1 No. 17 of 2019 SIXTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) (UNREVISED) FIRST SESSION MONDAY 24 JUNE 2019 2 CONTENTS PAPERS LAID MOTION BILLS (Public) COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY ADJOURNMENT 3 THE CABINET (Formed by Hon. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth) Hon. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Hon. Ivan Leslie Collendavelloo, GCSK, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Energy and Public SC Utilities Hon. Sir Anerood Jugnauth, GCSK, Minister Mentor, Minister of Defence, Minister for KCMG, QC Rodrigues Hon. Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands, Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare Hon. Yogida Sawmynaden Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation Hon. Nandcoomar Bodha, GCSK Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Hon. Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun Minister of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research Hon. Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, SC Minister of Tourism Dr. the Hon. Mohammad Anwar Husnoo Minister of Health and Quality of Life Hon. Prithvirajsing Roopun Minister of Arts and Culture Hon. Marie Joseph Noël Etienne Ghislain Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity, and Sinatambou Environment and Sustainable Development Hon. Mahen Kumar Seeruttun Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security Hon. Ashit Kumar Gungah Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection Hon. Maneesh Gobin Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms Hon. Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint Minister of Youth and Sports 4 Hon. Soomilduth Bholah Minister of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives Hon. Marie Roland Alain Wong Yen Minister of Social Integration and Economic Cheong, MSK Empowerment Hon. Premdut Koonjoo Minister of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping Hon. Soodesh Satkam Callichurn Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training Hon. Purmanund Jhugroo Minister of Housing and Lands Hon. Marie Cyril Eddy Boissézon Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms Hon. Dharmendar Sesungkur Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance 5 PRINCIPAL OFFICERS AND OFFICIALS Madam Speaker Hanoomanjee, Hon. Mrs Santi Bai, GCSK Deputy Speaker Lesjongard, Georges Pierre Deputy Chairperson of Committees Jahangeer, Hon. Ahmad Bashir Clerk of the National Assembly Lotun, Mrs Bibi Safeena Deputy Clerk Ramchurn, Ms Urmeelah Devi Clerk Assistant Gopall, Mr Navin Clerk Assistant Seetul, Ms Darshinee Hansard Editor Jankee, Mrs Chitra Serjeant-at-Arms Pannoo, Mr Vinod 6 MAURITIUS Sixth National Assembly --------------- FIRST SESSION ------------ Debate No. 17 of 2019 Sitting of 24 June 2019 The Assembly met in the Assembly House, Port Louis at 11.30 a.m. The National Anthem was played (Madam Speaker in the Chair) 7 PAPERS LAID The Prime Minister: Madam Speaker, the Papers have been laid on the Table. A. Prime Minister’s Office (a) Certificate of Urgency in respect of the Declaration of Assets (Amendment) Bill 2019 (No. XI of 2019). (In Original) (b) The Customs Tariff (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations 2019. (Government Notice No. 110 of 2019) (c) The Excise (Amendment of Schedule) (No. 2) Regulations 2019. (Government Notice No. 111 of 2019) (d) The Value Added Tax (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations 2019. (Government Notice No. 112 of 2019) B. Ministry of Local Government and Outer Islands Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare The Annual Report of the Statutory Bodies Family Protection Fund for the 18-month period ended 30 June 2017. C. Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade The Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations 2019. (Government Notice No. 109 of 2019) D. Ministry of Financial Services and Good Governance The Financial Services (Consolidated Licensing and Fees) (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2019. (Government Notice No. 113 of 2019) 8 MOTION SUSPENSION OF S. O. 10(2) The Prime Minister: Madam Speaker, I move that all the business on today’s Order Paper be exempted from the provisions of paragraph (2) of Standing Order 10. The Deputy Prime Minister rose and seconded. Question put and agreed to. PUBLIC BILLS First Reading On motion made and seconded, the Declaration of Assets (Amendment) Bill (No. XI of 2019) was read a first time. Second Reading THE APPROPRIATION (2019-2020) BILL 2019 (NO. X OF 2019) Order read for resuming adjourned debate on the Appropriation (2019-2020) Bill 2019 (No. X of 2019). Question again proposed. (11.33 a.m.) The Deputy Prime Minister: Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me time this morning. Madam Speaker, when this Government took office in 2015, there were numerous challenges before us and some of them greater than we could have anticipated. Now that we near the end of our mandate, it is good that all Members on both sides of the House have taken time to go over these last five years. Everyone will have his opinion, of course, but the final say is, as usual, with the people. When I took office in late 2015, I knew that my first challenge was CT Power. Since August 2001 - and it is good that it be placed on record so that everyone knows what we are talking about - the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities at that time, that is, the MSM/MMM Government, had commissioned a study to set up a 100 MW coal power plant at Pointe aux Caves. It was for a coal power plant and at Pointe aux Caves, nowhere else. 9 Then there was the report, which was approved. Out of the blue, in 2005, there appear a company formed by printers who come and bid without being asked, without knowing where they come out. They come with a bid, they say: ‘we want to do CT Power’, this coal power plant which had been commissioned by the MSM/MMM Government. They say ‘we are going to do it’. And in 2005/2006, the Government accepts it. Within three years, I have given the details in my statement I made, so I will not go over all this, but we know land is leased to CEB and ultimately to be leased to CT Power. On 23 December 2008, Government, the Labour Party/PMSD Government gives a Christmas gift to CT Power, a beautiful Christmas gift which lands, I was about to say ‘through the chimneys’, but I do not think it is very appropriate to use ‘chimneys’ when we talk of CT Power. CEB was to procure the coal. Of course, they would refund. CT Power was to produce electricity from the coal procured by CEB and it would sell it at Rs4.58 kWh. That is the price of 2005. Imagine, today, what it would be, because it was indexed. This was nothing but a sweetheart deal. I do not know who was the sweetheart, but it was a sweetheart deal, and CEB was to build a substation near that power plant for Rs300 m. They did not go to Cabinet, they do not go through tender procedures etc., we hear some people talking. It is good to know that it was on the eve, that is, 22 September, that it was sent to CEB and CEB promptly signed it on 23 December. Very, very strange indeed! In January 2013, there is the EIA licence, with the famous Condition 15, that they have to show their financial standing. The project cost was USD200 m., Rs6 billion. By 2013, they signed a new document, USD200 m. had reached USD348 m. There were justifications for this because of the environmental standards that had to be met. But it was USD348 m. as against USD200 m. There was one problem. CT Power had no money, and this is why Clause 15 had been inserted by the Environment Tribunal. It was supposed to have USD40 m. as equity, as shares. CEB was to bring in Rs300 m. CEB was to give CT Power Rs300 m. as equity and CT Power would put in USD30 m. So, it needed funding, and in order to get funding, there was a clause in the Power Purchase Agreement which CEB had signed with CT Power, that there was a condition that all these deals should be effective only if and when Government signs what is called an Implementation Agreement. What is an Implementation Agreement? Fairly and squarely, Government would guarantee all the debts of the CEB because with that document, if signed by Government, then, CT Power can go around to all the banks and will obtain all the funding that is required, so that you do not need money to do it, you need a paper signed by Government. Everything was done in secret. Not 10 even Cabinet was made aware of what was being done, a bit like Betamax, and we have heard a lot about Betamax. The PMSD was in Government. I say that because I am still startled at reading what the Leader of the Opposition said last year in the course of the debates on the Budget when he said he will always fight for transparency. Because that is the classical example, whether it be CT Power or Betamax, of things being done secretly and in an opaque manner. For CT Power, it was supposedly a fast track committee chaired by the Prime Minister. For Betamax, it was a committee chaired by the now Leader of the Opposition. Whether CT Power or Betamax, Labour Party and PMSD were the common factors. It was important that CT Power shows its money, the proof of its financial standing, that they were not just small printers in some dark alleyway of Kuala Lumpur because or else we would not expose their money.