<B>O?brian Barber ? Golf director of Tamarina Golf Estate & Beach Club "Mauritius should be kept as clean as possible!" </B>

?I have been living here since 2005. Ever since I?ve been here, I have always thought that Mauritius is such a beautiful island. However, the most important thing would be to keep it as clean as possible, especially due to the numerous tourists who come to Mauritius. Moreover, those tourists come from countries such as France, England, the United States or Russia, which are usually neat. On the other hand, tourists used to come here and stay within their hotels. But nowadays, they tend to move more. They like to leave the hotel and visit other areas, nice restaurants, good supermarkets or other beaches. Therefore, they might see a lot of rubbish on the way. This would project a very bad image of Mauritius. According to me, this pollution issue is a weakness that can spoil its reputation. I firmly believe that the right example should be set by adults. Indeed, youngsters at school should be taught to respect their environment. This should be a national initiative, the government should get involved and encourage this kind of education. For instance, they could give a day off to students and take them to very dirty areas and ask them to clear the rubbish. Meanwhile, this would sensitize the youngsters about this problem.

Our philosophy at Tamarina is that if anyone sees rubbish on the floor, that person should pick it up and put it in the bin. The person should not walk past it just because he is not the one who dropped it, irrespective of whether he is a director, a superior or whatever!

I recently got involved in a society which makes a lot of charity and social work, called: the circle. There are both Mauritians and expatriates. I will try to push forward the ?litter? issue to contribute in the best positive way to respond to this huge problem. As I said, Mauritius is a beautiful island, it would be a pity not to keep it tidy! I am not pointing at anyone in particular, the proof is that I am even pointing at myself first of all!?