<B>Why is Lalit opposed to the two models proposed for the electoral reform?</B>

We actually boycotted the select committee mainly because of the communal aspect of the best loser system. Both models A and B (the compensatory one proposed by Ivan Collendavelloo and the parallel formula of Emmanuel Leung Shing) are further entrenching communal classification and institutionalised communalism since the terms of reference include the best loser system. It?s interesting to note that in 2000 the Supreme Court, through Judge Seetulsing, declared in a case challenging the communities that Lalit candidates allot themselves that it was impossible to decide how to differentiate between communities. It is very shocking that, in the report of the Select Committee there is no mention at all this. Furthermore, both models seem to be very shoddy workmanship. In Ivan Collendavelloo?s model, it is proposed that no party with less than 10% of votes can qualify for the PR seats. If only one party obtains more than 10%, all 30 PR seats would go to that one party, which has the exact opposite effect to what Ivan Collendavelloo wants to achieve, that is fair representation.

<B>What type of model would your party propose?</B>

We propose that 63 people be elected, including 3 in Rodrigues, according to the First Past The Post system and only 12 other MPs be appointed using the PR formula. Indeed the list of 12 people from each party could be used for internal correction or changes within a party, making the latter more flexible.

<B>Concerning gender representation, it is stated that, of the first 12 persons on the party list, 6 should be women. Do you agree that there should be a quota of women on a list of candidates?</B>

There should be no quotas of that type. I believe that a party is judged both politically and morally on how near it is to having a 50-50 representation of men and women. We have to address the reasons for the scarcity of women in politics. The general idea is that there are not enough women with the capacity to stand as candidates, but this is totally false. To a large extent, male-dominated lobbies of different sectors of the economy, such as the capital sector, have poisoned politics. These communal lobbies simply loathe being represented by women.