Mauritius is ?on the move.? The prime minister, Paul Bérenger, has once more asserted that the government is working hard and praised the good results in cooperation with the private sector. He insisted that the unemployment rate of 10.2% was to be taken in the proper perspective.

At the joint press conference, the prime minister and the Joint Economic Council (JEC) president, Gilbert Espitalier-Noël, were unanimous that the public-private partnership was ?exemplary?. Paul Bérenger said the policies discussed and adopted during their meetings were materializing and results could already be seen. ?We are at cruising speed.? New companies, sectors, jobs have been created. In short, there is wealth creation.

As far as employment is concerned, the PM took a stand on the issue. He explained, as well as he could, that unemployment was a virtual problem. Once more, he pinpointed the press, saying it is responsible for the erroneous perceptions regarding unemployment.

The PM actually congratulated his colleagues on the number of new jobs created. He even said the present government has achieved a ?real feat?. It cannot be denied that 13 100 jobs were created in 2002-2003 and 34 000 jobs over three years. However, employment does not concern job creation only. Many people have lost their jobs and this cannot be ignored.

Yet, the PM is conscious of the major job losses in the sugar and textile industries. 11000 EPZ workers have lost their jobs and 10 700 have chosen the voluntary retirement scheme in the sugar industry. In the second case, however, many of them may not have retired voluntarily and may want to find a new job.

<B>Inevitable restructuring</B>

But Paul Bérenger believes that these job losses cannot be taken into account, as they are too specific. He guarantees that the government will do everything possible to find a solution. But how will it find a job for 55 year-old women who still need to work? The restructuring of the sugar industry was indeed inevitable; it remains nevertheless one of the reasons that could explain the high rate of unemployment and we cannot pretend the problem does not exist.

According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), unemployment has reached 10.2% of the working population. This high rate is not only the result of the problems in sugar and textiles. Each year, 8400 new job seekers also join the employment market. The latter are often school leavers. Demand is thus still very high compared with supply.

Concerning the economic situation as a whole, the PM said it was on the right path with 5.5% of GDP growth and a rise in foreign direct investment. He is thus confident in the country?s future as is the director of the JEC. They are both convinced that the public-private partnership has a bright future. As usual, both parties wanted to show their full satisfaction regarding this perfect harmony.

<B>Archaic act</B>

This meeting was something of a follow-up on different issues brought up at previous meetings. They have thus reasserted their desire to make of Mauritius a seafood hub. The opening of Société du Port in the near future is indeed good news. This tuna-processing factory is the first step towards the seafood hub. A one-stop shop service will be set up in the Port Louis harbour, to reduce waiting time.

They once more pointed out that the information and communication technology sector was expected to become one of the most important ones in the near future. New customs measures will favour transparency and improve the system.

One specific result has all the same emerged from this meeting. The Landlords and Tenants? Act, which the PM himself qualified as archaic, will be totally revised. The private sector has been asking for a review of this law on rented property for years.

The minister of Finance and deputy-prime minister, Pravind Jugnauth, highlighted for his part two main financial problems. He expressed his worries about public debt, which has reached Rs 95,5 billion and may have to be rescheduled. Then, the budget deficit would become one of the major problems for 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, as there are many investments to come. In this context, the government will establish a legal framework for public-private partnership projects.

Despite these worries, there was a unanimous feeling of satisfaction with the economic situation. As usual, everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds?