The appointment of the new chairman of the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA), Vasdev Hassamal, a career diplomat in Brussels for the past 20 years, has set the ball rolling. The latter immediately chaired a board which decided that Bert Cunningham would be the head of the customs department. This decision could help the latter make up his mind after the open dispute with the union that led to his resignation three weeks ago.

The MRA had worked without a chair since Maya Hanoomanjee resigned a few months ago to enter politics. Those two appointments should give a strong signal that the government intends to support this institution meant to unite all tax departments and de facto boost revenue collection. It is expected to function at full capacity by next April.

The critical decisions the MRA board will now have to make consist of the appointment of people in strategic posts. About half of a total of fourteen heads of department could well be foreigners. In this context, Naimduth Bissessur, who is the cause of the trouble between Cunningham and the customs union, , might not be on the short-list for the post of head of internal affairs. The post, which involves the screening of the assets of the 2,000 or so employees to prevent fraud and corruption, could well go to a Singaporean or American expatriate. The visit of the MRA director, Sudamo Lall, to those countries might be a sign.