India is big player, must be on UNSC; in current form council is colonial construct, obsolete: Mauritius ex-Prez Ameenah Gurib-Fakim

“I want that India should use Mauritius more and more as a gateway to Africa,” said Mauritius former president Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, speaking to Firstpost at the CNN-News18 Rising Bharat Summit in New Delhi.

“India will be a key player. Bot just fifth biggest economy but will rise to be third biggest economy. There a whole lot of political maneuvering India is on the cusp of riding this wave,” she said.

Fakim underlined the need for India and Africa to collaborate more and more, underlining how Mauritius can play a seminal role in bringing this about, given the robust historical friendship between the two nations.

India-Mauritius-Africa Trifecta

“The relationship between India and Mauritius goes back a long time… it has been very strong for a very long time. India has been a great help to Mauritius. Our economy has thrived because of the double taxation treaty with India. Our economy rested on two pillars—our relationship with Europe and with India. Our ties with India have been strengthening. We see India as a great partner.”

Whether India will use Mauritius as a stopgap to go to Africa? Fakim said Mauritius welcomed it.

“We welcome this. Our economy will strengthen. Also, we would like to see the extent to which our country benefits. We can reinforce our cooperation and collaboration and future partnership beyond just the finances and beyond the security issue. We would like to see mutual partnership in other areas such as ocean economy, agriculture, new tech and fintech. I see this as a work in progress and depends on how much we invest in each other.”
Africa plundered; needs to collaborate with emerging nations.

Fakim also underlined that Africa was afflicted historically by what is called resource curse and that everybody who came to Africa came only to “exploit”.

“Africa has had a history that has been defined by a lot of tension. Slavery has been one of the issues. But, I see a renaissance in Africa. Like India, Africans too have a strong sense of belonging. Africa has the realism to be proud to be African. One can see the Africa free trade agreement. Here they are creating a huge internal market of 1.4bn going up to 2bn. For my country I see that we are the point of connection between Indian and Africa. India has a lot to gain from Africa and vice versa. I see lot of possibilities and a symbiotic relationship. I see that India use Mauritius more and more as a gateway to Africa.”

Fakim said Mauritius should actively play the role of being the bridge between Asia and Africa. “It is time that we played that role of being the bridge between Asia and Africa.”

Big game between big powers

Africa suffers from what we call the resource curse. If you look at the Manhattan Project, it started with African Uranium… the demise of Patrice Lumumba who was killed in the race to get the best Uranium. Everyone wants to come to Africa for exploitation, literally. It is time to move beyond these extractive ways. There is need for African countries to collaborate with emerging countries. I stress here the need for the global south to have a voice, a common voice. Still 85% of world lives here and we must speak in one voice.

Having Africa on the table will help Africa resolve its own issues. Africa should move beyond its natural resources and become a major player.

India in UNSC

Fakim said India was a big player in the world and pitched for New Delhi to have a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). “It (India) is taking its rightful place in the pantheon of the big economies. I would want to see India at the level of the UN Security Council. We need a total reform of the UN Security Council.

Right now, If I may say, now that I am not in office, the UNSC is obsolete. It is a colonial construct. It should move to reflect the realities of the world and have countries from Latin America, Africa, India, Indonesia. So, we really need a multifaceted UN system. In its current form it has become obsolete and that has come to happen when this world has got more fragmented and fractured. A multi-polar world can also mean a more insure world and this not the time for it. So, let us get together and move together.”