LALIT Statement on the Chagos “Negotiations” Over Sovereignty – Something not negotiable
06.11.2022
Thursday, the British and Mauritian governments issued a statement that they are going to “negotiate” sovereignty. It seems not to be something one negotiates at all. And yet many are seeing this “negotiation” as a “victory”. Let us look at things more closely.
What was “obvious” from 1965-73, when the British colonizer connived with the USA to forcibly deport and banish Chagossians from these outlying islands of Mauritius and to abandon most of them quietly on the dockside in Port Louis on the main island of Mauritius, and what was “obvious” in 1968 when the UK detached the Chagos Archipelago from the rest of Mauritius as an illegal condition for Independence, has now finally at long last become “obvious” to “everyone”: The British do not own Chagos.
In fact, the British, as it happens, stole Chagos, and rented part of it, Diego Garcia, it to the “receivers of stolen goods”, the USA for their military base there.
Why is it only now that this crime becomes “obvious”? It was so clear all along. Except for the fact that “might is right” and “colonial might is very right”.
It should at least have been evident, as well as obvious, when the Chagossians won their first case in the year 2000 – you only had to read the judgment of the Law Lords. It should have become more obvious when the African union proposed an argued UN General Assembly resolution for the ICJ to statute on the issue. And more obvious still when the ICJ in a well-nigh unanimous opinion (only a UK judge did not agree) said that British Occupation in the whole of Chagos including Diego Garcia was illegal and must at once stop. Then, the UN General Assembly made it yet more “obvious” when it voted massively in favour of a total British withdrawal from Chagos, and its return to Mauritius within six months. The only support the UK and USA military occupiers could muster was embarrassing: Israel, Hungary and Australia. (Maldives had another issue, now being hopefully settled.) And if all that was not enough, the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea gave a legally binding judgment that Britain does not own Chagos.
And now, many suddenly see the “negotiations” Britain is offering as “victory”. No, what it is is the admission of defeat on the part of the British. But remember, might is still right. The admission of defeat is part of a new tack.
And, what is also happening right now is, if we do not mobilize to prevent it, perhaps the beginning of that bit of “defeat” that comes with most victories. Read carefully what the Prime Minister says: Mauritius and the UK have “decided to begin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.” So, Mauritius is going to “negotiate” the exercise of its sovereignty over its own territory. But what does the British Minister say in his statement? It looks the same but note the significant difference: “begin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)/Chagos Archipelago. The British have not even so much as relinquished the name BIOT!
Prime Minister Jugnauth goes on to say, and here we quote the identical phrases used by him and his counterpart, Mr. James Cleverly, the UK Minister: “Through negotiations, taking into account relevant legal proceedings, it is our intention to secure an agreement on the basis of international law to resolve all outstanding issues, including those relating to the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago.” After that, the identical statements get more murky, “This will allow Mauritius and the United Kingdom, as close Commonwealth partners, to work even more closely together to tackle the regional and global security challenges that face us all. We will seek to strengthen significantly our cooperation on Indian Ocean security, maritime security ... illegal migration, illegal fishing, drugs and arms trafficking”. This has the distinct ring of re-colonization to it. And to make the degree of defeat in our victory even more of a threat, they both add, “any agreement between our two countries will ensure the continued effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia, which plays a vital role in regional and global security. We recognize the United States’ and India’s interests and will keep them informed of progress.” So, the new military alliance between the USA and India is sealed into a deal to continue a military base over which Mauritius will have no sovereignty whatsoever, a military base that is a threat to peace, a military base that has already been used in at least two wars that were not in line with the international law that the Prime Minister refers to above, and that is in contravention to the Pelindaba Treaty for a Nuclear Arms Free Africa.
The struggle has been long, and it is not over. In LALIT, we want this military base, and all overseas military bases closed down. We want democratic control by the whole of the people over a united Mauritius, including Chagos, and a decentralized democracy so that Chagossians, like Rodriguans and Agaleans, can run their own parts of the country and also participate in the overall national politics.
We need at this point to remind people of all those who have contributed:
Organization Fraternel grouped around the Sylvio and Elie Michel.
The Chagos Refugees Group around Olivier Bancoult, and the late Aurelie Talate and Charlesia Alexis.
The Comite Social Chagosyin around the late Fernand Mandarin and Herve Lasemillante
LALIT
MMM which held big demonstrations until about 1980 and then its Port Louis branches for a few more years.
The MMMSP
Labour party in the UNCLOS victory and MSM Govt for the ICJ and UN General Assembly victories
Jugdish Koonjal at the UN
Rajsoomer Lallah who was legal advisory that helped Seychelles to retrieve Aldabra and other Seychelles Islands out of the BIOT
Cassam Uteem as President and former President
The common fronts Rann nu Diego (Chagos Refugee Group, Muvman Liberasyon Fam, LALIT and Alain Laridon), Komite Diego (Konfederasyon Travayer Sekter Prive (CTSP), MLF, Muvman pu Progre Ros Bwa, LALIT).
Trade unions over the years, including the GWF, FTU, MLC, CTSP, CITU, AWF and others.
Komite Morisyin Losean Indyin around Kishore Mundil; Comité National Soutien aux Ilois; CEDREFI including Pynee Chellapermal; Sahringon around Lindsay Morvan and Shyam Reedha
Journalists like Gerard Cateau, Henri Marimootoo who studied the Diego Files when the 50 years Official Secrets’ Act in the UK finally delivered the mendatious and duplicitous secrets of the British State, the constant work of Patrick Michel, have contributed to keeping the issue politically alive. Vel Kadarassen, L’Express photographer left a legacy of photos of the Chagossians’ struggles.
And the academic writer David Vine for his two major works, Island of Shame and Base Nation.
Musicians from the 1970’s onwards like Bam Cuttayen, Odile Chevraux, Mennwar, Rajni Lallah and Joelle Hoseiny and A4, Charlesia Alexis, Cassiya, Peros Verte, Ram Joganah, Zul Ramiah, Aurelie Talate, and many others have added an important dimension to the struggle.
Novels like Peter Benson’s A Lesser Dependency was an early example, and then other novels by one of the signatories of this article, Lindsey Collen, by Shenaz Patel and others, and more recently, Diego Garcia by Natasha Soobramanien and Luke Williams, and poetry and other art forms by Saradha Soobrayen.
Even visual artists have concentrated on Diego Garcia and the fate of Chagos. Krishna Luchoomun had a memorable installation of a larger-than-life American soldier resembling then US President Barack Obama standing boots-and-all on Diego Garcia, and Jean-Claude Baissac created a haunting painting of the spirits that haunt Diego Garcia – to name just two. And there is a bust of Aurelie (Lisette) Talate sculpted by Emmanuel Richon. And films, including the brilliant The Islands are Closed by Paedar King and Stealing a Nation by John Pilger.
Lalit kontinye!
Ragini Kistnasamy and Lindsey Collen
for LALIT
