DR. SEEWOOSUNKUR JHUBOO

Hon. Prime Minister, you have the floor.

Madam Speaker, it is with much grief and sadness that we have learnt of the passing away of Dr. Seewoosunkur Jhuboo, former Member of Parliament, on Saturday 10 August 2024 at the age of 79. Madam Speaker, born on 01 February 1945 in Quatre Bornes, Dr. Jhuboo did his primary schooling in Strasbourg France and at Aryan Vedic School, Vacoas. He attended the Royal College of Curepipe for his secondary education and studied medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, where we became very close friends. I should add that his father, also known as Dr. Seewoosunkur Jhuboo, was also a medical doctor, a dermatologist, and he was very close to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam. Dr. Jhuboo joined the Mauritius Labour Party in 1995 and held the post of Treasurer of the Party. He stood as candidate for the General Elections in December 1995, under the banner of the Alliance Parti Travailliste/MMM in Constituency No. 14, Savanne and Black River, and he was elected as Third Member of the said Constituency. In 1997, Dr. Jhuboo was appointed Government Chief Whip, a post which he occupied until August 2000. Madam Speaker, Dr. Jhuboo was a well-known entrepreneur and land developer and will be remembered for his contribution in the development of the regions of Tamarin, Rivière Noire and Trou aux Biches, in particular. Dr. Jhuboo, who had a passion for sailing, reading and classic cars, also occupied the post of President of the Rotary Club of Rivière Noire. Madam Speaker, may I kindly request you to direct the Acting Clerk to convey the deep condolences of the Assembly to the bereaved family.

Hon. Leader of the Opposition, you have the floor. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr G. Lesjongard): Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Opposition, I associate myself with the tribute paid by Dr. the hon. Prime Minister to late Dr. Seewoosunkur Jhuboo. My thoughts are with my former colleague, Member of this House, from Constituency No. 14, Mr Ezra Jhuboo. Madam Speaker, may I kindly request you to direct the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly to convey our deep condolences to the bereaved family. I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you very much. Hon. Members, I associate myself with the tribute paid to the memory of late Dr. Seewoosunkur Jhuboo, former Member of Parliament, by Dr. the hon. Prime Minister and the hon. Leader of the Opposition, and I direct the Acting Clerk to convey the deep condolences of the Assembly to the bereaved family. Thank you. MR JOSEPH TSANG MANG KIN, GOSK

Madam Speaker, we have also been saddened by the demise of Mr Tsang Fan Hin Tsang Mang Kin, commonly known as Joseph Tsang Mang Kin, former Member of Parliament on Saturday 16 November of this year at the age of 86. Born on 12 March 1938 in Port Louis, Mr Tsang Mang Kin did his primary schooling at the Chinese Middle School and then at the Cassis Government School and the Ecole Centrale de Rue de la Paix. He attended the Royal College of Port Louis for his secondary education and graduated in English and French at the University of London in 1960. In 1968, he pursued diplomatic training at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland with a fellowship from the Carnegie Endowment fellowship. Mr Tsang Mang Kin had a rich professional career. In 1957, he joined the Chinese Daily News as a reporter, and he worked as a teacher at the Bhujoharry College and then at St Andrew’s College. From 1961 to 1967, he worked as an Education Officer at the Royal College of Port Louis. From 1968 to 1972, Mr Tsang Mang Kin joined the public service as Second Secretary to the Mauritian Embassy in Paris. From 1972 to 1977, he was appointed First Secretary and later became First Counsellor in Brussels where together with Mr Raymond Chasle, he participated in the negotiations leading up to the signature of the Lomé Agreement and the Sugar Protocol. From 1977 to 1983, he acted as Minister Counsellor and Head of the International Division at the Ministry of External Affairs. He has also occupied the post of Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Foundation in London for the period 1983 to 1990. Madam Speaker, on the political front, Mr Tsang Mang Kin made his first foray in politics in 1991 by joining the Mauritius Labour Party and stood as a candidate for the General Elections in Constituency No. 20, Beau Bassin and Petite Rivière, under the banner of the Alliance Parti Travailliste/PMSD, but he was not returned. Mr Tsang Mang Kin then contested the 1995 elections in Constituency No. 2, Port Louis South and Port Louis Central, under the banner of the Alliance Parti Travailliste/MMM and was elected as Second Member to serve the National Assembly. He was also appointed as Secretary-General of the Mauritius Labour Party. In January 1996, he was appointed Minister of Arts, Culture and Leisure where during his tenure of office, he set up the National Library, the National Art Gallery, the National History Museum, and the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture. In December 1996, he became Minister of Civil Service Affairs, a portfolio which he held until June 1997. In July 1997, he again held the portfolio of Minister of Arts, Culture and Leisure and served in that position until August 2000. Madam Speaker, Mr Tsang Mang Kin was conferred three titles during his lifetime: l’Ordre du Lion in 1991 by the Republic of Senegal; in 1996, he was awarded the title of Ordre des Palmes académiques; on 12 March 2010, he was elevated to the rank of Grand Officer of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean for his significant contribution in the fields of literature, culture, diplomacy and politics. In 2013, he became the winner of the Brilliance of China Award. Mr Tsang Mang Kin has also held the post of Vice-President of the Mauritian Writers’ Association in 2011 and has also occupied the post of Chairman of the Guan Di Association from 2012 to 2013. In 2013, he became a member of the African Peer Review Mechanism Panel, a position he held until 2021. Madam Speaker, Mr Tsang Mang Kin had a passion for literary works and poetry. He has authored several books ranging from history to culture. He was also a passionate of the Hakka culture. His poem compilation ‘Le Grand Chant Hakka’ was translated in English and Chinese. Madam Speaker, may I kindly request you to direct the Acting Clerk to convey the deep condolences of the Assembly to his widow, Mrs Marie Reine Tsang Mang Kin and to his children and family. Thank you.

Thank you. Hon. Leader of the Opposition! The Leader of the Opposition (Mr G. Lesjongard): Thank you, Madam Speaker. On behalf of the Opposition, I again associate myself with the tribute paid by Dr. the hon. Prime Minister to the late Mr Tsang Fan Hin Tsang Mang Kin and, Madam Speaker, may I again kindly request you to direct the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly to convey our deep condolences to the bereaved family. I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Hon. Members, I associate myself with the tribute paid to the memory of late Tsang Fan Hin Tsang Mang Kin, former Member of Parliament by Dr. the hon. Prime Minister and by the hon. Leader of the Opposition, and I direct the Acting Clerk to convey the deep condolences of the Assembly to the bereaved family. NOTICE OF QUESTIONS – PQs ORDER Hon. Members, before we proceed with Parliamentary Questions on the Order Paper, I wish to make an announcement with regard to notice of questions. For today’s Sitting, I have decided to accept questions and propose them on a first- come, first-served basis, a practice adopted previously in this House. In the light of the aforementioned, I am given to understand that the hon. Chief Government Whip and the hon. Whip of the Opposition have come to a consensus regarding the order in which Parliamentary Questions would appear on the notice of questions for particular Tuesday Sittings.

(Interruptions)

That is what I was given to understand. Let us wait. In this case, next time, we will have decided for the next Tuesday meeting what you would like to do because we really want a consensus. As regards today’s Sitting, I will be as flexible as possible regarding supplementary questions. The keywords here are: fairness, relevance, and importance of the subject matter of the PQ, because we have two hours, as you know, for questions. Thank you. Hon. Fourth Member for Port Louis North and Montagne Longue, Mr Duval!