Casteism is firmly entrenched in social structure of Mauritius

Mauritius Prime Minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, a Hindu, is aware that he could not have achieved his political success (and, for that matter, his country its independence) without the support of his coreligionists. The Hindus of Mauritius are divided and Sir Seewoosagur is upset. "Hindus in Mauritius", he said recently, "like those in Chedi Jagan's Guyana, may lose political power for good if they do not unite."

The prime minister is, nevertheless, a realist. He is careful to choose as his running mates a Shudra and a Rajput when election time comes around, since these two communities form the decisive elements in his constituency. Elections in this country are contested on a basis of three candidates - three votes.

All the castes, except the Vaishyas, are solidly organised and grouped into legally registered bodies. The Shudras are affiliated to the "Arya Ravi Ved Sabha", the Rajputs to the "Rajput Sabha", the Telugus to the "Andhra Maha Sabha", and so on. Vaishyas comprise 30 per cent of the population. Shudras 15 per cent, Brahmins 5 per cent, Rajputs 10 per cent and Kshatriyas 7 per cent.

Political Lever:Casteism is firmly entrenched in the social structure of Mauritius. Even the Arya Samaj movement has failed to pull down the caste barriers. On a political level, it has proved itself to be an effective double-edged weapon with the capacity to make and unmake a politician, irrespective of his calibre.

Each caste uses its identity as a political lever to obtain the maximum number of tickets, jobs and other concessions as elections draw near; it campaigns to see its own people into Parliament so that, through them, it can exert pressure on the Government to extort from it the maximum benefits for itself. Each has its quota of tickets in every political party, particularly the Labour Party of Sir Seewoosagur.

Whenever the question of nomination to key positions in the Government - or promotions within its services - crops up, caste comes into full play. Each candidate involved seeks the protection and backing of his representative in the cabinet to achieve his goal. The more influential one's representative, the stronger one's bargaining power.

Not surprisingly, it is the caste factor that has been decisive in the matter of appointments to several important positions. The head of the Indian section of the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) TV is a Brahmin and all his assistants are high-caste people.