Contrary to what the postcards depict, Mauritius is not all fun in the sun. The country is currently facing a time of unprecedented economic hardship. Life is now expensive, crime is at an all-time high and the people are consequently very angry. So what is the Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, doing about all of this? Well, he's just bought himself an Aston Martin DB9 Coupe.
This is the worst time that I have seen this country experiencing. Prices are rising, jobs are disappearing and the average wage has been stagnant for as long as I can remember. Sure this isn't the richest country and most people are poor by global standards but they weren't struggling to get a meal on the table. Nowadays, things are different. During my daily discussions with locals around Mauritius, I constantly hear the same story, that this country is "dan bez" - in the shit. The Prime Minister's response to all this has been to "tighten your belts and economise". Kind of hard when all you're earning is barely enough to feed your own family. It was therefore a huge slap in the face to the Mauritian people when he recently purchased an Aston Martin DB9 Coupe - a car that costs a sum of money unimaginable to the average Mauritian.
Sa meme appelle serre ceinture Navin Ramgoolam style!
If you are employed, the average monthly income here is somewhere around the Rs 8,000 mark (that's about 320AUD or 133GBP). After import taxes in Mauritius, the DB9 Coupe costs Rs17,000,000!! With that kind of money, one can roughly purchase 10-12 average homes (concrete, not corrugated iron). Instead of leading by example, Navin Ramgoolam has politically shot himself in the foot. It is evidently clear that his own desire for luxury has outweighed his responsibility to serve his people. Needless to say, the people aren't happy. There are posters everywhere featuring the DB9 with the below caption "And he tells you to economise!". The incident has even sparked demonstrations across the island (they were coming anyway, but it was definitely the catalyst). What was he thinking?
