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Mauritius British Colonial Rule
Colonial rule amounted to a thin layer of British
administrative and judicial officials attempting to
preside over
an assertive and powerful Franco-Mauritian elite. Although
many
members of this elite derived their status and wealth from
owning
plantations, some were senior police officials and
magistrates.
Below the Franco-Mauritians on the ladder of social status
were
the Creoles, descendants of African slaves, some of mixed
white
descent, who tended to be francophone and generally
supportive of
the Franco-Mauritians. In the nineteenth century, Indians
were at
the bottom of the social ladder until their economic
opportunities broadened.
In 1831 the British introduced a constitution that
provided
for a Council of Government whose seven members were
nominated by
the governor. In an effort to win the support of the
FrancoMauritians , who wanted a greater voice in government,
Governor
John Pope-Hennessy expanded the council to include ten
elected
members from nine electoral districts in the constitution
of
1886. The franchise was limited to wealthy property
owners, who
constituted a scant 2 percent of the adult population.
Elected
municipal councils also appeared in the nineteenth
century, first
in Port Louis and then in four other major towns. The
British
established district councils at the end of the nineteenth
century. . By 1907 the Creole middle class, led by Dr.
Eugene
Laurent, formed Liberal Action (Action Libérale), which
sought to
open up political and economic opportunities for
themselves.
Although it won Port Louis in the 1911 elections against
the
Oligarchs, Liberal Action dissolved shortly thereafter.
The Indo-Mauritians, who included both Hindus and
Muslims,
became active in the early twentieth century, thanks in
part to
the work of a lawyer from India named Manilal Maganlall
Doctor.
Sent to Mauritius in 1907 at the behest of Mohandas Gandhi
(known
as Mahatma Gandhi), Manilal was a tireless and eloquent
proponent
of Indian rights. He sought to inculcate a sense of
self-respect
in the community by teaching Mauritian Indians about their
heritage, and he defended them in the courts against
unscrupulous
employers. Manilal also founded the Hindustani, a
newspaper that expressed the concerns of the Indian
community.
In 1926 the first Indo-Mauritians were elected to the
government council. This small victory, however, did not
lead to
better conditions in the community. Despite incremental
improvements in contracts, wages, and working conditions
on the
sugar plantations and in processing plants, the work was
as hard
and daily life as precarious as they had been 100 years
previously. In addition, the boom-or-bust nature of the
world
sugar economy meant that only the upper classes were
insulated
from hardship during periods of low world demand.
Dissatisfaction
on the part of Indian workers and small planters sparked
widespread rioting on Mauritius in 1937 and 1943, and a
strike in
1938.
During this period, Indian and Creole Mauritians formed
several organizations aimed at improving labor laws and
introducing political reforms. Dr. Maurice Curé, a noted
Creole
politician, founded the MLP in 1936. The party attracted
urban
Creole workers and rural Indian farmers. Another important
group
was the Indian Cultural Association, and a notable member
of this
group was Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, who would become the
country's
first prime minister.
Data as of August 1994
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