<B>By Pauline ETIENNE</B>

Rs 60,000 yearly for the lease of an islet. Rs 50 million or so for the lease of State lands on which hotels were built several years ago. The government can?t avoid people makiing such comparisons. Hardly two weeks after newspapers announced that the lease paid by hotels would undergo extremely high increases, the new promoter at Ilôt Gabriel is ready to develop what may turn out to be a flourishing business on the islet for the mere investment of Rs 60,000 a year.

There is no possible debate about it: such a contradictory approach is unfair. For years, hotels have benefited from State lands for a pittance. While they were doing millions of profits ? and did not hesitate to display their good returns ? the State, which has been facing some difficulty for a few years now, could not really take advantage of their success. It is only justice that the industry now pays the price for the beautiful landscape they enjoy and which does not belong to them after all ? the more so as they can?t say they don?t have the means for it.

If I have taken a firm stand against the proposals of Cader Sayed Hossen to democratise the sector, the recent decision to increase leases is only fair, in my opinion.

What is, however, most unfair is the recent deal obtained by Jayraj Woochit. How will the government say that there is one justice for everyone in this country after that episode?

How will they be able to justify themselves if people come forward to ask them if it is a case of nepotism, which seems obvious in that case? How will it prevent gossips that tend to say the government has a serious problem with a certain section of the population?

Although all this may be completely untrue, the authorities can?t help perceptions by the public. It must be careful of the signals it is sending to make sure it remains credible in the eyes of the private sector.

It is true that hotels have waited for years before being asked to pay the real value of the lands they have been exploiting all this time. Does it mean that we will have to wait for years before those benefiting from State lands on the islets be asked to pay the price for them?

The government should rather draw lessons from the past and make sure it is benefiting from the success of private initiatives if it plays a role in this success. And giving them lands to develop projects obviously gives them the right to ask for ?return on investment?.

It was reported in yesterday?s edition of l?express that the promoter of Ilôt Gabriel will earn around Rs 120,000 daily thanks to the development made there. He will not even pay this sum to the government for a whole year.

There is obviously a problem in this case. And the government should not come forward to say it does not have any money in the future? Opportunities are there!