Mauritius, 1969

2. Madam President, first let me join with other delegations and offer

you my warmest congratulations on your election to the

high office of President. I can say with pride that this is a

tribute to you, to your country and to the whole of Africa

which you have served with so much distinction and

devotion, without being unmindful of other nations of the

world. You are the second distinguished lady to assume this

high office and I am confident that your experience in

public affairs and your loyalty to the cause of freedom,

justice and world peace will be an asset in the deliberations

of this Assembly.

3. I should also like to express my grief and sorrow at the

death of the former President of this Assembly, Mr. Emilio

Arenales, to whom we will all remain indebted.

4. In a world of so much goodwill and understanding

where people can live in freedom, peace and plenty, it is a

paradox that in the Middle East, in Viet-Nam and in Africa

there are interminable conflicts bringing ruin and misery in

their trail to millions of innocent human beings. It is in the

interest of all nations that these conflicts come to a speedy

end. On the war in the Middle East my country abides by

the resolution of the Security Council, which provides a

sufficient basis for negotiations for an honourable settlement

between the United Arab Republic and Israel. As to

Viet-Nam, let us all hope and pray that better counsels will

prevail, putting an end to a most bitter and fratricidal war.

But peace in those regions cannot come by itself and the

big Powers like the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and

the United States of America should make fresh attempts

towards peace.

5. Mauritius, which has been a Member of the United

Nations for only about eighteen months, has pledged its

unreserved support to this world Organization in its efforts

to bring about freedom and justice among all nations.

6. It is felt at times that the United Nations is not doing

enough towards peace in the world or that it is moving too

slowly in that direction. No human venture can be faultless,

and one must not be over-critical. In all fairness, it would

be no exaggeration to say that if there had been no United

Nations twenty-four years ago the whole world might well

have been plunged into chaos.

7. I should like here to place on record the magnificent

work done by the Secretary-General, U Thant, who has

unceasingly striven to end all racial and political conflicts.

8. The Charter of the United Nations will stand in history

as a great monument of human endeavour. The twenty-fifth

anniversary of the United Nations next year should project

the message enshrined in the Charter and make more widely

known, especially to the younger generation, the numerous

activities of the United Nations and its family. All efforts in

that direction have been warmly supported in my country,

and it is our earnest hope that this increase of knowledge

everywhere will serve to open the eyes of many in this era

where interdependence is no longer a metaphysical concept,

but a reality. The objective of universality which is one of

the main goals of the Charter must not be overlooked, and

in the case of China, for instance, my delegation is of the

view that the Chinese mainland, represented by Peking,

should take its rightful place as a Member of the United

Nations, but not to the exclusion of Formosa, which also

has a right to life as an independent nation. That is why

Mauritius abstained on that issue at the twenty-third session

of the General Assembly [1724th meeting]. We feel that

both the mainland and Taiwan should be represented in the

United Nations. It is our hope that a solution will soon

emerge.

9. Madam President, the name of your country suggests

freedom and liberty. It is therefore fitting that you should

be in the chair at a time when we are preparing to celebrate

the tenth anniversary of General Assembly resolution

1514 (XV) embodying the Declaration on the Granting of

Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. Without

being over-critical of our friends who have been great

colonial Powers, we regret that there are many nations in

the world still under colonial rule with its degradation and

economic and social backwardness. Colonialism has always

been tied up with social injustice and racial discrimination,

which today has come to endanger world peace. The

concept of coexistence which in our country is a reality,

and which we have always advocated, does not seem to

have a place among many nations.

10. The apartheid régime of South Africa, for instance, is

repugnant to human dignity and can only foster hatred and

unrest. Man must be free and my country unreservedly

condemns any form of society that denies human beings

their basic rights. The illegal régime of Southern Rhodesia is

another glaring example which has deeply aroused the

conscience of the civilized world. Mandatory sanctions

which have been applied have not been encouraging because

the colonial Powers in the immediate neighbourhood have

refused to co-operate.

11. The case of the Territories under Portuguese administration

is another grave concern to Africa and there will

always be misery and loss of human lives as long as colonial

rule persists.

12. Still, in that same area where colonialism is fighting its

last stand, we have the case of Namibia, which used to be

called South West Africa. The responsibility of the United

Nations as a successor to the League of Nations cannot be

evaded, but it is also the duty of all of us here to lend our

support to end this trespass by South Africa so that

Namibians may finally breathe in freedom and peace.

13. These to my mind are the main currents of colonial

policies adopted by many Powers, Why do they not want to

withdraw gracefully from the territories they have occupied

for centuries? At times it was advanced by them that the

peoples of those territories were not ready to assume

independence; at other times it was said that those

territories were economically backward and not viable. On

either ground, they have forfeited their right to continue to

maintain their rule because after centuries of colonial rule

they have failed on all counts.

14. Colonial Powers should no longer invoke the principle

that the affairs of Territories under their rule are purely

their internal affairs. The time has passed for such a

concept; and they should voluntarily divest themselves of

their political rule without necessarily impairing their

cultural links.

15. It is our belief that the United Nations machinery

could help towards a smooth transition to freedom in those

countries, but new ways and means of doing so will have to

be found.

16. It might be suggested, for example, that the Trusteeship

Council, over which you have so ably presided, Madam

President, could be given a new form of life and invigoration.

Bringing these colonial Territories under the protective

wings of the Council and preparing them for their

independence would give to one of the principal organs of

the United Nations a new raison d étre.

17. We have always adhered to the principle of

self-determination, but we must not overlook the basic fact that

the exercise of this fundamental right must be free to be

effective and fruitful; for it is almost impossible for a slave

to vote for his own freedom. Colonial Powers, for the

preservation of their rule, divide the countries under their

jurisdiction horizontally and vertically, thus making a free

choice by the people a farce. Freedom is indivisible, to my

mind, and one does not vote for one’s freedom with a rope

around one’s neck. A nation should assume freedom

without any limitation.

18. I shall now turn to another subject which is of the

highest importance in this century, and we are grateful to

the delegation of Malta, an island like Mauritius, for raising

this question of the sea-bed and the ocean floor. The ocean

is a vast expanse and great patience and perseverence are

needed, since so many nations seem to have different views

on the subject: for instance, views range from 3 miles to

200 miles on the exact line of the ocean floor which lies

beyond the limits of territorial jurisdiction. The immense

potential of cheap nutritious food should be made available

to all nations in order to supplement their requirements.

The vast ocean bed should be exploited for the benefit of

all mankind, and not merely for the benefit of those Powers

that are in a position, either technologically or economically,

to exploit its abundant mineral, animal and vegetable

resources. It is also: to be remembered that the exploitation

of the sea-bed must be essentially for peaceful purposes,

and is not to be put to military purposes by great Powers.

I therefore appeal in a most earnest manner to the

industrialized Powers to lend their most co-operative support to

the progress of the work of the sea-bed Committee.

19. Linked with that is the question of human environment.

We are very grateful to Sweden for having brought

that very important problem into the limelight.

20. I now come to the problem of economic and social

development, which is preoccupying the minds of all

nations. The First United Nations Development Decade is

now almost over, and preparations for the second one are

under way. Mauritius welcomed the idea of last year’s

session of the General Assembly to set up a Preparatory

Committee for the Second United Nations Development

Decade [resolution 2411 (XXIII)] to elaborate a strategy

of development for that Decade, to be launched at the end

of next year. As a member of that Committee, Mauritius

has participated actively in its work, and very soon the first

interim report will be presented to the Assembly.

21. The First Decade has not fulfilled everyone’s aspirations

and it is to be hoped that the second one will bring us

nearer to the goal we all have in view. Otherwise, the

divisions between the third world, in which we belong, and

the rich countries wilt continue to increase. The gap

between the developed and the developing countries must

therefore be bridged at all costs, or at least considerably

reduced to avoid further frustration.

22. This is neither the place nor the moment to be

technical, but it might still be helpful at this stage to

remind the Assembly of a few basic problems facing the

developing countries. First of all, most of our economies

are based on trade in primary products. In the case of

Mauritius, it is cane sugar, of which we are one of the oldest

producers. Unless we obtain a better quota and a remunerative

price for our product, we cannot hope to survive.

This is also true of many other countries in many other

spheres. The need for commodity agreements therefore

made itself felt a few years ago, and developing nations will

welcome a stabilization of prices in order to plan their

economies ahead instead of relying on aids which at times

are not forthcoming.

23. Another serious problem confronting developing countries

like Mauritius is the demographic explosion, with

which is also associated large-scale unemployment. We

believe that the doors of countries which do not have

over-population problems and which, on the contrary, lack

manpower should be opened to emigrants from the

over-populated areas of the world. Population mobility

should be increased and must not be confined to a

particular race or colour.

24. Another need of the day is intensive diversification of

agriculture to provide additional employment to people

seeking work. The United Nations must undertake proper

economic and social surveys in order to determine the

available potential resources, both human and material; and

economic organizations such as the World Bank should

finance the implementation of such findings, for the

developing countries themselves are not in a position to

provide all the funds essential for their development. We all

know that developing countries, in their economic and

social development, find themselves in great difficulties in

the financing of their projects.

25. The World Bank is doing fine work, but its loans cover

only certain projects which it considers viable and which

would give sufficient returns; developmental projects therefore

become restricted because of the high rates of interest.

More soft loans are required to build up the infrastructures

or to carry out projects which can be productive only on a

long-term basis. It is unfortunate, however, that this kind of

financing suffers from a paucity of available funds. Richer

countries should therefore contribute more towards such

organizations as the International Development Association

so that more financial resources may be made available for

that category of projects.

26. On the whole, therefore, in the decade to come we

should expect from the developed countries more commitments

derived from a political will; in return, the

developing countries, including Mauritius, will be in a better

planning position to obtain the optimum results from their

natural resources. In this connexion we welcome the

statement made here by Mr. Maurice Schumann, Foreign

Minister of France [1763rd meeting], to the effect that the

percentage of the gross national product that the developed

countries have been devoting to development aid remains

insufficient.

27. There is another matter, relating to the younger

generation, which I feel it my duty to mention here. The

state of unrest among today’s youth is symptomatic of a

sense of frustration. During the twenty-third session of the

Assembly, Mauritius was one of the co-sponsors of a

resolution [2447 (XXIII)] requesting a study of the education

of youth, and recalling the Declaration on the

Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual

Respect and Understanding between Peoples [resolution

2037 (XX)]. The youth of today will be the leaders of

tomorrow. It is therefore the duty of all the States of the

world to help towards a fuller participation of young

people in the different spheres of society.

28. Those are some of the points which have occurred to

us and which we submit for consideration by the United

Nations. I am confident that in an atmosphere of better

understanding there will emerge more friendliness among

nations. We all, as Members of the United Nations, have a

duty to perform and we must all participate so as to

demonstrate clearly that human brotherhood is not a mere

phrase. The whole United Nations family, working in a

better spirit of co-operation, may then fulfil our most

earnest hope that the day will come when man will be one

and peace will prevail.