Never to return ! ; 9 February, 2024

“NEVER TO RETURN !”

 

            (a)        This poem refers to the way the English imposed conditions in 1982 on the granting of compensation to the Chagossians whom they had deported from the Chagos in the 1970s. The English were about to invade the Malvinas, in the South Atlantic. They had to get the Chagossians out of the way first, to avoid complications and comparisons.

 

            (b)       The conditions in the “Deed of Acceptance and Power of Attorney” drawn up by the English are mostly slanted in their own favour. The English themselves chose the attorney : an attorney based in England, who was subject to English laws and to regulations that governed practising attorneys in England. The attorney was to be given full powers by the Chagossians to agree on anything whatsoever with his own Government, without any further reference to his clients. Here, we thus find an attorney demanding “carte blanche” from his client to agree on anything whatsoever with the opposing party, without reference to his client !

 

            (c)        All the questions relating to the Deed were to be settled under English law, in an English court. Was the compensation money even sufficient for an aggrieved Chagossian to pay for his travel to England in order to present his case in person before an English court, if he so wished ?

 

            (d)       The Deed made the Chagossians agree “never to return” to the Chagos. To drive home the message, just in case there should be any lingering doubt, further on the Deed spoke of “prohibition from ever returning to the Islands.” (Please see page 84 of the “REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE EXCISION OF THE CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO,” Mauritius).

 

            (e)        The compensation was being paid by the English in “full and final settlement and discharge of all claims…..” (Please see page 84 of the Select Committee Report). It is clear that at the time of the drafting of the Agreement, the English were perfectly aware that the case might be revived one day in court, and they wanted to take precautions against that event.

 

            (f)        The Chagossians were made to promise in writing never to sue the English Government about the whole affair. Could such a “contract” (if the document is really worthy of this term) with terms so entirely in favour of one of the parties, be really enforceable, even in an English court ?

 

            (g)       For a copy of the “Deed of Acceptance and Power of Attorney” see pages 84 and 85 of the Select Committee Report.

 

            (h)       Please also see :       “Chagos : les énigmes de l’année 1982,” “Le MAURICIEN” newspaper, Mauritius, 23 June, 1998, (page 7); “Droits d’accès aux Chagos. Négotiations activées en fin de semaine,” and “L’EXPRESS” newspaper, Mauritius, 23 November, 1999, (page 1). 

 

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   NEVER TO RETURN !

 

Let all men everywhere by these take heed :

Of our own free-will we draw up this Deed;

Responding to our masters' rightful appeals,

Hereunto do we subscribe our names and seals.

 

We be Rotating Contract Persons : just vagrants :

We obey totally our masters, the great savants;

To these strategic islands really we be new :

Of claims, if any, to this place we have but few….

 

The graves that appear yonder be just a joke :

Under each only lies some imaginary bloke….

In truth, corpses here ne’er were interr'd :

By these fake tombstones nobody be deterr'd.

 

*****

 

Our masters who, of civilisation, be the repository,

Our masters who, at carving, have achiev'd mastery,

Now have creat'd, for the full benefit of humanity,

This great Fantasy Indian Ocean Territory ....

 

We don't mind if our dogs and cattle face execution :

Yon prowling Russian fleet be a cheeky provocation ....

What matters the shedding here of this blood :

Our own gore for our masters will we release as flood ....

 

We are proud to be leaving for a good cause :

Our masters' decisions meet with our applause….

Coconut plantations at this place be an eyesore :

Aerial farms and runways be need'd here more.

 

For the masters, these strategic islands be truly first-rate :

And this, no men in their right minds can underrate;

Yes, go on : assimilate, agglomerate, federate, create :

In our consideration, 'tis consider'd to be considerate.

 

Around this place savagely have we overfish'd :

We be now departing, as our masters have wish'd;

What be need'd here be full marine conservation :

We cannot but marvel at our bosses' civilisation….

 

Seventy years hence will this place be teeming with fish :

To entire posterity, how could we offer any better dish !

Be careful : let no-one now speak out of turn :

From here we depart, NEVER TO RETURN!

*****

 Being only animat’d by the grandest sentiment,

Our masters have provid'd for our resettlement;

How proudly do we contribute to writing history,

As we leave this Fantasy Indian Ocean Territory!

 

At the place we go, life shalt be much better :

In rain, in cold, in winds we won’t shudder….

Truly a whacking wealth for the masters be this FIOT :

Hereabouts, just a nagging nuisance are we lot….

 

Our great bosses have promis'd us decent resettlement :

What more could we ask from yon Government !

Gladly accept we again as Full and Final Settlement

What be ramm’d down our throats in the event.....

 

From yon Government we'll claim nothing more :

We'll respect this Deed of Acceptance to the very core ....

To all the Events here list'd do we assent fully :

By these conditions we swear to abide eternally….

 

The requisition of our lands, the death of our cattle,

The loss of our jobs shalt ne’er be cause for trouble :

The Events, Incidents, Occurrences or Circumstances

Cannot in any situation amount to legal offences ....

*****

 Towards ye, good masters, ne’er will we be remonstrating :

Like the giant tortoises at Aldabra, will we be a-basking .....

Unto ye, great masters, we swear unswerving allegiance :

This superb place verily be destin’d for Western defence…..

 

The death of our dogs be only Events :

The demolition of our huts just Incidents :

The requisition of our lands just Occurrences :

Ne’er will we moan about such Circumstances.....

 

All this hath been approv’d by Order in Council,

With the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual,

Temporal, Perennial, Colonial, Constitutional :

Let no men read into this anything that be evil !....

 

Far from us any facetious idea of being a dog in the manger :

From here must we depart, for the West be in danger ....

Hereabouts, our masters shalt make democracy grow :

"HONI SOIT QUI MALICE PENSE," full well we know …..

 

No Event, Incident, Occurrence, Circumstance,

Or anything occurring about it, past, present, future,

Could possibly lead us to any facetious remonstrance :

Foreign Fairplay verily hath sunk into our nature ....

 

This Power of Attorney freely do we give :

At last have we learnt how properly to live ....

'Tis not for us to impose any condition :

Let yon Dick use his absolute discretion !!....

 

*****

 With the foreign Government let our Attorney agree :

We will just sign on the dott'd line, for all to see ....

Our Attorney need make No Further Reference to us :

What be the need, when relying on yon genius !....

 

We accept everything in Full and Final Settlement:

And no more on all this will we dare to comment ....

We abandon all in this Fantasy Indian Ocean Territory :

Go and bulldoze everything, even yon fake cemetery !

 

This be truly in Full and Final Settlement and Discharge :

With nothing more the foreign Government will we charge

For any Events, Incidents, Occurrences or Circumstances:

Solemnly we swear ne’er to raise any such instances .....

 *****

 Formally we say : we abandon all our fake rights

To this great Fantasy Indian Ocean Territory .....

'Pon yon distant island have we set our sights :

Over there await us a cottage and prosperity....

 

The foreign Government ne’er will we sue :

Verily have we been given more than our due ....

Not to sue them do we here solemnly Covenant :

Our wives must board yon “ship,” even if pregnant ....

 

Every question concerning this Deed and its validity

Shalt be settl'd in yon foreign court, by yon foreign deity ....

Anything concerning this lawful Deed and its construction

Exclusively shalt be subject to yon foreign law and arbitration ....

 

By our Owners so well thought out and design'd,

All the legal papers dutifully have we now sign'd :

Let it be known : our backs on this place we turn :

This be our last Rotation : NEVER TO RETURN !!....

 *****

(END)