministers and PPSs, and others whose pay is more because the Prime Minister names them).
What should be central on their respective political agendas:
A. Secure employment for all women and men, created by the following measures:
i) National-scale land reform to diversify from cane to food production, for national use and for export.
ii) A new food production sector, linking agriculture to food preservation and value-added processing – for national use and for export.
iii) A new renewable energy development sector, for national use and for export.
iv) Build social housing that is affordable, especially for women heads of household (as in MLFs Challenge Charter).
v) Maintain and extend social services; genuinely free education and health care, universal old age pensions and social housing all help ensure that women from all walks of life are in a position to wrest more equality, and to defend ourselves from violence of all kinds.
B. Price control on basic goods and services.
Signed by
Rajni Lallah
16 June, 2014
674 4645
raj8@intnet.mu
WOMEN’S OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER, Hon Navin Ramgoolam
& LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION, Hon Paul Bérenger
16 June, 2014
Dear Sirs,
At a women’s Open Meeting called by the Muvman Liberasyon Fam on the subject of “Women up against economic, political and social crisis” held yesterday Saturday 14 June, from 1:30 to 4:30 pm at the LPT Mother Earth Hall, we took the decision to write this open letter to you in order to say, “Not in our name!” The offer of 30% candidatures in a future electoral reform should never be used as a means of attempting to silence us women on the “toxic” issues on your political agendas that are being bundled up together with the offer of 30% tickets.
Muvman Liberasyon Fam (MLF) by this letter calls for you as the Prime Minister and as the Leader of the Opposition, respectively, not to use the 30% “tickets for women in future General Elections” as a “bait” in order to trap us into colluding with a political agenda that is dangerous for everyone and, in particular, for women.
One hour after our meeting ended, we heard on the Radio, that negotiations between you are permanently over. So much the better. Let this remain true.
The women present expressed concern that you have used and will continue to use the offer of Parliamentary seats to women in order to silence us while an authoritarian State gets installed. You both openly say that Mauritius needs a “strong Government”. We know that this is in order for those with capital to force the effects of the economic crisis on to the shoulders of working people, in particular working women. We want none of this type of “strong Government”.
In particular, the women present called on you not to use the lure of 30% representation in the National Assembly for women in order to conspire towards your double agenda:
1. We oppose your agenda to form a coalition between the Labour Government and MMM Opposition. Such a coalition, we know, is designed to wipe out opposition from working class people as the economic crisis deepens. This crisis is, after all, the result of their persistence in investing in cane, free zone, and tourism, and thus failing to assure enough jobs. It is also the result of the State being unable to force the bosses to create jobs, nor even to provide food security or housing for the people, in particular, to women.
2. We also oppose your agenda for a so-called “Second Republic” or “New Republic” that addresses the problem of the excessive powers vested in the post of Prime Minister by sharing it out between the two men instead. This will potentially lock the political process into a thinly veiled communal mould, eventually extended, as the Press has revealed to us, even to cover the posts of Vice President, Vice Prime Minister, Number Three in Government, and even the Speaker. When we, in the women’s movement, measure democracy, we use the yardstick of how much control the people have over the Prime Minister and the rest of the Executive. The excessive powers of the Prime Minister must be shared with the electorate. We demand the power for the electorate to directly recall all elected officers, including the Prime Minister and other Ministers. We also demand increased indirect power for the electorate, through a strengthened National Assembly (Legislature), relative to the Executive i.e. increase the size of Parliament (our representatives) and decrease the size of the Cabinet (Ministers and PPSs, and others whose pay is more because the Prime Minister names them).
What should be central on your respective political agendas:
A. Secure employment for all women and men, created by the following measures:
i) National-scale land reform to diversify from cane to food production, for national use and for export.
ii) A new food production sector, linking agriculture to food preservation and value-added processing – for national use and for export.
iii) A new renewable energy development sector, for national use and for export.
iv) Build social housing that is affordable, especially for women heads of household (as in MLFs Challenge Charter).
v) Maintain and extend social services; genuinely free education and health care, universal old age pensions and social housing all help ensure that women from all walks of life are in a position to wrest more equality, and to defend ourselves from violence of all kinds.
B. Price control on basic goods and services.
Yours sincerely,
Rajni Lallah
16 June, 2014
674 4645, raj8@intnet.mu
