LALIT submits Document to Constitutional Review Commission
27.10.2026
Today LALIT submitted its 40-page document to the Constitutional Review Commission. The Commission was set up to look into human rights and democratic accountability issues in the Constitution. The LALIT document was prepared by a dozen of our LALIT members in four groups, over the course of the past two months, and is divided into the following Sections:
- Historical Introduction of struggles for human rights
- Decolonization and Sovereignty
- Democratic control over land and water rights, capital accumulated from past labour, and finance.
- Social and Economic Emancipation
- Political Emancipation
- Democratic Accountability
- Conclusion on relationship between political struggle and a Constitution
The Commission consists of the following people: Former Judge Vinod Boolell presiding, Former Judge Ah Foon Chui Yew Cheong, as Vice President, and then as members, Barrister Yanilla Moonshiram, former DPP Satyajit Boolell, academics Dr Amar Roopanand Mahadew, Dr Jonathan Ravat, Dr Milan J.N. Meetarbhan, Dr Amenah Jahangeer Chojoo and Mr Joel Edouard, Barristers Anne-Sophie Julienne and Ms Danisha Sornum. Many of the people on the Commission have a philosophical bent, as oopposed to a bureaucratic one, which is good.
LALIT’s contribution to the Commission is the result of years of participating in struggles on all fronts, many of them with successful outcomes. Today, this Commission is meeting at a moment after riots and pillage following water and police violence confrontations, when price rises are terrifying and peoples’ living standards have been made fragile by the simultaneous attack on pensions and cutting of the CSG payments to low income workers. Internationally, there are three major wars against a backdrop of the decline of the American, and whole of the Western, Empire reduced to aggression as it lashes out against its fall. All over Europe, starting in France, and moving on to Spain, Portugal, Italy and Albania, massive street demonstrations against cuts in social spending take place. All this to say just how important it is that the Commission proposes that Government maximize the protection of human rights and democratic accountability, because, as we put it in the heading to our Document submitted to the Commission:
“Whereas it is essential,
if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort,
to rebellion against tyranny and oppression,
that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,”
– Quote from the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights Preamble (1948)
Our entire document is available on our website at www.lalitmauritius.org
in the “Documents” Section (on a mobile phone, just click on the triple-horizontal-bars that gives a menu.
