Despite the well-garnished speech made by Prime Minister at the United Nations recently, facts and history cannot be falsified. However, much that we try to cover them up truth will always come to the surface. The PM lays a lot of emphasis in his speech on Diego Garcia in the control of both the British and the USA but fails to mention how it comes to that. 

The British did not steal Diego Garcia. The British had a deal with the late SSR, the father of the present Prime Minister. By the way, if we have an in depth analysis of the political and social activities of late SSR, we cannot call him the father of the nation. We cannot compare him to the late Mahatma Gandhi and Mandela. Gandhi and Mandela have rightly deserved to be called the father of India and South Africa respectively. The once political nominee of the colonial power is simply and only the father of Navin Ramgoolam. 

When Harold Macmillan was the PM of England, he decided on a " wind of change " policy to get rid of all colonies, including Mauritius because England could no longer afford to look after its colonies. No Mauritian army had to fire a single shot to acquire the independence of Mauritius. SSR was not jailed like Mandela of South Africa and Kenyatta of Kenya for any alleged subversive activities despite the fact that SSR was accused of being a pro-communist. 

Macmillan proposed the Independence of Mauritius minus Diego Garcia and this was agreed by SSR. The latter was too eager to get an unsolicited independence so easily without undergoing imprisonment and without shedding a drop of blood that he accepted the deal without any fury. Even a sum of money was given by the British to Mauritius for the rehabilitation of the Chagossians in Mauritius. 

Year in and year out, the Chagossian problem is being discussed only pour la galerie. There has hardly been any concrete outcome. Any right thinking person knows that neither Britain nor USA will give Diego Garcia back to Mauritius, particularly with the Cold War which is gradually developing between India and China in our region. Since the arrival of Navin Ramgoolam as PM, China is being pampered and has been given a special treatment. Just fancy giving 500 acres of land to a private company from China near the Port : it is sheer madness. These 500 acres of land were forcefully taken from poor planters who were cultivating vegetables for their living and given to China. Most of the planters were compensated with very meagre compensation. And on top of that the government is providing facilities for the setting up of its infrastructure. In all this, no guarantee about the shares or profits that Mauritius will benefit from and what percentage of Mauritian workers would be recruited ? 

An Indian Company is now seeking the same facilities. We know, and it was even published in the Indian press, that the Indian government is seeking Agalega, another dependency of Mauritius to officially develop "Tourism Industry" but from various sources we have it that the aim is to set up and develop it as an Indian Military Base to make Agalega a surveillance island for its growing interest in Africa which is also the focus interest of China. 

Ahmad Macky 

Note: J'espere que le Cerneen va publier cette lettre