The Human Resource Development Council's (HRDC) endeavours at bringing a 24/7 active Mauritian economy are still going strong and this time they are striking it big by organising a 3-days demo in Port-Louis from the 24th to the 26th of July to show us that the 24/7 economically active Mauritius is a realistic concept.
Shops, banks and restaurants will remain opened till midnight on those days. Measures have been taken by the HRDC so that even cinema halls remain active past normal hours. Musicians and artists have also been called upon to provide some entertainment till late on those three days.
Some bus owners have also agreed to provide transport facilities from certain regions of the island to Port-Louis and vice versa.
I don't know about you guys, but I feel really excited about this. And before voicing out my excitement any further I just wish that this event is not postponed. Nothing kills public excitement about an event better than a postponement.
Yeah so I was saying I'm excited because this feels like the beginning of the implementation of the 24/7 concept, which obviously would bring along job creations and keep the Mauritian economy geared. I trust that the people at HRDC had been giving out the best of themselves to effectively carry out this project and make it a long-lasting one.
Of course, some security issues might crop up because of the late night working and companies might start noticing to what extent people hate working night shifts but I'm sure these can be dealt internally by providing transport to and from the place of work and varying the shifts.
On the overall, I find the Mauritius 24 by 7 concept promising.
So dudettes and dudes, any opinion you'd like to share on this?
Update (27/07/09) - What I was NOT hoping for has happened - the HRDC has postponed the event to the 31st of July till the 2nd of August this year. This is due to several issues which have not yet been resolved by the HRDC. Like I said above, I hope this postponement does not kill public enthusiasm about the event, although I sure it has already disappointed a few people.
Love the concept...
ReplyDeleteI think we should all show our support by going to Port Louis during the said nights.
It should be lot of fun. I can't wait.
Hehe! I am willing to go too! Hope there's a lot of animation!
ReplyDeleteI guess it will be the same kind of activity as during end of year festivities. Anyway, I guess that Caudan will remain the same as everyday.
ReplyDeleteSure,the concept is promising but there must be a careful planning to make this actually happen. Putting this on a kind of pilot project during these 3 days is a good decision to measure the success of the concept.
No one thought of the cold? :S
ReplyDeleteI really hope it is a sucess..
ReplyDeletepersonally, my neurones are more efficient when the sun in on the other side of the planet!
so its a big WELCOME! :D
Ah .... my comment did not appear again ... grrr
ReplyDeleteok I retype it now:
I'm excited about the 24/7 concept ... It's very useful for me here in London, where we have supermarkets open 24hrs and major attraction even late at night. I particularly like the animation on Sundays in central London ... hope Mauritius adopts 24/7 It'll be a great boost for the economy
Yes I agree completely with Bruno, thats a big thing I miss from Scotland and the UK. In Germany, at least in Nuremberg, shops are shut Sundays and of course public holidays. I think it is against the law to have a shop open after 10pm and some after 6pm. The only things you may find open are petrol stations and restaurants and even those are rare.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK its great to be able to obtain most things from the supermarkets and things like 24h bakeries after a night out or when you just need it at um 3am.
However I have noticed since the introduction of the Self service checkouts that that is all you will find operating in the supermarkest "after hours" which can be good or bad depending on the machines' moods.
But we also have things like 24h gambling and 24h drink licenses which I do not really think is a good idea.
thats nice, i will be able to go to the bank @ last
ReplyDeleteyeaa come to port louis guys .. :) i will have fun with all of u !! lolz.. 1 journey tanne tapaz bus .. asoir si pou tanne bus astere !! lolz hahahahah ..
ReplyDeletepa grave tho .. i shall open some new business at nite .. we love ripping off people's moni here in port louis hahahhahahhaha
@ Yashvin, yeah the demo will serve as a test for the HRDC as well as for Mauritian citizens. We'll see whether that would suit us! :D
ReplyDelete@ carrotmadman, I guess no one thought about that! Perhaps some people would be selling pullovers on those days? Might be a marketing opportunity.
ReplyDelete@ Sun, LOL. Mine too. I feel more inspired to work late at night.
ReplyDelete@ Bruno, I'm looking forward to this in Mauritius. Especially the supermarket part. It's going to be awesome.
But we also have things like 24h gambling and 24h drink licenses which I do not really think is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that's a good idea too. But it's Germany right? So I guess beer is a must there. :)
@ Joyshan, yeah banks close at ridiculously early hours in Mauritius.
ReplyDelete@ Ashfaq, LOL, confession of a Port Louisian? :P
Hehe yes the beers and beerfest are a must. But I would rather have the 24h shops of which there are none in Germany.
ReplyDeleteI like the 24/7 concept :)
ReplyDeleteCependant, pour une premiere, je pense que les organisateurs de ce projet auraient du p-tre choisir une meilleur periode. Le 24, 25 et 26... presque la fin du mois mais la plupart des mauriciens n'auront pas encore recu leur salaire pour le mois. Donc, moins d'achats... En plus on sera en plein hiver. Brrrr!
Mais dans l'ensemble, c'est une tres bonne initiative ;)
That's an improvement! The one thing I really hate is the absence of off-license shops which operate till late. I miss them in the Caribbean. It's the same policy as in Mauritius. However bars are open till very very late over here. :)
ReplyDeleteWish the HRDC all the luck!
@ morinn - yes of a port louisian, just wondering , bizen open quincaillerie asoir ?? hahahah lolz.. i will buy a table on royal road maybe and sell hot chocolate !! lolzzz..si zotte p passe par laba :P hahaha .. mo pou vande biscuit marie osi :) LMAO haha ..
ReplyDeletenaa franchement dans 1 fraisere kumsa, kisana pou vine port louis at nite ? zotte pou vine aster coulou, vice , boulons ek morpa ? hahahahahhaha
@ Selective Apathy, indeed, shops would have been more helpful than beer!
ReplyDelete@ Angele, c'est vrai. Nous sommes en plein hiver et je pense que je vais me deguiser en eskimo pour me rendre a Port Louis le 25. XD
@ MoodyBoo, Yeah off-license shops can sometimes be very helpful but I guess they wouldn't be getting that much customers if they opened late at night as compared to bars and clubs.
ReplyDelete@ Ashfaq, yummy for the hot chocolate!
Ena dimoune capav decide pou repare kitsoz kot zot a minuit. Ki coner? :p
Well you might say that you're lucky. In my new city in the North of France its quite dull. Shops are open on normal hours 10am to 7 pm but administrations and banks close at 5 pm. So no way of using them. That said, there's not much to do around here anyways...
ReplyDeleteI think it's all about profitability in the end. If the companies notice they aren't making more profit out of the 24/7 concept they are not going to continue with it. So these 3 days is kind of a lab test, I think. Just my two cents.
ReplyDeleteAnd at sachin: Yea, some European countries have very strict labour laws, it's all about the employee and not really about the consumer.
Bof..
ReplyDeleteThose who have come for chinatown festivals thru the years might have enjoyed port louis at night, been 22 years i am enjoying, sa ne changera rien pour moi!!
Mais bon!! Mauritius paradise and easy life is turning to hell, gone are the days mauritians worked 10am to 4pm, or even 11am to 3h30 !! ..
Gone are the days, my old barber friend would remember, of a dialogue .. 4 jours a paris !!
Mauritius is running behind a success it might never come across..
But Yes We Can, si c'est pour faire plaisir..
Even the most pragmatics like me would agree!!
@ Ashfaq, Mauritius paradise and easy life is turning to hell
ReplyDeleteEasy life is subjective. And in the present global economic context, I don't think easy life is applicable be it in Mauritius or anywhere else. People are required to dedicate much of their time to work if they wish to have a decent salary.
Mauritius is running behind a success it might never come across
I prefer being optimistic and trust the HRDC for the time-being. Initiatives are the most welcomed in difficult times and if they are not effective then criticisms will flow from all places. I just feel that for the time being the population should be confident in the people who've had enough entrepreneurial spirit to start such a project. I cross fingers and hope that it works.
BTW, you seem to be forgetting that the demo will be in Port-Louis and that the application of this project will be everywhere. People will not have to come to PL to see shops open at night every week, rest assured.
We were still living a nicer life 5-10 years ago .. :) and before that mauritians were living even better with their salaries without need to do much more .. that's how we seen the massive migration to europe.. and elsewhere..
ReplyDelete"the application of this project will be everywhere. People will not have to come to PL to see shops open at night every week"
This is the exact point, after the "effet d'annonce", will it still have any sense. I believe the actual system a bit ameliorated would have suited more than an extreme proposition like this one. I mean, it is like pharmacies, it is not needed that all drugstores be open at nite, a couple of some remain open and we have been living it. Same for businesses, if some remain open it is more than enough. it would be more rational.
Not to tell, the cost in energy this would cost to Mauritius in terms of electricity and importation of oil. Do we really want this? The CEB is only able to provide us for our electricity and are fearing a rise in consumption which is why the 1hour summer time, to cut down consumption.
I guess it is a bit long, i wont add more to that. :)
@ Ashfaq, you have raised an excellent point here. It sure would have been better if only the major services were available at night.
ReplyDeleteWithout forgetting that we've got the habit of not relying on shops that remain opened till late. It will be difficult to change this habit.
As for the energy consumption it's true that it might considerably increase. Let's just hope that the gains exceed the spending so that this project shows some longrun benefits.
@morinn- however, i understand that this change is needed, we need a service 24/7 mainly for hypermarkets.. and also it would be creating direct jobs for students working on part time. I am a youngster, thereby my favor to part time jobs to students like it's done in europe, canada, usa .. this would be worthwhile to try. I mean, that is what mauritians want to try when they go to europe to study, working and studying.
ReplyDeleteThis would be a nice occasion.
Love the idea!
ReplyDeleteit will work but only when such events r being organised..
ReplyDeleteits quite nice for late night shopping and dining but when it comes to security n safety, there is a mamoth work to accomplish.
anyway i heard its been postponed a week after.
u know Africafé coffee shop? try something to eat therez :p
profit making economy..zot nepli conner cuma pu beze cash dimun :p
ReplyDelete