{"id":3531,"date":"2015-05-15T07:44:06","date_gmt":"2015-05-15T07:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/2015\/05\/15\/from-the-pages-of-history-mt-60-years-ago\/"},"modified":"2017-11-13T13:31:48","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T09:31:48","slug":"from-the-pages-of-history-mt-60-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/from-the-pages-of-history-mt-60-years-ago\/","title":{"rendered":"Subversive Propaganda Has Borne Fruits"},"content":{"rendered":"

MT 60 Years Ago –\u00a02nd YEAR NO. 36 \u2013 15th April 1955<\/strong><\/p>\n

Editorially Speaking<\/span><\/h6>\n

According to psychoanalysts the mind has two functions: the conscious and the subconscious; the brain is compared to an iceberg, one tenth of its size which is above water is supposed to represent the conscious mind and the remaining nine-tenth the subconscious mind.<\/p>\n

The subconscious mind registers and stores all events and impressions with great precision. In fact, it is the subconscious mind which more than any other factor influences the conscious mind in its functions.<\/p>\n

The technique of Nazi propaganda was based on that assumption. Among its various weapons of propaganda the most formidable was racial prejudice which, according to the American school of psychology, is firmly established in individuals since the age of five. Hitler\u2019s anti-semitic propaganda dived its roots deep into the subconscious mind of the Germans. All anti-semitic manifestations were carefully prepared; with crafty variations on the same theme \u2013 the Jewish peril \u2013 was incessantly hammered until all the Germans got into a frenzy. Taking advantage of this state of mind 8,000,000 Jews were murdered, banished, imprisoned and plundered.<\/p>\n

Almost the same thing has happened and is still happening in this colony. After the General Elections of 1948 in which the capitalist element was defeated, the reactionary group got recourse to the Nazi technique of propaganda to further the imperialist ideology of divide et impera.<\/strong> To set the other communities against the Hindus \u2013 who happened to be the majority community and the biggest bloc to support the Labour Party \u2013 the reactionaries following the Nazi pattern, roused racial hatred. The Hindus or anything connected with them \u2013 their religion, culture, national dress, language, Indian or the Indian Government — became objects of contempt and derision. Should an article against Hindus or India appear in a paper anywhere in the world it is reproduced in a conspicuous place in the local anti-Hindu papers. When a careless driver is being slapped by some irresponsible villagers, the incident is magnified and it provides an excuse for the anti-Hindus to write an inflammatory article on the fancied \u201cHindu peril\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Besides direct propaganda, the group got recourse to indirect propaganda. Hirelings engaged in anti-Hindus and anti-Labour propaganda had been touring villages and estate camps. Indo-Pak unfriendly relations were exploited to an extravagant degree. As a weapon against Labour and Dr Ramgoolam some very able Hindus are being indirectly exploited, who, unconsciously, perhaps, are dividing the Hindus community itself.<\/p>\n

In the absence of a planned counter propaganda on the part of the Hindu Community, the anti- Hindu community, the anti-Hindu campaign gradually got ground.<\/p>\n

It is a somber thing to note that after seven years of relentless anti-Hindu progaganda, there are many non Hindus who sincerely believe in the existence of a Hindu peril. This is sufficient proof that the campaign has found its way deep in the subconscious mind of these people. As the revision of the Constitution was contemplated the anti- Hindu campaign was intensified. The reactionaries were convinced, after the other means had failed, that only a communal riot could wreck the projected constitutional reforms.<\/p>\n

In November last we were informed of the activities of the trouble mongers. Hoping to draw the attention of the authorities and that of the public, in our issue of the 4th December under the heading NMU\u2019s party of Law and Order<\/strong><\/em>, we wrote: \u201c\u2026 We have received informations that people are touring the villages holding private meetings and rousing hatred. It is even whispered that a move is being made to provoke a riot if the Secretary of State advocates any appreciable change in the Constitution. It will serve a pretext to the opposition that Mauritius is not yet ripe to shoulder responsibility.<\/p>\n

We wish to think that the informations we have received are not true. There are responsible persons on both sides who will not tolerate goondaism and who will fight the constitutional proposals by constitutional means in case they don\u2019t like it. But relying on past experience we think it is our duty to alert public opinion and to request the local authorities to keep a vigilant eye on what is going on around us. The Intelligence Service of the Police Department should be reinforced, the movements of the suspected propagandists be trailed and rabble rousers, whether of the Labour or anti-Labour groups, be dealt with severely.\u201d It appears that our request was not taken seriously.<\/p>\n

Now that the blood of both Hindus and Muslims has been spilled, it is high time for them to realize that they have been exploited for political ends. While the exploiters have remained in the background Hindus and Muslims have been pushed into the fray.<\/p>\n

\u201cParti Mauricien\u201d or \u201cRalliement Mauricien\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00ab I believe there will be considerable development in what is commonly known as the \u2018party system\u2019. There has been a good deal of talk about the party system recently. Have you by the way heard the new riddle: \u201cWhen is a party not a party\u201d? and the answer: \u2018When it is a Ralliement\u201d — Sir Hilary Blood 10 Jan 54.<\/p>\n

By the end of last year a political party, Le Parti Populaire was formed. We do not know exactly what has happened to it, but of one thing we are sure: it was out to stop the imaginary \u2018Hindu peril, and the fancied \u2018Labour Communist menace\u2019. This year out of the ashes of the Ralliement Mauricien is born another political party Le Parti Mauricien.<\/p>\n

The Labour Party is the only constituted party worth the name with a policy, which has been reigning supreme in the political arena of the Colony. Now that there is a powerful opposition it will spur the Labourites to more vigorous actions. In democratic states a healthy opposition is a necessity: it should be welcomed by all thinking people.<\/p>\n

In the introductory letter the sponsors of the Parti Mauricien claim that : \u201cil est indispensable de former un parti politique pour sauvegarder le patrimoine mauricien<\/em>\u201d. We are tempted to put to ourselves some pertinent questions: \u00ab What the sponsors mean by le patrimoine mauricien and by whom is it endangered? \u00bb Is the patrimoine mauricien<\/em> the heritage of a group of Franco-Mauritians, Muslims, Chinese and coloureds only or of the whole population of this island?\u201d \u201cBesides, have not the 260,000 Hindus who have watered the soil of this country with their sweat, tears and blood since 1735 a right to the patrimoine mauricien<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

Aim No. 1 of the Parti Mauricien will be: \u00ab le rapprochement de toutes les communaut\u00e9s de l\u2019Ile pour la cr\u00e9ation d\u2019une Entit\u00e9 Mauricienne affranchie de toute distinction de race, de classe ou de religion. \u00bb The anti-Hindu and Communalistic tendencies displayed by some of the sponsors during the electoral campaign of 1953 are still fresh in the memory of the population.<\/p>\n

Was not the national dress of the Hindus ridiculed at an electoral meeting according to the following report:<\/p>\n

\u201cMr Koenig sait que l\u2019\u00e9lectorat commence \u00e0 voir clair et il en voit la preuve dans les propos que lui a tenus un \u00e9lecteur \u00ab intelligent \u00bb de Port Louis : \u2018Le suffrage universel et le gouvernement responsable ! Oui, nous sommes pr\u00eats \u00e0 les accueillir \u00e0 condition qu\u2019on nous fasse venir un navire charg\u00e9 d\u2019une cargaison de toile \u00e9crue, pour que tous, nous commencions \u00e0 porter \u00ab le langouti \u00bb. Pour \u00e9viter tout cela Mr Koenig demandera donc \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9lectorat de ne voter que pour les candidats du Ralliement Mauricien \u00bb (Advance, 27 May 53).<\/p>\n

In the same issue of that paper we read the following : \u00ab Le Dr Millien r\u00e9v\u00e8le que, apr\u00e8s les \u00e9lections de 1948, M. Jules Koenig a \u00e9t\u00e9 lui demander de d\u00e9missionner du Conseil en signe de protestion contre la nouvelle constitution \u00ab qui avait permis, disait-il, l\u2019\u00e9lection de onze d\u00e9put\u00e9s indo-mauriciens \u00bb. In presence of these facts, unless Hon. Koenig has changed, can he honestly claim to fight \u00ab sectarisme ainsi que toute id\u00e9e d\u2019h\u00e9gemonie\u201d?<\/p>\n

(M.Times \u2013 15 April 1955)<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Mr Anerood Jugnauth<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr Anerood Jugnauth left Mauritius for England in July 1951 to read for the bar. He joined the Lincoln\u2019s Inn in January 1952 where he passed his final examination in September 1953 and he was called to the bar in May 1954.<\/p>\n

He took a keen interest in the social life of the Mauritian students and became one of the founders of the Mauritius Students\u2019 Union which he served as a Committee Member. He was also the Editor of the Mauritian Students\u2019 Quarterly.<\/p>\n

He returned to Mauritius on the 1st of March and was sworn in on the 21st. We wish him success in his career.<\/p>\n

(M.Times — 7 April 1955)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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