“If fouled environment is really behind the chikungunya problem, then the solution can be simple: why can’t we go back to the organisation of Fleurir Maurice (Make Mauritius beautiful) competition?” stated my nephew the other day. This was following a news item that, despite overall victory over its spread, a few cases are still being registered.

The Fleurir Maurice contest, organised nationwide not long ago, sparked some sort of a craze for a general clean-up on our island. There was hardly anyone who was not part of it.

Fleurir Maurice was such a healthy competition that the whole of Mauritius was given a face-lift. The countryside as well as towns got smartened up by all residents including children. They would be house-proud and indeed motivated to be in the race. At workplaces, whether in the public or private sector, workers of all grades were excited about winning the coveted trophy. This had a tremendous impact on making Mauritius beautiful through enhancing our environment at little or no cost on the part of the central government.

Thanks to Fleurir Maurice, some localities quite cut off from the centres of population and little known or frequented by visitors and tourists had an amazing transformation. Whenever we had to travel to the eastern part of the island, we would for sure make for Quatre- Cocos Village during our trip. The streets bordered by bougainvilleas of varied colours intermixed with different flowers were really inviting. The breath-taking view offered by the winding road past the chapel had such a romantic setting that we would always stop for a while just gazing in wonder. So what if we were in a hurry to reach somewhere nearby?

It is beyond doubt that a lot of resources have been recently deployed to do away with the chikungunya altogether. The government through the ministry of Environment, ministry of Health and Quality of life, the police, district councils, municipalities and others have done a great job. How much has been spent in terms of money would be difficult to say. To dispose of tons and tons of rubbish, to carry out fogging everywhere in an aggressive campaign against the chikungunya was a huge task. Yet the far-reaching effects of the chikungunya on certain vital sectors of our economy have yet to be known .

Now that winter is here, the chikungunya or whatever will die out and may not breed until warmer days start. Because our environment is our life-line, it is essential that measures taken to combat it be ongoing.

More than anything else, there is a need to reconsider the organisation of the Fleurir Maurice competition. Our salvation lies very much in making and maintaining our country as a global city, a garden, an island of paradise. The target of the stakeholders is to welcome 2 million tourists in the next few years. This is certainly an ambitious plan. But conferences, meetings, including paper work alone, cannot attain this end. Let every countryman get the chance to participate in this venture. Goethe’s plain advice to clean your own doors and the whole world will be clean must be kept in mind. And the only way is - back to Fleurir Maurice.

Kaviraj SOHUR</B>