Militant Socialist Movement

Militant Socialist Movement
Leader Pravind Jugnauth MP
Secretary-General Nando Bodha
Founder Sir Anerood Jugnauth
President Sowkatally Soodun MP
Vice President Leela Devi Dookhun MP
Founded April 8, 1983
Headquarters Sun Trust Building - 1er Etage, 31, rue Edith Cavell, Port-Louis
Ideology Democratic socialism, Social democracy
Political position Centre-left
Colours Orange
National Assembly of Mauritius
33 / 69
Website
http://www.msmparty.com/
Politics of Mauritius
Political parties
Elections

The Mouvement Socialiste Militant (MSM; English: Militant Socialist Movement) is a centre-left political party in Mauritius that adheres to the philosophies of socialism and political democracy. It is the largest political party in the National Assembly of Mauritius. It has in all 33 seats directly elected from the 2014 general elections. It is one of the three biggest political parties in the country, the others being the Labour Party (PTR) and Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM).

The MSM has won most of the general parliamentary elections in Mauritius since its Independence. Out of 11 general elections spanned over nearly 50 years, it won 5 (83, 87, 91, 2000, 2014). It formed the government through three consecutive mandates from 1983 to 1995. Through the 12 years in power, the party was sometimes alone in government while at other moments, being in electoral alliances by Anerood Jugnauth. Being a main political party in the country, its core electorate is mainly the Hindu community which supported the MMM until 1983 and the Vaishya community across the Labour Party supporters.

The MSM led the Alliance LEPEP which won the 2014 general elections securing 33 seats out of the 60. Its alliance partners include the Parti Mauricien Social Democrat (PMSD) and Mouvement Liberater (ML). It therefore enjoys a clear majority in parliament and has 17 ministers out of a 25-member cabinet.

The MSM is a party led by the historical & political Jugnauth family in Mauritius. The creator of the party is Sir Anerood Jugnauth who has been prime minister for 16 years and president for 8 years. He has been party leader from 1983 to 2003. In 2003, his son Pravind Jugnauth won the elections for leadership of the party and therefore has been leader since 2003 and is Vice Prime Minister in the coalition government from 2010. The party also had other members of the Jugnauth family starting with Lall Jugnauth (who is former Attorney General), Ashok Jugnauth (former Minister of Health) and Maya Hanoomanjee, (also former Minister of Health).

As of 2011, the front bench of the MSM is composed of four members namely, Pravind Jugnauth (Leader), Nando Bodha (Secretary General), Showkatally Soodhun (President) & Leela Devi Dookhun (Vice President).

Birth and philosophy of the MSM

The Militant Socialist Movement emerged in 1983 out of the split between the then coalition government led by MMM leader Paul Bérenger and Parti Socialiste Mauricien (PSM) led by Harish Boodhoo. The two parties which formed a coalition government from 1982 broke their alliance just 19 months after. Sir Anerood Jugnauth who was prime minister and the president of the MMM made an agreement with Harish Boodhoo. The coalition broke and Jugnauth parted ways with his leader Berenger and associated him with a new party with dissidents from the Mauritian Socialist Party and the MMM members who were not in agreement with Berenger. The people along with Jugnauth as Leader formed the MSM.

August 1983 - The general elections

The results of the general elections of August 1983 were not the fruit of the chance but the realization of “Vox populi” through the ballot boxes. Once the swing-low of the election campaign finished, the government of Anerood Jugnauth rolled up the handles to be put seriously at work.

The government resulting from the elections of 1983 had for prime objective to give fresh impulse to the economy, to stimulate industrialization, to activate the frank zone of export and to launch a significant agricultural diversification. It was then a question of leaving the country the stagnation and of eliminating the threat from social explosion by creating jobs.

The achievement of this objective passed by a revision of the political ideology preached before to the MM. The MSM had decided to choose political realism and pragmatism. The results were going to impress the whole world: small Mauritius under Prime-ministership de Sir Anerood Jugnauth carried out an economic miracle. The country thus joined the league of the developing countries. The period 1983-1995 will remain engraved forever in the history of the country, because it was glorious in more than one way and will remain a reference for the future. The building work of Mauritius modern and resolutely turned towards the future was going to continue between 2000 and 2005, once again when the MSM was with the government. The new leader and ex-minister of Finances, Pravind Jugnauth, gave an outline of his vision of Mauritius of tomorrow by posting his will to transform the country into a `Duty Free Island' in Budget 2005/2006. Under the enlightened leadership of Pravind Jugnauth, the MSM prepares to reconquer the capacity, to give again hope with the people Mauritian, to make revive the glorious moments of 1983-1995 by republishing the exploit of a second economic miracle. While basing the action with the government on political realism and economic pragmatism, the MSM has an ideal which can be summarized with the following objectives:

The party's golden years were during the 1980s and 1990s, where it is recognised to have been at its strongest. Indeed, this period was considered as being one of the best the party ever knew. By an amalgamation with Harish Boodhoo's PSM, the party was formed in 1983, one year after the first ever 60-0 victory at Mauritian elections. With its dream-team, the MSM marked a long era of stability and security in Mauritius. It is to be noted however that many of the members emerging from this party- Anil Baichoo, Madun Dulloo, Ajay Daby, Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo, Kadress Pillay, Sheila Bapoo, Mahen Utchanah - to name a few, while still being very much present on the political scene, are no longer members of the MSM.

The leader of the MSM has for long been Sir Anerood Jugnauth. He then handed over the leadership to his son, Pravind Jugnauth, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Anerood Jugnauth is currently the President of the Republic of Mauritius.

Later

At the legislative elections of 11 September 2000, the party was part of a coalition of the Militant Socialist Movement and the Mauritian Militant Movement that won 51.7% and 58 out of 70 seats. It became opposition party in 2005 after the victory of its main opponent, Alliance Sociale. In the 2005 elections, 3 July 2005, the party lost from 29 seats to 11 seats.

In Mauritian parliamentary elections held in 2010, it became part of the coalition government alongside with the Mauritian Labour Party and the Mauritian Social Democrat Party. It governs with Labour party Leader Navin Ramgoolam as Prime Minister. Their coalition won 45 seats in parliament.

As from August 2011, the MSM left the Ptr-MSM-PMSD and thus break the alliance and was left with 11 Mps as two members stayed in the cabinet as independents. The party is therefore the second opposition party after the MMM.

Back in the Government

The MSM made a major comeback with the Ptr-MSM-PMSD alliance, its leader was elected 1st Member serving for the constituency number 8 consisting of Moka & Quartier Militaire.

Pravind Jugnauth leader of the party was announced as fourth in the government hierarchy holding the most powerful ministry office namely Minister of Finance position.

2010 elections saw 14 members of the MSM elected out of the 18 candidate who stood for parliamentary elections .

Parliamentary Results Since Creation

Each party put the a number of candidates for each general elections. There are 60 Mauritian constituency seats directly elected plus 10 that is combination of Rodrigues seats (2) and best losers(8) to ensure equal ethnic representation.

Election Number of
candidates 		Number of
overall seats won		 Position Leader Position
1983
35 / 60
32 / 70
 1st Sir Anerood Jugnauth Prime Minister
1987
35 / 60
31 / 70
 1st Sir Anerood Jugnauth Prime Minister
1991
33 / 60
29 / 70
 1st Sir Anerood Jugnauth Prime Minister
1995
40 / 60
0 / 70
 None Sir Anerood Jugnauth None
2000
30 / 60
28 / 70
 1st Sir Anerood Jugnauth Prime Minister
2005
30 / 60
14 / 70
 2nd Pravind Jugnauth None
2010
18 / 60
13 / 70
 3rd Pravind Jugnauth Vice Prime Minister
2014
39 / 60
33 / 69
 1st Pravind Jugnauth Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation[note 1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sir Anerood Jugnauth became Prime Minister after the Mauritian general election, 2014.

References

    External links