No to Expat Mauritians
For quite some time now, a number of Mauritians who have settled in foreign countries have been claiming the right to vote in Mauritian elections from abroad. An association of these overseas Mauritians, called “Mauritians of the World” is also canvassing in that sense.
It is true that these people who have left the motherland for multiple reasons and pretexts in order to bask in the foreign sun and graze on greener pastures abroad, do often suffer from pangs of nostalgia about dear old Mauritius, especially when they find that the sun there is not worth basking in and that the grass is not really greener.
So they keep coming back to their birthplace to spend some time with family and friends and to enjoy the Mauritian sea and sun once again before flying back reluctantly. But I don’t think they should be allowed to meddle in the affairs of the country. For whatever reason they may have left, they are gone now, and that’s the way they should remain. It’s no longer their problem who rules the country.
They are not aware of the changing local conditions, they are no longer living the Mauritian reality. They can’t make a judicious choice, as their choice and judgment will be blurred by the same prejudices that they held while leaving the country. Their votes should not be allowed to influence the results of local elections
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I think that the author of this article is rather presumptuous to judge all ex- patriates and assume that the are all the same……….Many members of the diaspora have done exceedingly well and have sent considerable sums of money back home over the years and invested in the island’s economy………. Yes, in the vast majority of cases, the grass is definitely much greener on the other side. There is however one aspect which is called patriotism……..even on the island, people fondly talk of their forefathers who came from India, Africa etc. and they rightly cling to their culture and customs……….The majority of ex- patriates still feel that they are Mauritians through and through and they never cease to promote our island with their friends and contacts. It is therefore wrong to paint everybody with the same brush and treat them as undesirables. Personally i am not interested in voting in the forthcoming elections in Mauritius and politics in Mauritius does not mean anything to me. I am however outraged in the way the author of this article has portrayed anybody who have left the island to pursue their dream and ambitions. Good day to you,
Morisien.
what a shame for no voting right ,uk let its overseas citizen vote .what about all the mauritians who has been contributing to island economy from the time they left the islands and are still contributing in various ways .
da t you are wrong ! Under the Representation Of the People Act 2000 as amended, Commonwealth Citizens with leave to remain in the uk, British citizens with right of abode and Irish Citizens ( eire) are eligible to register for voting purposes in Uk parliamentary elections, local elections and European elections.. EU citizens residing in the UK are only allowed to vote in local elections, devolved parliament elections and european election.. Not everyone in britain can vote , for ex. a US citizen cannot vote here even he has a permanent right to remain in Britain!
John, I think that you misunderstood Da t’ comments…….i think that he really meant that all British citizens living abroad away from the british isles retain the right to vote ( they can vote by proxy), and the French have introduced internet voting for their citizens who are living in other countries. So there is an argument that the Mauritian government should allow all members of the diaspora to retain their rights to vote as they are still citizens of the Republic of Mauritius even if they do live in different countries.
ok Morisien, thank you for clarifying da t’s comments and i must say that is only fair and reasonable to lobby the mauritian government to allow mauritius citizens to vote in parliamentary elections. i totally agree with you on this issue and it is also true to argue that forbidding citizens of a nation to vote in a parliamentary election because they no longer live in the state should amount to a clear breach of their civil liberties or human rights… Mauritians have left their country island for a better future, for a decent education for their children and in search of a high quality of life. Leaving your country of birth and your family behind is a big hurdle which no amount of money can compensate and you are right to say that the author of this article has been judgmental and has failed in his duty to do ‘positive journalism’.
To both John and Morisien… As a matter of fact, the UK, is actually one of the few countries in Europe, who DO NOT allow their citizens to vote by proxy, should they have spent more than 15 years away from the UK… It is an archaic law, and is currently being challenged as being against European law, by various individuals. But yes, John, you’re correct that the UK allows “certain” foreigners to vote in its elections.
As to the author of this article, I think like others already, the view is somewhat one-sided, and he has neglected to mention how many Mauritians actually come back to settle definitively, after having spent some time abroad. This is especially the case of many high-powered executives, and others from different areas of industry, who thereafter bring back their know-how obtained from abroad.
Further, many Mauritians who leave the country to go abroad, still retain property interests in the country, amongst other things. So it goes without saying that they have every right to be heard, if they are still subject to Mauritian taxes and law.
On a final note, it is worth noting that the no-vote law for Mauritians settled abroad, is as is the case in the UK, an archaic law. In fact, as an ex-British colony, this law was probably derived from them in the UK in the first place. Unfortunately, we sometimes retain archaic laws, even when the colonisers themselves have already made changes to their system. A great example of this is the anti-abortion policy which prevails in Mauritius, derived from the Code Napoleon. However, if one looks at France today, all anti-abortion laws have been repealed.