SPEECH FOR NATIONAL DAY 2014
Mr William Fisher, First Assistant Secretary – Middle East and Africa
Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Mr Sridhar Ayyalaraju, Deputy Chief of Protocol
Your Excellency, Mr Pedro Delgado, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps
Excellencies
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
I wish to extend a warm welcome to you all to the celebration of
the 46th Anniversary of the Independence and the 22nd Anniversary
of the Republic of Mauritius. On 12th March 1968, the Mauritian
nation was born. It is the time to recall the hard struggle by our
forefathers that led to independence and how they gathered under
the leadership of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the Father of the
Nation, and many others.
Today, the country inherits a cultural mosaic which, though
constituted from fragments of diverse origins is held together with
understanding, mutual respect and tolerance. Mauritius is a
vibrant democracy and is recognised internationally for its
continuity of government, rule of law, political, social and economic
stability.
On the economic front, Mauritius offers a transparent rule-based
and cost effective business environment, integrated in a
development model centred on achieving greater openness and
geared towards global competitiveness. For the past decade, the
country has undertaken bold and fundamental reforms to secure a
world-class doing business environment and to open up economy
to foreign capital, talents, expertise and ideas.
Today Mauritius is extensively investing in its development. A new
airport has been constructed and Government is now also focusing
on making Port-Louis the largest port of the Indian Ocean region.
Renewable energy and marine biotechnology are also areas where
we are interested.
Right from the start, it was important to put Mauritius on the world
map and the diplomatic efforts undertaken helped in the process.
Relations between Mauritius and Australia go back a long way.
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 17 November
1970 and the Mauritius High Commission was opened in Canberra
on 4 July 1977. Australia opened its Mission in Mauritius in 1984.
Our relations and cooperation, in fact, date back to much earlier as
a result of our common membership to the Commonwealth and
other International Organisations.
Mauritius and Australia have developed, over the years, a strong
bilateral relationship built on the foundations of friendship and
shared values, including democracy, the rule of law and respect for
human rights. We look forward to continue to interact and work
closely in international and regional fora, particularly the United
Nations, the Commonwealth and the Indian Ocean Rim Association
(IORA) on issues of common interest.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Mauritius and Australia have worked closely in various fields
including security, agriculture and education. Our interaction is
based on a strong people-to-people links. We were delighted to
receive the visit of two Parliamentary Secretaries from Australia
last year.
Mauritius is proud to be one of the ten countries where an
Australian Awards Alumni Ambassador has been appointed in
2013. Since 2010, more than 79 Mauritians have benefited from the
Australian Awards which are prestigious scholarships and
fellowships offered by the Australian Government. According to
reliable sources, in 2013, around 2000 Mauritian students enrolled
in the Australian education institutions.
The signing of two Memoranda of Understanding between the
University of Mauritius and the Canberra Institute of Technology
and the Open University of Mauritius with the Charles Sturt
University have added another dimension to our relations. It will
prepare and equip the future generation of the skills and expertise
required to advance the interest of their country.
Distinguished Guests
The Indian Ocean region is undergoing profound transformation. In
this perspective, we value Australia’s active engagement with
countries in the region. We also welcome Australia’s commitment
to engage more closely with Africa.
The Indian Ocean rim grouping was started some 17 years ago with
seven members. Today, the Indian Ocean Rim Association
comprises of 20 members. The Indian Ocean Rim has the potential
to be one of the highest growth regions, bringing together some of
the world’s most dynamic economies.
At a workshop, jointly organised by Singapore and the Indian
Ocean Rim Association in Mauritius on 5 March 2014, Dr the Hon.
Arvin Boolell, Minister of Foreign Affairs , Regional Integration and
International Trade, emphasized the strategic importance of the
Indian Ocean, bordered by three continents and connecting the
Middle East, Africa and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. He
further stated that about two-thirds of the petroleum products
worldwide and more than half of the traffic of containers pass
through the Indian Ocean.
This Indian Ocean region is also rich in minerals and other natural
precious resources. It contains 40% of reserves of petroleum and
world gas. Countries in the region of the Indian Ocean, with a
population of over 2 billion people, represent some 10% of GDP
and 11.6% of global trade.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
This year we celebrate the International Year of Small Island
Developing States. In December 2012, the United Nations General
Assembly decided to mobilise international interest on the
uniqueness of Small Island Developing States and to build up
momentum as we approach the Third International Conference on
Small Island Developing States scheduled to be held from 1st to 4th
September 2014 in Apia, Samoa.
This is the first time that such a group of countries is given such
recognition as to have an international year. We hope that SIDS
will receive the strong support and commitment from the
international community and our development partners for their
sustainable development.
As a small island striving to become a High-Income Country,
Mauritius is conscious of the many hurdles on the way due to its
unique developmental challenges. Twenty-two years have already
gone by since the “special case for environment and development”
of SIDS was first acknowledged at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992.
Although some progress has been achieved, yet gaps still remain in
achieving the full implementation of the Barbados Programme of
Action and the Mauritius Strategy for implementation. It is now
opportune to meet our challenges through a more coherent,
coordinated and collaborative approach to sustainable
development.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Mauritius, endowed with 2.3 million square kilometres of oceanic
territory, is in need of strong partners to address matters as
development of the knowledge base of our oceans, surveillance
and enforcement with regards to Illegal, Unreported and
Unregulated fishing, and technology transfer.
As an Island State, our social and economic development is
inextricably linked to the sustainable management and use of
coastal and marine resources whose contribution to the
enhancement of our livelihood, well-being, and survival should be
emphasized. From a SIDS perspective, the Ocean is an issue that
clearly cuts across the economic, social and environmental
dimensions of their sustainable development objectives. This is an
area in which we intend seeking the expertise of Australia and
explore the potential avenues of ocean development.
Distinguished Guests
Before concluding, I would like to seize this opportunity to thank
the Australian Authorities, especially the Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, for their valuable support and continued
assistance. Since my appointment as High Commissioner of
Mauritius to Australia, we have been working closely with a view of
reinforcing and strengthening the friendly bilateral relations that
exist between Australia and Mauritius.
Allow me now to address my fellow Mauritian nationals in a few
words in French and Creole.
Notre force reside dans l’unite qui nous unit au-dela des frontieres.
La communaute mauricienne est bien integree a celle d’Australie et
mon message est:
Soyez toujours les ambassadeurs de l’Ile Maurice, n’oubliez jamais
vos racines et preservez votre culture. Je sais que Maurice peut
compter sur le soutien de la diaspora mauricienne pour contribuer
au developpement continue de notre pays. Nou ti l’Ile Maurice li
unique, li exceptionnel et li vibrant dans nou le Coeur.
Merci zot tou qui fine fer l’effort assister ca celebration malgre zot
emploie du temps bien charge.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
I thank you for your attention.