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New commissioner wants to be closer than ever to the people
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New commissioner wants to be closer than ever to the people
The new chief-commissioner in Rodrigues, Johnson Roussety, has a lot of projects for his island. And he intends to put them into practice as quickly as possible. As he was taking the oath with his six commissioners last Friday, he made it clear his priority is now to boost the economy of Rodrigues and make it more autonomous. As for former chief-commissioner Serge Clair, he is asking for early regional elections to force members of the Mouvement Rodriguais (MR) to step down.
The change at the head of Rodrigues took place in a quiet atmosphere and in the presence of the president of the Republic, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Lady Sarojini, minister James Burty-David – the official representative of prime minister Navin Ramgoolam – but also members of the opposition including its leader, Nando Bodha. The new commissioners of Rodrigues are Christian Agathe, Gaetan Jhabeemissur, Franceau Grandcourt, Marie-Therese Meunier as well as the two former members of Serge Clair’s Organisation du Peuple Rodriguais (OPR), Marie Lindsay Castel and Robertson Mercure.
Johnson Roussety’s appointment at the head of Rodrigues did not make him lose his sense of priorities. He made it clear that he would implement the measures he has always defended while he was in the opposition. As promised, he said he would make the subsidies on rice and flour his main priorities, just like the compensation to fishermen. In a word, he will fight all the measures that he considers as unfair for his fellow citizens.
He has always criticised the luxury vehicles of his predecessors and wants it to be clear that his commissioners will not use such cars. “The regional government will pay the subsidies. We will not use the expensive cars of our predecessors and we are thinking of selling them. These sales should generate about Rs 10 million that could help us pay the subsidies for at least two years. I want simple commissioners who are close to the population,” he claimed during the oath-taking ceremony.
Day-to-day problems</B>
His attitude appears coherent. The new chief-commissioner has always shown much concern about the day-to-day problems of his fellow citizens and has always appeared very close to them. As he gains power, he wants them to realise that power will not change his ideology and that the welfare of the people in Rodrigues will always be his priority.
As a holder of a masters in economy, he strongly believes that only economic prosperity can lead to a better life for the people of the island. As a result, he highlighted the importance of tourism in the future development of Rodrigues. “My priority remains tourism, as it should become the main pillar of our economy”, he revealed in an interview to l’express. He said he was expecting 100,000 tourists to visit the island within the next two years.
<B>Owners of their land</B>
And he has a few ideas in mind about how to achieve this, “The Tourism Agency (Office du Tourisme) will be set up this week and the staff will be appointed a few days later. The whole promotion strategy should be reviewed. All tourist operators – from the smallest to be biggest – will be asked to work on the publication of a pamphlet, which will be distributed in several big capitals of the world to attract tourists”, he explained.
But as he is aware that tourism alone can’t bring him the necessary resources for the country, he intends to continue developing agriculture, fishing (why not achieve a prosperous seafood hub?) as well as attracting foreign investment. He also wants the people of Rodrigues to be the owners of their land.
With such projects, the young chief-commissioner may be backed by the people of Rodrigues if he keeps his promises. But the former chief-commissioner, Serge Clair, does not intend to wait and see now that his party has been forced to give in. He wrote a letter to the Prime Minister to ask him to organise early elections. “The electorate gave a five-year mandate to the OPR. But three and a half years later, the MR finds a way to take power after a legal coup d’etat with the help of two renegades,” he explained in a press conference. The political saga may not be finished in Rodrigues…
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