On 12th March 1968, whilst winds of unwavering loyalty and nationalism
were blowing all over the island, history was taking a new turn at Le Champ de Mars.
Just as the clock stroke 12, stunned looks meddled in wonder and excitement starred at the Union Jack being swapped in favour of the national flag. Our first Prime Minister, Dr. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, widely acclaimed for gifting the nation with sovereign freedom, thus became warranted as the "Father of the Nation". Despite untoward struggles amid fears of sustainability, the late affectionately-called "Chacha amgoolam" persistently nurtured, endeavored and ultimately fulfilled his dream as well as that f his people, in giving his motherland its own autonomy.
Now that the country was free from the monarchy, the struggle towards economic independence hus began. It was perhaps God's decree that turned cane plantation, then the island's gain economic activity into an amply lucrative business. Hence,
the sugar booms of the 1970s, oupled with several preferential trade agreements such as Lomé and Cotonou, positioned Mauritius as the "Tiger of the Indian
Ocean" within the coming decades. |
