ANAND MOHEEPUTH
Who would in the 1960s dare utter a word against the British authorities over their intended military project with the US over a dependency of Mauritius or subtly put as stepping up their defence facilities in the Indian Ocean? Not a whiff of protest rustled in the air. Like in the case of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), when set up in 1965 as an instrument, to axe the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius, not a voice was heard.
Mauritian politicians, it seemed, were rather too timid to react. Or, could it be that they were in collusion with the British to support the dismemberment of the Mauritian territory?
In his book, ‘Untold Stories’, Sir Satcam Boolell, who used to be one of the confidants of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam and former leader of the Labour party, explains the state of mind prevailing then, conceding that our political establishment exemplified by Dr Ramgoolam, “did not just meekly submit to the demand of the British. He (Ramgoolam) surrendered after it was clear to him that he could not win.”
According to Sir Satcam, Dr Ramgoolam “made no bones about Diego Garcia” because “he could not afford to alienate the goodwill of the British”.
But Sir Seewoosagur made his point as to why he could not prevent the Chagos passing into the direct control of the British. The Select Committee appointed in 1982 on the excision of the Chagos Archipelago, puts in its report that “Sir Seewoosagur accepted the excision, in principle, as he felt he had no legal instrument to prohibit the United Kingdom Government from exercising the powers conferred upon it by the Colonial Boundaries Act 1895…”
Sir Seewoosagur whose approach, it appears, was motivated by technical, rather than emotional considerations, admitted to the Committee, “that he could then not assess the strategic importance of the archipelago virtually unknown to most Mauritians and that it was concretely expressed to him that the Chagos islands would be used as a communications centre and not as a military base”.
Such was the situation that at one point, even the island of Agalega was about to be detached and its administration transferred to the Seychelles which, it must be recalled, got separated from Mauritius in 1903.
In Mauritius, there was no leakage about the joint Anglo-American venture. Yet the international press took the lead to announce some of the events on the anvil in the Indian Ocean where as many as some 60 islands including the Mauritius’ dependencies of the Chagos Archipelago and Agalega were surveyed. Those surveys were carried out in order to identify an appropriate location that would serve as a communications centre and longer term requirement for a military base.
While the UK manoeuvres were kept aloof from public domain in Mauritius, Beekrumsing Ramlallah, on 10 November, 1964, in the Legislative Assembly fired the first salvo springing a surprise on those of his Labour party senior colleagues, some of whom formed part of the Council of Ministers and who apparently were in the loop. Ramlallah, with a rare display of guts and fearlessness, queried the British intended design over Diego Garcia. The quick-fix response from Satcam Boolell, then Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources could be indicative of the fact that Mauritian Ministers could not do otherwise than keep the matter as a closely guarded secret.
Elected member for the Poudre d’Or constituency and co-Editor of the weekly ‘Mauritius Times’, Ramlallah sought clarifications as regards the “wild talks” being heard about a joint UK/US project involving Diego Garcia. Those talks, he said, were “very painful”.
“We have heard something very painful”, stated Ramlallah, “that America wants to have the base at Diego Garcia which was supposed to be our colonial territory and which would be cut off from us…That is something which makes us think seriously and I hope Government will give it all the seriousness which it deserves…
The Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources reacting to Ramlallah’s pertinent statement pleaded ignorance saying, “Government is not aware of the projected UK/US military base”.
No one at this juncture had anything more to say, including Dr S.Ramgoolam, leader of the Labour party, who had freshly been made “Premier” and had a knighthood in the pipeline.
Boolell’s curt reply was expected to kill the debate at the embryonic stage but the riposte from the member for Poudre d’Or was to come dragging by the way Dr Ramgoolam into the debate given that since July 1964, Dr Ramgoolam was “consulted about the survey” at different stages of the evolution as confirmed by Mrs Eirene White, Under-Secretary of state for the Colonies in the House of Commons.
“The Minister has come to my rescue”, retorted Ramlallah in a defiant mode, inviting his leader to “stand up and say” if he had been consulted.” If this Government is not aware of it, I hope the Premier (Dr S.Ramgoolam) will stand up and say that we have not been consulted, that is something is being done behind our back. There is something in the air, there is no doubt about it”.
On the Mauritian side, silence reigned. It was left to the Chief Colonial Secretary Tom Vickers, the responsibility for replying to Ramlallah by way of a letter dated 14 November 1964. However, Tom Vickers was cautious, abstaining from mentioning Diego Garcia, about to be seized by the UK for a joint UK/US project. He rather limited himself for the time with the spate of survey works undertaken.
In the letter addressed to Ramlallah and circulated to members of the legislative Assembly and the press, Tom Vickers wrote: “The position is that a joint British-American technical survey of certain islands, including the Chagos Archipelago and Agalega, but not including Mauritius, has been in progress. The results of the survey are still being examined and no decisions have been taken either by the British or by the American Government as to their respective requirements’.
‘The Council of Ministers”, concluded the statement, “was notified of the survey in advance and will be consulted about further steps in due course”.
All things considered, our political gurus then were taken for a ride over Diego Garcia.
The comfort lies today in listening to the inspirational and hopeful dream speech delivered in 1963 to Black Americans by Martin Luther King, Jr, “I have a dream that one day…”
References
- “Report of the Select Committee on the Excision of the Chagos Archipelago (1981)”- Chairman Jean-Claude de L’Estrac
- “Untold Stories”, by Sir Satcam Boolell QC