What are the gray areas of legality for Corruption , Bribes, Gifts...

Hello everyone,

I am an American in Madagascar Married to Malagasy for 14 years

In about three years my children will be within High School range/age
and I will need to move from the quiet village of Mahajanga to the  busy Capital of Antananarivo to further their education with College Francaise here in Madagascar. My Children are fluent in French, English and Malagasy. 

I am following the forum for Mauritius to learn about life in Mauritius with the possibility of moving there to further my children's education as well as give them a different perspective of life and to continue a quiet lifestyle.  I have been to Mauritius about 12 times but always as a tourist and we never had any problems, enjoyed the ambiance of Mauritius while we were within tourist circles but this is very different than day in and day out life of an ex pat. who sees the good and bad and the ugly. However the last time we were in Mauritius was 7 years ago.

Biggest learning curve for me when I moved to Madagascar 15 years ago was how much to pay in the way of gifts even on the lower levels of society- Police stop me while driving on the street and $1 gift on the street, becomes problem solved, if I wanted my mail, 30 cents would insure delivery, getting residence papers took a higher level of negotiations.... a one dollar gift puts you to the head of the line, for $5 and a taxi ride and you get the head of the agency to fill the paperwork in your home or restaurant in private Here in Madagascar it is a daily life experience, almost like breathing.  Not all bribes end in a positive constructive result, some money is lost forever down some dark hole, so being careful is part of the lesson.

However, the reality on the ground has its advantages and disadvantages in an under developed system of confusing rules and regulations, lack of proper or no taxation and low wages-and this form of gift giving can mean getting something done today or next month or even next year or longer.

What is your Mauritius experience with greasing the wheels with money or gifts or kickbacks or donations, contributions or whatever name you choose to apply for getting a situation resolved,  or does Mauritius society treat all Ex pats and Locals equally with strict rules and procedures to fixing problems and issues.

Thank you
Alex