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56-526: During the administration of the French East India Company (until 1767) and subsequent French rule at least 12,000 workers arrived from India between 1721 and 1810 before the abolition of slavery . These first Indian immigrants came from various parts of India such as Pondicherry, Karikal, Yanaon, Bengal and others. They worked under contract as skilled stonemasons, blacksmiths, and carpenters although hundreds of them were slaves . After

112-639: A Christian of Franco-Mauritian descent, has been the only non- Hindu prime minister of Mauritius , or, more particularly, the only prime minister who has not belonged to the Jugnauth or Ramgoolam families. Bérenger was born to Mauritian parents whose ancestors arrived in Mauritius from France in the 1700s. Geneviève Bérenger, his mother, was the daughter of Auguste Esnouf, an engineer and author who used pen name Savinien Mérédac to write novels and newspaper articles. He completed his secondary schooling at

168-411: A front-page article in which MMM activist Jean-Paul Sheik Hossen accused several members of the local intelligence police (Special Branch) to have planned the arson attack. Sheik Hossen made allegations against Special Branch's director Fulena, his deputy Sénèque, officers Jean-Paul Venkatachellum and Jean Ramiah. Security guard Yves Bedos supported Sheik Hossen's allegations. The Labour-PMSD-CAM government

224-548: A husband so she can finally get married"). Paul Bérenger's loyal acolyte Rajesh Bhagwan defended Bérenger's insults on the basis that he had been upset by so much support for his opponent Rama Valayden . During debates about the need for electoral reforms and the financing of political parties in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth highlighted Bérenger's and the MMM's lack of experience in governing

280-445: A power-sharing deal, should they win the election. The MSM and the MMM would each contest 30 of the 60 mainland seats. If successful, Jugnauth would serve as prime minister for three years; he would then resign, assume the (largely, but not entirely, ceremonial) office of President of Mauritius and make way for Bérenger to succeed him as prime minister, with Jugnauth's son Pravind Jugnauth as his deputy. The MSM/MMM alliance won 54 of

336-454: A third language at school ( French and English are already compulsory). The languages learnt in decreasing order are Hindi , Urdu , Tamil , Chinese , Marathi , Telugu and Bhojpuri . Mauritian Creoles can opt for Mauritian Creole as the third language. Choice is usually based on ethno-religious background with Hindi , Tamil , Telugu and Marathi chosen by Hindus who belong to the respective ethnicities and Urdu by Muslims from

392-739: A three-way contest between the Independence Party (Labour-CAM coalition) , the Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate (PMSD), and the MMM. There was a hung parliament , with 34 of the 70 seats in the National Assembly going to the MMM, 28 seats to the Labour Party, and 8 seats to the PMSD. Ramgoolam remained in office, however, by forging a coalition with the PMSD for a bare majority. Anerood Jugnauth

448-649: A total of 148 children fathered by Chinese men. These Chinese were mostly traders. Today the population consists of mainly Hindus with Muslim , Christian , Buddhist and Baháʼí Faith minorities. The mother tongue of almost all Mauritians is the Mauritian Creole , while a minority of Indo-Mauritians still use both their ancestral language and Creole at home. Indo-Mauritian use their ancestral languages mostly in religious activities, some of them include Bhojpuri , Tamil , Hindi , Marathi , Telugu and Urdu . As from age six, all Mauritian children must learn

504-545: A triple murder which occurred on 26 October 1996 in Port Louis . Joomun's husband was a victim of the murder. Bérenger defended himself by saying that the reason he had helped Bissessur was because the latter wanted to reveal what he knew on the escadron de la mort (death squad) . A second private prosecution was lodged against Bérenger by Raju Mohit (a member of the Movement Republicain) but in both cases,

560-661: Is of Indo-Mauritian origin. French East India Company The French East India Company ( French : Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales ) was a joint-stock company founded in France on 1 September 1664 to engage in trade in India and other Asian lands. As such, it competed with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the East Indies . Planned by Jean-Baptiste Colbert , it

616-576: The 1995 elections with a 60-nil sweep of mainland Mauritian constituencies. Ramgoolam became prime minister with Bérenger as his deputy. On 20 June 1997, however, Ramgoolam dismissed Bérenger and formed a new government without the MMM. In 1999, the national opinion polls showed that Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam 's Labour Party was the favorite to win the elections due in 2000 . In an hour-long meeting organized by Bodhoo, Berenger made up his quarrel with Jugnauth and agreed to an electoral alliance and

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672-584: The Dutch East India Company , including more than 20 years in Japan , and Marcara Avanchintz , an Armenian trader from Isfahan , Persia . In 1604, King Henry IV of France authorized the establishment of the Compagnie des Indes Orientales ( East India Company ), granting the new firm a 15-year monopoly on French trade with the East Indies . This company was a precursor to a firm of

728-658: The French Revolution , and on 3 April 1790 the monopoly was abolished by an act of the new French Assembly which enthusiastically declared that the lucrative Far Eastern trade would henceforth be "thrown open to all Frenchmen". The company, accustomed neither to competition nor official disfavor, fell into steady decline and was finally liquidated in 1794. Even as the company was headed consciously toward extinction, it became embroiled in its most infamous scandal. The Committee of Public Safety had banned all joint-stock companies on 24 August 1793, and specifically seized

784-619: The Indian Ocean . Colbert's obsession with VOC led to series of early letdowns. One of France's main aims was to establish a French entrepôt in Madagascar to rival the Dutch colony of Batavia. By the 1680s, the company went insolvent and they had little choice but to rent out its monopoly to a group of merchants. The Indian trade remained under the company for approximately thirty years. In 1716, Scottish financier John Law arrived at

840-540: The Indian Subcontinent . Indo-Mauritians have influenced Mauritian culture, dominating the economic, public sector and political faces of the island. Mauritian politics have been historically dominated by the Indo-Mauritian community due to their majority as a whole on the electoral platform. All presidents except Karl Offmann and all prime ministers except for Paul Berenger have been members of

896-521: The Persian Gulf , Red Sea, and the northwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent . These accomplishments paled France in comparison with England and Dutch Republic . France's Atlantic ports pursued to compete and amalgamate with each other. The commercial and capital expertise was disbursed around the coastal regions of Brittany and Normandy . Like other nationally-chartered trading companies of

952-623: The Seven Years' War the British were able to exert control over French territories in India. With the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the territories were returned to France. The company was not able to maintain itself financially, and it was abolished in 1769. King Louis XV issued a 1769 edict that required the company to transfer to the state all its properties, assets and rights, which were valued at 30 million livres. The King agreed to pay all of

1008-399: The 60 seats. Jugnauth became prime minister again, appointing a 25-member Cabinet with Bérenger as deputy prime minister. The power-sharing agreement was briefly in doubt when, in 2001, Bérenger faced a charge of aiding and abetting a murder suspect to escape arrest. Swaleha Joomun, a widow, was suing the deputy premier for facilitating the escape of Bissessur who was wanted in connection with

1064-433: The British in the armed forces, police forces, as security personnel with a substantial portion of immigrants from Gujarat and Sindh arriving as traders, businessmen, and merchants. In the late 19th to early 20th century, Chinese men in Mauritius married Indian women due to both a lack of Chinese women and the higher numbers of Indian women on the island. The 1921 census in Mauritius counted that Indian women there had

1120-996: The College du St Esprit in Quatre Bornes . He travelled to the UK to study Philosophy and French, attended the Sorbonne in Paris and graduated from the Bangor University with a BA Hons in philosophy and French . He later worked as a Trade Unionist from 1970 to 1982 and was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the first time in December 1976. Bérenger founded the Mauritian Militant Movement in 1969 along with Dev Virahsawmy and

1176-533: The Director of Public Prosecutions of Mauritius gave a Nolle Prosequi . In 2003, Bérenger duly succeeded Jugnauth, who assumed the presidency, as agreed. In 2003, Berenger took office as prime minister following the resignation of then Prime Minister Jugnauth after serving as his deputy for three years. He led the MSM/MMM coalition government for a period of one year and nine months before his alliance lost

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1232-546: The English, Portuguese and Dutch in establishing trade in India. On 4 September 1666, the French secured a royal mandate from Emperor Aurangzeb that granted them to trade on the port of Surat . By 1683, the French had directed their attention toward the prominent site of Pondicherry, however the shift did little to offset the company's chronic shortage of capital. By 1738, the company owned 1,432 slaves, 630 of whom resided in

1288-608: The French colony of Isle de France . Many slaves in the colony were imported by the company from the West African region of Senegambia ; these included laptots , African slaves who forcibly served onboard the company's ships. With the decline of the Mughal Empire, the French decided to intervene in Indian political affairs to protect their interests, notably by forging alliances with local rulers in south India. From 1741

1344-453: The French royal court. The French court were in deep misery and were impotent to cover their debts caused due to War of Spanish Succession . Law approached the Crown with a scheme to construct a national bank and introduce paper currency, which would facilitate France's shift to credit economy. The company failed to found a successful colony on Madagascar , but was able to establish ports on

1400-702: The French under Joseph François Dupleix pursued an aggressive policy against both the Indians and the British until they ultimately were defeated by Robert Clive . Several Indian trading ports, including Pondichéry and Chandernagore , remained under French control until 1954. France's main rivalry came from the British . As a result of constant wars in Europe, notably the War of the Austrian Succession and

1456-528: The Jeerooburkhan brothers. This party has always received more than 40% of direct votes in general elections. Paul Bérenger was elected in Constituency No. 18 (Belle Rose and Quatre Bornes) at the December 1976 elections. The remaining 2 seats were secured by Independence Party (Labour-CAM) candidates James Burty david and Heeralall Bhugaloo. The general elections of 1976 turned out to be

1512-632: The Labour Party on a power-sharing deal whereby each party would nominate 30 candidates and, if successful in the election, would provide an equal number of Cabinet Ministers. Navin Ramgoolam would remain prime minister until a new constitution could be adopted to enhance the powers of the President , before resigning to make place for Bérenger to succeed him. This alliance lost the December 2014 elections , however, and Sir Aneerood Jugnauth, who had come out of retirement to lead Alliance Lepep (Alliance of

1568-581: The Legislative Assembly could vote on the matter, however, Jugnauth dissolved Parliament without any notice and called for new elections in August 1983 . At the August 1983 general elections Paul Bérenger stood as candidate of the MMM in Constituency No. 18 (Belle Rose and Quatre Bornes) . But this time he was not elected whilst his rivals Michael Glover , Anil Gayan and Raj Virahsawmy of the MSM-Labour coalition were elected in that constituency. Bérenger

1624-627: The MMM from the government and formed a new majority with the other parties. In January 1995 Bérenger and Jean Claude de L'Estrac resigned from parliament, triggering by-elections in Constituency No.19. Bérenger was elected under the banner of the Labour-MMM coalition. As a candidate of the Labour-MMM coalition Bérenger was elected in Constituency No. 19 (Stanley and Rose Hill) at the December 1995 elections, ahead of his running mates Siddick Chady and Jayen Cuttaree . This alliance won

1680-518: The People) was sworn in prime minister again, at the age of 84. In October 2019 Berenger went into the general elections with MMM not contracting any alliance with anyone. The MSM of Pravind Jugnauth won an overwhelming victory, although short of a three-quarter majority. Arvind Boolell of the Labour Party was appointed as leader of the opposition, as Navin Ramgoolam lost in his constituency. MMM managed to elect only nine MPs. Several petitions were lodged in

1736-518: The Supreme Court challenging the validity of the election results. In 1971 Bérenger narrowly escaped a murder attempt, whilst his assistant Azor Adelaide died soon after being shot by rival political activists on Chasteauneuf Street in Curepipe . Following the building fire at the head office of newspaper Le Mauricien on 11 June 1978, the MMM's propaganda paper Le Militant published

Mauritians of Indian origin - Misplaced Pages Continue

1792-539: The assets and papers of the East India Company. While its liquidation proceedings were being set up, directors of the company bribed various senior state officials to allow the company to carry out its own liquidation, rather than be supervised by the government. When this became known the following year, the resulting scandal led to the execution of key Montagnard deputies like Fabre d'Églantine and Joseph Delaunay , among others. The infighting sparked by

1848-462: The colony operated on a plantation economy . The French economy crashed drastically in 1721 due to Law's reforms. Following this event, the company again started trading and settling in India. The reorganized corporation resumed its operating independence in 1723. The company's interest in the Mughal Empire was to prove no easier. The French arrived at the Indian subcontinent decades after

1904-554: The community. Most Hindu celebrations are public holidays. Indian influence is felt in religion, cuisine and arts. Indian influence is also felt on music wherein the island has its own groups of Bhojpuri and Tamil bands. Indian films are also widely popular. Due to local demographic realities, the Indian caste system was not directly implemented in the Mauritian context. Football is the most popular sport amongst Mauritians . Vikash Dhorasoo , who played for French football team ,

1960-521: The company's debts and obligations, though holders of company stock and notes received only an estimated 15 percent of the face value of their investments by the end of corporate liquidation in 1790. The company was reconstituted in 1785 and issued 40,000 shares of stock, priced at 1,000 livres apiece. It was given monopoly on all trade with countries beyond the Cape of Good Hope for an agreed period of seven years. The agreement, however, did not anticipate

2016-681: The country and their inability to make legal reforms. Bérenger's acolyte Rajesh Bhagwan also joined in the exchange of verbal insults and Paul Bérenger's old nickname Requin moustache or Rekin Moustass (literally meaning "shark with a moustache") made headlines in the local press. Following an investigation by financier African Development Bank (ADB), Paul Bérenger was named as one of the recipients of bribes via local company PAD & Co. Ltd. on behalf of Danish firm Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor (BWSC), which won

2072-519: The detriment of the rest of the Mauritian population, especially the small planters. Bérenger formed part of the government at the time of the Illovo Deal, and his adviser and broker Jean-Mée Desvaux negotiated with Anerood Jugnauth at the latter's office in order for the elite Franco-Mauritian conglomerate to pocket Rs 6 Billion whilst the State would only receive Rs 3 Billion of the deal involving

2128-528: The elections to the Labour Party in 2005. He was the first and only non-Hindu prime minister. Paul Berenger remained Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius for three years and following the agreement, Anerood Jugnauth resigned in September 2003 after serving for three years. Berenger subsequently tried to run on his own but lost the 2005 elections to Ramgoolam's Labour Party Paul Berenger has been

2184-625: The episode also brought down Georges Danton and can be said to have led to the downfall of the Montagnards as a whole. Paul Berenger Paul Raymond Bérenger GCSK , MP (born 26 March 1945) is a Mauritian politician who was Prime Minister of Mauritius from 2003 to 2005. He has been Leader of the Opposition on several occasions – from 1983 to 1987, 1997 to 2000, 2005 to 2006, 2007 to 2013, October 2013 to 15 September 2014, and again from December 2014 to December 2016 when he

2240-516: The harbor of Port-Louis. Mauritius thus became the British colony's largest recipient of indentured migrants. Indentured labourers were mostly brought from the Bhojpuri speaking regions of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh , with a large number of Tamils , Telugus and Marathis amongst them. The descendants of these indentured labourers make up two-thirds of the island's current population. As free immigrants, these later arrivals were commonly employed by

2296-579: The leader of the opposition since 2007 after the MMM lost the general elections in 2005 to the Alliance Sociale coalition led by Dr Navin Ramgoolam . The MMM also lost the subsequent elections in 2010 . In January 2013, Berenger announced that he had tonsil cancer in a press conference, and let the population know of his plans for treatment in France and that Alan Ganoo was to lead the MMM during his absence. Overall he appeared in good spirits and

Mauritians of Indian origin - Misplaced Pages Continue

2352-729: The legislative changes of 1767 these Indian immigrants were allowed to start businesses, buy land and own slaves. Following the November 1810 British Invasion from the northern coast, the island came under British rule . With the liberation of about 65,000 African and Malagasy slaves after the 1833 abolition of slavery the Franco-Mauritian plantation owners and sugar oligarchs resorted to indentured labourers , or Coolies , from various parts of India to work in their fields. Between 1834 and 1920, nearly 700,000 Indian indentured laborers arrived at Aapravasi ghat, an embankment located in

2408-553: The nearby islands of Bourbon and Île-de-France (today's Réunion and Mauritius ). By 1719, it had established itself in India , but the firm was near bankruptcy . In the same year the Compagnie des Indes Orientales was merged under Law's direction with other French trading companies to form the Compagnie Perpétuelle des Indes . This merger resulted in the company being involved in importing slaves to Louisiana , as

2464-399: The official leader of the new MMM-PSM government (PM Anerood Jugnauth ) had alerted Indian PM Indira Gandhi of an imminent coup d'état, which would be led by his deputy prime minister Paul Bérenger. The 2001 Illovo Deal , which Bérenger labelled as mari deal (literally meaning "amazing deal") has been criticized to have favoured a small number of elite Franco-Mauritian capitalists, to

2520-779: The sale of more than 10,000 arpents of agricultural land. Prior to the Desvaux-Jugnauth meeting the Rs 6 Billion worth of land would have been acquired by the State (to be on sold and distributed to interested small planters). As Leader of the Opposition Paul Bérenger showed disrespect towards women when he publicly insulted Nita Deerpalsing during a session of the National Assembly in August 2008. In response to MP Nita Deerpalsing 's expression of support for then Attorney General Rama Valayden Bérenger commented rode ene mari pou li marié do! (meaning "go find her

2576-575: The same name founded Jean-Baptiste Colbert , though the first business was not a joint-stock company , and was funded by the French Crown. The seventeenth century saw several French efforts to trade with the East Indies. They were influenced by the successful business ventures of the Dutch East India Company . Between the 1630s and early 1660s, French efforts were smaller in scale, but they enjoyed some success. French merchant ships traversed

2632-524: The time, the Company was based on a mercantilist model of trade, and complemented a colonialist foreign policy. The initial capital of the revamped Compagnie des Indes Orientales was 15 million livres, divided into shares of 1000 livres apiece. Louis XIV funded the first 3 million livres of investment, against which losses in the first 10 years were to be charged. The initial stock offering quickly sold out, as courtiers of Louis XIV recognized that it

2688-517: Was alleged to be concerned by Le Mauricien' s adoption of the new offset printing technology which would strengthen Bérenger's MMM. Under cover of parliamentary immunity Bérenger further reiterated the accusations against the intelligence police, which led to a lengthy investigation and court appearances. Bérenger eventually has to publicly apologise for having blindly believed in Sheik Hossen's allegations. In 1982, although Anerood Jugnauth

2744-615: Was appointed Leader of the Opposition. At the June 1982 general elections Paul Bérenger was elected in Constituency No. 18 (Belle Rose and Quatre Bornes) at the top of the list as a candidate of the MMM-PSM coalition. His running mates Kailash Ruhee and Devanand Routho secured the remaining seats in that constituency. The MMM won all 60 directly elected seats in the Legislative Assembly (except for two seats allocated to Rodrigues Island ). Anerood Jugnauth became prime minister, Harish Boodhoo

2800-568: Was appointed as deputy prime minister. Bérenger became the Minister of Finance. In early 1983, Bérenger proposed a constitutional amendment removing the executive powers of the prime minister and entrusting them to the Cabinet collectively. In this he was supported by Harish Boodhoo , but Jugnauth strongly objected. Bérenger then sought a parliamentary motion of no confidence to have Jugnauth replaced as prime minister by Prem Nababsing . Before

2856-585: Was chartered by King Louis XIV for the purpose of trading in the Eastern Hemisphere . It resulted from the fusion of three earlier companies, the 1660 Compagnie de Chine , the Compagnie d'Orient and Compagnie de Madagascar. The first Director General for the Company was François de la Faye , who was adjoined by two Directors belonging to the two most successful trading organizations at that time: François Caron , who had spent 30 years working for

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2912-499: Was confident of a return to mainstream politics. Different sources relayed by the lexpress.mu website also announced the entry into politics of his son, Emmanuel Bérenger . Following his successful treatment for cancer, he returned to his position as Leader of the Opposition on 1 October 2013. After his party ended its coalition with the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), Bérenger negotiated an alliance with

2968-411: Was his superior in the hierarchy of the MMM and short-term government, Paul Bérenger snatched the microphone off Jugnauth at a public appearance. This incident infuriated the witnesses from within the party as it confirmed Bérenger's lack of respect for others as well as his unpredictable nature. In 1983 a military intervention in Mauritius by India, code named Operation Lal Dora , nearly occurred after

3024-674: Was in their interests to support the King's overseas initiative. The Compagnie des Indes Orientales was granted a 50-year monopoly on French trade in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, a region stretching from the Cape of Good Hope to the Straits of Magellan . The French monarch also granted the company a concession in perpetuity for the island of Madagascar, as well as any other territories it could conquer. The company possessed greater resources and better political banking than France's previous ventures in

3080-561: Was once again candidate of the MMM in Constituency No. 18 (Belle Rose and Quatre Bornes) but he was not elected. His rivals of the MSM-Labour coalition ( Michael Glover , Balkrishn Gokulsing and Raj Virahsawmy) were elected to the Legislative Assembly. At the August 1991 general elections Bérenger was elected to the Legislative Assembly under the MSM-MMM coalition in Constituency No. 19 (Stanley and Rose Hill) behind his running mates Jayen Cuttaree and Jean Claude de L'Estrac. On 18 August 1993, Jugnauth dismissed Bérenger and all Members of

3136-404: Was replaced by Xavier-Luc Duval . Following his party's defeat in the 2014 general elections , he became Leader of the Opposition for the sixth time, making him the longest ever to serve in this constitutional position. He was also deputy prime minister from 1995 to 1997 and again from 2000 to 2003, and he was a cabinet minister in the government of Anerood Jugnauth in 1982 and 1991. Bérenger,

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