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Cunningham’s appointment still rocks the boat
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Cunningham’s appointment still rocks the boat
There will be changes at the top management level of the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA). Unionists have been looking for any good reason to make the present comptroller of Customs, Bert Cunningham, leave his job and the country. As his contract is expiring in mid-October, this could be the opportunity. The MRA has already invited applications for 14 posts of managers.
Unionists, especially those of the “Federation des Syndicats du Service Civil” (FSSC) protested in front of the customs headquarters last Thursday. They protested at a statement made by the Customs comptroller on a private radio, they said. He is reported to have stated: “A certain number of corrupted customs officers” have been preventing him from doing his job. The unionists considered this as the last straw and did not mince their words at the demonstration: “Cunningham go home” and “Stop imposing bad treatment to officers who are real patriots” were some slogans.
However, Cunningham is adamant that he never made such a statement. “It is absolute non-sense” he asserts. But this is far from calming down the unionists. “We are in a fighting mood,” claims unionist Tulsiraj Benydin. He says he cannot accept that the comptroller “humiliates” and “hurts the dignity of customs officers.”
This is why the unions demand that the government keeps its commitment to appoint local people to manage state bodies.
They have requested a meeting with the prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, to ask him to cancel Cunningham’s contract. If customs have not achieved the expected results, he is the only one to blame, unionists say.
However, the government seems satisfied with the comptroller’s work. Not only is he upright but he has also managed to increase State revenue – which now shows a surplus of Rs 3 billion.
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Unionists could well be disappointed with the forthcoming decisions. The MRA director, Sudhamo Lall, explained that nothing could prevent Cuningham from applying for the jobs advertised. He even said that the MRA could, in extreme cases, “call upon foreigners for a certain number of jobs.” However, the post of Customs comptroller will be abolished and replaced by a Director of Customs, with limited powers. The Customs and Excise department will be phased out.
The unionists had asked that all jobs at management level be taken by Mauritians who should be employed on a permanent and pensionable basis. But MRA officials already know that the government will have no other choice than to employ some foreigners to ensure the necessary “integrity and skills”.
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