Dave Kissoondoyal

04/08/2026

LA CAISSE PA VIDE POU ZOT
En une seule année, les Per Diems recensés dans cette réponse parlementaire dépassent déjà Rs 8,1 millions. Si ce rythme se maintient pendant un mandat de cinq ans, ce sont plus de Rs 40 millions d'argent public qui seront consacrés aux seules indemnités journalières de missions officielles.

Il est important de préciser que ces chiffres ne comprennent pas les Per Diems du Premier ministre ni ceux du Président de la République. Le coût réel pour les finances publiques pourrait donc être encore plus élevé.

Pendant des mois, le Gouvernement a expliqué que "la caisse est vide" pour justifier le report de l'âge d'éligibilité à la pension de vieillesse et demander des sacrifices à la population. Pourtant, dans le même temps, des millions de roupies continuent d'être versés en Per Diems pour des missions officielles. Cette contradiction mérite d'être expliquée aux Mauriciens.

Une autre question mérite d'être clarifiée. L'ancienne Junior Minister Marie Véronique Leu-Govind a perçu Rs 546,640.47 en Per Diems. Quelle part de ce montant correspond aux missions effectuées à La Réunion ? La publication d'un détail par mission, avec les dates, les destinations et les montants perçus, permettrait d'assurer une transparence totale et de répondre aux interrogations du public.

La confiance du public repose sur un principe simple : lorsque l'on affirme que "la caisse est vide" pour les pensions, les citoyens sont en droit d'attendre le même niveau de rigueur, de transparence et de responsabilité pour toutes les dépenses publiques.

02/08/2026

MALINA DESERVED DIGNITY. EVERY MAURITIAN WOMAN DOES.
Today, Mauritius watched disturbing images of Malina Cheeneebash , a 33-year-old woman, being physically removed from her peaceful sit-in in front of Parliament and placed into a police vehicle.
This is bigger than politics. This is about the dignity of women and the respect owed to every citizen.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with Malina's cause is irrelevant. No woman should lose her dignity because she chooses to exercise her democratic right to peaceful protest.
The images raise serious questions that deserve transparent answers:
• Were the appropriate procedures followed?
• Were sufficient female police officers available to carry out the intervention?
• Were all reasonable measures taken to protect Malina's dignity during the removal?
I call upon women's organisations, youth organisations, human rights defenders and all Mauritians who believe in justice and dignity to examine this incident objectively and speak where necessary.
Today it is Malina. Tomorrow it could be someone's daughter, sister, wife or mother.
Defending dignity is not a political act. It is a human one.
Justice. Dignity. Accountability.

01/08/2026

01/08/2026

NOU NAT. NOU LAVWA. NOU LAVENIR.
En Inde, un simple mouvement lancé par quelques jeunes a fini par faire réagir tout un gouvernement.
À Maurice, une jeune femme de 33 ans, Malina, s'est assise sur une simple natte devant le Parlement. Elle n'avait ni pouvoir, ni fortune, ni foule derrière elle. Elle n'avait qu'une conviction : qu'un citoyen peut encore faire entendre sa voix.
Aujourd'hui, la question n'est plus : « Que fera Malina ? » La véritable question est :

Que fera la jeunesse mauricienne ?

Chaque génération est confrontée à un moment où elle doit choisir entre regarder l'histoire s'écrire... ou contribuer à l'écrire.
Une natte n'est pas un signe de faiblesse. C'est un symbole. Le symbole d'une jeunesse qui refuse d'être ignorée. Le symbole de citoyens qui choisissent de participer, de s'exprimer et de défendre leurs convictions de manière pacifique.
Les décisions prises aujourd'hui façonneront le Maurice de demain. Notre avenir ne peut pas être laissé aux seuls autres. La démocratie n'appartient pas uniquement à ceux qui gouvernent ; elle appartient aussi à ceux qui participent.
L'histoire ne retiendra pas seulement ceux qui ont fait le premier pas.
Elle retiendra aussi ceux qui auront eu le courage de ne pas rester spectateurs.
La jeunesse mauricienne a toujours su se montrer à la hauteur des grands rendez-vous de notre histoire. Le moment est peut-être venu de le démontrer une fois de plus.

🇲🇺 NOU NAT. NOU LAVWA. NOU LAVENIR.

26/07/2026

A Budget Anchored on Taxes, Instead of New Engines of Growth

After carefully reviewing the Finance Bill 2026, one conclusion is unavoidable: the Government's primary strategy is to strengthen public finances through new taxes, broader tax collection, heavier penalties, and expanded enforcement powers for the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA).

The new 5% tax on general insurance premiums, the extension of taxes on plastic containers, withholding taxes on certain digital services, wider reporting obligations, and tougher penalties all point in the same direction. The Bill also expands the MRA's access to information relating to water and electricity consumption, insured vehicles, and civil status databases.

In other words, instead of creating more wealth, the focus is increasingly on extracting more revenue from the wealth that already exists.

This is precisely the opposite of the approach I proposed on 12 June 2025, immediately after last year's Budget Speech.

At that time, I presented a Counter-Budget based on new poles of economic development capable of generating sustainable revenue without increasing taxes and without touching the Diego Garcia funds.

These development poles included:
- The Blue Economy
- High-value Financial Services
- The Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence
- Agro-industry and Food Security
- Sustainable Tourism
- Public Asset Monetisation without selling State assets
- The Circular Economy
- Renewable Energy
- Climate Finance and Resilience

The philosophy was simple: Create new sources of national income before asking taxpayers to pay more.

No country can build long-term prosperity by continuously increasing taxes on insurance, packaging, digital services, businesses, and transactions. Eventually, these costs are passed on to consumers, reducing purchasing power, weakening SMEs, and discouraging investment.

A tax on insurance does not remain on the books of an insurance company. It ultimately appears in the premium paid by motorists, homeowners, shop owners, and businesses.

A tax on packaging does not stay with the importer. It ends up in the price paid by every family.

A withholding tax on digital services risks increasing the cost of software, cloud services, cybersecurity, and online advertising—while Mauritius is simultaneously trying to position itself as a digital economy.

The Government speaks about development, but the Finance Bill reveals a strategy centred primarily on tax mobilisation.

It is always easier to introduce another tax than to build a new economic sector.

It is easier to monitor what citizens spend than to create new export industries.

It is easier to increase penalties than to attract productive investment.

Yet Mauritius possesses extraordinary strengths:

A 2.3 million km² Exclusive Economic Zone, a bilingual workforce, internationally recognised expertise in financial services, ICT, BPO, tourism, renewable energy, and strong commercial links with both Africa and Asia.

These advantages should be transformed into new industries, higher exports, quality jobs, innovation, and sustainable economic growth.

Taxation should support development.

It should never replace development.

I therefore maintain the position I took in 2025: Before looking for new pockets to tax, the Government should have created new engines of wealth.

My Counter-Budget demonstrated that another path was possible with one that could protect the Basic Retirement Pension at 60, honour our social commitments, and generate additional public revenue through productive sectors rather than placing an ever-growing burden on the same taxpayers.

The real debate is not whether Government needs revenue.

Of course it does.

The real question is how that revenue should be created.

Through growth, innovation, investment, exports, and new economic opportunities?

Or through an ever-expanding system of taxes, levies, and penalties?

Unfortunately, the Finance Bill 2026 appears to favour the latter.

A sustainable budget should not simply know how to tax. It must know how to create wealth.

Dave Kissoondoyal

24/07/2026

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Transparency Cannot Be Optional When Pensioners Are Asked to Sacrifice

Today, many Mauritians listened to the live broadcast on Radio Plus during which it was reported that Mr Gilbert Gnany, Senior Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister, allegedly holds approximately 380,000 shares in MCB Group, reportedly valued at around Rs 150 million, and receives annual dividends amounting to millions of rupees.
These figures were broadcast publicly and are now part of the national conversation.

STOP is not making any allegation of illegality. We are not accusing anyone of corruption. However, the information aired raises serious questions that deserve immediate clarification in the interest of transparency and public confidence.

Mr Gnany has been publicly associated with the Government's economic strategy, including the economic assessment presented after the change of government and the fiscal reforms that ultimately resulted in changes to the Basic Retirement Pension.

When the Government asks pensioners and workers to bear the burden of austerity, the public has every right to know whether those advising on such policies have significant financial interests that could create a real or perceived conflict of interest.

The questions are straightforward:
1. Were these reported shareholdings officially declared in accordance with all applicable rules?
2. Were conflict-of-interest procedures applied?
3. Did Mr Gnany participate in recommendations concerning pension reform or policies that could affect the financial sector?
4. Were alternative fiscal measures fully considered before reducing the rights of future pensioners?

These are not political questions. They are governance questions. They are accountability questions. They are questions every Mauritian has the right to ask.

Public confidence in institutions depends not only on integrity but also on the appearance of integrity. Where doubt exists, transparency is the only acceptable response.

STOP therefore calls upon the Government to publicly clarify these matters and to reassure the nation that all decisions affecting millions of Mauritians have been taken independently, objectively and in the sole public interest.

The issue is larger than any one individual. It is about preserving trust in our institutions and ensuring that those who ask citizens to sacrifice are themselves subject to the highest standards of transparency and accountability.

The people deserve transparency. The people deserve accountability. The people deserve answers.
Dave Kissoondoyal
Founder – STOP (San Tous Ou Pansion. San Tous Ou Dignité.)

22/06/2026

POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE

Le gel du « Means Testing » ne suffit pas : le Gouvernement doit retirer toutes les réformes de la BRP ou solliciter un nouveau mandat du peuple

Union Park, Maurice – 22 juin 2026

La décision annoncée aujourd’hui par le Premier ministre de geler le projet d’introduction du means testing pour la Basic Retirement Pension (BRP) constitue un aveu clair que le Gouvernement a sous-estimé les conséquences sociales de sa propre réforme.

Cependant, le gel d’une seule mesure ne règle en rien le problème de fond.

L’année dernière, le Gouvernement a décidé unilatéralement de repousser l’âge d’éligibilité à la Basic Retirement Pension de 60 à 65 ans. Cette année, il a tenté d’introduire un système de means testing. Or, aucune de ces deux réformes majeures n’a été présentée au peuple mauricien durant la campagne électorale, ni ne figurait dans le manifeste électoral du Gouvernement.

Une question simple mais fondamentale se pose donc : si le means testing peut être abandonné parce que la population le rejette, pourquoi le relèvement de l’âge de la retraite de 60 à 65 ans ne serait-il pas lui aussi retiré ?

La Basic Retirement Pension n’est pas une simple ligne budgétaire. Elle représente un véritable contrat social entre l’État et ses citoyens. Depuis des décennies, les Mauriciens organisent leur vie professionnelle, leur retraite et leurs responsabilités familiales avec l’attente légitime que ce droit universel soit respecté.

Malheureusement, le Gouvernement a traité cette question comme un simple exercice comptable. Les budgets sont faits de chiffres, mais une nation est avant tout composée d’êtres humains. Le facteur humain ne peut être réduit à des tableaux Excel ou à des projections financières.

Le Gouvernement avait pourtant déjà institué une Pensions Reform Commission. Cette Commission aurait dû constituer l’espace privilégié pour mener une consultation approfondie, une analyse fondée sur des données objectives et un véritable dialogue social avant toute annonce de réforme majeure. Au lieu de cela, le pays s’est retrouvé confronté à des décisions d’une portée considérable alors même que les travaux de cette Commission n’avaient pas été pleinement menés à terme et que la population n’avait pas été réellement consultée. Il n’est donc guère surprenant que cette démarche ait suscité confusion, inquiétude et perte de confiance.

Plus préoccupante encore est l’impression que le caractère universel de la pension est progressivement démantelé. D’abord, l’âge d’éligibilité est repoussé de 60 à 65 ans. Ensuite, le droit à la pension devient conditionnel à un critère de revenus. Les Mauriciens sont aujourd’hui en droit de se demander quelle sera la prochaine restriction.

Pourtant, il existe de meilleures alternatives.

Au lieu de cibler sans cesse les pensions, le Gouvernement devrait concentrer ses efforts sur la création de nouvelles sources de richesse nationale durable. Maurice dispose de l’une des plus vastes Zones Économiques Exclusives de la région, offrant d’immenses opportunités à travers l’économie bleue, les industries marines, les énergies renouvelables offshore et la valorisation des ressources océaniques. Associées à une croissance économique plus forte et à une gestion plus efficiente des ressources publiques, ces pistes permettraient de financer durablement la protection sociale sans affaiblir l’un des plus grands acquis du pays.

Le message de la population est désormais sans équivoque.

Le Gouvernement doit abandonner toutes les réformes qui remettent en cause le caractère universel de la Basic Retirement Pension et s’engager publiquement à ne plus revenir sur cette question durant son mandat.

S’il estime sincèrement que ces réformes sont indispensables, alors l’honnêteté démocratique exige qu’il retourne devant l’électorat avec un nouveau manifeste électoral exposant clairement ces propositions et qu’il sollicite un nouveau mandat du peuple mauricien.

On ne peut pas faire campagne sur un programme et gouverner sur un autre.

La Basic Retirement Pension n’est pas un privilège. Elle constitue l’un des piliers du modèle social mauricien, la reconnaissance d’une vie entière de contribution et un symbole de solidarité entre les générations. Elle ne doit pas être affaiblie sans le consentement explicite du peuple.

Contact Presse
Dave Kissoondoyal
Fondateur – STOP (San Tous Ou Pension)
Email: [email protected]
Tél./WhatsApp : +230 5257 8703

04/05/2026

Some decisions don’t just affect an event. They affect people.

Behind RightsCon are not just agendas and sessions, but thousands of individuals who invested time, resources and hope to be part of something bigger than themselves. Human rights defenders. Technologists. Young voices. Civil society leaders. People who believe that dialogue still matters.

When something like this is halted at the last minute, it doesn’t just disrupt a conference. It disrupts trust.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur’s statement is therefore not just a formal reaction. It feels like a reminder. A reminder that the right to come together, to speak, to challenge and to collaborate is not something we should take for granted.
Because the reality is simple.
When people start to wonder whether they will be allowed to gather… they begin to hesitate.
When they hesitate… they begin to self-censor.
And when that happens, we don’t just lose conversations, we lose progress.

What makes this particularly concerning is not just the decision itself, but the signal it sends.

If global platforms for dialogue can be stopped at the last minute under broad justifications, then uncertainty becomes the norm. And uncertainty is powerful. It quietly changes behaviour without needing to say a word.

In cybersecurity, we talk a lot about protecting systems. But the most important system we have is human trust. And trust is built in spaces where people feel safe to speak, to question and to connect.
Take that away, even partially, and everything else becomes weaker.

This is not about pointing fingers at one country. It’s about asking a much bigger question: What kind of world are we building if the spaces meant for open dialogue become conditional?
Because at the end of the day, rights are not defended in isolation. They are defended when people can come together...freely, openly and without fear.

And perhaps that is what this moment is really telling us. That protecting freedom is not only about laws and policies. It is about protecting the spaces where humanity meets, listens and speaks. If we lose those spaces, we lose far more than events. We lose our collective voice.

GENEVA – The Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly and Association* issued the following statement on the postponement of RightsCon in Zambia:

01/05/2026

Labour Day is more than a date on the calendar. It is a moment to pause and recognise the hands that have quietly built Mauritius, brick by brick, road by road, system by system.
From our ports to our hotels, from our construction sites to our offices, every milestone in this country carries the effort, sacrifice and resilience of our people. Labour is not a cost to be managed. It is the very force that has shaped our nation.
Yet, in today’s world, we often reduce work to numbers, productivity metrics, performance charts, financial outputs. But behind every number is a story. A family. A dream. A daily commitment to build a better tomorrow. When we forget this, we lose more than perspective, we lose our humanity.
As we move into a future defined by technology, automation and rapid change, one principle must remain non-negotiable: Progress must empower people, not replace them. The future of work in Mauritius must be one where every worker is respected, upskilled and given a fair opportunity to grow.
Because the truth is simple. When we respect labour, we build trust. When we value people, we build harmony. And when we build on trust and harmony, we build a stronger Mauritius.
So today is not just about celebration. It is about responsibility. The responsibility to lead differently. To see people not as resources, but as partners in progress. To ensure that growth is shared, dignity is protected and opportunity is real. Because in the end, nations are not built by policies alone. They are built by people.
Happy Labour Day.
Proud of our workers. Proud of Mauritius.

Labour Day is more than a date on the calendar. It is a moment to pause and recognise the hands that have quietly built Mauritius, brick by brick, road by road, system by system. From our ports to our hotels, from our construction sites to our offices, every milestone in this country carries the eff...

27/04/2026

Cybersecurity is no longer just about IT. It is about trust, stability and even national security.

Artificial Intelligence is transforming both defense and attack. It helps detect threats but also enables deepfakes, smarter scams and adaptive malware.

At the same time, billions of connected devices are expanding the attack surface. Many were never designed to be secure. One weak point can disrupt entire systems.

The old security perimeter is gone. Trust must now be verified at every step. Identity has become the new frontline.

Cybercrime is no longer random. It is organised, targeted and strategic.

And the reality is clear: Cyberattacks today can impact the real world...our infrastructure, our economy, our daily lives.

Cybersecurity is no longer a technical issue.
It is a leadership responsibility.

Those who understand this will not just protect. They will lead.