New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings – Lao Tzu
Our Motherland, our people, are suffering from an end of cycle type confluence of events that is bringing about a collapse of the old societal and social structure on the island. This collapse is being felt at every level of society and with that, a new age is dawning, one that’s urging us to come together, as one people, to facilitate that new chapter in our destiny.
There is no saviour, no messiah coming to ‘save’ us. We must stand up for ourselves, each one of us, for our families, for our neighbours, for our countrymen and women, for the next and future generations and for all of humanity. It is now incumbent on us, the moderates, the ‘silent majority’, to voice out, to speak up because unless we do, we will become the first generation to hand over a worst-off world to the next. Please take a minute to think about this.
It’s 2050. How do you picture Mauritius at that time? Please take some time to think about this as it is our collective vision that will find a way to manifest itself. Let me share how I see Mauritius in the future.
Mauritius is a world leader in terms of social progress. It has began leading and sharing with the world how a diverse people not only lives together, but thrives together. It has its own strong identity, one that has surpassed the fragmented identity of today. It has developed an advanced economy that is working for everyone, lifting from the bottom. It is reducing poverty and corruption at a very rapid rate with a view to eliminating social injustice. Crime is at an all-time low. All its people are extremely comfortable in their skin. Racial and communal divisions are fading to make way for a proud and strong national identity that is at peace with itself and in the world. It is the star and key of the Indian Ocean once more and is facilitating trade people and cultural exchange between Asia and Africa in a booming and conscious economy. It is a lab for the world to test out new ideas, a new way of living, one that promotes unity and equity. It is working on a new governance and political model that governs for all, one that has transcended the left, the right and the centre, transcended capitalism, socialism, communism and many more models and is working as one, on a truly human project that is focused on strengthening from the weakest link as it is convinced that ‘the better you get, the better we all get’. It is testing groundbreaking ideas in healthcare, in education, in aged care, in culture, in gender relations, in human relationship with its natural environment and many other areas of human life that only such an island, small yet complex could offer as testing ground. Leaders of other countries, political and development philanthropists, anthropologists and other researchers are working together to make this a success as success here will see renewed hope for the world.
If you find yourself rejecting this vision, that’s ok. You have been battered for long enough to have every right to be pessimistic. George Carlin said it well. ‘Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist.’
I am making a start. I believe that we must start somewhere. I cannot wait for perfection or the perfect moment anymore. Time is ticking.
1. I am working on launching a platform called ‘Beyond Politics: Mauritius 2050 – Infinite Possibilities’ where every Mauritian and non-Mauritian, can come and express themselves, their dreams, their vision, their aspirations for a new Mauritius in a new world. It will be a platform that encourages dialogue and understanding, even between the extremes.
2. The platform will be organised with an intention to have 3 arms. The first will be a thought leadership platform for all, Mauritians and non-Mauritians. It could be something resembling a TedX format where one person comes and delivers a talk on their ideal picture for anything that relates to the human being, Mauritius and the planet. It can be, the ideal governance system, the ideal healthcare system, the ideal democracy, the ideal education system, the ideal environmental system or economic system or anything that you have a conviction in. It could also take other formats.
3. The second arm will be one of ‘Policy development’. From thought leadership, a group of experts will be encouraged to come together to turn those thoughts into policies that any government in Mauritius can implement.
7. The third arm will be that of ‘Policy Implementation’. This arm will support ways that will help in policy implementation in Mauritius. We will seek to influence government to adopt policies that will benefit the masses. We will set up a ‘Diaspora Investment Fund’ where the diaspora and other well-wishers can contribute financially towards pursuing the upgrade of the system.
I will start the thought leadership series by leading on 3 areas – Mauritian identity, fighting corruption, specially government corruption and social justice and a conscious economy that strengthens from the weakest link. The identity cancer is spreading fast in Mauritius and requires immediate intervention.
I believe that as a diaspora, one that cares deeply for the motherland, this is one way we can add value and elevate the discourse from the very divisive and extremely damaging discourse that the last years of this end of cycle is generating.
I am seeking your help in launching this platform. Your presence on this platform will add to its credibility.
About me: My name is Girish Ramjuttun and I am a passionate Mauritian living in Melbourne, Australia for the past 20 years with my wife Simla and three kids. I love Mauritius so much that in 2012, I co-founded with my wife, La Caze Mama, Australia’s leading ambassador of Mauritian food culture. Today we operate a Mauritian food distribution business and a Mauritian café in Australia as well as a food manufacturing business in Mauritius where we employ more than 15 people.
From a young age, social injustice has triggered me very badly. I believe this developed during my formative years in Mauritius where I was repeatedly told that I would do nothing good of my life because I did not conform. I attended Aryan Vedic primary school then went to SSS Bambous until form 5 and finished my schooling at St Andrews College. I was never part of the elite and understand the frustrations of the average Mauritian. It is not until I came to Australia that I really started discovering myself, and I discovered that we all have enormous potential waiting to be unlocked. Unfortunately, the Mauritian system judges harshly the fish who cannot climb the tree. Unfortunately, only a few get to recover from that system. My experience as a Mauritian away from home, in a land that would not judge me by my past, allowed me to broaden my perspective and understand the intrinsic value of each human being and I am determined to bring this experience back home and help those who have been cast out by the system, rediscover their incredible potential to create and add value.
I understand problems and constraints but I do not stop there. I am focused on providing solutions, representing hope for a more united, a more equal future. I am not a specialist. I am a generalist whose mind works with complex problems to bring simple and effective solutions that can help gain a different perspective. I have a very strong vision for how some of the imbalances in Mauritius and the world could be corrected, where Mauritius and the people of Mauritius could be heading in the future, which makes doing nothing a cowardly option now. I also cannot fathom being part of the first generation that will hand over a worse-off Mauritius and a worse off world to the next, but I cannot do anything alone and need your help. If you are interested in discussing ideas on how we can help, please email me at girish.r@mauritius2050.com. You can read more about my views in the blog section of my website at www.girishramjuttun.com