As the announcement came last night of yet another hike in petrol prices, many of us are starting to panic at the thought of just how much more money would we have to fork out to cover our already inflated expenses. At a time where grocery shopping for basics increases anxiety levels, any tiny rise in any price is bound to make many of us go down a full blown panic. This is exacerbated when we look up and see those who exhort us to be resilient and even appeal to our sense of patriotism are seemingly not doing anything on their part, let alone to alleviate, but to stand in active solidarity.
At a time where the government boasts of the number of vaccinated people, maybe it’s high time to consider removing the tax levied for same on petrol. It may also be wise for those who benefit from state-subsidised petrol for their cars to start paying out of their own pockets. This would have a two-fold effect: firstly, remove the burden on the taxpayer who is already holding more that his/her shoulders can bear and secondly, experience the actual feeling of seeing the same amount of money yield less than it used to. It might then drive the actual living situation of the Mauritian layperson home.
Secondly, those who are in Ivory towers and who make decisions which are negatively life-changing for the Mauritian layperson should make the effort to come down and tour the supermarkets of the commoner and see the fluctuations in prices for the same commodities. Don’t take our word for it, take a sample of the different baskets of goods from different families and try to understand the increasing discontent and anxiety that people are going through.
Thirdly, we might not be great statespeople with knowledge in governance and diplomacy but we do have a minimum of knowledge to know when to hold our tongues and when to speak out for ourselves. At a time where people are struggling to feed their families the very basics which cost an arm and a leg, a “scientific mission” to the tune of more money than the rest of us can imagine seems like a miss in priorities, which joins a long list of same.
Isn’t the role of any government to work towards the betterment of its people, the very people who have given it that role? And yet, sadly, we feel a huge disconnect between a number of decisions that are taken and the realities that we, the people, face in our everyday lives. The Mauritian layperson is aware that some hikes are inevitable and are due to forces outside this little island. So before anyone comes and make announcements, urging people to “ser sintir” or to act in solidarity, please consider leading by example. More families than ever are contemplating this new month with anxiety, stress and dejection. We would love to know that when those in the ivory towers are saying “we are in this together” are not just paying lip service to solidarity.