Mauritius is a land of paradoxes. According to a survey, twenty percent of the population enjoy the fruits of affluence and progress, while the remaining eighty per cent still vegetate in poverty and have to struggle hard to survive. The best test for a civilised society is the way they treat the down-trodden and the vulnerable. Though progress is palpable in nearly every field, such manna from the economic bonanza has not trickled down to the poorest of the poor. Some are born poor and they will die poor from generation to generation. They are trapped in a vicious cycle and they are condemned to ghettos of abject poverty. No political system will offer them any salvation to climb the social ladder. Communism, once hailed as a panacea to overcome social inequalities, has long been buried since the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was a system where unfortunately poverty but not wealth was equally shared by all.

The eradication of poverty is a long and relentless struggle. Even in highly affluent countries like the USA and Japan, there are still pockets of poverty. Pets are better treated; they are given meat and vitamin-tablets whereas human beings can hardly afford two square meals per day. Poverty is rampant. It dehumanises a person and robs him of his dignity. The poor are impove-rished to the marrow. Ironically, we are living in a world of science, technology and industrialism and yet the poor are deprived of the basic necessities. A visit to poverty-stricken areas can be shocking to many of us. Can we live in peace and tranquillity without any prick of conscience in our palatial houses when people outside are clamouring for a pittance to survive? Senior citizens rely on their pension to live. Has compassion been long banished from our heart? We are born equal but some are more equal than others.

<B>Dwindling purchasing power</B>

The population explosion is said to be the root-cause of poverty. Behind the slum areas and shanty towns are camouflaged many untold tales of suffering, humiliation and frustration. Overpopulation arrests economic growth, thus creating unemployment. Poverty can ignite social explosions. Every week, scenes of violence erupt for very flimsy reasons. The poor are a vulnerable lot and easily manipulated and a flicker suffices to light the powder-keg. They fall easy prey to unscrupulous political adventurers. The Rodriguan diaspora is a sad tale of woe and misery.

Human development is said to be an antidote to combat poverty and human resources must be used for national growth. In countries that are racked by unemployment and poverty, human development has not been etched into the political consciousness. No segment of population must be left out in an effort to solve unemployment and eradicate poverty. Human development must be given top priority in the programme of health, education, housing and transport and sensitisation of the illiterate must be done through education. Social malaise can only be solved if individuals have the will to forge ahead and not remain assisted all the time. The entrepreneur scheme can pave the way to a better future. The Nobel Prize Winner of Bangladesh this year offers a fine example of how to eradicate poverty.

Industrialisation is allegedly a means of removing poverty by creating jobs. But, at the same time, it is unimaginable that workers receive meagre salaries caught daily in a welter of machines and mechanical devices. Their purchasing power is dwindling day by day with the spiral of soaring prices. Is this not a form of modern slavery? They are losing their human dignity. Many are uprooted to big cities, but they are soon disillusioned. They are trapped by the evils of urbanisation in a world of criminality, violence and prostitution.

<B>Philip LI CHING HUM</B>