In his budget speech 2008-2009, Finance minister, Rama Sithanen, has announced government?s intention of reinstating Summer Time from 1st November 2008 to 31st March 2009 on a pilot basis. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is thus revived after being a big flop more than twenty-five years ago. Experimented in 1982 after the 60-0 of the MMM-PSM government, the project was rapidly struck out after much hassle and protests, since people had not really understood the real aim. The price of petrol at that time was not as high as it is now or is threatening to be in the near future.

Indeed, as proved in most industrialized countries, DST or Summer Time reduces the consumption of energy. Daylight Saving Time (or Summertime in many countries) is a way of getting more light out of the day by advancing clocks by one hour during the summer. During DST, the sun appears to rise one hour later in the morning, when people are usually asleep anyway and sets one hour later in the evening, seeming to stretch the day. The reason DST works is because it saves energy due to less artificial light being needed in the evening. In Mauritius, the Finance minister has said that the Summer Time project would reduce the normal energy consumption by 15 megawatts ? ?equivalent to the output of a small power station.?

The reduction of the energy consumed is done as such: people are home fewer hours during the ?longer days? of sunshine. Most people will plan outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours and thus won?t be home to turn on appliances and lights. A study of DST in the US has shown that energy use and demand for electricity for lighting homes is directly related to the times when people go to bed at night and rise in the morning. Thus, by moving the clock ahead one hour, the amount of electricity consumed each day is decreased.

However, while it is advantageous in reducing the energy consumption, there are some people who fear that DST may harm their business. Some people in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector are fretting over this issue. Flourishing on the fact that the time difference between Mauritius and European countries is hours, the working hours of most employees in the BPO sector is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. A time frame, which is attractive and reasonable for Mauritians. However, once DST is introduced, the working hours will be from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. If this seems insignificant change, some BPO centres say they will have to bear the additional expenses of transport for the workers as from after 6 p.m.

<B>Effects on the lifestyle of population</B>

Still, ? this is not going to affect us as we work 24/7, so our workers are used to working at night?, says the HR manager of Teleforma, a company that deals mainly with American clients. ? It?s not going to be so much of a change for us as we deal with American clients and the introduction of DST will not affect us seriously except for transport arrangements, which will have to be shuffled but at no cost?, declares Vik Sonatun, general manager of Apollo. The BPO centres that work round the clock 7 days a week and have clients in the United States are used to work on night shifts and rotation. Their agents being already used to working odd hours, are not going to find it difficult to adapt to such changes.

On a more social platform, there are arguments that the introduction of DST will have several effects on the lifestyle of population. Rajen Suntoo, a sociologist at the University of Mauritius gives his opinion on the issue. ?The introduction of DST will without doubt affect our society. But it will be a positive change. I agree that our waking and sleeping time will differ. Our working hours also will differ. However, with the tangible crisis in the world nowadays, we have to do it. Most countries have done it too.?

Indeed, countries from Pakistan to Namibia, from Iraq to New Zealand and Tunisia to Australia have adopted DST. This year only Canada has revised its DST according to the United States. ?In this world of globalisation», explains Rajen Suntoo, ?the mentalities of people are changing. We should not underestimate the population to take a stead against this introduction, as they do understand this changing world. Besides, the government should not expect everyone to agree to this decision as in every society we have a minority that always disagrees. But, with time, they will learn to accept it.?

The trial period that the government has decided is from 1st November 2008 to 31st March 2009. If the result is positive in terms of the economic and social aspects, Day Light Saving Time will become a permanent feature in Mauritius.

The origins of DST?</B>