British interests in the 40s: To uphold built-in privileges of ruling classes, not of the working class

MT @ 70

By Dr K. Hazareesingh

The Mauritius Times was born at a time when the country was facing a major crisis insofar as its future constitutional development was concerned. Although the general election of 1948 had significantly changed the political landscape, it was not until 1953 that the Labour Party consolidated its position under the leadership of Ramgoolam. It had increased its strength in the Legislature and was poised to start major battles for independence when the retiring Governor Hilary Blood, modified the verdict of the electorate by the appointment of ten nominated members, who according to a time-honored custom, were expected generally to vote in accordance with the wishes of the Government.

As a legacy of the many years, the Labour Administration was still functioning as a Political Department. One morning, a few days after the election results of the poll were declared, Hilary Blood asked the Labour Commissioner to send him a list of about fifteen persons from whom he would select ten to sit as nominees in the new council.

Those pundits who have such a distorted view of our political history would be surprised if I were to tell them in those days the British had not the slightest interest in the working of the Parliamentary system nor the securing an equitable representation of the views of the various sections of the population.

Their main concern was to ensure law and order and to uphold the built-in privileges of the ruling classes. And so the list contained only the names of those Mauritians who could be trusted to support the official line.

The country was on the eve of the great constitutional reforms and Labour’s strength in the Council having been substantially reduced, the need arose to mobilise outside resources. It was in response to this urgent call for direct action that the Mauritius Times came to be established.

It was while he was in London in 1953, the year of the Queen’s Coronation, Ramlallah had the idea of starting a weekly newspaper dedicated to the promotion of socialist ideals. The West Indian Territories and the African Colonies were seething with unrest. The Mow Mow rebellion had threatened the very basis of the old Commonwealth. Jagan, Burnham, and other British Guyanese leaders were in London, fighting the British government for having abrogated the constitution of British Guiana. Beekrumsing Ramlallah was with them for a few days and was inspired by their struggle.

Dr Kumria, a noted Trinidadian publicist, was also editing in London a journal devoted to the defence of colonial people and introduced him to some British leaders. Later, he also discovered Ibbotson, his devoted collaborator, who for almost three decades stood at the front-line and gave no quarters to those reactionaries like NMU who were undermining the efforts of the freedom fighters.

 Proportional Representation

Ramlallah was fortunate to have around him a group of intellectuals who became the standard-bearers of this emerging progressive movement. Their campaign gathered momentum, the editorial policy of the paper reflected a growing concern for a change in the social and political structure of the country.

One of the first encounters in which the Mauritius Times was engaged was to oppose a move for the introduction of the Proportional Representation (PR) in our electoral system as a pretext to protect minority rights. If the full benefit accruing from the adult suffrage, in the aftermath of the elections of 1953, was of such incalculable value to ensure the growth of the democratic process for the future of our people, the credit must go as well to the sustained campaign and indomitable effort of the Mauritius Times,.

The ideals that continually impressed the progressive elements, including the editors and contributors of Mauritius Times, owe much to the teachings of liberal European thinkers such as Keir Hardie, Laski, and Lansbury in England, as well as to Thoreau and Jaurès in France, and to Gandhi, Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and M. N. Roy in India. They had a profound faith in the spread of knowledge and enlightenment. They were, in a way, advocating for free education at the secondary level, which they rightly thought were the prerequisites for the flowering of a mature and responsible society. The creation of the State Secondary Schools, which became the cornerstone of progress and development in the rural areas will be an enduring movement to Kher Jagatsingh’s vision and to the inspiring leadership he was to give to a whole generation.

Shadows of the West

This concern for self-awareness was also revealed in the paper’s advocacy for the expansion and development of ancestral cultural values. The Mauritius Times called attention effectively to the fact that in each and every community the only way an individual can make sense of his dignity in society was by reference to the cultural order in which he was born. In other words, we should not, the paper suggested, become pale shadows of Western concepts.

Before I conclude I should like to make just another brief reference to B. Ramlallah’s sense of commitment to the cause of the common man. He was a social and cultural worker long before the creation of the Mauritius Times. Although he was an activist of the Labour Party, he did excellent work in local welfare organisations in the village of Long Mountain.

Sacrifice & patriotism

I was a student in Cambridge when, right in the middle of the War, I received a large envelope. The packet contained papers written by Hurryparsad Ramnarain and entrusted to Beekrumsing Ramlallah to be forwarded to me. It was opened by the censors, but they could not make much of the contents as the enclosures were all papers relating to Ramnarain’s activities in the trade-union movement emphasizing the spiritual dimension of his campaign and invoking, in the pursuit of his goal, the blessings of Lord Shiva. And so the letters were safely delivered to me.

I passed on the documents to Rita Hinden, who was then Secretary of the Fabian Society, and they eventually found their way to the House of Lords. That was the origin of the memorable debate initiated by Lord Farrington on Mauritius in April 1944.

I saw Lord Farrington just a few days before the matter was raised in the Upper House and I was able to give him first-hand information about the state of affairs in Mauritius affecting the working classes. I could speak in defence of Ramnarain because of my personal experience of his involvement with the labour movement. The debate which had an important bearing on subsequent labour legislation was itself a tribute to his sacrifice and sense of heroism when, as a lone warrior, he could challenge the organised might of the entire establishment.

Dr K. Hazareesingh’s article was published in the Mauritius Times of Friday 17 August 1984 in our 30^th Special Anniversary Issue. Dr Hazareesingh was a notable figure in the context of Mauritian politics and education. He was a distinguished academic and public servant, known for his contributions to the field of education in Mauritius.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 13 September 2024