Madam Speaker,

Recent days have been eventful. We have been shamed, attacked and lynched. However, we welcome discussion, negotiation and debate that are legitimate in a healthy democracy. A nation can progress from productive and constructive debate. Each and every citizen may, indeed, reflect and share measures that can help our entire nation move forward in a socially and economically just manner.

One term that arose from these intense debates was neoliberalism. What is neoliberalism?

It is a dominant system that deliberately seeks to instil chaos. Klein’s (2014) theory of disaster capitalism has taught us how we are preyed upon by forces that seek not only to exploit us but to enslave us.

Neoliberalism, Chomsky (1998) underlined, gives rise to consumers. It erects shopping malls instead of building communities. It seeks to instil individualism whereby the self is isolated and disconnected from his or her social environment. Neoliberalism, in effect, destroys social ties, empathy and reduces to the self to social powerlessness.

Madam Speaker, taxes, under a neoliberal regime, aims at favouring the elites. Neoliberalism’s primary aim is to reduce the government’s role in economic planning. It promotes the privatization of government entities and reduces its expenditure. According to Huffman (2022), neoliberal economics is notorious for lowering taxes in all categories while upholding the discourse of austerity.

From the UK model of austerity imposed on the populace in recent years, what we retain is the suffering of the people. Pain and misery were extensively inflicted when then welfare state was dismantled. The disabled was starved to death in the 5th richest country of the world. This is neoliberalism.

Madam Speaker. We share the pain of our people. We share the anxiety of thousands of workers waiting to retire from exploitative workplaces. We empathise with every employee who suffers from both psychological and physical strain imposed in the workplace.

We, therefore, appeal for the implementation of a strong policy towards enabling dignified and decent support to be provided to employees nearing retirement age. Life matters. Madam Speaker. We will continue to fight for the 40 hours work week and improved work conditions for all.

The major outcry against this budget has understandably silenced major fiscal reforms that are precisely aimed at forging social justice.

This budget outlines a new fiscal policy that targets smart city developers and promoters. The property sector around the Smart City schemes churns millions of dollars at the expense of our people. This government has concertedly assessed ways in which big capital preys on our territory and barely pays any cent on land conversion or any other tax related to property development under the Smart City scheme. By taxing this sector, it is the elite that is being targeted. Thus, neoliberal economics is being challenged for revenue to increase for heightened public expenditure on the people’s needs.

Additionally, taxes directed towards two categories of the wealthy namely those having net incomes of above 12 and 24 million are illustrations of how the budget undertakes anti-neoliberal measures to restore public coffers. In effect, we need to study further on how to tax the wealthy to ensure social justice.

Indeed, Madam Speaker, the budget contains important measures that will make a strong difference to our lives in our community. May I begin with the key measure to digitalise the social security services. This measure indicates that the budget has taken into account a severe impediment to the lives of the most needy and the most vulnerable. With thousands of files awaiting processing, the procedures for the most needy to access his or her pension were severely hindered resulting in distress, distrust and despair. With digitalisation, we can look forward to more fair and just processes based on clarity and transparency.

Similarly, the digitalisation of the health sector is a fundamental requirement for our society to move forward with a social conscience, with empathy, care and consideration. It is inconceivable that the island was once earmarked as a cyberhub, yet the health sector has remained notorious for the amount of paperwork being undertaken by trained nurses sitting in offices while the sickly despair for professional care.

The digitalisation of both sectors as announced within this budget reflects this government’s determination to improve the lives of the most fragile members of our community. Thus, neoliberalism that seeks to dismantle the welfare sector is being countered. In the past, neoliberalism dictated the dysfunctionality built in the public system through lack of public investment.

Now with digitalisation, with investment in efficient running of both the health and social security sectors, this government is tackling heads on two major challenges that impact on the lives of many; employees and beneficiaries alike.

A responsible government, indeed, seeks to alleviate hassle, pain and the drudgery of thousands.

Madam Speaker,

This budget speaks to us, eco-feminists, who have long denounced the manner in which capitalism exploits women’s bodies in the workplace and at home. Care work is work undertaken by mostly women in the home when they raise their families and look after the elderly. Through care work, women primarily contribute to social reproduction without which society cannot survive. Care work guarantees that as a community we thrive and that we can look forward to a future with healthy and functional human beings. However, across Mauritian history and, especially with the advent of the manufacturing industry, capitalism has exploited women’s labour at home. In the contemporary context, women are exploited at work and in the home while contributing millions to the GDP. The finance sphere is a key example where women often have to sacrifice their careers for lesser paid roles in order to undertake care work.

With emphasis placed on flexible work arrangements, this budget demonstrates a gender-sensitive approach. Let us not forget how our work lives schedules have been based on the American capitalist model implemented in the 1950’s that entrapped women in the domestic sphere. Women looked after the home while men worked. Now women work long hours and look after the home resulting in a crippling mental charge.

Madam Speaker, this budget is gender-aware, gender- sensitive and gender-conscious towards thousands of women working long hours, women who commute hours during heavy traffic on unreliable buses and women who often have to sacrifice their career for their family lives or vice versa. The hybrid work model when implemented effectively will be a game-changer. It promises better work-life balance, more job satisfaction and higher engagement in the workplace. Importantly, the hybrid work model also enables work access to women with disabilities and promises more safety from autocratic management models.

We must also note, Madam Speaker, that, according to research, the hybrid work model builds gender inclusivity in the male-dominant STEM fields.

We, therefore, applaud the promotion of the hybrid work model and call for employee-centered policies that will promote work-life balance while keeping surveillance at bay.

Moreover, Madam Speaker, the budget has underlined key measures that will be taken to support women’s entrepreneurship. We welcome the increased support and hope that they will be geared towards effective long-term empowerment. We trust that measures will be accessible to as many entrepreneurs as possible with follow-up programs to address problems that may arise. Similarly, we welcome the Equity fund with its potential to financially empower women while bearing in mind that support will be required to avoid possible pitfalls.

This budget, Madam Speaker, also addresses our key challenges in the future namely food security and the climate crisis. We, hereby make a strong appeal that measures envisaged by the Ministry of Agro-industry, Fisheries and Blue Economy be directed towards the long-term sustainability that can only be achieved through the implementation of agro-ecology. Uganda’s National Agro-ecology strategy and India’s Zero Budget Natural Farming are models whereby state-driven national policies, legislation and programs can revolutionise our agricultural sector towards proven long-term agro-ecological sustainability.

Madam Speaker, I will conclude with two important measures that aim at shaping a safe and eco-centric future for us all. Emphasis made on investment in renewable sources of energy denote the strong will of this government to protect the environment. Given the current energy crisis, developing our optimal capacity to use solar, wind and wave energy is an imperative. Energy diversification is a must and we have the duty towards effectively equipping the Mauritius Renewables Energy Agency so as to make the definite shift away from oil and coal.

We applaud the introduction of the point-based license as we have a dangerous driving culture. This license is fundamentally important to address issues of drunk drivers and drivers operating under the influence of drugs. In my constituency, bus drivers are flying by putting the lives of every passenger and every road user at risk. It was ridiculous of the former regime to throw away the baby with the bathwater. During this weekend, my friend witnessed a terrible accident where the victim’s brain was blown to bits and the police and ambulance services took 45 minutes to reach the victim. The point-based license is a necessity to improve our road safety.

We equally welcome the aim to develop the Blue economy from a sustainable perspective. We felt reassured when the Prime Minister recently addressed the inclusion of the Rights of Nature in our constitution at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice. This is, indeed, a powerful signal. We thank the Honourable Prime Minister and reiterate our appeal for our ocean to be protected particularly against the spectre of blue-washing. Saya de Malha Bank is the most fragile ecosystem in the Indian Ocean and has to be protected. This is where Shaama Sandooyea, our own marine biologist and ecologist, led the first underwater protest to raise awareness about how the Indian Ocean is the fastest heating ocean in the entire world.

Madam Speaker, we need to be wary for neoliberal predators are out there.

Our struggle against neoliberalism is ongoing.

We will never give up the fight.

Thank you.

With these words, I commend this bill to the house.

Publié le 18 juin 2025