Progress Report on Mauritianisation

From Our Archives – A Glimpse into 1961

Editorial

On two previous occasions we discussed, in these columns, the accepted principle of Mauritianising the Public Service in relation to the contemplated appointment of Mr Hollingworth to one of the posts of Senior Education Officers, the departure of Mr Creigh, Deputy Financial Secretary, to Washington on a scholarship awarded to Mauritius and the secondment of Mr S. D. Carpenter, Civil Commissioner, Moka, to the Secretariat. We vehemently protested against the aggrandisement of these three British Officers in the name of an accepted principle and also in the name of justice and fair play.

We are today in a position to say that it is already decided that the scholarship given to Mauritius by America will be offered to Mr Creigh. Mr Carpenter is already behind a desk at the Secretariat. Finally, Mr Hollingworth is going to be appointed because the Government is bent upon seeing Mr Hollingworth becoming Senior Education Officer as if without his promotion our whole educational system will crumble and the country will consequently go bankrupt. Apparently, the “wind of change” which hit Mr Harold Macmillan in the face in South Africa has not reached Mauritius. But we wish to warn our overseas rulers that the wind is there alright and that they are just blissfully unaware of it.

The appointment of Mr Hollingworth will therefore constitute a glaring frustration of the legitimate aspirations of the Mauritian Civil Servants; it will also be regarded as a symptom of the outdated constitution we have and what is still more serious it will tend to lower the prestige of the Labour Party. It is not difficult to foresee now how the Parti Mauricien, through Messrs Koenig and Duval, will tear the Government to pieces on this particular issue. In addition to all this, Mr Beejadhar’s standing is bound to suffer.

In protesting against such a state of affairs we want to make of the appointment of Mr Hollingworth a test case. It is time we knew where we stand and for how long Mauritian officers will be made to suffer such humiliations. Taking these three cases together we are bound to infer that we committed an act of self-condemnation. If there is no one able enough to carry out the duties attached to the posts of Senior Education Officers, let us not ask for independence. If there is not a single Mauritian Officer with the basic knowledge to enable him to follow the course in Washington, let us forget about self-government and walk out. Again, if there is no Mauritian Officer to do the job Mr Carpenter is now on at the Secretariat, let us reserve our Civil Service for overseas officers only.

But we know that we are being fooled! We know well that there are many Mauritian officers who can do better: they must only be given the opportunity of proving themselves. We know that we are the victims of an obsolete constitution which stultifies the will of the people. And yet, some so-called leaders have the cheek to say that Mauritius must not have self-government! We, Mauritians, have started overcoming the tendency of relying too much on the overseas gentlemen. There was a time when our thinking was done in London. The times are out of joint now! It is better to misgovern oneself than to be allowed to be governed by others.

Until the final announcements are made, we have reasons to believe that wisdom will prevail in the proper quarters and that those who are misreading the political situation in Mauritius will wake up to the realities. Meanwhile we wait and watch and hope.

Speaking of Mauritianisation reminds us of another disturbing event which has passed almost unnoticed: Mr Jackson, a contract officer, who was Principal Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, is now Acting Colonial Secretary, Goodness knows how he reached there. We are inquiring into this matter and possibly next week we shall be in a position to throw more light on this particular matter. And next week will mean the eve of the opening of the Legislature.

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 The Middle Way

With Dr de Chazal’s article, which appeared in the press recently, we hope to get somewhere with our plea for family planning. It was a laudable effort on Dr de Chazal’s part to have come out with something at last to which none of the communities can articulately object. The safe period method of birth control seems not to go against, as far as we are able to gather, any religious laws of the communities in Mauritius.

It certainly does not affect Hinduism, which is quite flexible and is more a philosophy than a religion. It is hoped that the safe period method will provide us with a timely middle way approach to the problem satisfactory to one and all of us. But only time can tell and it remains to be seen how far the method will work. Nevertheless, we believe it should be given a fair trial.

8th Year – No 338
Friday 24th February, 1961

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 5 June 2026