CABINET DECISIONS – 10 APRIL 2009
1. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of Dr the Hon Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, Prime Minister, to Mbabane, Swaziland, where he participated in the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held on 30 March 2009.The Extraordinary Summit had met to –
(a) review the economic recovery measures for Zimbabwe; and
(b) consider the current political situation in Madagascar.
The Heads of State and Government of 10 SADC Member States attended the Extraordinary Summit, namely, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Three Member States, namely Angola, Botswana and Namibia were represented by their Foreign Ministers whilst the Seychelles was represented by its High Commissioner in South Africa.
The Summit had noted that, since the formation of the National Inclusive Government in February last, the political situation in Zimbabwe had improved significantly and that the country was engaged in the economic recovery process. The Summit urged Member States to support Zimbabwe in the implementation of its economic recovery programme; developed countries to lift all sanctions; donors, and international financial institutions and the international community to provide with the necessary financial support for timely recovery.
In his intervention to the Plenary, the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation to the positive evolution of the political situation in Zimbabwe and stressed the need for sanctions to be lifted to enable its economy to recover quickly. He added that Mauritius would provide support to Zimbabwe to the extent possible and campaign for the lifting of sanctions.
As regards the political situation in Madagascar, the Summit condemned the unconstitutional action that led to the illegal ousting of the democratically-elected Government of Madagascar and called for an immediate restoration of constitutional order in the country. The Summit also decided not to recognize Mr Rajoelina as President of Madagascar.
2. Cabinet has taken note that the Council of the European Union has adopted the decision authorizing citizens of Mauritius, holding a valid ordinary or diplomatic passport, to enter and stay without a visa in the mainland territories in the Schengen Area of the European Union for a maximum period of three months during a six-month period following the date of first entry. The Short-stay Visa Waiver Agreement will be applicable in any Member State of the European Union, except the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade would soon sign an Agreement with the European Commission in this respect.
3. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction into the National Assembly of the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill to give effect to the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. The objective of the Bill is to criminalize trafficking in persons, provide assistance to victims, prevent potential victims from falling prey to traffickers, detect, prosecute and punish those involved in the activity and assist in the reintegration of victims. The Bill also provides for the Court to order payment of a compensation not exceeding Rs 500,000 by a convicted person to a victim of trafficking. The Court may also order a convicted person to pay to the State expenses incurred in connection with accommodation, transportation, care or repatriation of a victim.
4. Cabinet has agreed to the setting up of a Ministerial Committee to monitor the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Domah Report on Ex-Lola Flooding. The Committee would comprise:-
(a) the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Renewable Energy and Public Utilities;
(b) the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport and Shipping;
(c) the Minister of Local Government, Rodrigues and Outer Islands;
(d) the Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Senior Citizens Welfare & Reform Institutions;
(e) the Minister of Education, Culture and Human Resources; and
(f) the Minister of Environment and National Development Unit.
5. Cabinet has taken note that a Special Envoy of the President of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Jamahiriya visited Mauritius this week and met the Prime Minister and other Ministers with a special message from the President Kadhafi regarding the forthcoming African Union Summit, specially in view of the fact that President Kadhafi is also the current Chairperson of the African Union.
6. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade to New York where the Mauritian delegation, led by him, with the Seychelles made a joint presentation to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for an extended continental shelf in the Mascarene Plateau Region in accordance with the provision of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Scientific and Technical Guidelines of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
In the margins of the Meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade met Mr Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, with whom he discussed various issues of national importance.
7. Cabinet has taken note of a twinning proposal between the Grand Port/Savanne District Council and the Borough Council of Spelthorne, United Kingdom. The twinning relationship would enhance administrative “Best Practices”, allow the provisions of training and exchange of information on waste management.
8. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of the Minister of Local Government, Rodrigues and Outer Islands on 4 April 2009 to Union of Comoros where he participated in the 25th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Indian Ocean Commission.
Discussions were centred on the following four areas of cooperation -
(a) "Coopération politique et diplomatique";
(b) "Coopération économique et commerciale";
(c) "Développement régional durable"; and
(d) "Renforcement de l’identité culturelle".
The Council agreed to the development of a new programme to combat HIV/AIDS in the region and approved the following three Strategies:
(a) The IOC Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Strategy;
(b) The IOC Aid for Trade Strategy; and
(c) The IOC Gender Strategy.
The Council of Ministers of the Indian Ocean Commission agreed to support the candidature of Mauritius for hosting the Regional African Centre for Technical Assistance of the IMF.
9. Cabinet has taken note that the Citizens Advice Bureaux would be reorganized to provide a better service as a one-stop-shop to the public. It is proposed to put up a Documentation Unit at the National Development Unit of the Ministry of Environment and National Development Unit and provide counselling services by qualified persons in legal matters, consumer protection, marital problems, debts, etc., at the Citizens Advice Bureaux.
10. Cabinet has taken note of the recommendations of the National Remuneration Board (NRB) regarding the workers of the Road Haulage Industry and that the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment would make the Remuneration Order Regulations to incorporate the recommendations, which are, inter alia, -
(a) a wage increase varying between 6% to 25% to the different categories of workers;
(b) the meal allowance being increased from Rs15 to Rs50;
(c) the death grant being increased from Rs2,000 to Rs3,500 and be paid to every employee irrespective of whether the employee has completed 12 months’ continuous employment or not;
(d) the attendance bonus being increased from 5% to 10%;
(e) the maternity allowance being increased from Rs500 to Rs2,000; and
(f) a worker being granted –
6 days’ leave on full pay on the occasion of his first civil or religious marriage and 3 days’ leave on full pay on the occasion of the marriage of his child provided the worker reckons 12 consecutive months’ employment; and
3 days’ leave on full pay on the death of his spouse, child, father, mother, brother and sister irrespective of his length of service.
11. Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Agro Industry, Food Production and Security proposes to sign an Agreement with the Japan Tuna Fisheries Cooperative Association for fishing in the Mauritius Maritime Zones for the period 2009 to 2011. The Agreement would provide fishing opportunities for 50 fishing vessels. Cabinet has further taken note that, for the year 2008, an amount of USD 216,000 (around Rs 7 million) was collected through the issuance of fishing licences.
12. Cabinet has taken note that, with a view to providing high-tech medical services, the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life is strengthening collaboration with Centres of Excellence through regular visits of foreign teams to train local, medical and paramedical staff in adopting new techniques and undertaking complex surgeries in different specialities. Memoranda of Understanding have, inter alia, been signed with the ‘Association Coeur pour Tous’ based in Geneva, the "Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève" (HUG) in the field of Cardiology and Ophthalmology and the New Jersey Medical School, USA in the field of plastic surgery. From January 2008 to date, 23 medical teams from various countries have visited Mauritius and performed about 436 complex surgeries in different specialities, such as paediatric, urology, ophthalmology, hand surgery, plastic and maxillo-facial surgery, cardiology, orthopaedics/spinal surgery and paediatric cardiology. Training programmes have also been organized by the visiting teams.
13. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the Forum on the Effective Use of ICTs for Disaster Management held in Mauritius from 03 to 05 March 2009. The Forum provided a platform for global experts to exchange ideas and facilitate the development of an action plan for the efficient use of ICTs for the effective management of disasters.
The Forum made a series of recommendations which would be submitted to the Cyclone and Other Natural Disasters Committee for consideration namely -
(a) the creation of an ICT-based centralised agency for the collection and dissemination of vital information;
(b) the adherence of Mauritius to the Tampere Convention to enable free movement of ICT equipment across national barriers in emergency situations;
(c) the facilitation for the deployment of cell broadcast services by mobile operators so that disaster alerts can be broadcast to mobile phone users in specific geo-locations; and
(d) the inclusion in the national curricular for all levels of education of a component on Disaster Management.
14. Cabinet has taken note that the National Computer Board has revised the methods for data collection on Information and Communication Technology development in Mauritius in order to ensure that the economic indicators better capture all Government efforts in the ICT sector, streamline data collection activities to avoid duplication of work and arrive at a clear and unambiguous definition of roles and responsibilities in the sphere of ICT data collection and analysis between the multiple organisations involved.
15. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment, in collaboration with the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation, would organise two four-day tripartite workshops on "Joint Union-Management Negotiating Skills" and "Promoting Social Dialogue" in April 2009.
The objective of the Workshop on ‘Joint Union-Management Negotiating Skills’ is to provide participants with a thorough understanding of modern techniques of negotiating skills with a view to strengthening their knowledge for the purpose of conducting collective bargaining.
The main goal of the Workshop on ‘Promoting Social Dialogue’ is to help contribute to the creation of a culture and momentum of dialogue among employers, workers and government.
Cabinet has also taken note of activities to be organised by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment in connection with the celebration of the 90th Anniversary of the International Labour Organisation from 21 to 28 April 2009. The theme of the celebration is "Social Dialogue and Decent Work for a Fair Globalisation."
16. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Industry, Science and Research, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Human Resources, the Mauritius Research Council, the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre, the National Computer Board and the Government Online Centre, has launched the first National Science Portal with the domain name "science.gov.mu". The portal, an Internet platform, consists of the following four broad components to provide policy makers, researchers and the public with up-to-date information on Science and Research:
(a) Research in Science and Technology;
(b) Science for socio-economic development;
(c) Science education; and
(d) Science popularization.
Cabinet has further taken note that the Ministry of Industry, Science and Research would launch the Science Project Competition for Lower VI students with a view to creating awareness on the importance of Science and Technology for Industry. The main objectives of the competition are to:
(a) promote understanding and appreciation of the importance of Science and Technology in today’s global economy;
(b) encourage students to research about scientific and technological innovation that have brought improvement to the quality of life of our people; and
(c) encourage students to explore and appraise scientific and technological issues related to the Mauritian industrial sector.
17. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Leisure and External Communications to France from 1 to 5 April 2009, to consolidate the position and image of Mauritius in the market in order to minimize the adverse impact of the global economic downturn on tourist arrivals from our main traditional source markets, and to keep pace with our growth objectives for 2009. A series of promotional campaigns, comprising road shows, press campaigns, special offers from hotels/airlines, advertisement and prize competitions on the website, etc., were held in the main provincial towns of France, viz., Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice, Lille, and Strasbourg.
Cabinet has further taken note that Corsair would operate an additional flight from Nantes as from 11 November 2009 and proposes to have a flight from Marseille in 2010/2011 and from Toulouse in 2011/2012. With the additional flight, 40,000 additional seats would be injected on the route France-Mauritius.
In the margins of the mission, the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Leisure and External Communications met, inter alia, the following personalities:
(a) Miss Najat Vaullaud-Belkacem, "Adjointe au Maire de Lyon-Déléguée aux Grands Evènements, à la Jeunesse et à la Vie Associative et Conseillère Générale du Rhône".
As Lyon is internationally known for its "Fête de Lumières", the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Leisure and External Communications has invited Miss Vaullaud-Belkacem to visit Mauritius and advise on possible lighting/illuminating projects. It is proposed to implement, on a pilot basis, the lighting/illuminating project in a few towns and villages on the occasion of Divali festival.
(b) Mr Rudy Salle, ‘Député des Alpes Maritimes, Adjoint au Maire de Nice et Vice-Président de l’Assemblée Nationale; and
(c ) Mr Herve Pierret, President of Corsairfly.
18. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Economic Empowerment to India from 22 to 29 March 2009, where he participated in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Fifth India-Africa Conclave and carried out an investment promotion mission in Mumbai to market the financial services sector. The organization of the Conclave was in line with India’s initiatives to forge a partnership with Africa.
In the margins of the Meeting, the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Economic Empowerment had meetings with, inter alia, -
(i) Hon P. Mukherjee, Minister of External Affairs and Minister of Finance of India;
(ii) Mr Syamal Gupta, Chairman CII Africa Committee and Chairman Tata International;
(iii) Jaguar Overseas Ltd, which forms part of the Jingal Group engaged in steel products for construction and power projects; and
(iv) the National Institute of Information Technology.
The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Economic Empowerment also had discussions with the Hon Neo Daneil Moroka, Minister of Trade and Industry of Botswana on the IMF African Regional Technical Centres South.
19. Cabinet has taken note that the Human Resource Development Council, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Human Resources and the Mauritius Employers Federation, would organize a high level Conference on "Facing the Global Crisis Recession: Implication for Business Strategies and Government Action". One of the main speakers would be Dr Joseph Prokopenko, a well-known ILO Consultant on Economics and Productivity Management. Some 200 participants from the public and private sectors would attend the Conference, which aims at raising awareness on the international financial crisis.
20. Cabinet has taken note that, following reports received to the effect that the new speed breaking devices installed at Palma and Petite Rivière Roads are reliable and effective, all road humps would gradually be replaced by the devices.
21. Cabinet has taken note that Prof Donald Ah Chuen, GOSK, Chief Executive Officer, ABC Group, has been nominated as Chairman of the Panel of Jury for the 2008 edition of the Public Service Excellence Award. The Public Service Excellence Award Scheme, launched in 2006, aims at categorizing excellence and innovation and promoting a performance-oriented culture in the Public Service.
22. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of –
(a) the Board of the Ilois Welfare Fund with Mr Louis Olivier Bancoult, OSK, as Chairperson; and
(b) the Board of the Mauritius Institute of Health with the Senior Chief Executive of the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life as Chairperson.