‘Chacha Le Visionnaire’

Books

The Struggle and The Triumph: A Historical Portrait of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam

By Joseph Tsang Mang Kin and Dr Amit Achameesing

Published on 18 September 2025, to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR), the latest book ”Chacha Le Visionnaire’ ‘ stands as a major historical and intellectual achievement. Co-authored by Joseph Tsang Mang Kin and Dr Amit Achameesing, this comprehensive 476-page volume is far more than a mere biography. It is a profound national chronicle, an illustrated journey through the struggles, ideas, and accomplishments that fundamentally shaped modern Mauritius.

Combining narrative depth, rigorous local and international historical context, and rich photographic depiction, the book illuminates the extraordinary transformation of a poor island colony — marked by the deep scars of slavery, indentured labour and intense social division — into a thriving democracy and an emerging economy. This transition, the authors argue, was largely engineered through the vision, perseverance, and profound humanism of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, affectionately known to generations as “Chacha”.

The Historical Canvas: From Colony to Consciousness

Structured in four parts and concluding with a powerful epilogue, ‘”Chacha Le Visionnaire’ ‘ retraces over two centuries of Mauritian history. The first part sets the essential historical foundation: the island’s development under French rule (1721-1810) as a plantation colony built upon slavery and a rigid racial hierarchy. Even following the British abolition of slavery in 1835, social and economic inequalities persisted. The island’s diverse population, comprising freed slaves, indentured labourers, and settlers, was held under rigid divisions that significantly delayed the emergence of a common Mauritian identity.

A new consciousness began to take shape after 1885, notably encouraged by Governor Sir John Pope Hennessy, who championed the idea that “Mauritius belongs to all Mauritians.” This seed of nationalism led to the formation of pioneering movements, including the Action Libérale (1907), the National Trade Union of Mauritius (1921), and eventually the Mauritius Labour Party in 1936.

The Architect’s Formative Years

Seewoosagur Ramgoolam’s journey began humbly, born in Belle Rive on 18 September 1900. His early life was defined by hardship: the death of his father at seven, a debilitating eye injury at twelve, and continuous economic struggle. Yet, his perseverance and merit shone through. Completing his studies, he travelled to England in 1921 to study medicine. His trajectory gives credence to the famous lines of Sir Winston Churchill: “…The twinges of adversity, the spur of slights and taunts in early years, are needed to evoke that ruthless fixity of purpose and tenacious motherwit without which great actions are seldom accomplished.”

London opened a new world for Ramgoolam. Despite financial difficulty, he immersed himself in the pivotal debates of the Indian National Congress. Influenced by towering figures such as Gandhi, Nehru, Tagore, and Subhas Chandra Bose, as well as members of the Fabian Society, Ramgoolam absorbed a potent blend of humanism, nationalism, and democratic socialism. These formative years forged his unwavering conviction that education, social justice, and moral leadership were the indispensable pillars of nation-building.

The second part of the book details Dr Ramgoolam’s return to Mauritius in 1935. Opening a modest medical practice, he quickly emerged as the powerful voice of the poor and disenfranchised. His seminal essay for the centennial celebrations of the arrival of Indian immigrants, titled “Sons of Immigrants,” articulated his core belief that every citizen bore a fundamental duty to serve, educate, and uplift the nation.

The Path to Nationhood and The Welfare State

Nominated to the Legislative Council in 1940, Ramgoolam commenced a decades-long campaign for a new constitution and universal suffrage. According to the authors of the book, it’s through tenacious perseverance that he secured successive constitutional reforms, most notably the pivotal 1947 Constitution, which extended the vote to the vast majority of Mauritians. His newspaper, Advance, which he co-founded with Jaynarain Roy, became the rallying voice for the burgeoning labour movement.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Ramgoolam led the Mauritian delegations to several crucial constitutional conferences in London, securing progressive self-governance and, finally, independence on 12 March 1968. Crucially, his inclusive leadership — focused on building bridges across ethnic and religious communities — ensured that the challenging road to independence remained relatively peaceful and democratic, despite instances of communal riots.

Parallel to political reform, Ramgoolam laid the essential foundation for the Mauritian Welfare State, introducing universal old-age pensions and family allowances. Recognizing that true independence demanded economic sovereignty, he sought the counsel of distinguished economists, notably James Meade and Richard Titmuss. They proposed a model for development founded on population control, industrial diversification, and a massive investment in human capital. He also ensured the development of the nation’s infrastructure — roads, water, electricity, and telecommunications — and founded numerous institutions, many even before independence.

The First Economic Miracle and the Perfect Storm

The third part of the book chronicles the achievements from 1968 to 1976. At the dawn of independence, Mauritius was widely dismissed as an economic “dead end,” a view shared even by Nobel laureate James Meade. Over 95% of its exports came solely from sugar, unemployment exceeded 20%, and the island was heavily dependent on British aid. According to Tsang Mang Kin and Achameesing, Ramgoolam’s pragmatic vision and moral authority transformed this national despair into opportunity.

Understanding that political stability and economic modernisation were intrinsically linked, his historic coalition with Gaëtan Duval and the PMSD in 1969 secured vital unity. The same year, his meeting with General Charles de Gaulle was instrumental in opening preferential sugar access to the European Economic Community, guaranteeing critical export revenue.

A true turning point came with the launch of the First Five-Year Development Plan (1971–1975). The establishment of the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in December 1970, which offered tax incentives and duty exemptions, attracted significant local and foreign investment in textiles, electronics, and light manufacturing. Simultaneously, his government cultivated tourism as a new growth engine through strategic partnerships with Air France and Club Med.

Within four years, the results were spectacular: EPZ exports and tourist arrivals quadrupled, employment rose by over 50,000, and GDP growth averaged a stunning 9% per annum. This phenomenal performance, achieved in a small island with limited natural resources, constitutes the First Mauritian Economic Miracle. It successfully integrated a model of balanced development — combining export-led industrialization, tourism, agriculture, social welfare, and basic infrastructure — all within a robust democratic framework.

The final and most turbulent period of his leadership, traced from 1977 to 1982 in the fourth part of the book, saw Ramgoolam confront a severe political and economic storm. Following a global downturn likened by The Economist to the Great Depression, Mauritius was forced into an IMF structural adjustment program in 1979. Local investments stagnated, foreign investors retreated, and the once-thriving EPZ collapsed, with its investment growth falling dramatically. The global OPEC crises (1973, 1979) caused oil prices to soar, crippling the emerging tourism sector. Meanwhile, domestic pressures, spurred by the Sedgwick (1973) and Chesworth (1977) reports, led to salary hikes that outpaced productivity, undermining competitiveness.

Compounded by devastating cyclones like Gervaise (1975) and Claudette (1979), this confluence of economic stagnation, social spending pressures, and natural disasters was, in retrospect, a perfect storm that culminated in the crushing electoral defeat of 1982.

The Enduring Legacy

The epilogue provides vital historical perspective, showing that the achievements of the succeeding government under Sir Anerood Jugnauth, which led to the Second Economic Miracle of the 1980s, were built directly upon the foundation laid by Ramgoolam. The creation of the Free Zone (EPZ), the guaranteed access to the European Economic Community (EEC) market via the Lomé Convention, and the stable revenues from the Sugar Protocol were all decisive advances. These elements, combined with a flourishing tourism sector consolidated by Gaëtan Duval’s determined action, constituted the lasting economic legacy that facilitated the resurgence of growth after 1983.

‘Chacha Le Visionnaire’ is a vibrant tribute and a historical document that illuminates Ramgoolam’s career while putting into perspective the struggles and transformations that forged modern Mauritian identity. Published at a key moment in the collective memory, the book serves as an invitation to reflect on the future of Mauritius in the light of its foundational past.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 24 October 2025