POLITICAL VOICES

Cassam Uteem

President of Mauritius (1992-2002), Member of Club de Madrid

Cassam Uteem is the longest serving President of Mauritius, having served for nine years.

As a youth leader and social worker he was involved in local community work and in the struggle for the Independence of Mauritius. In the early seventies, he joined the leftist political party the Militant Movement of Mauritius (MMM) where he rose to become its deputy-leader. Mr Uteem was nominated to his first formal leadership position in politics in 1969 when he was elected at the Municipal Elections to serve as Councillor of the City of Port Louis. He remained in this position for several years and became the city’s Lord Mayor in 1986.

In July 1992 Mr Uteem was elected President of the Republic of Mauritius, and was re-elected in 1997 for a second 5-year term. He resigned from this post in February 2002 after refusing to give his assent to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).

Action

Uteem is closely associated with the Chagos Refugee Group and the Chagossian community (who were forcibly removed from their islands to make room for an American Military Base in Diego Garcia), helping them in their struggle for their right of return to their native islands and of full reparation for their eviction and the difficult living conditions they have endured. He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Chagos Solidarity Trust Fund, set up to contribute to the advancement of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Chagossian Community and the preservation and promotion of its heritage and cultural resources.

Relevant discourse

At the launch of a cultural exhibition at the Chagos Refugees Group (CRG) centre in Pointe aux Sables, Uteem declared he felt “ashamed” of the way Mauritians treated Chagossians at their arrival in the late 1960s and early 1970s. “Back then, both Mauritius and the UK denied the existence of a Chagossian people. It hurt the latter as they were deemed not to exist. Today, Mauritians have realized that a Chagossian people does exist,” opined Uteem. He also identified five aspects that needed to be addressed within the Chagossian issue: Mauritius regaining its sovereignty over all the islands of the Chagos, including Diego Garcia; the granting of the right of return to Chagossians; an adequate financial compensation; the dismantling of all military bases found on Mauritian territory; and the preservation of Chagossian culture.

IGOs positions (i.e. EU, OSCE, ILO, OAS… in bold if they are currently holding that position): UN Special Envoy and Head of Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi, Africa Forum, Global Leadership Foundation

Cassam Uteem's channels

Cassam Uteem is leader on:

Political participation & representation of ethnic minorities

Reconciliation and social justice