MAURITIUS TIMESll “In a society governed passively by free markets and free elections, organized greed always defeats disorganized democracy.” -- Matt Taibbi, Griftopia

66th Year -- No. 3631 Tuesday, November 24, 2020 www.mauritiustimes.com facebook.com/mauritius.times 18 Pages - ePaper

By By Adam Kleczkowski, University of Strathclyde * See Page 2

By Dr R Neerunjun Gopee * See Page 3

““SSii oonn vveeuutt cchhaannggeerr lleesscchhoosseess àà MMaauurriiccee,, iill ffaauutt àà

ttoouutt pprriixx ppaasssseerr àà llaaDDeeuuxxiièèmmee RRééppuubblliiqquuee””

Interview : Jack Bizlall

++ Voir Pages 7-8-9

Villages: The Irreversible Marchof Modernity

Covid-19 vaccines are coming - howwill we know they work and are safe?

If the vaccine is to be widely applied, the medical community and the publicneed to be reassured about its safety

Electionresults no

surprise but…+ See Page 2

Edit Page

Mauritius TimesTuesday, November 24, 2020www.mauritiustimes.comfacebook.com/mauritius.times 2

What would have been surprisingwould have been if the resultshad been otherwise, that is, the

MSM-backed or leaning factions hadobtained a landslide victory. What theseresults seem to indicate is that theuncovering of so many irregularities anddysfunctions in the governance of thecountry have definitely had an impact ona good proportion of the citizenry, suffi-cient enough for them to show their dis-satisfaction by voting for the opposingforces that were aligned. The successfulmanagement of the Covid-19 pandemichas not been a strong enough counter-weight against the negative image thathas been trailing the government to date,and that looks set to endure. Unless…

Unless, that is, the government ismore forthcoming in the elucidation andexplanation of a number of dark zonesthat continue to plague several mattersof national concern. And these have tobe explicited in a clear and convincingcommunication exercise that has beenlacking so far, not least being the cava-lier manner in which questions beingasked in Parliament are being handled.This compounds the bad image thatalready prevails, more so since debatesare now televised live and people canform their own opinions. After all, theyare literate, educated, and able to judgefor themselves standards of behaviourand practice by comparison with other,more mature jurisdictions, and are lessand less hesitant about expressing theiranger and disgust. And since any directconfrontation is likely to be met withuncommon force, they have made judi-cious use of the ballot to express them-selves.

Together with these dysfunctions,there is another perception that hasgained ground, and that is that thoseclose to the power nexus are out tomake as much for themselves as is pos-sible at the expense of the people. Inother words, they are busy enrichingthemselves in the face of a calamity sowidespread – the pandemic – that, asthey acknowledge themselves, there is

as yet no end in sight for the crisis. On the other hand, people are also

irked by the repeated refusal of theauthorities to provide information aboutthe modalities and conditionalitiesattached to the generous fiscal stimuluspackages accorded to various compa-nies and businesses, attempts to do soin Parliament being waived off summari-ly, or squarely ignored.

Jobs are being lost, salaries arebeing curtailed, thousands of families –and therefore many more thousands ofpeople – are failing to provide enough forthemselves, let alone being able to putaside anything for the future which everysensible family would do. On the con-trary they are having to draw upon what-ever savings – if any – that they have,and naturally these are dwindling.Savings can only go so far after all. Theytherefore see the future as bleak, andare not comforted by the official narra-tives that seek to reassure them thatthings are going to look up. Especiallynot in view of the proposed dismantlingof the NPF with the money being trans-ferred to the Consolidated Fund whicheverybody knows is used to fund theBudget, whereas the NPF acts as anautonomous reserve which guaranteesthat pensions are paid.

Under more favourable circums-tances, that is if the economic situationwere really better or there were pro-mising prospects of forthcoming signifi-cant improvements and restoration oflost employment, etc, this shift at thepolls may not have been so much a mat-ter of concern. After all, interim pollseverywhere always downgrade the ru-ling team.

But things are different. Althoughthere are four more years to go beforethe general elections are held, there isno saying how things will pan out on theeconomic front. There is therefore muchthat needs to be done if this shift is to bereversed – but that the people have sig-nalled that they want change so early inthe government’s mandate is unmis-takable.

Mauritius TimesFounder/Editor: Beekrumsing Ramlallah - Aug 1954-Sept 2000

Editor-in-chief: M. Ramlallah / Senior Editor: Dr RN GopeeThis epaper has been produced with the assistance of

Doojesh Ramlallah, Sultana Kurmally and Kersley RamsamyPearl House 4th Floor Room 406 - Sir Virgil Naz Street, Port Louis -- Tel: 5-29 29301 Tel/Fax: 212 1313

mtimes@intnet.mu www.mauritiustimes.com facebook.com/mauritius.times

Election results no surprise but…

Pfizer and BioNTechhave just releasedinterim results of

their Covid-19 vaccinetrial. Although it is not theonly vaccine in the latestages of testing, the largesize and careful design ofthe trial, not to mention thepromising results, havecaused understandableenthusiasm around theworld. As we get nearerthe long-awaited start of aCovid-19 vaccine roll-out,it is worth looking at howstatisticians help medicsestablish the safety of vaccines.

How effective is the vaccine?

It is not easy to find out how effective avaccine is. First, researchers need toknow whether just an act of injectingsomebody can help. The trials involve alarge number of people, with half of themgiven a vaccine and the other half a place-bo. Then the participants need to beexposed to the infection with the expecta-tion that most of those in the control groupbecome ill, but vaccination protects atleast some in the treated group.

In some cases, such as for HIV orEbola, even giving a placebo can be ethi-cally controversial as they have such ahigh death rate. For coronavirus, theresearchers need to rely on natural infec-tion because no study, at the moment,intentionally exposes participants to thecoronavirus. As a result, the efficacy cal-culation is based on a relatively smallnumber of those who caught Covid-19 bycontact with other infected people.

Vaccine efficacy reflects a proportionof the number of those who became ill inthe vaccinated group and in the non-vac-cinated group. The Pfizer/BioNTech trialinvolved nearly 44,000 participants, with21,999 given the vaccine. The resear-chers use statistical analysis to set upmilestones at which they can be increa-singly confident that the vaccine works –or it does not – as the cases tric-kle in. Ifthe numbers are small, it would not beclear whether the difference in the out-comes between the placebo and the treated groups is real or just a result of arandom fluke.

Statisticians use the so-called “poweranalysis” to discover how many cases weneed to observe. For the Pfizer andBioNTech vaccine, the target was 164cases when the final estimation of efficacy

can be made, but this was based on theassumption that the vaccine is only 60%effective. This was based on the seasonalflu vaccine efficacy. However, with thenumbers exceeding expectations, thecompany decided to release the results atone of the interim analysis points.

Ninety-four cases were reported andthe split of about 86 cases in the placebogroup and eight cases among vaccinatedyielded 90% efficacy. This level of protec-tion against infection is remarkable. Eventhough the study is based on a relativelysmall number of cases, statistical analysisallows the researchers to extrapolate towhat might happen when the vaccine isrolled out.

The trial included different ages as wellas people from different ethnic minoritygroups, but more studies would be needed to assess how the most vulnera-ble groups are protected.

The final efficacy is likely to be lower,as administering the treatment is difficultfor many logistical reasons, including therequirement of mRNA-based vaccines, ofwhich the Pfizer vaccine is one, to bestored at very low temperatures. In thereal world, the vaccine might not be storedat the correct temperature and hence mayspoil.

How safe is the vaccine?If the vaccine is to be widely applied,

the medical community and the publicneed to be reassured about its safety.

The Pfizer vaccine was administeredto 21,999 people. Some people reported areaction similar to the one after the sea-sonal flu vaccination, but so far no seriousside-effects have been reported.

The Conversation

Covid-19 vaccines are coming – howwill we know they work and are safe?

Adam Kleczkowski University of Strathclyde

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may be rolled out in mere weeks

If the vaccine is to be widely applied, the medical communityand the public need to be reassured about its safety.

Photo - news.un.org

* Cont. on page 11

We are said to beliving in a 'globalvillage', a term

coined by the Canadianthinker Marshall McLuhan inthe 1960s, who envisionedthe world interconnected viaelectronic communications.

Moving on, the definition of a global village now is theidea that people are connected by easy travel, massmedia and electronic communications, and have becomea single community. An extension of this idea is the'Concept of Global Villages', which refers to the 'vision ofa new human habitat which offers virtually all of the ser-vices and amenities of cities while still preserving therural quality of life and care for healing and human dimen-sion'.

The assumption here is that somehow the rural quali-ty of life is better, but it is contradicted by the reality thatthe trend of humanity continues to be increasing urba-nization, and rural to urban migration takes place conti-nuously all over the world - suggesting that city life ispreferable?

Scaling down to our little island, there is no doubt thatboth rural and urban areas now avail of practically allservices and amenities. I asked myself what remains ofvillage life - or of 'village type life' that many of us haveexperienced as children growing up when the village-town divide was still quite stark, probably until the 1980sat least. I think that most of the candidates who havestood for the village elections on Sunday last have notexperienced anything like true village life because fromthe beginning they have had access to amenities andservices that are no longer confined to the towns andcities only.

But change came only very slowly and gradually, andwhat we take for granted today - clean water, electricity,tarred roads - were not the norm until but a few decadesago. Thus, while they were absent in the villages, even intowns like Curepipe and its outlying areas where I live, asregards water for example many houses would have asingle outside tap for all purposes, and one in the simplebathroom that would be situated outside.

In the yard there would a stone slab mounted on astand for washing clothes, but it was also a commonpractice for womenfolk to carry bundles of clothes on theirheads and walk towards the rivers in the locality wherethey would do the washing. I, my siblings and cousinswould accompany our mother, aunty, grandma, and whilethey were busy, we children would gambol from rock torock and splash in the clear unpolluted waters of the river.And we would carry tin cans in which we would put thetiny fishes we caught, the millions which we would delightin catching using makeshift handkerchiefs.

Nowadays for children it's the TV or smartphonescreens that keep them glued. What a far cry from thesimpler pleasures of yesteryear! But then, alas, it is alsoa fact that rivers have become dry streams for most of thetime as I have had numerous occasions to witness at firsthand, and there's no choice but to wash clothes at home- and most households nowadays would have washingmachines.

In the villages of course, houses didn't have running

water, and many a time I had accompanied my cousinsduring their visits to their grandparents' place with theirmother, in Midlands which is only a few kilometers fromCurepipe, and had also stayed overnight on occasions.There was not even a public fountain, like the one we haddown the road from our house in Curepipe, so water hadto be collected from the river and brought back in buc-kets, and strained before drinking and cooking. And ofcourse, it was great fun for us to play in the river and tohelp fill the buckets, why even stretching out our tinyhands to help 'carry' the buckets!

For lighting there was only the old-style conical metallamp and wick, with kerosene as fuel. All houses werethatched, and cow dung served as covering for the floor.But in Curepipe too I had a few friends living not far fromour house (which was of the 'colonial' type) who lived inthatched houses with the cowdung flooring which I recallhaving a pleasant, faint aromatic smell.

Fast forward 40 years later to the early 1990s and weare a group of friends, mostly doctors, who have beendoing Sunday treks regularly. One of our favourite trailswas in the Midlands area past Bananes village towardsEau Bleue and the surrounding hills. And as often hap-pens in our profession, we develop long-lasting friend-ships with some patients.

One of us had such a friend who lived in Midlands. Henot only offered us the facility of parking our cars at hisplace, but this was topped by the hospitality of refresh-ments prepared and lovingly laid out by his wife when wewould come back tired and thirsty from our forays into thewoods. That, perhaps, could be considered as one of theenduring traits of village folks who willingly share what-ever little they have, for the joy of it. And this friend's placewas a mandatory stopover so many times - and despitethe treks having stopped, he still keeps in touch.

But this aside, it was literal shock to encounter themodernity in the village. It was unrecognizable from whatI recalled of its layout and visuals - as I searched my

memory for landmarks that I vaguely remembered.Similarly, for some other villages that I had known in the1960s, like Barlow in Riviere du Rempart, surrounded bysugarcane fields, where my sister had married. Andwhich made her say one day, not long after she had tiedthe knot, that 'zone jette moi dans caro cane!' ('youhave dumped me in the sugarcane fields!') - practicallyeons before the expression 'dans caro cane' gained po-pularity in our electoral campaign jargon…

We have indeed moved on very far in almost all thevillages, in the name of progress and modernity. Alongthe way to the cities, we have lost many of the funda-mentals of humane and community living that despiteeverything else, used to be part of village and rural life.So, while we cannot not frown on or reign in modernity inour villages, we must ensure that the cachet of village ismaintained so that we do not forget their inestimablevalue in the provision of much of the food that we con-sume for both survival and enjoyment. As also for the infi-nite supply of fresh air and a clean atmosphere which thepresence of green fields and forest lands contribute to,and which are also a soothing sight when we are drivingpast them.

Op-Ed Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 3

Villages: The IrreversibleMarch of Modernity

Dr R Neerunjun Gopee

“In the villages of course, houses didn't have running water, and many a time I had accompanied my cousins during their visits totheir grandparents' place with their mother, in Midlands which is only a few kilometers from Curepipe...”

As the northern hemis-phere moves intowinter, coronavirus

rates are rising in parts ofEurope and the USA.Experts are warning of along winter ahead as Covid-19 and influenza put thesqueeze on hospitals and

other healthcare facilities. In response to the threat pre-sented by the second wave, European countries andmany US states have instituted population lockdownsthat involve varying restrictions on movement, meetingpeople, work, schooling, shopping, hospitality and enter-tainment.

We have seen from the first wave that, when insti-gated at scale, these measures can shrink the epidemicbut at a tremendous cost to society and economic life.When applied for a long time such as in Melbourne,Australia, which locked down for nearly four months, thenumber of cases can be reduced to close to zero with ri-gorous wearing of masks, night-time curfews, closedschools, strict travel restrictions and heavy policing.

But is there another way? Ten months into the pan-demic, what have we learned and what other measuresdo we have in our collective toolkit?

Mass testing

China, having controlled the first wave of the epide-mic and with fewer than 100 reported cases per day, nowuse a mass testing strategy whenever a new clusterappears. This was successfully conducted in Wuhan (acity of 11 million) in May, and the cities of Qingdao andKashgar in October.

This has been carried out efficiently using PCR (poly-merase chain reaction) testing of batches of five to tensamples at a time, then going back to test individual sam-ples if a batch tests positive. The rationale for thisapproach is to find people who did not know they wereinfected so they can be advised to isolate and thereforereduce transmission.

Chinese authorities have also acted with speed toprotect a population that remembers the SARS outbreakand hence takes control of an epidemic seriously, showing high levels of compliance with public healthmeasures. People are willing to wear masks and acceptother interventions are part of a commitment to thegreater good at the expense of individual freedoms. Thisis accompanied by strict enforcement from the govern-ment which has at times deployed drones using loud-speakers to rebuke citizens who are not following therules.

In Europe, Slovakia instituted mass testing of theirentire population of 4 million over two weekends duringOctober and November. About 95% of the targeted po-pulation has now been reached and tested, with 38,000positive cases being asked to go home and self-isolate.This represents a 1% positivity rate. This is an expectedrate for a European country’s population at present.Slovakia also used rapid antigen testing, which despitehaving a variable false positive rate, can give results with-

in 30 minutes, is cheaper than PCR, and can be donewithout the need for a specialised laboratory.

The World Health Organization has supported thedevelopment and facilitated access to affordable rapidtests, at less than US$5 per test, particularly for low andmiddle-income countries.

Rapid tests have been trialled in other part of Europe,for example in Liverpool in the UK. In cases where thereis a dedicated test site and trained personnel, these testsreturned positive results for 99.6% of true infections, andreturned negative results for 76.8% of people who did nothave COVID-19.

The implications of this are that if there is a generalpositivity rate of 2.2% in the local population, as sug-gested by the most recent surveys, for every 1,000 peo-ple tested, 17 will be identified correctly as infected andadvised to self-isolate, five uninfected people will beincorrectly identified as infected and unnecessarilyadvised to self-isolate and three who are infected will beincorrectly identified as uninfected. Since those threepeople will probably have low viral loads, they may not bevery infectious.

The upshot is that if people take up testing and followthe advice (which is not guaranteed) this approach hasthe potential to reduce transmission and hence newinfections by at least 50% in the short term.

Effective contract tracing

Vietnam has used aggressive contact tracing sincethe start of its epidemic, and there are currently less than100 reported cases per day in the country, and no recentdeaths. Anyone who is infected is hospitalised, whichhelps to enforce isolation, while contacts are isolated athome with the immediate neighbourhood placed under alocal lockdown. There has been clear communication and

the issue is seen as non-political and a matter of publichealth.

South Korea, meanwhile, has used retrospective con-tact tracing to investigate outbreaks and understandwhere transmission is occurring. As a result many bars,night clubs, karaoke bars and places of worship havebeen closed.

Taiwan, where there have been no reported deathssince May, has probably the most effective testing andtracing programme. Cases are followed up twice daily bytelephone, text messages or home visits to reinforce theself-isolation message, and to offer support, which caninclude meal and grocery delivery. Contact tracing ishighly effective, identifying on average 20-30 contacts percase.

Crucially, contact tracing only works if it’s done pro-perly. The World Health Organization stresses the impor-tance of not just identifying cases, but following them upand giving support. They estimate that on average eachcase needs three days of work from the testing and tra-cing team. Clearly, this can only be feasible if the numberof daily cases is brought down to manageable numbers,which is not the case in many European countries, nor inparts of the US.

Unfortunately, with case numbers as high as they arein these places, the best approach for western countriesgetting through the winter seems to be to continue to usenational or local lockdowns. But these should be com-bined with new tools, including mass testing, to bringdown the number of new infections so that effective casedetection and contact tracing with local follow-up andsupport can control continuing chains of transmission.

Of course, the success of all these measures willdepend on understanding, trust and participation from allpopulation groups.

Public Health Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 4

Jimmy WhitworthProfessor of International

Public HealthLondon School of Hygiene &

Tropical Medicine

Lessons from around the world onfighting Covid’s second wave Here's what the West can learn from South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and more

Taiwan has been free of coronavirus deaths for months. David Chang/EPA

“Taiwan, where there have been no reported deaths since May, has probably the most effective testing and tracing programme. Cases are followed up twice daily by telephone, text messages or home visits

to reinforce the self-isolation message, and to offer support, which can include meal and grocery delivery…”

Spotlights Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 5

Israeli reports say Netanyahu met Saudi Crown Prince, but

Saudis deny it

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israelflew to Saudi Arabia for a covert meetingwith Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

of Saudi Arabia, Israeli news media reported onMonday.

Hours after those reports, attributed to anunidentified Israeli official, the Saudi foreign minis-ter flatly and publicly denied that such a meetinghad taken place, reports New York Times.

The confusing turn of events came as Israel andthe Trump administration have promoted the ideathat a diplomatic opening between Saudi Arabiaand Israel is only a matter of time, while the Saudishave continued to insist that an Israeli-Palestinianpeace deal must come first.

The meeting, if confirmed, would be the firstknown to have taken place between high-levelIsraeli and Saudi leaders.

But the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal binFarhan, denied that any meeting with Mr.Netanyahu had taken place, insisting that PrinceMohammed had met only with Secretary of StateMike Pompeo, who was completing a seven-nationfarewell tour.

"There was no meeting," Prince Faisal wrote ina text message when asked about Mr. Netanyahu.

Prince Faisal said he had accompanied Mr.Pompeo during his visit and that "Saudi andAmerican officials were the only ones presentthroughout."

He was nicknamed the "bling-bling" president

for what many inFrance saw as his lavish tastes -but now Nicolas Sarkozy facesthe stark reality of a soulless

courtroom, reports BBC.

He is going on trial accused of cor-ruption and influence-peddling, forallegedly trying to bribe a magistrate inreturn for information about an investi-gation into his party finances.

He will be the first ex-president inmodern France to appear in the dock.He led France from 2007 to 2012.

There is some procedural uncer-tainty about this trial, however. Courthearings have been disrupted by thecoronavirus crisis and a key figure inthe case, former senior judge GilbertAzibert, is 74 and will not appear incourt.

The France Info news websitesays proceedings will be adjourned onMonday because Mr Azibert has toundergo a medical check. The trial isset to run until 10 December.

Another former right-wing presi-dent, Jacques Chirac, was given atwo-year suspended prison sentencein 2011 for diverting public funds andabusing public trust. The offencesdated back to his time as mayor ofParis. But he did not appear in court,owing to ill health. He denied wrong-doing.

What's this case all about?

French magistrates have spentyears investigating allegations of cor-ruption dating back to Mr Sarkozy'selection campaigns and period inoffice.

This case is linked to a long-run-ning investigation into the right-wingpolitician's suspected use of secretdonations to fund his 2007 presidentialcampaign.

The prosecution alleges that MrSarkozy and his then lawyer ThierryHerzog sought to bribe Gilbert Azibertwith a prestigious job in Monaco inreturn for information about that inves-tigation.

It is known as the "wiretappingcase" in France, because phone callsbetween Mr Sarkozy and Mr Herzogwere tapped in 2013-2014, in which MrSarkozy used the alias "Paul Bismuth"and they discussed Judge Azibert.

French media report that MrSarkozy was heard telling Mr Herzog"I'll get him promoted, I'll help him."

Mr Sarkozy denies any wrong-doing - and he points out that JudgeAzibert did not get the Monaco posi-tion.

"Gilbert Azibert got nothing, I madeno approach [on his behalf] and I'vebeen rejected by the Court ofCassation," Mr Sarkozy said in 2014,referring to his battle to clear his name.

In October 2013 magistratesdropped him from their investigationinto claims that he had accepted illicitpayments from L'Oreal heiress LilianeBettencourt for his 2007 presidentialcampaign.

What are Mr Sarkozy's othertrials and tribulations?

Prosecutors suspect that MrSarkozy and several associatesreceived millions of euros of Libyancash to fund his 2007 presidentialcampaign. At that time the late Libyandictator Col Muammar Gaddafi was inpower.

In 2018 Mr Sarkozy was chargedwith corruption, illegal campaignfinancing and benefiting from embez-zled public funds.

Last month, magistrates alsocharged him with "membership in acriminal conspiracy". The chargescould lead to a trial.

Mr Sarkozy has rejected all thecharges.

The head of the US effort to produce a coronavirusvaccine says the first immunizations could hap-pen on Dec. 12.

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committeeis set to meet Dec. 10 to discuss Pfizer Inc.'s request foran emergency use authorization for its developingCovid-19 vaccine. Pfizer and its German partnerBioNTech recently announced that the vaccine appears95% effective at preventing mild to severe Covid-19 disease in a large, ongoing study.

Dr Moncef Slaoui, head of the Operation WarpSpeed, the coronavirus vaccine program, says plans areto ship vaccines to states within 24 hours of expectedFDA approval.

Slaoui told CNN he expects vaccinations would beginon the second day after approval, Dec. 12

The Washington State Hospital Association is opti-mistic about the timeline.

"The very first round will go to especially the folkswho work in the intensive care units, emergency depart-ments and the first responders but it's being manufac-tured quickly so it's a fast ramp," WSHA presidentCassie Sauer said.

On Wednesday, the Washington State Department ofHealth is holding a briefing to further discuss coordina-tion and planning for Covid-19 vaccine distribution.

Trial of ex-president Sarkozya landmark for France

First US coronavirus vaccines could arrive on Dec. 12

A lab technician sorts blood samples for Covid-19 vaccination studyat the Research Centers of America in Hollywood. Photo - AFP

Singer Carla Bruni married then-president Sarkozy in 2008 - and wowed French society. Photo - AFP - ichef.bbci.co.uk

Israeli reports say Netanyahu met Saudi Crown Prince. Photo - The Economic Times

F See more on page 6

Spotlights Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 6

AAnew report released by the US Senate ForeignRelations Committee on Wednesday enlists

India, along with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, andTaiwan to play a decisive role in countering China inthe Indo-Pacific.

The report said that the degree to which China candominate the Indo-Pacific will have a direct impact onthe ability to project power globally.

Since the Senate is likely going to be controlled byRepublicans, the report could serve as a blueprint forthe Joe Biden administration's China policies. Bidenhas extensive foreign policy experience, havingserved twice as the chairman of the Senate ForeignRelations Committee.

The report, titled "The United States and Europe:A Concrete Agenda for Transatlantic Cooperation onChina," puts emphasis on boosting ties with Europeanallies to counter China. Several European countrieshave their own Indo-Pacific strategy.

The European Union published a strategy to boosteconomic connectivity between Europe and Asia in 2018.France published a strategy in 2019, and called the region"crucial for global peace and security, multilateralism, thepreservation of global public good, and world economic

development and trade." In September 2020, Germanypublished a new strategy. The UK's upcoming IntegratedSecurity and Defense Review will likely focus on the Indo-Pacific, as well.

The report noted that the US and India welcomed

European participation to boost security inthe region. Specifically, it said, "key regionalactors like Japan, Australia, India, andASEAN have also demonstrated their interest in a larger European role andincreasingly hope for, and even expect,greater European contributions to prosperi-ty, security, and good governance in theIndo-Pacific."

The report stated that America has towork "with advanced democracies such asJapan, Australia, India, Canada and NewZealand" to find opportunities for collabora-tion on technology. This would help setbaseline standards for technology, and "values that should be upheld in the usageof emerging technologies."

Concerns about a rising China has beena key driver of Indo-US relations since atleast the mid-2000s, though a strategic

partnership between the countries has levelled up inrecent years. Currently, the navies of India, US, Japanand Australia are in the middle of the second phase of theMalabar naval exercise in the northern Arabian Sea.

India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan can play a keyrole to counter China: US Senate report

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian PM Narendra at the BRICS summit in Xiamen, China, in Sept. 2017. Photo - Reuters.com

LLeaders of the 20 biggest economies on Saturday vowedto ensure a fair distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, drugs

and tests around the world and do what was needed tosupport poorer countries struggling to recover from thecoronavirus pandemic.

"We will spare no effort to ensure their affordable andequitable access for all people, consistent with members'commitments to incentivize innovation," the leaders said ina draft G20 communique seen by Reuters. "We recognisethe role of extensive immunization as a global public good."

The twin crises of the pandemic and an uneven, uncer-tain global recovery dominated the first day of a two-daysummit under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia, whichhands off the rotating presidency of the G20 to Italy nextmonth.

The Covid-19 pandemic, which has thrown the globaleconomy into a deep recession this year, and efforts needed to underpin an economic rebound in 2021, were atthe top of the agenda.

"We must work to create the conditions for affordableand equitable access to these tools for all peoples," SaudiArabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz said in his openingremarks. G20 leaders are concerned that the pandemicmight further deepen global divisions between the rich andthe poor.

"We need to avoid at all costs a scenario of a two-speedworld where only the richer can protect themselves againstthe virus and restart normal lives," French PresidentEmmanuel Macron told the summit.

To do that, the European Union urged G20 leadersquickly to put more money into a global project for vaccines, tests and therapeutics - called Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator - and its COVAX facilityto distribute vaccines.

"At the G20 Summit I called for $4.5 billion to beinvested in ACT Accelerator by the end of 2020, for pro-curement & delivery of COVID-19 tests, treatments and

vaccines everywhere," European Commission head Ursulavon der Leyen said on Twitter.

"We need to show global solidarity," she said. Germanywas contributing more than 500 million euros ($592.65 million) to the effort, Chancellor Angela Merkel told the G20,urging other countries to do their part, according to a text ofher remarks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to provideRussia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to other countriesand said Moscow was also preparing a second and thirdvaccine. China, where the pandemic originated a year ago,also offered to cooperate on vaccines. China has fivehome-grown candidates for a vaccine undergoing the lastphase of trials.

"China is willing to strengthen cooperation with othercountries in the research and development, production, anddistribution of vaccines," President Xi Jinping told the G20Summit.

"We will ... offer help and support to other developingcountries, and work hard to make vaccines a public goodthat citizens of all countries can use and can afford," hesaid.

Lord Vishnu's 1300-Year-old temple discoveredin Northwest Pakistan

AAHindu temple, believed to have been constructed1300 years ago, has been discovered by

Pakistani and Italian archaeological experts at amountain in northwest Pakistan's Swat district.

The discovery was made during an excavation atBarikot Ghundai.

Announcing the discovery on Thursday, FazleKhaliq of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Department ofArchaeology said that the temple discovered is of LordVishnu.

It was built by the Hindus 1300 years ago duringthe Hindu Shahi period, he said.

The Hindu Shahis or Kabul Shahis (850 1026 CE)was a Hindu dynasty that ruled the Kabul Valley (east-ern Afghanistan), Gandhara (modern-day Pakistan-Afghanistan), and present-day northwestern India.

During their excavation, the archaeologists alsofound traces of cantonment and watchtowers near thetemple site.

The experts also found a water tank near the tem-ple site which they believe was used for bathingbefore worship.

Fazle Khaliq said that Swat district is home to athousand-year-old archaeological sites and the tracesof the Hindu Shahi period have been found for the firsttime in the area.

Dr Luka, the head of the Italian archaeological mis-sion, said this was the first temple of the Ghandharacivilisation that was discovered in Swat district.

Several places of worship of Buddhism are alsosituated in Swat district.

Compiled by Doojesh Ramlallah

G-20 leaders seek to help poorest nations in post-Covid world

At a camp for internally displaced persons in northeasternNigeria, Feb. 2. Photo - AFP

Mauritius Times : On a noté unengouement de la part des jeunes etdes moins jeunes pour participer auxélections villageoises tenues di-manche dernier. Parmi il y a sans doutecertains proches du pouvoir ou de l'op-position, mais il semble qu'il y a euaussi un bon nombre sans aucuneaffinité politique mais qui s'intéressentà l'amélioration des conditions de viedans leur village. Quelle lecture faites-vous de cette nouvelle effervescence?

Jack Bizlall : Cette question mériteune réponse de fond et, ensuite, uneappréciation de l'évènementiel par rapportà ces élections.

Sur le fond, permettez-moi de vousdire que notre attitude, nous Mauriciens,est infecte. Nous sommes des citoyens dela République de Maurice et nous avons àrespecter les autres régions et les autrespopulations qui maintiennent des dif-férences géographiques, ethniques, voireculturelles.

Notre ethnocentrisme nous faitadopter des comportements que lesRodriguais, les Chagossiens et lesAgaléens n'aiment pas. Nous perdonsleur amitié et leur respect. Les Mauriciensconjuguent leur vie aux verbes "avoir" et"paraître". Personne ne parle de ces po-

pulations et de leurs îles. Quelqu'unposerait-il la question si on a tenu desélections villageoises à Rodrigues et àAgaléga? Et si les Chagossiens sontintéressés à élire leurs dirigeants ?

Nous perdons pourtant une chose. Ilexiste à Agaléga et à Rodrigues des struc-tures socioéconomiques totalement dif-férentes de la nôtre et si je dois établir unecomparaison sur le plan de l'indicateur dubien-être (IBEE), les indices de la démo-cratie, etc., nous sommes en dernièreposition… Les gens qui habitent Agalégaet Rodrigues sont de loin plus heureuxque nous. Ils n'ont pourtant aucune élec-tion de village parce qu'ils travaillent touspour eux-mêmes et dirigent leur vie endécidant eux-mêmes ce qu'ils veulentfaire.

Il y a 98 comités de village autogérés àRodrigues. L'élection d'un comité de vil-lage est supervisée par le comité du vil-lage voisin. A Agaléga, tous travaillent

pour la communauté et, ainsi, ils sontengagés dans ce que j'appelle la démo-cratie directe.

* Revenons à Maurice : comment seprésentent les choses sur ce plan-là?

En ce qu'il s'agit de Maurice, nos vil-lages n'ont aucun pouvoir de décisionsinon de faire du travail social et de pro-tester auprès du Conseil de District pourles immondices que l'on ne ramassepas…ou encore d'organiser des rencon-tres pour servir de tremplin aux dirigeants

politiques. Nos conseils de villages nesont utiles que pour constituer le Conseilde District et pour élire un Président.

Pour les conseils municipaux, la situa-tion est pire. Tous les quartiers qui élisentpourtant leurs conseillers n'ont rien de va-lable en termes de participations démoc-ratiques, sociales et économiques. Lisezla loi régissant la Rodrigues RegionalAssembly, et vous serez émerveillé de l'é-tendue de ses pouvoirs.

* Que faut-il pour changer cet étatdes choses?

Un comité travaille sur une nouvelleconstitution depuis le 7 août 2020. D'ici le8 décembre 2020, vous serez invité àl'Université de Maurice pour participer àun débat et à l'écriture d'une nouvelleconstitution. Attendons voir.

En attendant, ce qui se passe c'estque graduellement la classe moyenneétend son hégémonie sur l'ensemble de lasociété. La classe moyenne occupetoutes les fonctions de pouvoir -économiques, politiques, sociales, cul-turelles, religieuses. Le dernier bastion vatomber cette année - le contrôle des vil-lages. J'ai peu de respect pour les partispolitiques qui veulent tout contrôler. LaRévolution sortira de la classe moyenne…ou ce sera le statu quo politique. C'est laclasse montante.

Quand certains me parlent de change-ment, permettez que j'exprime des doutessur leurs intentions. La dernière décou-verte, c'est de proposer des rassemble-ments citoyens pour étouffer la lutte desclasses. J'ai de respect pour celui qui faitde la politique uniquement s'il de toutesles classes sociales et s'il se construit unsavoir-être.

Au cas contraire, rien ne changera.Tous finiront par soutenir un parti poli-tique… Au pouvoir comme dans l'opposi-tion. Ainsi la couleur politique du Présidentdu Conseil de district déterminera quelparti politique contrôlera l'ensemble dudistrict. C'est une aberration immonde.

Deux effets peuvent donc changer leschoses dans un contexte où on fait deuxpas en arrière et un pas en avant : la pres-sion de la pandémie Covid-19 sur notreconscience collective et notre psyché indi-viduelle. Il faut se méfier de l'oppor-tunisme de la classe moyenne et desdégâts dans ce sillage… Étudiez les nomsdes partis politiques qui participent à cesélections et vous vous ferez une idée de laclasse sociale d'appartenance.

Interview Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 7

Les 130 villages du pays étaient mobilisés pour les élections villageoisesdimanche dernier. En général, chaque conseil de village est responsable

des activités sportives, culturelles et éducatives qui se déroulent dans leurvillage. Chaque “village council” envoie aussi un ou deux représentants au “DistrictCouncil”. Cette institution est responsable du maintien des rues, de l'environnement

et des services publics d'assainissement. Est-ce que l'élection de neuf conseillerspar village est justifiée étant donné la perception que les élus connaissent rarement

les règlements et les lois régissant le Local Government et que les moyens financiersfont défaut pour concrétiser des projets? Jack Bizlall, qui participe au sein d'un

comité à l'élaboration d'une nouvelle Constitution, répond à nos questions.

Jack Bizlall

“Si on veut changer les choses à Maurice, il fautà tout prix passer à la Deuxième République”

F Suite en page 8

“Voilà qu'un élément fondamental de la République - les élections libreset honnêtes - est constamment perverti. La question est donc :

“Pourquoi?” Tout simplement pour retourner à des pratiques fondamentalement antirépublicaines que sont les dynasties politiques, soutenues par des

oligarchies économiques et des mafias de toutes sortes…”

“Les changements vont venir… Ce sont les réalités politiques,économiques et sociales qui génèrent le changement. Je ne

cesserai pas de dire à mes amis que la révolution sociale a débuté depuis larévolution néolithique quand nous sommes sortis de la prédation de la nature

pour entrer mécaniquement dans la production culturelle…”

F Suite de la page 7* Quels sont les enjeux de ces élections, selon

vous ?

Il n'y a aucun enjeu politique sérieux. Mais chacungroupe va vouloir s'imposer comme 10% citoyens, 100%citoyens, 1000% citoyens… Les enjeux sont le pouvoirpolitique et celui de l'argent. Je connais personnellementplusieurs d'entre eux. Il n'y a aucun enjeu de changementde rapport des forces de nature de classes sociales.L'utilisation du terme "citoyen" tue la lutte des classes…Certains savent consciemment pourquoi ils utilisent cettestratégie.

Nous aurons bientôt une compétition dans nosrégions rurales puisque les 'Smart Cities' sont construitessur la base de l'autonomie énergétique, l'autonomie del'approvisionnement en eau, l'autonomie des loisirs et dela consommation…

Et pire, chaque 'Smart City' sera dirigée non pas parle conseil de village mais par une agence qui s'occuperade tout contre une taxe ou une contribution aux syndics…Il y aura 8 grands villages en tout… C'est un système quifera venir à Maurice des milliers de familles étrangèresachetant des maisons secondaires qu'ils vont certaine-ment louer pendant 9 mois de l'année.

Je crois que les questions les plus importantes n'ontpas été posées : (1) Entrons-nous dans un cadre ségrégationniste?(2) Serons-nous au service des familles aisées?(3) Quel métier exerceront nos enfants : bonne, gardi

en, caddy, etc ? D'ici 2033, les élections villageoises n'auront-elles

plus aucune importance politique ? La covid-19 a eu un élément positif, elle va ralentir la

construction ségrégationniste de ces 'Smart Cities'. Déjàil existe trop de villages privés qui sont construits à tra-vers le pays. Il faudra les ouvrir à la population. Aucunendroit ne peut être privé, aucune rue ne peut êtreréservée…

* Pour certains observateurs, ces électionsindiquent une volonté de se démarquer de la poli-tique politicienne de nos formations politiques et il yaurait un effort de renouvellement des représentantsdu peuple, ce qui échappe aux partis traditionnels oumême aux "petits partis" depuis des décennies?

Baliverne… Plusieurs de ces personnes n'ont rien

dans le ventre et n'ont aucune proposition crédible. Nousvoulons nous débarrasser des oligarchies qui nous gou-vernent pour les remplacer par d'autres oligarchies nais-santes. Si on veut changer les choses à Maurice, il faut àtout prix opter pour une nouvelle constitution et passer àla Deuxième République…

Je me fais une idée de la crédibilité de ce qu'un indi-vidu propose uniquement par rapport au système d'intel-ligence qu'il utilise, à sa vie personnelle loin du pouvoirde l'argent (qui détermine sa position de classe progres-siste) et à celui du pouvoir pour le pouvoir, et surtout àson état psychique… A son passé… Il y en a un, il mesemble, qui fut recruté par le Mossad.

Du temps de Marx, on n'avait pas encore découvertbeaucoup de choses… La Cosmologie nous a ouvertvraiment la porte de l'Univers et de l'espace-temps en1990. Freud, lui, n'a présenté sa découverte de l'incons-cient qu'en 1915. Bateson ne parle de la génétique qu'en1905.

Nous avons encore beaucoup à apprendre des gensavant de leur faire confiance. Les élections sont ter-minées, attendons voir. La situation à venir ne peut êtrepire que ce que nous connaissons déjà !

* Pour revenir aux villageoises, donc, vous n'avezpas le sentiment que ce nouvel engouement a lepotentiel de créer une nouvelle dynamique politique

dans le moyen terme ou est-ce conjoncturel?

Les changements vont venir… Ce sont les réalitéspolitiques, économiques et sociales qui génèrent lechangement. Je ne cesserai pas de dire à mes amis quela révolution sociale a débuté depuis la révolutionnéolithique quand nous sommes sortis de la prédation dela nature pour entrer mécaniquement dans la productionculturelle.

Nous avons fait beaucoup de bonds en avant par desphases distinctes de la révolution sociale qui est - sommetoute -- une révolution permanente. Ce sont les centainesde révolutions politiques qui nous ont fait avancer dansnotre histoire. Nous avons un gros problème à régler :c'est la production culturellement prédatrice qui détruitnotre planète et ses millions d'écosystèmes, ce qui risquede nous mener vers la pratique de l'eugénisme par ladésocialisation de la production… et je vois venir desrévoltes de la classe moyenne…pour accaparer le pou-voir économique et politique.

* Par ailleurs, on a l'impression que les moyensdépensés lors des élections villageoises sont nette-ment inférieurs à ceux des élections générales,même si elles concernent 526,597 électeurs sur les941,719 que compte le pays selon le recensement de2019. Est-il possible alors de réduire l'influence deslobbyistes et d'autres financiers lors des élections àMaurice?

Au risque de me répéter, je vous dirai que je suisintéressé à assumer quatre choses : (1) dégager un programme et une stratégie pour

confronter l'incapacité de la dynastie Jugnauth de sortir de la crise économique provoquée par la pandémie Covid-19. Un programme sera présenté lesamedi 27 novembre 2020 à une assemblée de 9 syndicats qui se réunira à la salle Eddy Norton à 13.30. Un premier document entre sous presse jeudide cette semaine.

(2) produire avec des amis juristes du droit constitutionnel, historiens et écrivains de la chose politique, un texte qui sera publié avant la conférence prévue pour le 8 décembre 2020 ;

(3) faire que le Mouvement Premier Mai soit une organisation qui s'affirme en construisant des proto-alternatifs politiques, qui publie ses propositions et qui surtout à une stratégie de pouvoir extraparlementaire. Il nous faudra impérativement organiser notre congrès avant le 1ermai de 2021.

Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 8

‘Les élections sont terminées, attendons voir.La situation à venir ne peut être pire que ce

que nous connaissons déjà!’

Interview

“Seule la population rodriguaise peut nous guiderdans ce sens. Elle n'a pas été pervertie par le

capitalisme… Malheureusement, j'ai des problèmesavec certains militants indépendantistes qui n'ont

pas une conception claire de leur combat. Et il existe aussi à Rodrigues certains politiciens

qui n'hésiteront pas à brader Rodrigues aux capitalistes…”

“Nous voulons nous débarrasser des oligarchiesqui nous gouvernent pour les remplacer par

d'autres oligarchies naissantes. Si on veut changerles choses à Maurice, il faut à tout prix opter pourune nouvelle constitution et passer à la Deuxième

République…”

F Suite en page 9

Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 9Interview

‘Les changements vont venir… Ce sont les réalités politiques, économiques et sociales

qui génèrent le changement’F Suite de la page 8

(4) sauvegarder la Fédération of Progressive Union (FPU) de toute attaque venant des gens qui veulent faire d'elle une agence syndicale, un moyen pour imposer le corporatisme syndical et une marionnette organiquement attachée à un parti politique de gauche.

Le reste n'est que les effets de notreculture politique dominée par les dynas-ties Jugnauth, Ramgoolam, Duval etBérenger, sans oublier les Boolell, lesMohamed… Savez-vous combien descandales ce pays a connus depuisMedPoint? Ce que vous voulez faire dis-paraître n'arrivera pas puisque de tellesinfluences sont importantes pour que per-durent les dynasties…

* On a tendance à se focaliser surles dépenses électorales des partis et àoublier la quantité d'argent non dépen-sée qui, paraît-il, serait considérable etpas nécessairement versée dans lesfonds des partis. Il y aurait là beaucoupde choses à nous raconter…

C'est un fait que pour chaque électiongénérale, il y a beaucoup d'argent quientre dans les poches de nos dirigeantspolitiques. Beaucoup ! Les électionsgénérales à Maurice sont un des moyenspour corrompre les partis politiques, nosdirigeants politiques et les électeurs.

Voilà qu'un élément fondamental de laRépublique - les élections libres et hon-nêtes - est constamment perverti. Laquestion est donc : "Pourquoi?" Tout sim-plement pour retourner à des pratiquesfondamentalement antirépublicaines quesont les dynasties politiques, soutenuespar des oligarchies économiques et desmafias de toutes sortes…

En proposant une nouvelle constitu-tion, il faudra définir le rôle et le fonction-nement des partis politiques. Je sais qu'ilexiste au moins une organisation politiquequi veut exclure les partis politiques detoute couverture constitutionnelle. Jemaintiens que des partis politiques denature autocratique ou monarchique nepeuvent appliquer une Constitution de

nature républicaine, une fois au pouvoir.Ne sortons pas en dehors de la

République … Si demain, il faut passer àune société sans classe, la Constitutiondevra être post-républicaine… C'est dansce sens que je propose une DeuxièmeRépublique.

Je viens de terminer la rédaction d'unopuscule qui soutient le passage à laDeuxième République. Quant à la sociétépost républicaine, depuis 2012, je dessineses contours par des recherches person-nelles. Les concepts de "Nouvelle Répu-blique pour le Nouvel Homme" sont eugé-niques. Éminemment dangereux…L'Homme sortira de l'humanité et de sonhumanisme… Avis à ceux qui s'octroientle concept d'une alternative… Il nefaudrait pas qu'ils pervertissent la séman-tique révolutionnaire.

Je demande à la population de suivrele dossier suivant : Celui des moteurs deSaint Louis. C'est un cas où il y a eu despaiements de rétro-commissions. Certes,il y a les dossiers comme MedPoint, lesachats des terrains de Jugnauth, lesachats des équipements pour la Covid-19,etc. qu'il faudra reprendre.

Mais tant que certains resteront àl'ICAC, je ne crois pas que l'on fera desprogrès dans la lutte anti-corruption. Sivous voulez changer les effets, modifiezles causes…

* Par ailleurs, il y a la question dufonctionnement des administrationsrégionales tant en régions urbainesque rurales. Rien n'a changé puisqueles élus dépendent toujours de l'ad-ministration centrale avec une 'LocalGovernment Act' dépassée. Il n'y aaucune volonté de changement, paraît-il?

Personne ne se rend compte que laRodrigues Regional Assembly Act a jetédes bases assez intéressantes pour l'élar-gissement de la démocratie comme notreConstitution le permet déjà.

Je pense qu'il faudra partir de cette loipour progresser vers la DeuxièmeRépublique. Je soutiens l'action politique

à Rodrigues depuis 1974, avec un projeten tête : celui de passer à la DeuxièmeRépublique et libérer les quatre popula-tions qui constituent la République deMaurice.

Seule la population rodriguaise peutnous guider dans ce sens. Elle n'a pas été

pervertie par le capitalisme… Malheu-reusement, j'ai des problèmes avec cer-tains militants indépendantistes qui n'ontpas une conception claire de leur combat.Et il existe aussi à Rodrigues certainspoliticiens qui n'hésiteront pas à braderRodrigues aux capitalistes.

A Maurice, nous avons de gros pro-blèmes à résoudre: (1) la cassure ville/campagne ; (2) l'exode des gens vers les villes pour

laisser la place à la vente des terres du littoral aux multimilliardaires étrangers ;

(3) la destruction de nos écosystèmes ; (4) l'utilisation de nos lagons pour

l'expansion de l'aquaculture ;(5) l'accaparement des terres de l'État, de

nos plages et de nos lagons par des capitalistes prédateurs ;

(6) le ségrégationnisme dans l'habitat ;(7) la prédation culturelle, etc.

Permettez-moi de le dire : certains pro-priétaires tuent des requins et desdauphins qui sont attirés par les élevagesde poissons…

Nous pouvons construire notre démo-cratie à partir d'une refonte de ce quenous nommons la démocratie régionale. Ilfaut utiliser le terme de démocratie ré-gionalisée…

* Rama Sithanen avait introduit la'National Residential Property Tax'(NRPT), ce qui avait alors soulevébeaucoup de critiques. Pensez-vousque Maurice est prête pour introduire lataxe rurale?

Il faut cesser avec cette histoire de

taxe rurale. Il y a dans les faits deux taxes.(1) Celle que l'État impose directement

et indirectement sur les gens… Ce n'estpas sur toutes les commodités que l'ondoit payer le VAT et c'est à partir d'un seuilde salaire que l'on doit payer la taxedirecte. Il existe plusieurs autres formes

de taxes. Savez-vous que l'on paye degrosses taxes sur le loisir.

(2) Par ailleurs, les administrationsrégionales peuvent imposer une taxe pourles services qu'elles donnent… Celacoûte plus cher par tête d'habitant pour leConseil de district du Nord de maintenirun service de voirie dans des endroits oùvivent les gens extrêmement riches sur lelittoral que de maintenir le même service àRivière du Rempart ou à Goodlands.

Quand j'étais adjoint Maire à Beau-Bassin Rose-Hill, je faisais des calculscomparatifs entre la région de Balfour et larégion de Plaisance ou de Trèfles. J'avaisdes scrupules pour taxer plus certainshabitants. Pourquoi ? Parce que tout ser-vice à la population est régi par l'univer-salisme des services, des bénéfices etdes contributions.

Il y a une équation à ne pas pervertirentre les capacités de payer, les coûts etla qualité des services. Les habitants desgrands domaines de Tamarin ne sont pasintéressés de savoir si les gens viventbien dans les endroits souvent insalubresoù vivent la "populace" comme ils lesqualifient. Ce constant est dramatique.

Prenons l'exemple de Baie du Cap…Allez voir ce que le Conseil de Village afait de cet endroit ! Je dois affirmer ici queles conseils de villages jouent le jeu desriches, de la classe moyenne, desétrangers qui vivent ici. Je crains fort quecette situation ne s'aggrave. En parlant decoût, veuillez vérifier ce que nos "con-seillers" vont toucher comme cachets pen-dant les cinq prochaines années. Il n'y aplus de bénévolat dans notre pays.

“Je me fais une idée de la crédibilité de ce qu'un individu propose uniquement par rapport au

système d'intelligence qu'il utilise, à sa vie personnelleloin du pouvoir de l'argent (qui détermine sa positionde classe progressiste) et à celui du pouvoir pour le

pouvoir, et surtout à son état psychique… A sonpassé… Il y en a un, il me semble, qui fut recruté

par le Mossad…”

“Quand certains me parlent de changement, permettez que j'exprime des doutes sur leurs

intentions. La dernière découverte, c'est de proposer des rassemblements citoyens pour étoufferla lutte des classes. J'ai de respect pour celui qui faitde la politique uniquement s'il de toutes les classes

sociales et s'il se construit un savoir-être. Au cascontraire, rien ne changera. Tous finiront par

soutenir un parti politique… Au pouvoir comme dans l'opposition…”

History Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 10

From the Pages of History - MT 60 Years Ago

MAURITIUS TIMESll To our ministers: ‘Power is no blessing in itself, except when it is used to protect the innocent.’ – Jonathan Swift

Friday 5 July 1957 4th Year No 152

That we have marched forward in ourconstitutional struggle, no one candeny. But the ultimate end is yet to

come. The ministerial system is only theprelude to complete autonomy. For the fur-therance of that goal, however, muchdepends on the ministers themselves.They must show their mettle and convincethe Secretary of State for the Colonies thatthe colony is ripe for self-government. Anyweakness on their part, any mistake orlack of firmness and foresight while dealingwith thorny problems will have deep reper-cussions on our future Constitution for all isnot settled yet. The pot is still boiling.

Our ministers of today throughout theirpolitical life until yesterday have had but anexperience of opposition to government.Today their role is suddenly reversed - theyare saddled with power. In their turn theywill have to face opposition which is boundto come from the Council, from the peopleat large and even from their own party, ifever they waver or show any sign of failureto be able to meet difficult situations whichwill crop up. These are not mere surmises.These are hard facts which our ministerswill have to face sooner or later. On howthey will do it much depends. If they fail,and we fervently hope they will not, therosy picture of self-government on thehorizon will be blurred. And we can saywith much truth that their responsibilitiesare greater than many imagine.Acceptance of the ministry is not merely ataste of power. It will not be plain sailing.

We have reached a point in our publicaffairs when the recent history of the GoldCoast, at present re-christened Ghanamay serve as an eye-opener. The old oft-quoted saying, history repeats itself is astrue of politics as of history. And, after all,what is politics if not tomorrow's history?The recent history of Ghana is repeatingitself here.

Even before Kwame Nkrumah hadfounded the Convention People's Party(CPP), when he was still Secretary of theUnited Gold Coast Convention with whichhe had to break because it was a party ofarmchair politicians who did not keep con-tact with the masses, he had outlined aprogramme in which mention was made ofa shadow cabinet in the following words:“The formation of a shadow Cabinetshould engage the serious attention of theWorking Committee as early as possible.Membership to be composed of individualsselected ad hoc to study the jobs of thevarious ministers that would be decidedupon in advance for the country when weachieve independence. This Cabinet willforestall any unpreparedness on our part inthe exigency of self-government beingthrust upon us before the expected time.”

He also advocated thecoordination of all variousorganisations under theG.Y.C.C., constant demonstra-tion throughout the country totest their organisationalstrength, making use of politi-cal crisis and organised de-monstration, boycott andstrike as weapons to supporttheir pressure for self-govern-ment.

When Nkrumah formed theC.P.P., he set before him theobjective of complete autono-my embodied in his slogan“Self-Government Now”. Heknew that the source of powerwas the masses and he tookpains not to lose touch withthem.

As a result of the determi-nation, single-minded purposeand sincerity of its leaders,foremost among whom undoubtedly wasNkrumah himself, the C.P.P. returned amajority of thirty-four out of thirty-eightelected seats in the legislative electionsheld in February 1951. Kwame Nkruma,then in prison, stood as candidate as theGold Coast laws had no provision to barhim from doing so. He was returned polling22,780 votes out of a total of 23,122. Thecolonial government of the Gold Coastcould do no better than release him fromprison and according to the Constitution,which came into being as a result of theCoussey Commission to ask Nkrumahleader of the C.P.P. to suggest the namesof the ministers on whom power was to beconferred for the first time. We are not,however, concerned either with the dif-ferent phases which led to this momentousevent or with the names and functions ofthe different ministers.

What is of valuable importance in thepresent context is how Nkrumah faced thenovel situation - the sudden coming intopower. He knew that ahead lay “dangersand difficulties” against which the would-beministers were to be put on guard. Hetherefore held a meeting of the “C.P.P.Assemblymen” and delivered them anaddress copies of which were printed andcirculated. His design was that the minis-ters should ever have before them the po-licy they were to follow.

He told them that the ministerial systemwas not an end in itself but a step forwardtowards self-government. He warned themthat “coalition with the other politicalgroups in the country would be dan-gerous”. He put them on their guard

“against the great risks attached to accep-ting office under the present Constitution;the temptation to identify oneself with sucha Constitution and to be swayed by con-siderations of temporary personal advan-tage instead of seeking the interests of thepeople”.

There was one danger constantly pre-sent before Nkrumah's mind - the Africanministers “could easily become tools andpuppets in the hands of British colonialadministrators.” Therefore “fraternisation”between Assemblymen and European offi-cials were to be avoided apart from strictlyofficial relations “for what imperialists failedto achieve by strong army methods, they

might hope to bring off withcocktail parties.” Moreover,he was strongly of opinionthat “all party members ofthe Assembly, as well asministers, should surrendertheir salaries to the Partyand draw instead agreedremuneration from partyfunds.” The reason for thiswas to “prevent careerismand induce those in highoffice to live simply andmodestly and so maintaincontact with the commonpeople.”

Contact with the com-mon people - in these wordslie the secret of Nkrumah'spower and the emergenceof Ghana as a sovereignstate. The ministers werenot to forget that they “wereleaders of the mass of the

people outside the Assembly,” and theyhad to explain the policy of the party to thepeople “whenever a new situation arose.”

That was in 1951. Only a year afterthere was again constitutional reform andNkrumah became Prime Minister. Sincethen the Gold Coast marched forward untilit stood before the wondering world as theSovereign State of Ghana.

In our colony today is happening whathappened in the Gold Coast six years ago.Full of hopes we are looking up to our mi-nisters. How they will shape things, howthey will mould our destiny, it is for them tosee.

D. Napal

Nkrumah Sets The Pace

1957 - Ghana Celebrates Independence. Photo - Pinterest

Editor's Note: The information contained in this article is obtainedfrom the 'Autobiography of Nkrumah', published by Messrs Nelson to

whom we are highly indebted.

Public Health Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 11

* Cont. from page 2

But how can we be sure that this holdsif the treatment is rolled out to millions ofpeople?

Statisticians came up with the “rule ofthree”. The rule tells us that if 21,999 par-ticipants were treated with no side-effects,then with 95% confidence, the probabilityof a side-effect from the vaccine is expec-ted to be less than three (hence thename) divided by 21,999 and so less thanone in 10,000. The chance of these side-effects is probably even lower, but theresearchers will be keen to extend the trials further to confirm this.

Safety is just as important as efficacy.If you take a probability of one in 10,000and extrapolate that out to the 300 millionpopulation slated for vaccination in the US alone, thenumber of people with side effects could be as high as30,000. Clearly, the doctors need to ensure they are notcausing harm, but also any serious side-effect attributableto the vaccine would damage the reputation and signifi-cantly affect the take-up.

How to use the vaccine so it is effective and safe?

Medical authorities are now designing ways to imple-ment vaccination in nationwide programmes, but thedetails on how to do this depend on several factors. TheUK government has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizervaccine which – with two-dose treatment – would vacci-nate 20 million people, that is, everyone aged 55 and up.However, the roll-out will not be fast since production anddelivery will take time.

The strategy also depends on what the vaccination

programme is supposed to achieve. Childhood vaccines,such as measles, are given to newborns to maintain herdimmunity. In this case, only a relatively small proportion ofthe population needs to be vaccinated. With the rapidspread of Covid-19 – and high levels of existing infection– the proportion would need to be much higher.

Predictions for the level of immunity required to reachherd immunity depend on our estimate of the Covid-19basic reproductive number, R. In absence of any controlmeasures, R is estimated to be around 3 and so at least67% of the public need to be fully immune just for the epidemic to stop growing. Higher values would need to beachieved if the aim is to eradicate the virus.

This level will hardly be achievable with 60% efficacy,even if the whole population is vaccinated. The value ofR=3 assumes the return to the behaviour before the pandemic. If we keep some level of restrictions and use

masks, R could be lower and the herdimmunity easier to achieve.

On the positive side, our simplemodels might be too pessimistic aboutthe herd immunity levels. Additionally,if perhaps as many as 20% of the public already have had Covid-19, therequired level of vaccination might bemuch easier to achieve.

Alternatively, vaccination can beapplied to these segments of the society who are either at high risk ofinfection (healthcare and care homeworkers) or high risk of death (vulnera-ble, care home residents). This is therecommended strategy in the UK.

Are we there yet?

The results of the Pfizer vaccinetrial are highly promising. But the road to eradicating thecoronavirus is likely to be long and difficult. Besides establishing the potential for the vaccine to protect againstthe virus, we also need to know whether it gives a lastingimmunity or whether it would need to be applied repeat-edly, for example, as with tetanus or seasonal flu vaccines.

But the policymakers and researchers also need tobalance the requirement for stopping the pandemic withthe fears of side-effects and the resulting vaccine hesitancy. While it is easy to dismiss these concerns, theyneed to be taken seriously if the vaccination is to be successful.

Pfizer has revealed it hopes to authorise a vaccine for November - Copyright AP

Covid-19 vaccines are coming – how will we know they work and are safe?

Adam Kleczkowski, University of Strathclyde

-- Richard Nordquist

Bandwagon is a fallacy based on theassumption that the opinion of the majorityis always valid: that is, everyone believesit, so you should too. It is also called anappeal to popularity, the authority of themany, and argumentum ad populum (Latinfor "appeal to the people"). Argumentumad populum proves only that a belief ispopular, not that it's true. The fallacyoccurs, says Alex Michalos in 'Principles ofLogic', when the appeal is offered in placeof a convincing argument for the view inquestion.

Examples

* "Carling Lager, Britain's Number One Lager" (advertising slogan)

* "The Steak Escape. Americas Favorite Cheesesteak" (advertising slogan)

* "Margaret Mitchell enhanced the 'Gone With the Wind' mystique by never publishing another novel. But who would be so churlish as to want more? Read it. Ten million (and counting) Americans can't be wrong, can they?"

-- John Sutherland, How to be Well Read. Random House, 2014

Hasty conclusions

"Appeals to popularity are basicallyhasty conclusion fallacies. The data concerning the popularity of the belief aresimply not sufficient to warrant acceptingthe belief. The logical error in an appeal topopularity lies in its inflating the value ofpopularity as evidence."

-- James Freeman, quoted by DouglasWalton in 'Appeal to Popular Opinion' -

Penn State Press, 1999

Majority rules

"The majority opinion is valid most ofthe time. Most people believe that tigers donot make good household pets and thattoddlers shouldn't drive... Nonetheless,there are times when the majority opinionis not valid, and following the majority willset one off track. There was a time wheneveryone believed the world was flat and amore recent time when the majority condoned slavery.

As we gather new information and ourcultural values change, so too does themajority opinion. Therefore, even thoughthe majority is often right, the fluctuation ofthe majority opinion implies that a logicallyvalid conclusion cannot be based on themajority alone. Thus, even if the majority ofthe country did support going to war withIraq, the majority opinion is not sufficientfor determining whether the decision was

correct." -- Robert J. Sternberg, Henry L. Roediger,and Diane F. Halpern, 'Critical Thinking inPsychology', Cambridge University Press,

2007

"Everyone's doing it"

"The fact that 'everyone's doing it' isfrequently appealed to as a reason whypeople feel morally justified in acting inless than ideal ways. This is particularlytrue in business matters, where competi-tive pressures often conspire to make perfectly upright conduct seem difficult ifnot impossible.

"The 'everyone's doing it' claim usuallyarises when we encounter a more or lessprevalent form of behaviour that is morallyundesirable because it involves a practicethat, on balance, causes harm peoplewould like to avoid. Although it is rare thatliterally everyone else is engaged in thisbehaviour, the 'everyone's doing it' claim ismeaningfully made whenever a practice iswidespread enough to make one's ownforbearing from this conduct seem point-less or needlessly self-destructive."

-- Ronald M Green, "When Is'Everybody's Doing It' a Moral

Justification?" Moral Issues in Business,edited by William H Shaw and Vincent

Barry, Cengage, 2016

Presidents and polls

"As George Stephanopoulos wrote inhis memoir, Mr Dick Morris lived by a '60percent' rule: If 6 out of 10 Americans werein favour of something, Bill Clinton had tobe, too...

"The nadir of Bill Clinton's presidencywas when he asked Dick Morris to poll onwhether he should tell the truth aboutMonica Lewinsky. But by that point he hadalready turned the ideal of the presidencyupside down, letting arithmetic trumpintegrity as he painted his policies, principles and even his family vacations bythe numbers." -- Maureen Dowd, "Addiction to Addition,"

The New York Times, April 3, 2002)

What is the Bandwagon Fallacy?

Work and Family Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 12

TThe pandemic has seriously altered howwe work. According to statistics

published by the International LabourOrganization (ILO) in September 2020,US$35 trillion (£26 trillion) has been lostglobally in labour income. There has alsobeen an estimated loss of 17% of workinghours worldwide since 2019, with youngpeople and women being hit hardest. Andmany of those still in jobs are workingunder very different conditions.

We are just beginning to understandthe long-term consequences of thischange, for worker wellbeing, for how workis carried out and for society andeconomies as a whole. As a work psycho-logist, I am interested in how these pan-demic-induced changes affect individualpeople's wellbeing, their behaviour andtheir attitudes - and what the broadereffects for society as a whole might be.

The pandemic is increasingly unders-tood as a shock, an event beyond our con-trol that disrupted our normal ways ofworking and living. This shock was moredisruptive for some than others. Somepeople saw their workload skyrocket andhad to work around the clock to meet thenew demands they were facing - for exam-ple, healthcare workers or supermarketstaff. Others suddenly had to work from

home, having to adapt to different proce-dures and trying to balance the challengesof family life with work.

Many lost their jobs, and some theiroccupations as entire sectors closeddown. Someone who worked very hard tobecome an actor or an aerospace engineer or a pub landlord will not want towork in a different profession, let alone betrained for it. In this case, someone has notonly lost their livelihood but also part oftheir identity. This can have dramatic consequences for how people feel aboutthemselves and their place in society.

Different to previous recessions, somecountries have introduced furloughschemes. Despite the protection theyreceive as a result, those on furlough stillfrequently report strong worries and uncer-tainty about job loss. Perceived job insecu-rity is recognised as a serious stressoraffecting mental and physical health butalso work behaviour and even political attitudes. Meanwhile, actual unemploy-ment in the UK, even with the furlough, hasrisen to 4.8%, and the Bank of England ispredicting this will double by 2021.

These effects of furlough and job lossare compounded by income loss. The pan-demic has pushed more people into (working) poverty, as increased levels ofconsumer debt and a rise in first-time food-bank users show. The resulting financialstrain and precarity is likely to magnifystress from the challenges that peopleface.

The majority of people still have theirjobs, even if they have sometimeschanged beyond recognition. Newly introduced social distancing rules andCovid health regulations affect how peopleinteract with customers, patients, and colleagues at work. Working from homecomes with its own challenges, such aschanges in communication, technologicaldifficulties, interference of private life or

higher self-organising demands, to namejust a few.

All of these changes demand a greatdeal of adjustment from people, requiringan extra amount of effort, grit and creativi-ty to make them work. This is happeningagainst the backdrop of a pandemic thathas already forced us to adjust to undesirable patterns of living, with reducedand changed types of social interactionsand increased health worries.

Seen from a stress perspective, the different types of work-related changesthat people experienced and had to dealwith can be seen as extra demands,pushed onto an already busy and disrup-ted life. So don't be surprised if you feelexhausted by the end of 2020.

Stress, as we know from research,comes with several side-effects related tohow we communicate and interact withothers. So if we see people making moreerrors or sometimes being uncivil, we needto understand this within the current con-text of extra demands. Give yourself (andothers) a break. The person who reactedweirdly might simply be exhausted.

But there may also be a silver lining tothis strange year. What 2020 has shownus is that people have shown incredibleresilience and a talent and creativity toadapt and navigate dramatic changes atwork and life. Despite a changed socialreality, travel bans and everything else,many people have found a way to still runtheir businesses, to socially interact withwork colleagues, to structure their daysand manage their workloads. Lookingback and reflecting on the accomplish-ments this year should give us some con-fidence and belief in our own abilities tomanage challenges.

And while our individual journeysthrough this pandemic have been unique,we all have navigated this year together. Itwill be a memory that we share, together.So who knows, perhaps the knowledgethat we have suffered through this as acommunity can bring us closer, and bridgeolder divides. We might or might not expe-rience such a dramatic change in life andwork again during our lifetimes, but if wedo, I hope we can look back to 2020 andtrust in our experience and skill in dealingwith the unforeseen.

It's not just you - work during Covid has become much harder

Eva SelenkoSenior Lecturer in Work

Psychology, LoughboroughUniversity

Juggling work and family becomes all the more difficult when you're trying to figure out how to work Zoom, and stressing about losing your job

IImagine getting a mail from a little known stockbrokingfirm. The mail predicts that a certain stock will rise this

week. You leave the mail aside, as you have seenenough such mails. But the prediction turns out to beright.

The following week, the Baltimore stockbroker mailsagain, with another tip - this time, of a stock going south.The message turns out right too and you decide to markthe Baltimore stockbroker as 'not spam'.

Week Three, another hit. And your interest is piqued.This goes on for ten weeks. Ten accurate predictions

from the Baltimore stockbroker.You, the guy who recently retired with a substantial

gratuity in the bank, are hooked.

Week eleven, the Baltimore stockbroker sends you anoffer to invest money with him, for a substantial fee ofcourse. There is the usual caveat of past performancesnot guaranteeing future success, but the Baltimore stockbroker nudges you to consider his ten week streak.

You do the math. Every week, the stockbroker had a50% chance with his prediction. Either he would be right,or wrong.

Combining the probabilities for ten weeks, thechances of the Baltimore stockbroker to be right tenweeks in a row work out to. 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2.....ten times...= 1/1024.

You consider. The Baltimore stockbroker must beonto something. And it would be worthwhile to invest your

nest egg with him. You go in for the offer!Things, from the view of the Baltimore stockbroker,

are a bit different. What he did, was start out with sending 10,240

newsletters!Of these, 5120 said a stock would go up, and 5120

said otherwise.The 5120 who got a dud prediction never heard from

the Baltimore stockbroker again.Week Two, the Baltimore stockbroker sent 2560

newsletters, and the following week he again halved thenumber, based on who got his correct prediction.

This way, at the end of week 10, he had ten people,convinced he was a financial genius.

That's the power of probabilities, cons, and the impactof mathematics on daily life... Just one aspect!

Borrowed from 'How Not to be Wrong: The HiddenMaths of Everyday Life' by Jordan Ellenberg

The Parable of the Baltimore StockbrokerHow not to be wrong: the hidden maths of everyday life

Unwind Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24 , 2020 13

NNot even in my wildest dreams did Iimagine myself entering a bank,

wearing a mask and asking for money.Never thought my hands will one day

consume more alcohol than my liver...ever!

Quarantine seems like a Netflixseries... just when you think it is over,they release the next season.

I'm starting to like this mask thing...went to the supermarket and two peoplethat I owe money to didn't recognize me.

Who was complaining that 2020 didn'thave enough holidays... now what?

I need to social distance myself frommy fridge; I tested positive in excessweight!

Can someone tell me if the 2nd quarantine will be with the same family...or we can change?

In just two weeks we will hear if thereare still two more weeks to let us knowthat two more weeks of quarantine are

needed...I'm not planning adding this 2020 to

my age... I didn't even use it!We want to publicly apologize to the

year 2019 for all the bad things we saidabout it.

To all the ladies who were praying fortheir husbands to spend more time withthem... how are you doing?

My washing machine only acceptspajamas... I put a pair of jeans and amessage came "stay at home"!

After all that we have been through,the only thing missing is that the vaccinewill be available only in suppository form.

I feel like a teenager... no money inmy wallet, hair long and out of control,thinking what to do with my life, andgrounded home.

If I see anyone on December 31 cry-ing for this year ending, I will use a bottleon their head!

Smile, release stress, and be safe!

In a light vein

Go get yourmother!

AAn Amish husband,wife and son travel

to the city on vacation.They visit a shoppingmall and while the mother is shop-ping, the father andson are standing inawe in front of an eleva-tor (having no idea whatit is).

As they watch, an elderly lady walks into thestrange silver doors andthe doors close. The fatherand son watch as the num-bers go up, and then back

down. When the doors open, a beautifulyoung woman walks out.

The father leans over and whispersto the son, "Son, go get your mother!"

* * *Q: What is white when it's dirty and

black when it's clean?A: A chalkboard.

* * *A husband got his mother-in-

law a cemetery plot forChristmas. It came with a coffin, tomb stone, and theworks.

Next Christmas comesby and the husband getsher nothing.

When the mother-in-law asks, "Why didn't youget me a gift?" the hus-

band says, "You haven't usedthe one I got you last year!"

Q: Why are hairdressers never latefor work?

A: Because they know all the shortcuts!

* * *A little girl is serving her father tea

while her mother is out shopping. Themother comes home and the father says,"Watch this!"

The little girl goes and serves themother tea. The mother responds, "Did itever occur to you that the only place shecan reach to get water is the toilet?"

* * *I couldn't find the lock, so I wrote

"Covid-19 positive" on the door and left.When I came back, I saw that the

inside was empty, my Corona notice

disappearedAnd instead hung another notice:

'Disinfection done. Everything cleaned.'* * *

Wife: "In my dream, I saw you in ajewellery store and you bought me a diamond ring."

Husband: "I had the same dream andI saw your dad paying the bill."

* * *A mom text, "Hi! Son, what does IDK,

LY, & TTYL mean?" He texts back, "IDon't Know, Love You, & Talk To YouLater."

The mom texts him, "It's ok, don'tworry about it. I'll ask your sister, loveyou too."

Contemporary Kidding

PPradyumna was born in 1949in a poor family in Odisha.

He experienced many insultsbecause of untouchability. LaterIn 1971, he joined the Collegeof Arts in New Delhi and gainedpopularity for making portraits.He had an amazing capability topaint the picture of any personon a canvass.

In 1975, Charlotte VonSledvin was a student inLondon. She heard the mind-blowing capability ofPradyumna in painting portraits.

She came to India, met himand requested him to paint herportrait.

During the time of paintingher portrait, they fell in love witheach other. Charlotte took theIndian name Charulata and theyboth married according toIndian traditions. WhenCharlotte was leaving India, sherequested Pradyumna to comealong with her to Sweden.

But he was still a studentand wanted to finish his studies.She offered him money forairtickets. But he refused andsaid that he would come to her with hisown money. After she had left, the twolovers kept in touch through letters.

His studies were completed later. Hedecided to go to Sweden to meet his wifeCharlotte. But it was not an easy task. Hehad no money. Then he sold all hisbelongings and bought a second-handbicycle. Carrying all his paints and brushes, he did an unbelievable journey.

That was 1978. He started his journeyto Sweden. Riding his bicycle, from NewDelhi, he reached Amritsar. In those days,visa was not required to enter manycountries. Riding his bicycle, he crossedAfghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria,Yugoslavia, Germany, Austria andDenmark. His cycle broke down manytimes on the way and he even had to goon without food for days. But nothingcould break his very strong determinationto meet his wife Charlotte.

After four months and three weeks ofstunning journey, he finally reachedGothenburg, Sweden, where he wasquestioned by immigration officers. WhenPradyumna said that he had come fromIndia by bicycle, the officers were totallyshocked.

Pradyumna told the officers the reason behind his visit and he showedphotographs of his marriage withCharlotte. The authorities were surprisedand did not believe that someone of royal

blood from Europe would marry a poorIndian. The surprise of the officers madehim doubtful about whether his wifeCharlotte would accept him or not.

Charlotte heard about the man fromIndia who cycled all the way for nearly 5months. Immediately she drove toGothenburg and received her husbandwith a lot of happiness. In those days,there was a tradition in Europe that whitepeople should not marry non-whites. Buther parents accepted Pradyumna as apart of their family by breaking the royaltradition.

After 40 years of marriage, Dr PKMahanandia has served as the OdiyaCultural Ambassador of India to Swedenand lives with his wife Charlotte and twochildren in Sweden. Once his villageinsulted him as an untouchable. But nowthe same village gives a wonderful welcome every time he makes a visit.

Pradyumna's paintings have beenexhibited in the major cities of differentcountries and published in the prestigiousUNICEF greeting cards. On 4 January2012, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Utkal University ofCulture in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha state.He was also designated as the OriyaCultural ambassador to Sweden by theGovernment of Odisha.

Bollywood film maker Sanjay LeelaBhansali is planning to make a film on thelove story of Pradyumna and Charlotte.

True Story

Journey to SwedenThe man (Dr Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia) who cycled from

India to Europe for love (Charlotte Von Schedvin)

Dr Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia and Charlotte Von Schedvin,with son and daughter. Image credit: Dr P.K Mahanandia

Wellness Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 14

TTo be effective, people must listen to you. To be powerful, what you say must be real. Real

speech means that what we say is accurate, relevant,engaging and constructive.

Here are six communication tools that are simulta-neously effective techniques for better communica-tion, straightforward practices to develop greatercommunication ability, and skillful ways to wake upand be more present in our lives.

Good or evil, right or wrong are childish notions ofmorality. The question is "Does what we say relate towhat is actually happening in our lives?" If it doesn't,it's not real. It's something else -- a fairy tale, a storyto distract or entertain, a way of controlling how we (orothers) think and act.

Here are six ways to make what you say real.1. Take a breath before saying anything. Always. At

the practical level, this tool ensures that we do not interrupt others. It also ensures that people will actuallylisten to what we have to say. An added benefit is that itmay stop you from saying something you will later regret.As a practice, it develops patience, mindfulness and compassion. And it naturally opens up space in a conver-sation, cutting through mindless repartee and thoughtlessasides.

2. When you speak, listen to your own voice as ifyou were listening to another person. With this prac-tice, we quickly become aware of when an edge has crept

into our speech, when one or other pattern has taken overthe microphone, when we are speaking offensively orwhen we are just babbling. It puts us in touch with our ownvoice. Even only a few days of this practice results in ourbeing able to appreciate the clear powerful resonance ofreal speech.

3. Ask open questions. Open questions invite theperson to express their views and ideas rather than simple facts or "yes" or "no." You will find out much moreabout a person and how they think if you give them achance to express their thoughts and ideas, and you willavoid polarization and opposition because you are unambiguously demonstrating that you are interested inwhat he or she has to say.

For instance, at a lunch with a person I didn't knowat all, I asked, "What do you think of the upcomingelection?" The ensuing conversation was fascinating.He told me a lot about politics, and many other thingsI knew nothing about and the conversation neverdeteriorated into the polarization that is so commontoday.

4. When you apologize, apologize for youractions, not for possible results. Name and takeresponsibility for the action. "I'm sorry if I offendedyou," is not a real apology. "I'm sorry that I called youa monster," is. We can't always see the results of ouractions. If we regret the results, apologize for theaction itself, or the oversight that led to the action. Toapologize for the result is to avoid responsibility. It

takes humility to apologize and it takes trust and openness, too.

5. Be impeccable with your word. This bit of advicecomes from the Toltec tradition. How we talk with othersdirectly shapes our relationships with them. When we saywhat we mean and mean what we say, we inspire trustand confidence and others take us seriously. This alsoapplies to how we speak to ourselves. Too often, we donot use a real voice, but the voice of one or other of ourparents or others who have criticized or built us up tomake use of us for their own needs. To be impeccable withour word means that we speak in our own voice, we saywhat we mean and we mean what we say. This is realspeech and it is powerful.

WWhen blood can't get to your heart,your heart muscle doesn't get the

oxygen it needs. Without oxygen, its cellscan be damaged or die.

The key to recovery is to get your bloodflow restored quickly. Get medical helpright away if you think you're having symp-toms of a heart attack.

Causes: Over time, cholesterol and afatty material called plaque can build up onthe walls inside blood vessels that takeblood to your heart, called arteries. Thismakes it harder for blood to flow freely.Most heart attacks happen when a piece ofthis plaque breaks off. A blood clot formsaround the broken-off plaque, and it blocks

the artery.Symptoms: You may feel pain, pres-

sure, or discomfort in your chest. Youcould be short of breath, sweat, faint, orfeel sick to your stomach. Your neck, jaw,or shoulders might hurt.

Men and women can have differentsymptoms. Men are more likely to breakout in a cold sweat and to feel pain movedown their left arm.

Symptoms in Women: Women aremore likely than men to have back or neckpain, heartburn, and shortness of breath.They tend to have stomach trouble, including an upset stomach, feelingqueasy, and throwing up. They may also

feel very tired, light-headed, or dizzy. Acouple of weeks before a heart attack, awoman might have flu-like symptoms andsleep problems.

What to do: If you or someone you'rewith has symptoms that might be a heartattack, go to the nearest hospital imme-diately. If it is, you're more likely to surviveif you get treated within 90 minutes. Ifavailable, the person should chew andswallow an aspirin (unless they're allergic)to lower the risk of a blood clot. Are they unconscious? Hands-only CPR candouble their chances of survival.

Diagnosis: An EKG, which checksyour heart's electrical activity, can helpdoctors see if you're having a heart attack.It can also show which artery is clogged orblocked.

Doctors can also diagnose a heartattack with blood tests that look for proteins that heart cells release when theydie.

Treatment: Doctors will quickly act toget blood flowing to your heart again. Youmay get drugs that dissolve blood clots.

You'll likely have a procedure called acoronary angiogram. A thin tube with a tiny balloon on the end goes through yourartery. It opens up the blockage by flattening the plaque against the walls.Most times, doctors place a small, meshtube called a stent in your artery to makesure it stays open.

What puts you at risk?

Your odds of having a heart attack goup with age, and men are more likely tohave one than women. A family history ofheart disease also increases your risk.Smoking raises your chances of a heartattack. So does having high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes,and being obese. Stress, a lack of exercise, and depression can, too.

Prevention: If you smoke, stop. It willimmediately cut your chances of a heartattack by a third.

Get exercise and eat right. TheAmerican Heart Association recommends30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, 5days a week. Eat plenty of fruits, veggies,and whole grains to keep your arterieshealthy.

For some people, taking a daily aspirinwill help. Talk to your doctor to see if it'sright for you.

Find positive ways to manage yourstress.

Life after a heart attack

If you're in the hospital, you may comehome after just a few days. You can getback to your normal daily life in a fewweeks.

Cardiac rehab can help you recover.You'll get your own fitness program andlearn how to keep up a heart-healthylifestyle.

Self-improvement

Health Matters

5 ways to make your voice powerful and effective

What happens during a heart attack?Chest pain isn't the only warning sign. Know the symptoms and what to do

Entertainment Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 15

Waluscha DeSousa plays bosslady in 'Escaype

Live'Waluscha De Sousa

plays a woman whocalls the shots in a man'sworld, in the upcoming tech-nological thriller, EscaypeLive.

"My character in this seriesis very powerful and strong - a21st century boss lady, awoman in control. She is onewho calls the shots in a man'sworld," Waluscha elaborated.

"I'm excited to be workingon this tech thriller series. It's a

very current topic. It's fresh interms of its approach and idea.Technology and social media havetaken over our lives in a big way or, I

dare say, even rule many of our livescurrently. This series dives into what really goes on

behind the scenes and lives of people using it," shesaid.

The show by Siddharth Kumar Tewary follows five Indians who are desperately trying to makesomething out of their mundane lives. Social mediaseems to be a route to "escaping" the mediocrity of theirlives. Apart from producing, Tewary is also the show creator and co-director. It also stars south star Siddharthand Shweta Tripathi.

* * *

Urvashi Rautela reasons whythe present is called soBollywood actress and former beauty

queen Urvashi Rautela has shared herlogic on why the present is called so.

"Being able to live in the presentmoment is a gift that's why we call it apresent," she wrote in a newInstagram post.

In a picture she post-ed with that line,Urvashi wears a fitted black crop topand sweatpants.She completedher look withm i n i m a lm a k e - u pand big sun-glasses.

R e c e n t l y ,Urvashi turned out in aleather lehenga with hand-crafted zardozi and jewelleryensemble worth Rs 5.5 million atthe wedding of singers NehaKakkar and Rohanpreet Singh.

The actress is currently busyshooting for the upcoming Telugufilm Black Rose, a heroine-centricthriller directed by Sampath Nandi.

"Black Rose is first bilingual film in world to start andfinish shooting during pandemic. Immensely grateful & it'sa teamwork," she wrote on social media while talkingabout her film earlier this month.

* * *Elli AvrRam plays pool in

bikini by the beachSwedish-Greek actress Elli

AvrRam had a double dose ofbikini delight for fans in sepa-rate Instagram posts recently.

In her latest post, Elli playspool by the beach in a bikini.

She is a portrait of concen-tration in the set ofimages as she takes aimfor a shot at the pooltable.

"Never give up until thelast ball falls baby," she

captioned her post.Ealier in the day, Elli had

shared another picture in abikini. In the picture, she donsminimum make-up, round

sunglasses and has her hairtied her in buns.

"Spot the bird x#ElliAvrRam #yourstruly,"Elli had captioned theimage.

Recently, back froma vacation inMaldives, Elli hadposted a string of

photographs from her holiday time on Instagram.On the work front, Elli recently announced she will be

seen acting in a Swedish short film titled "With You".Earlier this year, the actress was seen in Mohit Suri's

"Malang". Apart from Bollywood, she was also seen in theTamil film "Paris Paris" and the Kannada release"Butterfly" in the recent months.

* * *

After Poonam Pandey, MilindSoman's nude pic creates stir

in GoaAfter model-actor Poonam

Pandey was arrested recently for anallegedly obscene photoshoot at a restricted sitein Goa, model and actorMilind Soman's photographof a nude run at a Goabeach on his birthday onNovember 4 has nowcome under the spot-light.

The Goa SurakshaManch, a regional politi-cal party, has now fileda complaint before theVasco police station,which has alleged thatthe photo of his nuderun uploaded on

Soman's social media page is obscene and "spoiling theimage and insulting the culture of Goa".

On November 4, Soman had uploaded a photo onTwitter showing him running nude on a Goa beach on his55th birthday. "Happy birthday to me Y…55 and running!Y". @5Earthy," he captioned the image clicked by his wifeAnkita Konwar.

* * *

Rakul Preet Singh reveals anunusual 'main

character' from her next film

Bollywood actress RakulPreet Singh reveals that abling bag is one of the maincharacters in her upcomingfilm, which also features JohnAbraham, Arjun Kapoor, andAditi Rao Hydari.

Rakul posted a picture onInstagram, where Arjun is seengiving a metallic coloured bag tothe actress.

"That bling bag is also one ofthe main characters what say@kaachua @arjunkapoor #lifeon-set #laughter #worklife," RakulPreet said.

The yet-untitled film is aromantic comedy and directedby Kaashvie Nair.

Rakul recently shareda picture posing with vegetables andspoke of vega-nism.

"There is somuch I can eatbeing vegan…and no I don'tmean justl e t t u c e .Veganism is a lifestyle not a diet or a fad. It's as simple asdal, roti , sabzi. Happy world vegan day #eatclean#healthyliving," she wrote.(IANS)

Bollywood Roundup

WWaalluusscchhaa DDee SSoouussaa,, EEllllii AAvvrrRRaamm,, aanndd mmoorree……

CCiinneemmaa SSiirrssaa -- CCaasstteell

Tuesday 24 Nov to Tuesday 1 Dec 202010:15 -- 13:15 -- 16:15 -- 20:15

Entertainment Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 16

SSeveral actors expressed their love for television onWorld Television Day, which fell on Nov 21. Donal

Bisht who's popular for her roles in television shows like'Ek Deewana Tha', 'Roop', 'Kalash' among others, sharesher most favourite things about Indian television. She tellsFarzana Patowari of Times of India, "I think what I like themost about the Indian television industry is that it is sospecial to every household. The connectivity factor is highand people can relate to the stories shown on a televisionshow. I mean, I still get emails from people saying theywant a 'bahu' like me, based on the roles I played on var-ious shows. And not just from India, but from differentcountries across the world!

"I think it's also very beautiful how countless house-holds know the characters I played through my career in

the television industry, and thankfully I got some greatcharacters to play too that are adored by many! I also feelpeople build a connection with my character, they alsostarted looking up to me in real life. I can feel that there issome change I can bring to people's perception. So, as anactor, I take it as my duty to speak responsibly and bepositive to spread positivity!"

Donal also shares a sweet memory from her childhoodthat shows her love for TV. She says, "When I was little,I'd just wait for the clock to strike eight so I and my entirefamily could watch 'Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi' together. I thinkit's absolutely special how people look forward to seeingtheir favourite show and characters on television everyday!"

DDoonnaall BBiisshhtt:: II ssttiillll ggeett eemmaaiillss ffrroomm ppeeoopplleessaayyiinngg tthheeyy wwaanntt aa ‘‘bbaahhuu'' lliikkee mmee

RRuhi Chaturvedi has emphatically taken the hate mes-sages that she gets for her negative persona of

Sherlyn in Zee TV's popular show Kundali Bhagya in herstride.

Says Ruhi about the journey of Sherlyn to becoming aLuthra bahu, "Now that she is the daughter-in-law in theLuthra house, it is easier for Sherlyn to keep an eye on theLuthras. Also it is easier for her to feed people with infor-mation against Preeta."

On the growth of her character, Ruhi Chaturvedistates, "As you know, this is my first show on TV. I waspretty raw as an actor when I came in. As a character too,she was earlier very scared of Karan. But now there havebeen scenes where she has said things on the face ofKaran."

Ruhi who has been a model for most of the time hadscary moments when she started shoot for KundaliBhagya. "On day one, I simply could not walk during myentry scene. It was scary for me being a model. But now,I am getting better as an actor. I have been with the showfor almost two years now. It has been a good growth. I had

nothing before this, and Kundali Bhagya has given meeverything that I have today."

"All the actors on Kundali Bhagya are so good. WhenI have heavier scenes with Shraddha Arya, she will giveher inputs. Even Supriya ji helped me a lot in the heavyscenes that we had. There is too much fun working withall these actors. I come with huge excitement everyday onthe set. And that's the amazing part."

Ruhi Chaturvedi considers that her career growth isbecause of the inputs given by director Neeraj Baliyan."He is a perfectionist and he has converted me from beinga raw girl to an actress. And recently when I got praisedby him for a scene, the feeling was awesome."

Ask Ruhi whether she is ever perturbed over not get-ting a next positive character after playing this big an evilrole and she avers, "Whatever I have heard from people,it is indeed tough to break the shackles of an image cre-ated. But I believe that everything depends on me. WhenI get into a new show and get an opportunity, I will have toprove my mettle. I am a person who has got everythingbecause of this character. So I will never regret playingSherlyn. Whatever is in my destiny will come to me. Therehas been a SRK who did Darr. I feel a negative characteris tough to perform when compared to doing a positiverole. So I will test the new waters of playing a positive rolewhen it comes to me."

II wwiillll nneevveerr rreeggrreett ppllaayyiinngg SShheerrllyynn iinn‘‘KKuunnddaallii BBhhaaggyyaa'':: RRuuhhii CChhaattuurrvveeddii

Ruhi Chaturvedi who essays the role of Sherlynin Kundali Bhagya gets into a conversation with

IWMBuzz.com about her role

My JourneyI was a fashion model, and I

wanted to do movies, but it did nothappen due to various reasons. ThenI started giving auditions for TV, and Idid my last show in January 2017. InAugust, I was already on the floor,working for my current show. So,there were not many struggles asGod has been kind to me.

Defining moment I always wanted to be an actor.

Madhuri Dixit used to stay in mybuilding. Being a child, I have practi-

cally grown up at her place, and Ihave gone to the sets with her. So, Ialways knew I loved dancing or beingin front of the camera. Role I feel most comfortable with

I haven't done too many roles yet,and to get into the whole skin ofSherlyn took some time. But I think Iam pretty comfortable right now, socurrently I would go with Sherlyn.Sherlyn is the character that's closeto my heart.

Those who supported meI come from a Marwari family, and

lots of girls are not allowed to join thisfield. They are narrow-minded, butmy mother, father, grandfather,grandmother, brother, everyone wassuper-supportive. You know therewere times when I wanted to give up,but they are always there. They keptreminding me why I started in the firstplace and always pushed me.

My celebrity crush

George Clooney and MilindSoman. I feel they are too hot.

MMoorree aabboouutt RRuuhhii CChhaattuurrvveeddii As told to Aastha Jha of The Wedding Journals

Watch’s On Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 17

07.20 Local: Sekirite La Route07.39 Local: Lavi Zoli An XXL08.30 Local: Rodrig Prog09.45 Local: Le Naufrage De Pieter10.15 Local: Fam Model12.00 Le Journal12.25 Tele: Le Prix Du Désir12.55 Local: Elle - No913.50 Local: Proze Dime14.30 D.Anime: The Zoo14.41 D.Anime: Little People15.32 D.Anime: Yo Yo17.05 Serial: Grandpa In My Pocket17.30 Massive Monster Mayhem18.00 Live: Samachar18.30 Serial: Jamai Raja19.30 Journal & La Meteo20.10 Local: Priorite Sante20.40 Local: An Eta Dalert21.05 Film: Space Station 7622.45 Serial: The Blacklist

01.32 Film: Dark Tourist02.51 Serial: Chicago Med03.30 Serial: Island Doctor04.58 Tele: Totalement Diva06.40 Film: Dominion09.00 Serial: The Magicians09.45 Tele: Soleil Levant10.35 Tele: Tanto Amor11.00 Serial: Chicago Med12.00 Serial: Island Doctor13.30 Tele: Totalement Diva14.48 Film: Dominion16.40 Serial: The Magicians17.23 Serial: S.W.A.T18.05 Tele: Soleif Levant19.10 Tele: Tanto Amor20.05 Tele: Le Prix Du Désir20.30 Serial: S.W.A.T21.15 Film: The Breed22.47 Tele: Totalement Diva23.38 Serial: The Magicians

08.00 Film: Masoom11.55 / 19.54 -

Kahan Hum Kahan Tuam12.23 / 20.11 -

Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala12.44 / 20.32 Radha Krishna13.09 / 21.09 - Bin Kuch Kahe13.29 / 21.24 - Zindagi Ki Mehek13.52 / 21.46 -

Bade Acche Lagte Hai14.20 / 21.59 -

Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki14.39 / 22.25 -

Ikyawann15.30 Film: Jagga Jasoos

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Saswata Chatterjee

18.00 Live: Samacher18.30 Kundali Bhagya18.51 Rishta Saajhedari Ka

00.26 Serial: S.W.A.T01.28 Film: The Breed02.50 Serial: Chicago Med03.29 Film: Brush With Danger04.53 Tele: Totalement Diva06.09 Serial: S.W.A.T08.24 Mag: Hollywood Best Film09.00 Serial: The Magicians09.45 Tele: Soleil Levant10.35 Tele: Tanto Amor11.00 Serial: Chicago Med12.00 Film: Brush With Danger13.30 Tele: Totalement Diva14.45 Film: 2 Years Of Love16.43 Serial:The Magicians17.21 Serial: S.W.A.T18.05 Tele: Soleil Levant19.00 Tele: Tanto Amor20.05 Tele: Le Prix Du Désir20.30 Serial: Seal Team21.15 Serial: Island Doctor

00.20 Serial: Seal Team01.26 Film: The Head Hunter02.36 Serial: Chicago Med05.11 Tele: Totalement Diva06.01 Serial: Seal Team06.43 Serial: Island Doctor09.00 Serial: The Magicians09.45 Tele: Soleil Levant10.35 Tele: Tant Amor11.00 Serial: Chicago Med12.00 Serial: Sherlock13.30 Tele: Totalement Diva14.45 Serial: Island Doctor16.40 Serial: The Magicians17.27 Serial: Seal Team18.05 Tele: Soleil Levant19.00 Tele: Tanto Amor20.08 Tele: Le Prix Du Désir20.30 Serial: Seal Team21.21 Film: Les Miserables23.58 Tel: Totelement Diva

06.30 Local: Avant Scene07.30 Local: Priorite Sante09.45 Local: Entractes12.00 Le Journal12.50 Local: Urban Gardens13.30 Local: An Eta Dalert14.05 Local: Priorite Sante14.30 D.Anime: The Zoo14.40 D.Anime: Little People15.03 D.Anime: Caillou15.40 D.Anime: Poko16.03 D.Anime: The Garfield Show16.15 D.Anime: Alisa Knows What..17.05 Serial: Grandpa In My Pocket17.30 Massive Monster Maythem18.00 Live: Samachar18.30 Serial: Jamai Raja19.30 Journal & La Meteo20.15 Prod: Lottotech21.15 Film: Starship Troopers 322.55 Serial: The Blacklist23.40 Local: Le Journal

MBC 1 MBC 2 MBC 2 MBC 3 MBC 3 07.00 DDI Live10.00 Serial: CID10.43 Serial: Ye Vaada Raha12.04 Film: Yeh Dil Kisko Doon

Starring: Shashi Kapoor, Ragini

13.56 DDI Magazine15.00 Mag: Comedy Classes15.21 Serial: Honaar Soon Mee...15.43 Serial: Mooga Manasulu16.06 Serial: Apoorva Raagangal16.32 Serial: Bisaat-E-Dil16.50 Mehandi Tohra Naam Ke17.14 Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala18.00 Serial: Bloody Romance18.30 DDi Magazine20.00 Tamil Programme20.30 Film: Haathi Mere Saathi

Starring: Rajesh Khanna, Tanuja

23.20 DDI Live

10.00 Serial: Pyar Ka Dard Meetha11.16 Serial: Suhani Si Ek Ladki12.00 Film: Badle Ki Aag

Stars: Sunil Dutt, Dharmendra, Jeetendra

15.00 Serial: Comedy Classes15.21 Honaar Soon Mee Hya... 15.44 Mooga Manasulu16.10 Apoorva Raagangal16.30 Serial: Bisaat-E-Dil16.53 Mehandi Tohra Namam Ke17.12 Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala17.33 Serial: Kulvadhu18.00 Serial: Bloody Romance18.30 Serial: DDI Magazine19.00 Live: Zournal Kreol19.30 DDI Magazine20.00 Programme In Marathi21.00 Film: Parambi - Marathi Film

Starring: Bhushan Pradhan, Sai Lokur, Uday Tikekar, Ganesh Yadav

06.00 Mag: REV: The Global Auto06.26 Doc: Zambia - Invasion...06.52 Mag: Check In07.18 Mag: Urban Gardens07.51 Doc: Garden Party08.42 Doc: Le Funeste Destin...10.06 Mag: Klip Seleksion11.33 Mag: REV: The Global Auto12.25 Mag: Check In12.51 Mag: Urdan Gardens12.59 Mag: Made In Germany13.25 Doc: Garden Party14.16 Doc: Le Funeste Destin...15.14 Mag: Close Up16.21 Doc: Can The Citarum Still...17.04 Mag: REV: The Global Auto17.30 Doc: Zambia18.00 Mag: Motorweek18.29 Doc: Italy??s Little Criminal20.05 Mag: Tendance XXI20.29 Doc: The World From...21.00 Local: News (English)

06.00 Mag: Eco@Africa06.26 Mag: Arts And Culture07.00 Mag: Voa Connected08.00 Doc: Amazing Gardens08.46 Doc: 360 GEO10.04 Mag: Washington Forum11.19 Mag: Eco@Africa11.58 Mag: World Stories12.09 Mag: Voa Connected12.37 Mag: Urban Gardens12.42 Mag: In Good Shape13.08 Doc: Amazing Gardens14.06 Doc: 360 GEO14.58 Doc: Global 300015.24 Mag: Washington Forum16.39 Mag: Eco@Africa17.29 Mag: Voa Connected18.27 Doc: Zambia - Invasion Of...19.00 Student Support Prog...19.34 Mag: Made In Germany20.05 Doc: Garden Party

06.00 Local: Klip Seleksion06.45 Local: Sur Prise09.46 Local: Encounter10.30 Mag: Tomorrow Today11.00 Mag: A Question Of Science12.00 Le Journal12.25 Tele: Le Prix Du Désir12.55 Local: RDV Muzikal13.55 Doc: World Stamps14.30 D.Anime: The Zoo15.03 D.Anime: Little People15.25 D.Anime: Caillou15.48 D.Anime: Yo Yo16.03 D.Anime: Poko16.26 D.Anime: The Garfield Show18.00 Live: Samachar18.30 Jamai Raja18.55 Local: Chaar Dham Tirth...19.30 Le Journal20.15 Film: Bheja Fry 223.00 Local: Le Journal

10.00 Karm Phal Data Shani12.05 Film: Phagun

Starring: Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Sridevi

15.00 Serial: Comedy Classes15.24 Honaar Soon Mee Hya

Gharchi15.43 Mooga Manasulu16.06 Apoorva Raagangal16.29 Bisaat-E-Dil16.51 Mehandi Tohra Naam Ke17.13 Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala17.37 Local: Amrit Vaani18.00 Serial: Bloody Romance18.30 Serial: Ghar Pahucha Da

Devi Maiya20.00 Local: Les Grandes Lignes21.00 Film: Hollows Grove

Starring: Mykelti Williamson, Lance Henriksen, Matthew Carey

ma

rd

i 2

4 n

ov

em

bre

Cine 12 Cine 12 Bollywood TVBollywood TV

me

rc

re

di

25

no

ve

mb

re

jeu

di

26

no

ve

mb

re

06.00 Mag: Motorweek06.25 Doc: Italy??S Little Criminal06.52 Mag: Arts.2107.18 Doc: Urban Gardens08.54 Doc: Gutenberg, L’Aventure11.43 Doc: Italy??S Little Criminal12.09 Mag: Arts.2112.35 Mag: Urban Gardens12.43 Doc: Garden Party14.02 Doc: Gutenberg16.34 Mag: Motorweek18.00 Mag: Eco India18.30 Mag: Shift19.05 Open Univ: Student Support19.34 Mag: Tomorrow Today20.05 Doc: Charles Pathé...21.10 Local: News (English)21.10 Doc: 360 GEO22.29 Doc: Global Conflagration23.11 Doc: Fly Rocket Fly23.55 Mag: Eco India

08.00 Film: Jagga Jasoos12.04 / 20.06 -

Kahan Hum Kahan Tuam12.23 / 20.26 -

Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala12.47 / 20.46 Radha Krishna13.09 / 21.09 - Sanjivani13.31 / 21.31 - Zindagi Ki Mehek13.56 / 21.46 -

Bade Acche Lagte Hai14.20 / 21.59 - Jai Kanhaiya Lal..14.36 / 22.25 - Ikyawann15.25 Film: Parineeta

Starring: Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt

18.00 Live: Samachar18.30 Kumkum Bhagya18.51 Ek Rishta Saajhedari Ka19.13 Mere Angne Mein19.35 Yeh Pyaar Nahi Toh Kya..20.05 Kahan Hum Kahan Tum20.28 Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala

08.00 Film: Parineeta12.03 / 19.54 -

Kahan Hum Kahan Tuam12.26 / 20.11 -

Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala12.47 / 20.32 Radha Krishna13.09 / 21.09 - Sanjivani13.31 / 21.24 - Zindagi Ki Mehek13.56 / 21.46 -

Bade Acche Lagte Hai14.20 / 21.59 -

Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ke14.36 / 22.25 -

Ikyawann15.20 Film: Helicopter Eela

Starring: Kajol, Riddhi Sen, Tota Roy Chowdhury

18.30 Kundali Bhagya18.52 Ek Rishta Saajhedari Ka19.12 Mere Angne Mein

SSppaaccee SSttaattiioonn 7766Avec: Patrick Wilson, Liv Tyler,

Marisa Coughlan

Mardi 24 Nov - 21.05

Mercredi 25 Nov - 21.15

Jeudi 26 Nov- 20.30

Stars: Vinay Pathak, Kay Kay Menon,Minisha Lamba, Suresh Menon, Amol Gupte

Stars: Kajol,Riddhi Sen,Tota Roy ChowdhuryJeudi 26 Nov - 15.20

Jeudi 26 Nov - 21.21

Starship Troopers 3

Avec: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe,Anne Hathaway

Other Voices Mauritius Times Tuesday, November 24, 2020 18

WWhat do you think of your neighbours?And what do they think of you?

Concerns around increasing division andpolarisation in the UK have persisted stubbornly since the EU referendum in 2016.We hear a lot from academics, politiciansand journalists about a supposedly fracturednation. But how divided is Britain? Our newreport - the largest study of attitudes to diversity in England and Wales - gives someinteresting insight.

The report, published by the WoolfInstitute, presented findings from a surveyconducted by Survation of more than 11,000adults that asked a series of questions concerning ethnic, national and religiousdiversity. Has diversity been good for Britainand for your local community? How wouldyou feel if a close relative married someonefrom a different ethnic, national or religiousbackground? How diverse are your friendsand workplaces?

Our statistical analysis revealed that religious intolerance - such as antisemitismand Islamophobia - is a bigger driver of prejudice than ethnicity or nationality. Datafrom the survey strongly suggests that religion is perhaps one of the last prejudicespeople are comfortable expressing openly.

And according to our data, religiousdiversity remains the least popular form ofdiversity. When asked the question aboveabout marriage, non-Muslim respondentswere least comfortable about a close relativemarrying a Muslim person. Attitudesbetween faith groups also tend to be lesspositive than between ethnic groups.

Our findings also revealed that people inwork tend to be more positive towards diver-sity and more likely to have diverse friend-ship groups than both unemployed and economically inactive people. One big concern is that Covid, lockdowns and working from home threaten people's oppor-tunities to encounter others and difference in

the workplace.

General attitudes

But what about general attitudes towardsdiversity among the public? Here the dataprovided an intriguing puzzle.

On the one hand, attitudes towards diver-sity are largely positive. Thinking nationally,a majority within the survey agreed that ethnic diversity is good for British society.More than twice as many agreed than disagreed that migrants are good for Britishsociety. In fact, and despite the explosive-ness of issues around immigration, migrantsappeared more popular than religious diver-sity. Thinking more locally, nearly two thirdsagreed that ethnic diversity is good for thelocal community and majorities agreed thatmigrants and religious diversity are good forit. That's the good news.

On the other hand, 60% agreed that thenumber of migrants in Britain has increasedtoo quickly in the last ten years. Over twiceas many agreed than disagreed that ethnicand religious diversity has increased tooquickly. In terms of local communities, amajority agreed that increases in the numberof migrants have been too quick.

Our report describes this as an "emerging national consensus". But whattype of consensus are we talking about?Over a third of those who expressed an opinion and agreed that ethnic diversity isgood for Britain also agreed that it hasincreased too quickly. So, a majority thinkdiversity is a good thing but around a third ofthat majority think things are moving tooquickly. In other words, one large group ofpeople who are positive about diversity ismade up of two smaller groups - one positiveabout change, one less so.

Reaching a new consensus

For many, this third of people who thinkdiversity has increased too quickly represents a problem. Academics and

journalists are far more likely to be highlyeducated, liberal and mobile ("anywheres"rather than "somewheres"). It is unsurprisingthat opposition to change from those lesseducated, less liberal and less mobile isseen as problematic. That said, definingnegative attitudes to local change - small-cconservatism - as forms of hostility or bigotryis unlikely to bring different groups backtogether anytime soon.

But there may be another way. Perhapsthe data are telling us something hopefulabout possible routes out of divided and divisive circumstances and away from further polarisation. No one single argument,and especially none around race, ethnicity orimmigration, will appeal to everyone. But, asprevious reports have suggested, perhapsconsensus is achievable.

Take anti-racism, it has become a power-ful force in British politics, with mainstreambuy-in (footballers taking a knee beforegames, for example). This, and our data,suggest a public in tune with racial equality.

What our data also suggest is thatstronger forms of activism may represent theright approach for some Britons who valuediversity, but not all. Issues such as institu-tional racism could be tackled more effec-tively by recognising the common groundbetween people whose lifestyles and world-views are very different but who share thesame basic position - in this case, that diver-sity is a good thing.

This is the common ground on whichlarge-scale societal change can be built,especially around election times. But to startbuilding, we need to loosen the requirementsfor ideological purity on these issues. Doingso will help us forge a broader consensusamong those who share some, but not all, ofour views.

Religion, race and nationality - what are ourprejudices and how can we overcome them?

Religion is perhaps one of the last prejudices people are comfortable expressing openly

By Julian Hargreaves, University of Cambridge

WWe can start fresh in this verymoment, not needing to

wait for a new day to start anew.When today is not going well,

it is tempting to focus on tomorrow as a blank slate with allthe possibilities that newness provides. It is true that tomorrowwill be a brand-new day, but wedo not have to wait until tomorrowto start fresh. We can start freshat any moment, clearing our energy field of any negativity thathas accumulated, and call thisvery moment the beginning of ourbrand-new day.

There is something about thesunrise and the first few hours ofthe morning that make us feelcleansed and rejuvenated, readyto move forward enthusiastically.As the day wears on, we losesome of this dynamic energy andthe inspiration it provides. Thismay be why we look forward totomorrow as providing the possibility of renewal. Many traditions consider the light of therising sun to be particularly divinein its origins; this is why so many people in the world face eastwhen performing ritual. We toocan cultivate that rising sun energy inside ourselves, carryingit with us to light our way throughany time of day or night, drawingon its power to awaken andrenew our spirits.

One simple way to do this is tocarry an image or a photograph ofthe rising sun with us in our walletor purse. We can also post thisimage on our wall at work or athome, or have it as our screensaver on our computer.When we feel the need to startfresh, we can take a moment togaze at the image, allowing itslight to enter into our hearts. Aswe do this, we might say out loudor quietly to ourselves, I am readyto let go of the past and startanew. We might visualize anything we want to release leaving us as we exhale, and aswe inhale, we can take in thefresh energy of the eastern sun,allowing it to light the way to abrand-new day.

Brand-NewDay

Tree of Knowledge

Madisyn Taylor

A majority within the survey agreed that ethnic diversity is good for British society. Photo - newstatesman.com