(MBC-ANIMATORS-PRODUCERS-TERMINATION

No. B/641
Tuesday 06 October 2015
SUBJECT: MBC – ANIMATORS/PRODUCERS – TERMINATION
OF CONTRACT
Mr R. Bhagwan (First Member for Beau Bassin & Petite Rivière) asked
the Minister of Financial Services, Good Governance and Institutional Reforms,
Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation whether, in regard to
the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation Television, he will, for the benefit of
the House, obtain therefrom, over the period January 2015 to dateTo
(a) the list of the programmes thereof which have been cancelled,
indicating in each case, the reasons therefor, and
(b) information as to the names of the animators or producers whose
services have been terminated, indicating in each case, the (i) date of termination of the contract of appointment, and
(ii) reasons therefor.
Mr Bhadain: Madam Speaker, if I may on point of order, I would very
humbly request hon. Bhagwan to withdraw the word ‘manipulated’ which was
used by him.
Madam Speaker: I will take the Minister’s point of order after Question
Time.
Mr Bhadain: Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker, with regard parts (a) and (b) of PQ No. B/641, I will be tabling
the information requested for by hon. Bhagwan as it is a lengthy list of all
programmes of the MBC, in due course.
Madam Speaker: Hon. Bhagwan.
Mr Bhagwan: I have a supplementary question, Madam Speaker. Can I
know from the hon. Minister why the services of Mr Bruno Raya, a well-known
national artist, has been terminated? He was presenting a very popular
programme on television, namely ‘Live N Direk’ Can I know whether it was for
a specific reason?
Mr Bhadain: Madam Speaker, I believe the previous Director General of
the MBC had come up with a restructuring plan for programmes of the MBC
and also on Radio Mauritius. Now, what had been implemented was according
to that plan which had been looked at by the previous Director General. I am
not aware of the reason as to why a particular programme has been changed
to another programme, but I can assure the hon. Member and the House that
the new team of the MBC, the new Director General, Deputy Director General
and all the other staff will be recruited very soon as part of the management
team; we will relook at all of this.
Madam Speaker: Hon. Bhagwan!
Mr Bhagwan: Madam Speaker, despite the fact that the management of
previous Director has taken the decision, the fact that Mr Bruno Raya, I
mentioned his name because he is a well-known national artist who has served
the country and who is from my Constituency along with Mr Ram Joganah who
was giving a programme of ‘Balad dan Vilaz’, can the hon. Minister, at least,
enquire on these national artists, and being the fact that they have been given
three days’ notice without any reason for their services to be terminated after
having worked for many, many years at the MBC/TV? Can the hon. Minister
make an enquiry and see to it that justice is done to these artists?
Mr Bhadain: Madam Speaker, I wouldn’t want to get into the affairs of
the MBC like that. I will let the new management team which will be appointed
very soon to look into the matter, but I take on board what has been said.
Source: National Assembly of Mauritius – Hansard 2015