Mauritius: Conclusion

Updated 2000

Mauritius is a success story politically. The country has been faced with all the types of conflicts which have made nation building in many other SADC countries problematic. These include: ethnic, racial, religious, language and class conflicts. In the case of Mauritius, the prospect of "communalism" is detrimental to economic development since it is likely to cause violence and even civil war. And yet, Mauritius has a long record of democratic politics and in many ways, its political leaders are to be regarded for its political sophistication and maturity.

Describing the paradoxical mixture of stability and combativeness in Mauritius, Denis Venter (forthcoming) argues:

The combative nature of Mauritian politics results from the complexity of the country's society and the multiplicity of pressures that daily impinge on political leaders. These pressures arise naturally from the diversity of race, ethnicity, religion colour, caste and language. Despite this kaleidoscopic diversity or rather, because of it, serious strife and violence is remarkably absent from public life.

SADC countries have a great deal to learn from this experience.

Reference

VENTER, D FORTHCOMING "Elections in Mauritius", Electoral Information Digest, EISA.