Arvin Boolell
{{Short description|Minister of Agro-Industry 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable
| name = Arvin Boolell
|honorific-suffix = {{small|GOSK {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MP}}}}
| image = File:Arvin Boolell, 2013 (cropped).jpg
|order = Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries
|president = Prithvirajsing Roopun
Dharam Gokhool
|primeminister = Navin Ramgoolam
|term_start = 29 November 2024
|term_end =
|predecessor = Mahen Seeruttun
|successor =
| order1 = 13th Leader of Opposition of Mauritius
| president1 = Prithvirajsing Roopun
| primeminister1 = Pravind Jugnauth
| term_start1 = 14 November 2019
| term_end1 = 1 March 2021
| predecessor1 = Xavier-Luc Duval
| successor1 = Xavier-Luc Duval
| term_start2 = 28 May 2024
| term_end2 = 12 November 2024
| predecessor2 = Shakeel Mohamed
| successor2 = Georges Lesjongard
| order3 = Minister of Foreign Affairs
| president3 = Sir Anerood Jugnauth
Kailash Purryag
| primeminister3= Navin Ramgoolam
| term_start3= 8 September 2008
| term_end3= 12 December 2014
|constituency_MP5 = Belle Rose and Quatre-Bornes
|term_start5 = 17 December 2017
|term_end5 =
|predecessor5 = Roshi Bhadain
|successor5 =
|constituency_MP6 = Vieux Grand Port and Rose Belle
|term_start6 = 30 August 1987
|term_end6 = 10 December 2014
|predecessor6 = Anandisswar Choolun
|successor6 = Mahen Seerutun
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|05|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = Port Louis, British Mauritius
| spouse =
| children =
| party = Mauritian Labour Party
| website = [http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/mfasite/menuitem.05d365fe714a9e7156ae474120c521ca/]
| occupation = Physician
}}
Arvin Boolell (Bhojpuri : आर्विन बूलेल; May 26, 1953) is a Mauritian doctor and politician currently serving as Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries. Boolell formerly served as the Leader of the Opposition from 2019 to 2021 and again briefly in 2024.
Early life
Boolell, who was born in an Arya Samajist Indo Mauritian family in Port Louis, is the son of former leader of the Labour Party and former Deputy Prime Minister, Sir Satcam Boolell.{{cite web |title=Decisive moments |date=25 March 2006 |url=https://www.lexpress.mu/article/decisive-moments |publisher=L'Express |access-date=2006-03-25}} His younger brother Satyajit Boolell (also known as Ajit Boolell) became the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2009.{{cite news |title=Arvin et Satyajit Boolell : La fierté de leur père |url=https://www.lexpress.mu/article/arvin-et-satyajit-boolell-la-fiert%C3%A9-de-leur-p%C3%A8re |access-date=2010-03-02 |agency=L'Express |publisher=lexpress.mu}} He is also former minister Anil Gayan's cousin.{{Cite web|url=http://rulers.org/indexb4.html|title=Index Bo|website=rulers.org|accessdate=26 August 2023}} Writer, active politician and retired forensics doctor Satish Boolell who was elected Member of Parliament is also his cousin.{{cite news |title=Dr Satish Boolell : 30 ans de carrière décortiqués |url=https://defimedia.info/dr-satish-boolell-30-ans-de-carriere-decortiques |access-date=2017-05-21 |agency=Le Defi Media |publisher=Defimedia.info}}
He attended secondary school St Mary's College in Rose Hill and then studied medicine in England and Wales.{{cite news |title=Son histoire d'amour avec la politique |url=https://www.5plus.mu/node/12297 |access-date=2020-06-07 |agency=5Plus Dimanche |publisher=5plus.mu}} After graduating and becoming a medical practitioner, he graduated with an LLM from the National University of Ireland. He then practiced for sometimes in Wales before coming back to the country.{{Cite web |url=http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/mfasite/menuitem.05d365fe714a9e7156ae474120c521ca/ |title=The Minister |access-date=2012-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505223207/http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/mfasite/menuitem.05d365fe714a9e7156ae474120c521ca |archive-date=2012-05-05 |url-status=dead }}
Political life
He was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1987 in Constituency No 11, Vieux Grand Port and Rose Belle.{{cite web |title=Elected Members 1987 |url=http://electoral.govmu.org/English/electionresult/nasselec/Pages/1987/Elected-Members-1987.aspx |website=Office of Electoral Commissioner |access-date=2020-06-06}} He has been elected at Constituency No. 11 at all general elections (1987, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010) until 2014.{{cite web |title=Honourable member Dr. Boolell Arvin, GOSK |url=http://mauritiusassembly.govmu.org/English/hmembers/Pages/Dr--Boolell-Arvin,-GOSK.aspx |website=Mauritius National Assembly |access-date=2020-06-06}} Arvin Boolell was Opposition Whip from 2000 to 2005.
Boolell has served as Minister of Agriculture (later known as Minister of Agro-Industry) from 2005 to 2008. He was involved in negotiations with the European Union over economic issues.{{cite web|url=http://www.acp-eucourier.info/Newsview.79.0.html?%26tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D%3D5%26tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D%3D16%26tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D%3D6%26cHash%3D4ec4adbe2a |title=The Courier: "Give us what is legitimately ours," Minister of Mauritius for Agro-Industry, Arvin Boolell, tells EU |access-date=2009-06-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721184158/http://www.acp-eucourier.info/Newsview.79.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=5&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=16&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=6&cHash=4ec4adbe2a |archive-date=2011-07-21 }} Following the cabinet reshuffling of 2008, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs where he remained until 2014.
Following a Labour Party executive committee meeting on 12 May 2015 Arvin Boolell resigned as Labour Party Spokesperson after being verbally abused by backers of Navin Ramgoolam who refused to step down as leader of the party despite having lost the 2014 general elections.{{cite news |title=Labour Party falls into turmoil |url=http://country.eiu.com/article.aspx?articleid=723184256&Country=Mauritius&topic=Politics&subtopic=Forecast&subsubtopic=Political+stability |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=2015-05-26}}
At the 2017 by-elections in Constituency No. 18 (Belle Rose and Quatre Bornes) Arvin Boolell was elected and became member of the national assembly.{{cite web |title=Belle-Rose/Quatre-Bornes : Arvin Boolell remporte une large victoire à l'élection partielle |url=https://business.mega.mu/2017/12/18/belle-rosequatre-bornes-arvin-boolell-remporte-une-large-victoire-lelection-partielle/ |website=Business Mega Mauritius |access-date=2017-12-18}} At the 2019 General Elections he was again elected in Constituency no. 18. Since the Labour Party leader Navin Ramgoolam was not elected as member of parliament, the party chose Arvin Boolell to be its parliamentary leader and being the opposition party with most seats, he became the Leader of the Opposition. He is also the Vice Chairman of Mauritius Labour Party.
Recognition
In 2011 Arvin Boolell was elevated to the rank of Grand Officer of the Order of the Star and Key of Indian Ocean (G.O.S.K.).{{cite web |title=Prime Minister's Office (National Day Honours 2011) |url=http://pmo.govmu.org/English/Pages/National-Day-Honours-2011.aspx |website=Republic of Mauritius portal |access-date=2020-06-05}}
Controversies
During his term in office as Minister of Foreign Affairs there were international press reports that in 2012 Arvin Boolell sold the island of Agaléga to India as part of a deal to prevent the cancellation of the 1983 Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (Treaty) which is an essential part of the island's Offshore Banking sector.{{cite web |last1=Parmar |first1=S.S. |title=Abhishek Gupta asked: Has Mauritius offered the lease of Agalega Islands to the Indian Navy? What does it mean for India? |url=https://idsa.in/askanexpert/AgalegaIslands%20otheIndianNavy |publisher=Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses |access-date=2012-10-15}} The sale of Agaléga would also enable India to build a military base on the island, which is now evidenced in the heavy build-up of military infrastructure in Agaléga.{{cite web |last1=Bashfield |first1=Samuel |title=Agalega: A glimpse of India's remote island military base |url=https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/agalega-glimpse-india-s-remote-island-military-base |publisher=Lowy Institute |access-date=2021-03-02}} Details of the deal have not been revealed to the public, although the subsea surveys of the waters of Agalega have confirmed the presence of gigantic oil and gas reserves.{{cite web |last1=Prayag |first1=Touria |title=Arvin Boolell: Agalega has 80% of the world's proven oil reserves and 17% of natural gas |url=https://www.lexpress.mu/node/309365 |publisher=L'Express |access-date=2017-06-09}}{{cite web |last1=Sidhartha |title=Mauritius offers India 2 islands in effort to preserve tax treaty |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Mauritius-offers-India-2-islands-in-effort-to-preserve-tax-treaty/articleshow/14697220.cms |publisher=Times of India TNN |access-date=2012-07-06}}
References
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Category:Ministers of foreign affairs of Mauritius
Category:Members of the National Assembly (Mauritius)
Category:Government ministers of Mauritius
Category:Grand Officers of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean