Transparency International notes a deficit of 13 points for Mauritius
Mauritius ranks fifth in Africa on Transparency International's perception index. But the government's avowed target of an index of 66 has not yet been achieved. This leaves a deficit of 13 points to be filled in the next edition of the Corruption Perception Index. Mauritius ranks fifth in Africa on Transparency International's perception index behind Seychelles, Botswana, Cape Verde and Rwanda. The 2020 edition gives a score of 53 points to Mauritius while the government's goal was to reach an index of 66. There is still work to be done.
"Events from the last two quarters of 2020 are not taken into account in the formulation of the index. Cases that are currently in the local news are expected to have repercussions next year," Transparency International's statement said. Transparency International relied on six independent sources, including Global Insight's 2019 Economic and Risk Conditions Indicators, Bertelsmann Stiftung's 2020 Transformation Index, the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2020 Risk Department, and the World Justice Project's 2020 Rule of Law Index, the 2020 Variety of Democracies Project and the World Economic Forum's 2019 Executive Opinion Survey.
Transparency International maintains that the country is currently at a crossroads when it comes to institutional governance. "We think that a country with the influence of Mauritius, with its high level of literacy and academic and technical knowledge, should not have been on this list. Successive governments should have addressed these shortcomings long ago instead of simply ticking boxes in a blissful manner. And speaking of one of the weaknesses highlighted by the FATF with regard to due diligence in relation to the financing of civil society, it is desperate to see that Mauritius did not believe it necessary to legislate in relation to the financing of political parties and politicians as well as socio-cultural associations", indicates the official press release.
For the experts of Transparency International, the Republic faces an institutional deficit due to a desperate nepotism but perfectly legal if we stop at the procedural aspect. In conclusion, Transparency International adds that for Mauritius to really make progress, the recipe would be to take a series of courageous steps in the direction of good governance and let the institutions operate independently with competent people and pass laws.