Alif Society and friends gathered on Thursday 15 October 2025 at Al Bukhara Restaurant to celebrate the appointments of 4 Ambassadors:
Riad Hullemuth to Saudi Arabia,
Reza Gunny to Egypt
Indrajeet Babooa to Ethiopia and
Munsoo Kurrimbaccus to Pakistan.
Alif used that occasion to hand over a ticket to Khatija Dreepaul, its recipient of a scholarship in Al Bukhary University, in Malaysia.
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SPEECH HULEEMUTH KORRIMBACCUS, GUNNY, BABOOA, LIDIALAM, AND DREEPAUL.
Alif thanks you for your generous response to our invitation. We are getting together this evening with one main purpose: to celebrate the appointments of four diplomats to four friendly countries.
Indur Babooa has been appointed to the land of King Negus.
Mansoo Korrimbaccus has been appointed to Pakistan,
Riad Huleemuth to Saudi Arabia and
Reza Gunny to Egypt.
We are also pleased to introduce to you two success stories from what is perceived as a depressed area in Port Louis: a young lady who will be Alif’s student at Al Bukhari University in Malaysia and a young man who is the pride of his family and his neighbourhood and whose Head is famously known as Sarazen.
Khatija Dreepaul, born in UK, grew up in Plaine Verte with her grandparents since aged two, attended Jean Lebrun Government School and passed her HSC at GMD Atchia SSS. She is ambitious to become a professional. Alif recommended her at Al Bukhary University in Malaysia. She impressed the interviewers with brio and was selected for a scholarship. She is leaving for Keddah on Sunday next.
Suhail Lidialam grew up in Plaine Verte too and attended Jean Lebrun Government school. He finished his HSC at Sir Abdool Razak Mohamed SSS, completed his BA in French at UoM, did a Masters at UTM in Communications and PR, was recruited as a Cadet Officer in the Police Force, attended the Indian Academy of Police and is now Police Press Officer, the right man at the right place.
You would agree folks that we need youths of this kind of iron determination, ready to take up the challenge that daily life presents and aim for success. Wish them both plenty of wonderful and happy days ahead.
Now to our four ambassadors designate.
Communal living has always been, now or at the start of civilisation, a matter of managing the frictions between different interest groups within a country or between neighbouring countries. Frictions arose for economic, family, inheritance or territorial reasons. Or simply for lebensraum created by the tragedy of the commons. We all know about the warring tribes of Saudi Arabia, the kings of India as depicted in Mahabharat, and the provinces of China. A modus vivendi had to be devised for peaceful co-existence. That need gave birth to diplomacy. And Winston Churchill described that need in his famous words: It is better to jaw jaw than to war war.
The Middle East and the Indian sub-continent produced the Mohanjodaro, today in Pakistan, the Ur in Iraq, the Nile Valley civilizations and the Ethiopian civilisation under King Negus Ashama ibn Abjar, who provided refuge to those persecuted in Mecca, prospered and created many inventions that we use today. Those civilizations progressed and enriched humanity in an atmosphere of prolonged peace: they produced artefacts, writings, canalizations, the wheel, modern agriculture, sailing, geography and historic monuments like the pyramids, tombs of the Pharaohs whose mystery has yet to be fully deciphered. That peaceful co-existence was made possible by the efforts of the various emissaries at the service of kings who would negotiate to avoid war or bring peace after skirmishes. You would also recall the emissaries who were sent by King Solomon to the Queen of Sheba and those of prophet Yacoob to the Egyptian King for provision of grains during the seven-year drought.
Our four ambassador designates will be heading soon to their posts in the lands of those ancient civilizations who have known and perfected diplomacy. What a great place for inspiration! They will have to reflect the image of Mauritius and to project the facets, interests and dreams of their nation in the host countries. Of course, the economic interests would be at the top of the agenda.
Mauritius does not have the clout to influence history, something which is left to the superpowers, but it has to align itself with the side where its interests will be safeguarded. And it would be your duty, dear Ambassadors to walk in the minefields without compromising yourselves or our country. And choosing the right words would require all the arts of a wordsmith. Mind the advice of Talleyrand, who believed in the necessity of compromise and moderation in diplomacy as opposed to using gunboat diplomacy and issuing ultimatums. He added that speech was given to man to conceal his thoughts.” And I will repeat what I have told your predecessors: when you meet a butcher, talk meat, when you meet a baker, talk bread, when you meet both together, talk sandwich. And I am paraphrasing Churchill’s formula: tell somebody to go to hell in such sweet language that he will ask you a google map for directions.
Today, the world is facing many challenges such as destabilisation, climate change, trade wars, and unprecedented state terrorism. Fortunately, our country has aligned itself with the overwhelming majority voices at the UN and your intervention in public is made easy.
Gentlemen, you are the choice of the country as the government that has appointed you is the unanimous choice of the country. It is a tall order. You are condemned to succeed in your mission. Success will involve the sine qua non faculty of spinning which was the preserve of the textile industry. Take into consideration that you are at the margin of power, not at the seat of power. And to succeed, you must be given all the tools required. Or it will be equivalent to baking bread without flour.
As to Alif Society, we are following Churchill’s advice: A nation that fails to honour its heroes, soon will have no heroes to honour. Congratulations and best Wishes.