<B>By Azad JEETUN</B>

At difficult times, the Government has always appealed to the solidarity spirit of Mauritians to tide over crises. These may be natural disasters like cyclones or economic occurrences like recessions. Such appeals do not go unheeded. In the early eighties, when we had a severe recession, Government created the National Solidarity Fund which is still operational today. In 1991, the then Prime Minister who was cumulating the function of Minister of Finance created the Employees Welfare Fund to promote the well-being of workers; this was later supplanted by the National Savings Fund. More recently, we saw the emergence of the Trust Fund for Vulnerable Groups. This was also in response to the disturbances the country faced in February 1999 which brought to the fore the problem of social exclusion.

The establishment of funds seems to be a natural response to deal urgently with pressing economic and social problems. Every Government tries in one way or the other to come to grips with such problems especially when they affect vulnerable groups; otherwise, they may lead to social cleavage. This Government could not be indifferent to the plight of vulnerable groups since it came to power espousing the democratisation of the economy. The explicit objective of the Empowerment Fund is “to galvanise the economy by broadening the circle of opportunities to each Mauritian citizen”. What distinguishes the current initiative from preceding ones is the magnitude of the exercise, its wide scope and the difference in approach. At a time when the Minister of Finance is walking on a tight rope to manage public finances judiciously, he is prepared to earmark huge amounts to the Empowerment Fund. This shows the urgency to tackle social and economic problems which otherwise may have undesirable repercussions on the Mauritian economy and society. There is no illusion that democratisation of the economy and solution of economic problems will take a long time.

It is clear that the Fund is not going to dish out money but concentrate on projects to enable people to stand on their own feet. Like the common adage, it is better to teach somebody to fish rather than giving him a fish. It is also not a question of distributing from the haves to the have-nots. As mentioned in the budget speech, “assistance for assistance sake will not solve the problem”. The mission of the programme is to empower people to improve their own standard of living, to add value and contribute their due share to the economy. It also intends to mould the attitude of people to be independent and take their own initiative rather than to be in perpetual search for a job in the public sector. The programme is expected to “democratise” the economy. There is need for equality of opportunities, for a more equitable income distribution and a reduction or elimination of concentration of economic power.

The Empowerment programme is a very ambitious and targeted one. Its name itself is a winning catchword but still not much information is available whether it is among stakeholders, other Ministries or targeted groups. But we feel that it should embody an inclusive approach so that those concerned are taken on board. It should motivate Mauritians to help empower their less fortunate countrymen. In this sense, the Empowerment Fund can be a major catalyst. In the implementation process, a proper strategy should be mapped out to attain the democratisation objective so dear to the Government. Networking at all levels and particularly with all the identified groups should be a key element of the strategy. Such a strategy can only be defined with the involvement of the parties concerned. It cannot be imposed from outside. This is where the experience of different institutions that have worked with the identified targeted groups constitutes a definite advantage.

We should not only look at the supply aspect but, more importantly, respond to demand as well. The demand can only be determined by interaction with those who are “sur le terrain”. A process of consultation is in itself an integral part of empowerment. It is essential to determine the needs of the needy with their full involvement whether they are unemployed, women, redundant workers, youth, etc. The programme should establish rapport and networking with such groups. This is a democratic process.

Although the funds come from the Ministry of Finance, the latter should be a facilitator rather a doer of all projects. It should have a leadership role and should make the best use of human and physical resources of other Ministries and institutions to deliver. After all, this is what empowerment is all about. Different Ministries and institutions have the infrastructure, experience and personnel in diverse areas which can be tapped to attain the ultimate objective.