Speech of Dr the Hon. Vasant K. Bunwaree,
Minister of Education, Culture & Human Resources
on the occasion of the launching ceremony
of the 24 by 7 week
on Friday 31st July 2009 at 18.45
Colleagues Ministers,
Mr Mahendra Gondeea, Mayor of the Municipal Council of
Port Louis
Private Parliamentary Secretaries and members of the
National Assembly
Excellencies and members of the diplomatic corps.
Mr. Deepak Tulsidas, Chairman of the HRDC
Mr. Raj Auckloo, Director of the HRDC
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
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It gives me a great pleasure to address you this evening on the occasion of this
launching ceremony of the 24/7 project.
The crowd present here today demonstrates the commitment to transform
Mauritius into a world-class Economy ready to face the challenges of
globalization and financial crisis.
This global economic crisis is the worst the world has ever known. So far, this
does not seem to be a cyclical downturn that will be followed by a cyclical
recovery. Despite major efforts by many governments, much remains to be
done.
Banks in the US and Europe still have to be rid of their toxic assets and
recapitalised. It is only then that they can resume lending, and fuel an economic
recovery.
Businesses will have to undo past mistakes and consolidate their operations.
Global macro-economic adjustments are also needed – Western countries must
save more, and Asian economies will be expected to increase domestic
consumption.
In any case, all the countries are getting ready to leap forward once the economy
recovers ! Therefore, if we in Mauritius, do not put in additional effort we will
surely miss the bandwagon.
I would like to thank the HRDC for this laudable and bold initiative to support
the actions of Government to ensure that Mauritius makes a smooth transition
towards an Economy that runs round the clock. We need to generate sufficient
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wealth and create enough jobs so that each and every citizen of this country can
lead a decent life.
MAURITIUS faces challenging economic realities precipitated by the
withdrawal of quotas, drying up of subsidies and the emergence of low cost
competitor nations, in sectors where it enjoyed an edge.
Mauritius has had promising success in the ICT industry enabled predominantly
by advantages of a bilingual workforce, congenial time-zone positioning,
presence of reliable basic telecommunication infrastructure and sustained
kinship with some outsourcing countries of Europe.
In fact the e-revolution is here ! The speed with which firms moved into the
information age is quite amazing. The presence of leading hi-tech and Internet
multinationals is shortening the time it will take Mauritius to become a true
cyber-island. The fascinating part of the Internet is that it is available all the
time: 24 hours a day over 7 days a week.
24/7, this is a way in which the modern economy operates. Goods and services
are demanded and supplied round the clock. The economy functions non-stop
and this has implications both economic and social. Countries which are
essentially serviced-based operate on a 24/7 model.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the advancement in technology is shrinking the world.
Mauritius is well positioned to be the gateway to Africa and play an important
role in Asia-Africa partnership.
It is therefore important for our younger
generation to adopt a global outlook so that they will be able to tap the many
new opportunities emerging in the world.
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The 24 x 7 economy requires adoption of flexible work practices. Work
arrangements have to become more and more fluid. A great deal of flexibility
has to be introduced through the reorganization of work itself. Flexible labour
practices can boost the competitiveness and employment prospects of firms
especially in the mechanical and electrical machinery industries.
The days when businesses of any kind could adequately serve customers with a
“Monday through Friday,
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.” schedule are disappearing
gradually. Both employers and employees are slowly adopting the flexible
working hours.
Ladies and Gentlemen, if Mauritius will not provide the pool of employees,
other countries will. It has been reported that out of more than 45 million jobs
created between 2006 and 2007, the majority was in South Asia. There were
approximately 189.9 million unemployed in 2007.
In the same year, there were around 486.7 million workers in the world who did
not earn enough to lift themselves and their families above the US $1 a day
poverty line and 1.3 billion workers do not earn enough to lift themselves and
their family above the US $2 a day line.
You will understand that all the less developed countries are making an effort to
overcome the challenge of meeting the demands of companies for skilled and
flexible workers in order to secure a share in the global market.
As Minister responsible for Human Resources, I do not want any existing
business to be hampered, or any new business to fail to start just because we
can’t find the adequate skilled and qualified people.
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We are doing all that is humanely possible to prepare our country to face the
challenges that lie ahead in the world of work and especially in the field of job
creation.
New avenues will appear soon. New challenges will have to be met. The
Cultural Industry has started to take form.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
My Ministry which takes at heart the promotion of culture in the Mauritian
society is shortly coming with a project in schools to encourage students at the
very early age to participate in cultural activities and groom them to become the
great stars of tomorrow.
We will have a series of such activities in this respect in all our schools and
each and every student would get the opportunity to show his/her talent by
taking part in such cultural activities.
This will help to boost up a number of extracurricular activities leading to the
promotion of new spheres of activity in the country. The cinematography
industry in Mauritius is one of them which runs according to the 24/7 model.
We are also going to get the support of the HRDC in this respect to facilitate
training for the cinematography industry and bring international know-how in
Mauritius to groom our local artists. A special Sectoral Committee in Arts and
Culture has been set up at the HRDC to come up with projects related to the
expansion and development of arts and culture in the country and facilitate
training related to this field.
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For these types of businesses flexibility is an important issue but I will make it a
duty to ascertain that we never promote flexibility at the expense of the human.
We have to guard against dehumanization of the work and this must be achieved
through a well designed and regulated HR policy.
Flexibility, Ladies and Gentlemen, should never be used as an excuse for
unjustified downsizing or de-layering. Every employee should be considered as
an asset rather than a cost.
There should be closer collaboration between all functions within human
resources. Companies like Google have proved that flexible work practices can
be compatible with a balanced family work-life.
All aspects of the 24/7
economy, including security and transport are also being looked into.
I am firmly convinced that to generate success, we must forge ahead on this
step.
This event will not only provide Mauritian families the opportunity to enjoy the
life in Port-Louis by night but it will also ensure that we attract sufficient
number of tourists. We have no choice but to consolidate our presence
regionally and globally by cooperating more closely and using our strengths
more effectively.
This event will also offer an unprecedented opportunity for Mauritians to set
aside the hassles and hurlyburlies of life to enjoy the particular occasion offered
to artists called upon to perform and show their talent to the entire nation.
We are indeed laying today the foundation stone to pave the way for a new
Mauritius ahead.
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
I now have the honour and priviledge to declare this big 24/7 event open in the
city of Port Louis.
Thank you for your attention.
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