Misplaced Pages

#488511

44-511: The BLS was strongly advocated by Comité d'Action Musulman (CAM) leader Abdool Razack Mohamed after none of the 6 Muslim candidates, including himself, was elected at the 1948 general elections. Mohamed was supported by Labour Party's Seewoosagur Ramgoolam and IFB's Sookdeo Bissoondoyal during his lobby for the BLS. Depite having been devised for ensuring ethnoreligious representation in Parliament,

88-423: A 1955 public meeting he warned that Muslims would not be used as a stepping stone to further other politicians' objectives especially on the growing issue of independence from colonial Britain. The local press reported that Mohamed believed that "Muslims do not want an independence whereby we will all be dominated by Ramgoolam". Koenig changed the name of his Union Mauricienne to Ralliement Mauricien shortly before

132-703: A formula for safeguarding the interests of minority groups in the Legislative Assembly. This formula became known as the Best Loser System which has now survived for several decades. The CAM became part of the coalition called Independence Party which held office after the August 1967 elections in preparation for independence from Great Britain in March 1968 despite the deadly January 1968 Mauritian riots and State of Emergency. The Independence Party consisted of

176-577: A recount of votes after Mohamed was elected ahead of Bhujoharry by one vote in Port-Louis. This was soon followed by the white lobby to oust him from the executive committee of Koenig's Union Mauricienne as well as the denial of a nomineeship in the Executive Council. The white Franco-Mauritian elite chose Osman instead of Mohamed. Finally Koenig's party rejected Abdool Razack's request for a separate electoral roll and reserved seats for Muslims. In 1953

220-595: A result during the 1959 general elections 5 Muslims were elected and Abdool Razack received the credit for this achievement. In 1959 he was appointed to his first ministerial position (Minister of Housing). Following the 1960 visit by Secretary of State Ian Macleod to the island of Mauritius Abdool Razack became aware of the inevitability of independence. Thus changes in the Constitution and electoral system were bound to occur and would once again affect Muslims' representation. The 1965 Constitutional Conference Report outlined

264-450: A result, during the 1959 general elections 5 Muslims were elected and Abdool Razack received the credit for this achievement. He had earlier made history by becoming the first ever Muslim to be elected to Legislative Council at the 1953 elections. In 1959 he was appointed to his first ministerial position (Minister of Housing). Following the 1960 visit by Secretary of State Ian Macleod to the island of Mauritius Abdool Razack became aware of

308-514: A separate electoral roll and reserved seats for Muslims. Groups of Muslims published letters in the press to urge A.R. Mohamed to return to the Labour party. But Mohamed was reluctant to do so due to the presence of his arch-rival Edgar Millien and other factors. Thus in 1959 Abdool Razack Mohamed founded his own party called Comité d'Action Musulman ( CAM ). Soon afterwards the CAM contracted an alliance with

352-470: A stepping stone to further other politicians' objectives especially on the growing issue of independence from colonial England. The local press reported that Mohamed believed that "Muslims do not want an independence whereby we will all be dominated by Ramgoolam". He was nominated for the first time to the Legislative Council in 1953 as a member of the party "Ralliement Mauricien" of Jules Koenig in

396-758: Is a lawyer who was elected for one term (1976 to 1979) to the National Assembly where he served as minister. Yousuf was also Ambassador in Egypt. Abdool Razack's grandson Shakeel Mohamed is also a lawyer who has been MP who served as minister from 2010 to 2014. Abdool Razack Mohamed died in Rose Hill on 8 May 1978. During a business trip to Colombia Abdool Razack met Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui whom he invited to Mauritius in 1938. By 1939 Maulana Siddiqui had migrated to Mauritius and he advised Abdool Razack to get involved in local politics. His initial entry in politics in 1940

440-503: The 1953 elections . In 1953 A.R. Mohamed was nominated for the first time to the Legislative Council as a member of Koenig's new Ralliement Mauricien in Port Louis as fourth member, behind the 3 elected Labour Party candidates. He thus became the first ever Muslim to enter the Legislative Council. However A.R. Mohamed was not welcome within Koenig's Union Mauricienne . Indeed shortly after

484-695: The Comité d'Action Musulman or Comité d'Action Mauricien ( CAM ) was a political party in Mauritius . The CAM was founded by Sir Abdool Razack Mohamed in February 1959 in preparation for the March 1959 General Elections . In the early 1950s Abdool Razack Mohamed distanced himself from the Labour Party and became part of the Jules Koenig 's Union Mauricienne (UM) which was founded in 1953. Koenig's UM claimed to be

SECTION 10

#1733084834489

528-737: The Union Mauricienne rebranded itself as Ralliement Mauricien and a few months later it was changed to Parti Mauricien which Gaetan Duval later changed to PMSD . Although Mohamed had already decided to quit politics a series of letters written by groups of Muslims appeared in the press to urge him to return to his past ally the Labour party. But Mohamed refused to do so directly given that he believed that Labour Party members were dishonest and because he refused to work with his arch-rival Edgar Millien whom he had described as an opportunist. Thus in 1959 Abdool Razack Mohamed founded his own party called Comité d'Action Musulman ( CAM ). Soon afterwards

572-407: The 1950s Abdool Razack switched his allegiance away from the Labour Party and joined the bandwagon of the new Ralliement Mauricien which was formed in 1953 by Jules Koenig . In one of his public meetings he explained that minorities such as Muslims would be better protected from the growing threat of Hindu hegemony especially with the impending constitutional changes. Given that Ralliement Mauricien

616-616: The 1953 elections Koenig's party endorsed their defeated candidate's Alex Bhujoharry's protest for a recount of votes after Mohamed was elected ahead of Bhujoharry by 5 votes in Port-Louis. This was soon followed by the white lobby to oust A.R. Mohamed from the Executive Committee of Koenig's Union Mauricienne . The white Franco-Mauritian elite within UM also denied his nomineeship to the Executive Council and chose Osman instead of Mohamed. Finally Koenig's party rejected Abdool Razack's request for

660-683: The 1987 General Elections: There were 8 Best Losers who were nominated after the 1983 General Elections: There were 4 Best Losers were eventually nominated to the Legislative Assembly by the Electoral Commission although victorious party MMM had seriously considered the abolition of the Best Loser system: Following the 1976 General Elections the Best Losers included the following candidates who had not been elected: Muslim Committee of Action The Muslim Committee of Action , also known as

704-559: The 3 main parties Parti Travailliste (PTr) , Independent Forward Bloc (IFB) and the CAM . This coalition campaigned against the PMSD and a few other minor parties which were opposed to the concept of an independent Mauritius. From 1967 to 1976 Sir Abdool Razack Mohamed served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Security. In 1978 a high school located at La Poudrière Street in Port Louis

748-516: The Best Loser System has at three occasions allowed the existence of a parliamentary opposition, namely in 1982 , 1995 and 2024 when none of the elected members were from the opposition. The island's Constitution provides for 8 additional seats (often called "Best Loser" or "Correctional" seats) to prevent under-representation of minority ethnic groups. The methodology is applied by the Office of

792-591: The Best loser system less divisive. However, if adopted on a large scale, such practice would distort the allocation of seats, further undermining the representation of minorities. 8 Best Losers were nominated to the National Assembly by the Electoral Commissioner following the 2005 General Elections as the Labour-PMSD coalition headed the new government: 8 Best Losers were nominated by the Electoral Commission after

836-472: The CAM became part of the coalition called Independence Party which held office after the August 1967 elections in preparation for independence from Great Britain in March 1968 despite the deadly January 1968 Mauritian riots and State of Emergency. The Independence Party consisted of the 3 main parties Parti Travailliste (PTr) , Independent Forward Bloc (IFB) and the CAM. This coalition campaigned against

880-421: The CAM contracted an alliance with the Labour Party. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam even attended the first meeting of the new CAM which was held in February 1959 at Plaine Verte. Within the Labour Party the alliance was well accepted as Edgar Millien had started to distance himself from the Labour Party. Besides Renganaden Seeneevassen and Guy Rozemont had already died. Earlier in 1956 Seeneevassen had successfully lobbied

924-551: The Constitution set up by governor Donald Mackenzie-Kennedy he proposed a new electoral system which would allocate at least 50% of the seats in the Council of Government to the Indo-Mauritians. The Constitution of 1882 was still in force and made it almost impossible for any Indo-Mauritian to be elected by votes. Although he was a candidate at the 1948 elections he was not elected in the electoral district of Port Louis. However, by

SECTION 20

#1733084834489

968-445: The Electoral Commission after the proclamation of detailed results of each General Election. The Electoral Commission divides the electorate into four communities: Hindus, Muslims, Sino-Mauritians and the general population. The latter is made up of voters who do not belong to the first three, including Mauritian Creoles , Mulattos and Franco-Mauritians . The main steps are described as follows: Only 4 Best Losers were nominated by

1012-537: The Electoral Commission that Michael Sik Yuen had identified himself as belonging to Population Générale instead of Sino-Mauricien during the nomination phase of these elections. He later justified his decision by claiming that the Best Loser System is too divisive and that it hinders the unification of the Mauritian nation. In 2014 a new party Rassemblement Citoyen pour la Patrie advertised that all its candidates would identify as to Population Générale in order to make

1056-457: The Electoral Commissioner (Irfan Rahman) to the following candidates who had not been elected: Following the 2010 General Elections the Labour-MSM-PMSD coalition came to power and the Electoral Commission nominated 7 Best Losers who had not been elected: Soon after his 2010 nomination as a Best Loser , as well as Minister of Commerce, Cooperatives and Consumer Protection, it was revealed by

1100-516: The Electoral Commissioner after the November 2024 General Elections when Alliance du Changement coalition came to power: Following the November 2019 General Elections the Electoral Commissioner (Irfan Rahman) published the list of Best Losers which consisted of the following: There were 7 Best Losers who were nominated as a result of the December 2014 General Elections . These seats were allocated by

1144-629: The Keith-Lucas commission to investigate allegations of fraud during the Mohamed's tenure as Lord Mayor in 1953. Indeed there had been serious allegations of fraud during the 1953 municipal elections in Port-Louis which resulted in Abdool Razack's election to office. Despite the CAM's alliance with the Labour Party Mohamed persisted with his demand for a separate electoral roll and reserved seats for

1188-544: The Labour Party and the IFB gathered 61.5% of the votes. The report did not give weight to the indecisiveness of the CAM on the issue of independence. The CAM gathered politician J. Ah Chuen's support to ensure that the Secretary of State developed a formula for safeguarding the interests of minority groups in the Legislative Assembly. This formula became known as the "Best Loser" system which has now survived for several decades. In 1967

1232-413: The Labour Party. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam even attended the first meeting of the new CAM which was held in February 1959 at Plaine Verte. Within the Labour Party the alliance was well accepted as Edgar Millien had started to distance himself from the Labour Party. Besides Renganaden Seeneevassen and Guy Rozemont had already died. Earlier in 1956 Seeneevassen had successfully lobbied the government to instigate

1276-630: The Muslims. His approach had been shaped by the All India Muslim League' s strategy of the 1950s which successfully weakened the rising Indian nationalism. Mohamed's approach had the unexpected outcome of arousing communal passions within other communities as other politicians decided to adopt Abdool Razack's communal partitioning approach. The 1957 London Agreement split the Indo-Mauritians into 2 distinct communities: Indo-Mauritian Hindus and Indo-Mauritian Muslims . The Indo-Mauritian Muslim community

1320-579: The Muslims. His approach had been shaped by the All India Muslim League's strategy of the 1950s which successfully weakened the rising Indian nationalism. Mohamed's approach had the unexpected outcome of arousing communal passions within other communities as other politicians decided to adopt Abdool Razack's communal partitioning approach. The 1957 London Agreement split the Indo-Mauritians into 2 distinct communities: Indo-Mauritian Hindus and Indo-Mauritian Muslims . The Indo-Mauritian Muslim community

1364-411: The PMSD and a few other minor parties which were opposed to the concept of an independent Mauritius. In 1976 the CAM suffered electoral defeat in its main constituencies as newer party Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM) rose in popularity. Abdool Razack Mohamed Sir Abdool Razack Mohamed ( Urdu : عبد الرزاق محمد ; 1 August 1906 – 8 May 1978) was an Indian-born former senior minister in

Best Loser System - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-556: The age of 3, Zohra and Salma. In 1932 Abdool Razack married a Creole named Ghislaine Ducasse whom he had met at dance lessons. Ghislaine changed her name to Zainab and gave birth to 6 children (Yousuf, Fatma, Abdul Rahim, Aisha, Abdul Rashid and Ismaël). Before his entry into politics he became a well known businessman and trader in Quatre Bornes . One of his daughters was Aamna who married in Calcutta, Abdool Razack's son Yousuf Mohamed

1452-427: The electoral district of Port Louis as fourth member, and where 3 Labour Party candidates ( Guy Rozemont , Renganaden Seeneevassen and Edgar Millien ) had been elected with the highest number of votes. However Abdool Razack quickly came to realise that he was not welcome even within Koenig's Union Mauricienne , epitomised by an incident whereby the party endorsed his rival and colleague Alex Bhujoharry's protest for

1496-433: The government to instigate the Keith-Lucas commission to investigate allegations of fraud during the Mohamed's tenure as Lord Mayor in 1953. Indeed, there had been serious allegations of fraud during the 1953 municipal elections in Port-Louis which resulted in Abdool Razack's election to office. Despite the CAM's alliance with the Labour Party Mohamed persisted with his demand for a separate electoral roll and reserved seats for

1540-499: The inevitability of independence. Thus changes in the Constitution and electoral system were bound to occur and would once again affect Muslims' representation. The 1965 Constitutional Conference Report outlined the positions of the parties present at Lancaster House and stated that the only 2 parties advocating immediate independence were the Labour Party and Sookdeo Bissoondoyal 's Independent Forward Bloc (IFB). The Secretary of State Anthony Greenwood declared that Mauritius had reached

1584-460: The positions of the parties present at Lancaster House and stated that the only 2 parties advocating immediate independence were the Labour Party and Sookdeo Bissoondoyal 's Independent Forward Bloc ( IFB ). The Secretary of State Anthony Greenwood declared that Mauritius had reached the ultimate status for independence and that the 1963 general elections had already been an indicator of the overwhelming support of independence given that when combined

1628-552: The pre and post-independence cabinet of Mauritius . Abdool Razack Mohamed was born in a wealthy mercantile Memon family in Calcutta , British India in 1906. His father Khan Bahadur Hadji Zackariah Mohamed was involved in the import and export trade of sugar. Abdool Razack migrated to Mauritius where he arrived on 16 November 1928 at the age of 22. He returned to Calcutta where he married Mariam before returning to Mauritius. Mariam gave birth to 4 children (Amina, Zackariah who died at

1672-584: The roadblock which would prevent minorities from being swamped away by the Hindu majority. Thus Mohamed explained that minorities such as Muslims would be better protected from Hindu hegemony by Koenig's party, especially with the impending constitutional changes by the British administration. On the UM's platform Mohamed criticised the Labour Party and especially its emerging leader Dr. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam . Mohamed openly accused Ramgoolam of supporting Hindu nationalists. At

1716-421: The ultimate status for independence and that the 1963 general elections had already been an indicator of the overwhelming support of independence given that when combined the Labour Party and the IFB gathered 61.5% of the votes. The report did not give weight to the indecisiveness of the CAM on the issue of independence. The CAM gathered politician J. Ah Chuen's support to ensure that the Secretary of State developed

1760-530: The victory of the MSM-MMM coalition. 2 of these nominees (Yerrigadoo and Ramdass) were Hindus but from minority Telugu and Tamil communities: Only 4 Best Losers were nominated after the 1995 General Elections when the Labour-MMM coalition came to power: There were 4 Best Losers who were nominated after the 1991 General Elections as the MSM-MMM coalition came to power: There were 8 Best Losers who were nominated after

1804-491: Was claiming to be a national roadblock to prevent minorities from being swamped away, Mohamed devoted himself entirely to Jules Koenig's cause. Using the Ralliement Mauricien 's platform Abdool Razack attacked the Labour Party and especially its emerging leader Dr. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam . Mohamed openly accused Ramgoolam of supporting Hindu nationalists. At a 1955 public meeting he warned that Muslims would not be used as

Best Loser System - Misplaced Pages Continue

1848-400: Was not successful. But in 1946 Abdool Razack Mohamed was elected as a municipal councillor of Port Louis as an independent. He was then elected as Lord Mayor of Port Louis in 1949, 1953 and 1956. In the early 1940s he championed the cause of all Indo-Mauritians both Muslims and Hindus as most of them were not allowed to vote until 1948. At the 1945 consultative committee for the revision of

1892-454: Was thus recognised as distinct section of the population. The Trustram Eve's Electoral Boundary Commission (EBC) introduced a new electoral system and a re-zoning of constituencies in 1959. The EBC facilitated the election of Muslims in some constituencies without having to rely on other communities anymore. Trustam Eve thus enabled Mohamed to position himself as the leader of the Muslim community. As

1936-405: Was thus recognised as distinct section of the population. The Trustram Eve's Electoral Boundary Commission (EBC) introduced a new electoral system and a re-zoning of constituencies in 1959. The EBC facilitated the election of Muslims in some constituencies without having to rely on other communities anymore. Trustam Eve thus enabled Mohamed to position himself as the leader of the Muslim community. As

#488511