Media Watch Organisation and Gender and Media Southern Africa – Mauritius applaud the government’s decision to hold municipal council elections on 2nd October 2005 and village council elections on 11th December 2005. The local government 50/50 campaign is a litmus test of the decision taken by Southern African leaders at their summit in Gaborone to ensure that women and men are equally represented in decision-making.

The Southern African Development Community summit in Gaborone “endorsed the African Union position which provides for a 50 percent target of women in all political and decision-making positions.”

The local government elections in Mauritius and in South Africa this year will be among the first since this decision was taken. In a statement at the launch of the South African Local Government Association 50/50 campaign, Gender Links (GL) said the elections “will be watched closely by the 50/50 movement across the region and world wide.”

Lesotho and Namibia have legislated quotas for women at local level. Namibia has 42 percent women in local government: the highest proportion in any area of decision-making in the region.

MWO/GEMSA-Mauritius/GL note the willingness of the bold move taken in the 3rd July 2005 general elections to field more women candidates and over seventy per cent of the women were elected. There is at present a big gender imbalance at local government and villages with only 11 women on a total of 126 municipal councillors and 41 women on a total of 1,476 village councillors.

<I>Media Watch Organisation/ GEMSA-Mauritius</I>

<B>Improve dreception </B>

In the past few years many of us have addressed complaints to the MBC concerning the poor reception of the BBC World Service radio relayed by the MBC on AM 15.75.  I am now very pleased to note a great improvement in reception and would like to express appreciation for this on behalf of all BBC listeners.

<B>B. PEERUN</B>

<B>September</B>

The month of September holds its name from Latin septum, seven, as it used to be the seventh month of the Roman calendar with New Year celebrated on 1st March. As many crops are harvested in September, it is considered as one of the most auspicious months.

Our island enjoys a significant love story with the ninth month. Was it not on 20th September 1598 that it was baptized Mauritius by Van Warwyk, who planted the first seeds of settlement on Dodo land? The harvest was however far from causing them to abandon our garden of Eden in 1710 ignoring that the sugarcane they had introduced was to change its face for ever.

On 20 September 1715, Dufresne d’Arsel planted the French flag on our soil. Later the French settled permanently on the island with their slaves, who worked hard in the sugarcane fields till they were free from bondage in 1839. They were then forced out of the fields and gradually replaced by Indian indentured labourers.

Had it not been for the missionary works of Father Jacques Désiré Laval who arrived in Mauritius on 13th September 1841, the ex-slaves left to the pangs of poverty and immorality might have fallen into anarchy aborting the turning-point of our country towards a multicultural society represented by the colourful flag raised the first time by SSR born on 18 September 1900.

Born on 18 September 1803, Désiré Laval died on 9 September 1864 after having harvested the hearts of thousands of ex-slaves and ex-slave owners to the religion of peace, love, tolerance and justice.

Up to us to ensure the fields are continuously tilled with love and patriotism.

<B>Alain Jeannot</B>