In the midst of our highly-charged election atmosphere, no doubt as folkloric and colourful as ever, I apologise beforehand for spoiling the party. This culture, unfortunately, only demonstrates that most of our politicians have yet to understand politics and public life in its real sense (i.e. the ?gestion de la cité? approach). What follows is therefore a practical proposal of what should remain at the forefront of our minds ? after the effects of the intoxicating mix of local election cocktails have disappeared.

So, once the dust has settled and the excitement gone, the major structural challenges facing us will ? unfortunately still be there, and as formidable as ever:

a) fast-disappearing privileges (?Most Favoured Nation? status, guaranteed sugar price, the ?multifibre agreement?, gradual elimination of customs duties);

b) increased competition from highly ambitious, low-cost (but high-intelligence) nations, not least India and China ? but also Morocco, Eastern Europe, etc.;

c) new tourist destinations offering a richer, higher adrenalin experience than the ?sea & sun? package (eg. 4X4 sand-surfing in the deserts of the Middle East or power-boat ?white water? rafting in New Zealand);

d) major threats to world equilibrium (global warming, poverty, so called ?terrorism? and ?clash of civilisations?, record US trade and budget deficits - which could bring the world economy down like a house of cards);

e) our own increasing local budget deficit and foreign debt levels; and

f) the gross shortcomings in justice and national wealth distribution.

Against this negative backdrop, we should also take into consideration all the opportunities:

a) our past success as a platform ? we are Africa?s success story, this should not be taken for granted;

b) an educated and very motivated workforce;

c) we are small and therefore agile: it is ? relatively ? easier to change Mauritius than, say France or India;

d) we benefit from a peaceful environment in a world of chaos ? again, relatively;

e) globalisation;

f) technology; and

g) the value of our expertise and culture to both help and benefit from Africa.

Therefore, will a competent government at last step forward to address the real issues? If there is the political will, the lack of which being probably the main obstacle to progress in any country, this exercise could be structured into work streams as follows (some studies have been carried out in the past but with limited tangible impact beyond the inevitable White Paper):

a) What would be the visualisation of success for Mauritius by 2010? We need real leadership and commitment from the top resulting in a contagious and unwavering vision ? not partisan politics.

b) What kind of education do we want to impart to our children? Not to be confused with new buildings! In fact, I mean everything except new buildings, ie. real education.

c) How do we help the least favoured components of our society catch up quickly so that a great future is within reach to one and all, the real guarantee of sustainable development?

d) What is the framework (legal, technical and educational) required to entice mass adoption of latest technology for improved efficiency?

e) What should be the future business model of our aviation sector and how can it be made to work (profitably) for the country and our tourism?

f) Last but not least, how do we restructure the civil service to make it more efficient?

Let us also scope some major, ambitious projects with tangible outputs where we would require expertise and resources from other countries and public or private organisations (such as the World Economic Forum) ? but with Mauritius, being an incubator prior to African, or even, global deployment. Politicians around the world are engaged in rhetoric without a clue as to how to move things forward. They would be only too glad to get a real life situation, a platform to achieve real change. Examples:

a) Mauritius to be the flagship country (target for world record) for renewable energy usage.

b) Should Mauritius be the first ?totally broadband? and/or ?totally Linux? country?

c) With our history of peaceful coexistence, despite the best efforts of our politicians to wreak havoc every five years, should we become a World Centre for Peace Studies and Promotion?

Which projects can we help Africa with so that we contribute to, whilst being also part of, the continent?s future success?

a) Trade and Freeport expertise.

b) Telecoms and Technology.

c) Development of an African Civil Aviation framework addressing air access policy, ?single sky? type Air Traffic Management and airline/airport management to move to a deregulated African air space (like the EU or the US) as an essential enabler for development.

d) Renewable energy development, promotion and usage - cold and grey Europe is now promoting the use of solar panels for household electricity generation, why can?t this be done in ? Africa!?

A final word. By ?project? I do not mean ? writing reports. Neither do I mean cosy conferences with accommodation in luxury hotels. I mean the setting out of tangible targets to be delivered, within a time frame, by people made accountable within the remit of their day-to-day job ? and, hopefully, investors expecting a return on their funds!

Fouad Diouman, Projects Manager easyJet Airlines plc, London