"Mauritian Constitution: A modified version of the Westminster Model?"

CPD (Continuing Professional Development)

Resource Person:
Mr. BOOLELL Satyajit, SC  Director of Public Prosecutions

Course synopsis: 

In his paper entitled “Constitutionalism in a plural society” (November 1968 Modern Law Review), Professor Stanley de Smith, Constitutional Commissioner at the time of independence, wrote that at first glance the Mauritian Independence Constitution “seem to be a not very remarkable product of the Westminster export model factory (..) and in his concluding paragraphs observed that “… the Constitutional structure of Mauritius is directly attributable to communal and political divisions in the period immediately preceding independence.”

How far was the Westminster model adapted to meet the existing challenges of a society divided not by party affiliations but on religious or ethnic grounds? 

The lecture will consider the above by looking into the period leading to independence, our understanding of the Westminster model as we know it today and why features of our Constitution differed from the Westminster model. 

Experience Level:

All

Group:

Law Practitioners & Legal Officers