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Guy Rozemont (1915–1956) was a
Mauritian Mauritians (singular Mauritian; french: Mauricien; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a multi-ethnic society, with notable groups of people of South Asian (notably I ...
trade unionist and the third leader of the
Mauritius Labour Party The Labour Party (french: Parti Travailliste, PTr) is a centre-left social-democratic political party in Mauritius. It is one of four main Mauritian political parties along, with the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), the Militant Socialist Mo ...
. He fought for workers' rights and voiced against the injustice done against them. He played a crucial role in shaping the government, political culture and foreign policy of modern Mauritius.


Early life

Marie Joseph Guy Rozemont was born on 15 November 1915, the son of Joseph Alexis Anatole Rozemont and Josephine Marthe Danré. His father was an employee of the shipping company Ireland Fraser Ltd. At the age of four, he moved with his parents and younger siblings from Port Louis to Beau Bassin. He went to primary school in Rose Hill (École des Sœurs, then École du Saint-Enfant Jesus) and then studied at the
Royal College of Curepipe The Royal College Curepipe (commonly known as RCC) is a public secondary school with high admission standards in Curepipe, Mauritius. Since 1791 it has been regarded as one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Mauritius. In the past, ...
and St. Joseph's College, Curepipe. When his father died in January 1931, he was forced to leave school at the age of 16 to work as a labourer in a sugar mill and as assistant on lorries. He went on to become a sailor on a fishing boat, just as
Emmanuel Anquetil Emmanuel Anquetil (1885-1946) was a Mauritian trade unionist, and the second leader of the Mauritius Labour Party. Early life Emmanuel (Jean Baptiste Caromi) Anquetil was born on 18 August 1885 at the Bassin Estate, Plaine Wilhems, to Jean Volmy a ...
, his mentor, did before becoming the leader of the Mauritius Labour Party. He had also served as an attendant at the military hospital Floreal.


Public life

Rozemont became active in public life at the age of 23. He spoke for the first time at a meeting of the Labour Party at the theater in Port Louis on August 23, 1942. His fellow-trade unionist and mentor,
Emmanuel Anquetil Emmanuel Anquetil (1885-1946) was a Mauritian trade unionist, and the second leader of the Mauritius Labour Party. Early life Emmanuel (Jean Baptiste Caromi) Anquetil was born on 18 August 1885 at the Bassin Estate, Plaine Wilhems, to Jean Volmy a ...
was then the chairman of the Labour Party, having succeeded Dr
Maurice Curé Maurice Curé (1886-1977) was one of the founders of the Labour Party in Mauritius in 1936. Early life Jules Maurice Curé was born on 3 September 1886. He completed his secondary education at Royal College Curepipe where he was a "Laureate" in ...
, the party's founder. Rozemont was an orator in the
Mauritian Creole Mauritian Creole or Morisien (formerly Morisyen) ( mfe, kreol morisien, links=no ) is a French-based creole language spoken in Mauritius. English words are included in the standardized version of the language. In addition, the slaves and in ...
language. In 1947, he held public meetings denouncing what he said were the evils of capitalism and condemned what he saw as the indifference of official and unofficial representatives of the people in the Legislative Council. Rozemont fought for workers' rights and called for the nationalisation of certain industries, a housing plan and a pension for all workers, and retirees, health care for all, unemployment benefits, and compulsory education. He also advocated the establishment of cooperatives.


First popular elections

In the 1940s, the Labour Party campaigned for the proclamation of a holiday for workers (
Labour Day Labour Day ('' Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...
) and for the extension of the franchise. Rozemont called for the abolition of the
poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...
, which would give workers the opportunity to elect representatives to the Legislative Council. The colonial government accepted the idea of constitutional reform and on October 29, 1946, the British governor
Donald Mackenzie-Kennedy Sir Henry Charles Donald Cleaveland Mackenzie-Kennedy (1889 – 2 August 1965) was a British colonial administrator who was Governor of Nyasaland List of Colonial Heads of Malawi (Nyasaland) (Dates in italics indicate ''de facto'' continuation ...
submitted to the council the Government's proposal for a new constitution. Because it kept the census voting and other elements that were understood to be detrimental to the working class, the proposal was completely rejected by the Labour Party during a public meeting in St Pierre on 1 December 1946. On the platform were:
Emmanuel Anquetil Emmanuel Anquetil (1885-1946) was a Mauritian trade unionist, and the second leader of the Mauritius Labour Party. Early life Emmanuel (Jean Baptiste Caromi) Anquetil was born on 18 August 1885 at the Bassin Estate, Plaine Wilhems, to Jean Volmy a ...
, S. Salabee,
Renganaden Seeneevassen Renganaden Seeneevassen (11 April 1910 – 18 June 1958) was a Mauritian politician and government minister. Early life Seeneevassen was born in Port Louis, Mauritius at a house located at the corner of Bourbon Street and Léoville L'Homme Stree ...
, Guy Rozemont, Edgard Millien and
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (in traditional Hindi: Shivsagar Ram Gulam) (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985; often referred to as ''Chacha Ramgoolam'' or ''SSR'') was a Mauritian physician, politician, and statesman. He served as the island's o ...
. When Emmanuel Anquetil suddenly died on December 25, 1946, Guy Rozemont, then secretary-general, was promoted to president of the party, becoming its third leader. Thus Guy Rozemont served as president of
Mauritius Labour Party The Labour Party (french: Parti Travailliste, PTr) is a centre-left social-democratic political party in Mauritius. It is one of four main Mauritian political parties along, with the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), the Militant Socialist Mo ...
from 1947 until his untimely death in 1956. Two days after his appointment, Rozemont demanded the replacement of the Governor Kennedy by the
British Labour Party The Labour Party is a List of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of Social democracy, social democrats, Democratic socialism, democratic socialists and trade u ...
, which was currently in power in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. The struggle for
constitutional reform A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, t ...
continued and the colonial government ultimately approved a new constitution that increased the number of voters seven-fold. :"Under the old constitution of 1885 the number of electors stood at 11,844 in 1946. Immediately after the approval of the new constitution the registration of electors was completed in 1948 and their number rose to 71,569." The following table shows the number of electors in each
electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
. The first general elections under the new constitution were held on 9 and 10 August 1948. Guy Rozemont was elected in first place in
Port Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's ec ...
. The 19 elected members of the 1948 Legislative Council also included Aunauth Beejadhur, Jaynarain Roy,
Emilienne Rochecouste Marie Louise Emilienne Rochecouste (20 September 1892 – 28 February 1979) was a Mauritian politician. In 1948 she became the first woman elected to the Legislative Council, serving until 1953. Biography Born Marie Louise Emilienne Orian in 18 ...
(born Orian), Edgard Millien, Raymond Rault,
Guy Forget Guy Forget (; born 4 January 1965) is a French tennis administrator and retired professional player. During his career, he helped France win the Davis Cup in both 1991 and 1996. Since retiring as a player, he has served as France's Davis Cup te ...
,
Sookdeo Bissoondoyal Sookdeo Bissoondoyal (25 December 1908 – 18 August 1977) was a Mauritian politician and one of the leading figures in the independence movement. Early life Sookdeo Bissoondoyal was born in Tyack in 1908. He had two brothers Basdeo and Soogr ...
, Sookdeo Balgobin, Ramsoomer Balgobin,
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (in traditional Hindi: Shivsagar Ram Gulam) (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985; often referred to as ''Chacha Ramgoolam'' or ''SSR'') was a Mauritian physician, politician, and statesman. He served as the island's o ...
, Harilall Vaghjee, Raoul Rivet and
Jules Koenig Jules is the French form of the Latin "Julius" (e.g. Jules César, the French name for Julius Caesar). It is the given name of: People with the name *Jules Aarons (1921–2008), American space physicist and photographer *Jules Abadie (1876–195 ...
. They proceeded to legislate constitutional reforms to expand the electoral base significantly. Guy Rozemont also introduced a motion on April 29, 1949, to make
Labour Day Labour Day ('' Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...
a public holiday in Mauritius. Though Labour Day had first been celebrated on May 1, 1938, in
Champ de Mars The Champ de Mars (; en, Field of Mars) is a large public greenspace in Paris, France, located in the seventh ''arrondissement'', between the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and the École Militaire to the southeast. The park is named after the ...
, it was not until 1 May 1950 that it was officially celebrated, after being decreed a public holiday by the Legislative Council.


The first constitutional conference in London

Calls for reform by the Labour Party in London are reviewed by the Constitutional in 1955. Representatives of the Labour Party were Guy Rozemont, Dr.
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (in traditional Hindi: Shivsagar Ram Gulam) (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985; often referred to as ''Chacha Ramgoolam'' or ''SSR'') was a Mauritian physician, politician, and statesman. He served as the island's o ...
,
Renganaden Seeneevassen Renganaden Seeneevassen (11 April 1910 – 18 June 1958) was a Mauritian politician and government minister. Early life Seeneevassen was born in Port Louis, Mauritius at a house located at the corner of Bourbon Street and Léoville L'Homme Stree ...
and Guy Forget. The deliberations known on the new
Constitution of Mauritius The Constitution of the Republic of Mauritius (french: La Constitution de Maurice) is the supreme law of Mauritius, according to Chapter I, Section 2 of the constitution, if any other law is inconsistent with this Constitution, that other law sha ...
were held in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
from 12 to 20 July 1955. The Labour Party's demands for reform were torpedoed by the Conservatives and the Secretary of State by adding
proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
among the proposals of the reform. "The demands of the Labour Party will be taken into consideration at the first Constitutional Conference in London (1955) ... However, the main demands of the Labour Party concerning universal adult
suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...
and a responsible Government will be torpedoed, the British Secretary of State has accepted at the request of the Conservatives, the voting system in the form of proportional representation. The Labour Party resolutely opposed the proportional Representation - this method of voting is likely to lead ideological divisions and anarchy - will be called to fight this proposal in the 2nd Constitutional Conference in London (1957). " From this it was clear that Guy Rozemont and the Labour Party were dead against
communalism Communalism may refer to: * Communalism (Bookchin), a theory of government in which autonomous communities form confederations * , a historical method that follows the development of communities * Communalism (South Asia), violence across ethnic ...
. The President of the Labour Party, Guy Rozemont, did not have the privilege to take part in the second constitutional conference in London. He died March 22, 1956. However, the torch of liberty lit by the latter continued to shine. "Beyond death, Guy Rozemont will see his dream fulfilled for a constitutional Mauritius when at the 2nd Constitutional Conference in London, the Proportional Representation will be simply shelved. Mauritius has universal adult
suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...
and the
ministerial system of government Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
. Thus, Mauritius already on the path to self-government, will, the next decade, make the decisive step towards becoming an independent state."


Personal life

Guy Rozemont married Elsie Commins (born 1910, daughter of Walter Hugh Commins and Valentine Béchard) in St Ignace's Chapel, Rose Hill, in September 1946. They adopted Guy's brother's son, Guito Rozemont. In September 1954, his wife died of a thrombosis aged forty-four, after which he lived alone with his son, but turned increasingly to alcohol in his bereavement. On 22 March 1956, Guy Rozemont died in Victoria Hospital,
Quatre Bornes Quatre Bornes () also known as ''La Ville des Fleurs'' (The City of Flowers), is a town in Mauritius, located in the Plaines Wilhems District, the western part also lies in the Rivière Noire District. The town is administered by the Municipal ...
having been visited by his contemporaries,
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (in traditional Hindi: Shivsagar Ram Gulam) (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985; often referred to as ''Chacha Ramgoolam'' or ''SSR'') was a Mauritian physician, politician, and statesman. He served as the island's o ...
and
Renganaden Seeneevassen Renganaden Seeneevassen (11 April 1910 – 18 June 1958) was a Mauritian politician and government minister. Early life Seeneevassen was born in Port Louis, Mauritius at a house located at the corner of Bourbon Street and Léoville L'Homme Stree ...
. A requiem Mass was held at the Sacré-Cœur church in Beau Bassin, attended by the British governor, the French consul and the mayor of Port Louis, with 45,000 people gathered outside according to ''Le Mauricien'' (23 March 1956).


Memorial

In memory of Guy Rozemont, a monument was erected in
Port Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's ec ...
and the place where the monument stands has been named Guy Rozemont Square. The headquarters of the Mauritius Labour Party is found there. In addition, several streets in
Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
, a primary government school in Port Louis and a stadium in
Quatre Bornes Quatre Bornes () also known as ''La Ville des Fleurs'' (The City of Flowers), is a town in Mauritius, located in the Plaines Wilhems District, the western part also lies in the Rivière Noire District. The town is administered by the Municipal ...
, among others, have been named after this eminent personality.


See also

*
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (in traditional Hindi: Shivsagar Ram Gulam) (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985; often referred to as ''Chacha Ramgoolam'' or ''SSR'') was a Mauritian physician, politician, and statesman. He served as the island's o ...
*
History of Mauritius The known history of Mauritius begins with its discovery by Arabs and Malays, followed by Europeans and its appearance on maps in the early 16th century. Mauritius was successively colonized by the Netherlands, France and Great Britain, and be ...
*
Emmanuel Anquetil Emmanuel Anquetil (1885-1946) was a Mauritian trade unionist, and the second leader of the Mauritius Labour Party. Early life Emmanuel (Jean Baptiste Caromi) Anquetil was born on 18 August 1885 at the Bassin Estate, Plaine Wilhems, to Jean Volmy a ...


References


Sources

Emmanuel Anquetil (L. Rivaltz Quenette)


External links

* http://histoireithier.blogspot.com/2009/08/guy-rozemont.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20141215165827/http://www.defimedia.info/defi-plus/dp-magazine/item/4873-guy-rozemont-l%E2%80%99oubli%C3%A9-du-travaillisme.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Rozemont, Guy Labour Party (Mauritius) politicians 1915 births 1956 deaths Mauritian Creoles