After a six-month absence, bogged down by the FCC’s investigation on the seizure of Rs 113.8 million in foreign currency from Josian Deelawon and Chandradeo Oomah on February 15, the former Prime Minister, used the Chagos deal for a come back on the political scene. He declared that if he were Prime Minister, he would not have signed the new deal on the Chagos archipelago. For him, the agreement that has just been signed has several disadvantages for the Mauritian state and the Chagossian people. “After going through the new agreement, I was saddened to see that the government of Mauritius did not negotiate in the interest of the republic. They have destroyed the good work we have done. Zot pe koz manti”, he says.
The Attorney General has replied by stating that “The treaty guarantees Mauritian sovereignty over the whole of the Chagos (article 1), as well as the right of return of the Chagossians to the islands of the archipelago, with the exception of Diego Garcia (article 6). As a sovereign state, Mauritius is free to enter into international commitments, in compliance with international law and in accordance with its objectives. It is within this framework that Mauritius has chosen to ensure that any development in the Chagos takes into account the security imperatives linked to the Anglo-American military base.Any suggestion that the right of return is threatened or that sovereignty is incomplete can only be interpreted in bad faith.”
Both the current and previous governments played an essential role in the process of asserting Mauritius' sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.
The arguments of PJ on inflation indexation, on US dollars as the choice of currency instead of GBP, and other petty matters do not hold. His main contention relates to a trade off between sovereignty on Diego and the rest of the islands. It seems that NCR succeeded in reclaiming fuller sovereignty over Diego than under PJ’s negotiations, but with less leeway on the surrounding islands of the Chagos archipelago.
In the absence of PJ’s negotiated agreement, a rigorous comparison of the two agreements is not possible. And, it is hard to deny that, whichever way, our sovereignty over Chagos remains constrained.
A key outcome is also that Mts is now perceived as an effective ally of western powers under the terms of the Chagos deal, which emphasizes “the importance of protecting international peace and security, including by ensuring the long-term, secure and effective operation of the Base on Diego Garcia”, and calls for a close bilateral relationship to enhance “the security of our nations and the wider Indian Ocean region”. .
Can Mauritius’s diplomatic skills reassure everyone that it will not become a pawn for military adventurism but rather a shared opportunity for peaceful development?
Some are of the opinion that “the ideal strategy is to emulate the savvy diplomacy of a country like the Seychelles – maintaining friendly ties with India, China, the US and Europe, and attracting development projects from all’
Indeed, Mauritius’s geopolitical position offers both opportunities and risks. While it can benefit from its newfound strategic importance and economic leverage, it also faces the potential to be manipulated by major powers seeking to advance their own interests.
Mauritius can leverage the Chagos deal to garner substantial support from the US for strengthening its development, through investments and other avenues for advancing shared economic interests. In essence, geopolitical capital can be converted into economic capital, while Mauritius remains adroit and non-aligned enough to do business with all major players.
Some international commentators believe that “ A successful leverage of the Chagos Islands’ return – through prudent diplomacy and targeted investment promotion – could see Mauritius evolve from a regional gateway into a veritable powerbroker of the Indian Ocean, where capital and ideas from East and West intersect. The world’s investors will be watching closely as this new chapter unfolds, portfolio spreadsheets at the ready. Mauritius must now show that it can convert its hard-won sovereignty into tangible prosperity, anchoring itself as a key node in the global investment map”
This will determine whether the Chagos reunification becomes a developmental boon or just a historical footnote !
