by Sheila BUNWAREE

Whilst the Human Development Report (2005) reminds us that the fate of the poor is inextricably linked to inequitable world trade, we should not fall into the trap of believing that development, our daily livelihoods and more importantly human dignity is only about addressing the larger macro picture and about promoting growth and trade. It is no doubt important to create wealth and to promote trade but if the poor have to wait too long for the benefits of trade and growth to trickle down to them, it might be too late; in fact, it might never trickle down to them. If marginality and exclusion continue to go unheeded, various forms of instability may arise thus putting an even greater brake on the Foreign Direct Investment so badly needed in the country. Rapidly growing unemployment and the exacerbation of poverty that it entails can lead to diverse kinds of frustration and different forms of alienation which in turn can manifest themselves in various ways.

The latest overt manifestation of poverty in Mauritius are the people that some call the ?squatters.? The condition in which these people are living is one of abject poverty and yet some people still ask questions such as: who are the poor in Mauritius? why are they poor? And where are the poor? To many of us, these questions conceal some disguised form of racism, indifference and stereotypes that are often let out in the comfort of private living rooms. Some people discourse on how lazy, ineffective and immoral some segments of our population are. The people engaging in such discourses often forget that not only do they have a share of responsibility in this state of affairs but that they may also become victims of it. Blaming the victim has now become very easy. Rise in criminality rates, juvenile delinquency, suicides, domestic violence, divorce, prostitution, child abuse have now become part and parcel of everyday living. Our newspapers are full of such happenings. Instead of interrogating these and the structural reasons for these problems, we are tempted to look at the pathology of the poor from an individual behaviourist perspective.

This is a country where wealth continues to be concentrated in the hands of a few and where the middle class is thinning down and the under class is expanding. The shape of the Mauritian pyramid is changing. The developmental state of Mauritius is trying to consolidate its welfare state but one can ask whether our present system of welfare and the poverty alleviation programmes that are in place can really reach the poor. Rising unemployment and the complex problem of homelessness with all its associated ills is becoming increasingly difficult to address especially at a time of growing budget deficits. Free education, free health and now free transport are supposed to equalize opportunities but if one of the fundamental human rights ? the right to a decent house is not respected ? , there is no way that the homeless and those without adequate housing will be able to make good use of other opportunities.

Proponents of equality of life chances recognize not only that those from higher social strata have greater life chances or more than equal opportunities but that they also have greater than equal influence on the political process and greater than equal consideration from the health care, the educational and legal systems. Children growing up in environments where there is low income or no income, a broken home, inadequate housing, domestic violence, risk of promiscuity and abuse, illiteracy, or cultural and linguistic deficits are truly disadvantaged. Without access to resources and particularly a house to start off with, capabilities of individuals are at stake and there is no way that opportunities will be equalized. The playing field is too unlevelled at the very start and the life chances are already broken.

Jeffrey Sachs in his book ?The End of Poverty? notes: ?Our generation?s challenge is to help the poorest of the poor to escape the misery of extreme poverty so that they may begin their own ascent up the ladder of economic development. The end of poverty in this sense is not only the end of extreme suffering but also the beginning of economic progress and of the hope and security that accompany economic development.? If we want to successfully strive for a competitive edge in the global market and ensure the growth of the Mauritian pie, we need to strike a right balance between fiscal responsibility and the desire to express our socialist orientation and putting people first. Putting people first does not mean that we should not be bold enough to educate the better off including the rural rich that there is an urgent need for the imposition of ?the prevention of a social explosion tax? so that we can address the problem of housing and poverty in a holistic-integrated manner. We need to work together to promote a social conscience, to bring everyone to full and equal sharing in the responsibilities and rewards of citizenship.