President of The Republic of Mauritius
I am thankful to Mauritius News for associating me with the publication of this commemorative issue of the magazine on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Independence of Mauritius.
The close links which bind those of our citizens who left Mauritius to settle overseas seem to get stronger as time goes by and these ’emotional’ ties have been handed down to their children. Such filial bonds have helped to create an enduring relationship between the ’emigrants’ – or non-resident Mauritians – and the ‘motherland’. It is a matter of great satisfaction that this is so for it helps to preserve the traditions and values and the sense of hospitality for which the Mauritian Society is so well known. I am sure that besides making the effort to integrate the society in which overseas
Mauritians live, our compatriots also constitute our best ambassadors. This aspect was succinctly highlighted in a recent production of the MBC TV about the life of Mauritians in Paris.
As the world transforms itself into what everyone now calls the global village, the closeness of Mauritians with families and friends overseas has become even more intimate through easier air transportation and other communication facilities such as the IDD of the telephone service or the electronic mail which now help to connect people living far and wide in a matter of a split second. I hope that my message will be received in every Mauritian home overseas through the technological breakthrough which the Internet constitutes.
Together with my best wishes for the 30th anniversary of the Independence of Mauritius may I convey to you all my best wishes for Christmas and the New Year and plenty of success in all your endeavours for the year 1998.
Cassam Uteem
President.
16th December, 1997