Sabah is like booming Mauritius: Speaker
Published on: Monday, January 18, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Believe it or not! Mauritius, reputedly a beautiful tropical paradise for honeymooners, is without an army. Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Mauritius, the Honourable Mrs Santi Bai Hanoomanjee, the Republic's first woman Speaker, verified this in an interview on the sidelines of the recent 23rd Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC). The island nation is located in East Africa, on the south western part of the Indian Ocean."Although we don't have an army, we have a special mobile force in place and enjoy internal peace as well.
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We have always been a peaceful nation. I don't think we have any enemies," she told Daily Express.Formerly a French colony, Mauritius was subsequently colonised by the British until the country achieved independence in 1968."Now we are a republic with a President but we still belong to the Commonwealth. And we have got friendly relations with all countries," Santi said. The other uniqueness about the island is that it is neither endowed with natural resources. So how can the country prosper, one may ask.
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"Yes, we don't have any natural resources, yet we have a booming economy because our people are very hardworking," said the Speaker.According to Santi, Mauritius was formerly relying on its sugar plantation but has since diversified its economic sector.
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"The sugar industry was our main pillar but we had to diversify after the European Union (EU) removed the guarantee which they had given us for sugar price and quota. From then on, we ventured into textile manufacturing for the export market. "And there is the growing tourism industry too. Most of our tourists come from Europe. So we don't put all our eggs in one basket," she explained.From another perspective, Santi was quick to observe the similarities between Sabah and Mauritius in terms of topography of the islands, freedom of religion and multi-racial character of their population."Sabah is like Mauritius. You have the sea and the beaches too. You have the same climate as we have in Mauritius. And like Sabah, we are a multi-racial nation. Religious freedom is also guaranteed in our Constitution. Everybody in Mauritius is free to practise his or her religion."If you visit Mauritius, you will find there are more than 100 houses of worship such as mosques, churches and Hindu and Chinese temples," she said.Asked whether corruption is a major issue facing her country, the Speaker replied : "I cannot say whether it is a major issue or not. But the new government which is in power is probing what has happened during the last five or 10 years and why no action has been taken as was expected by the people."The government is looking at all the institutions and I think it is a good exercise. If the country is not progressing, you should know why. If there is a high rate of unemployment, you should know why."Santi, who served as Minister of Health from 2010 to 2012, was appointed Speaker following the December 2014 elections.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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