Prem Nababsing

Paramhamsa (Prem) was born in Camp Diable, in the Savanne district of Mauritius. His father was a Hindu priest. By 1960 he completed his secondary education at Royal College Curepipe and secured a scholarship which enabled him to travel to England to study chemistry at University of Exeter. He graduated with a PhD by 1968 and then returned to Mauritius.[2] Prem Nababsing worked at Mauritius Chemical Fertilisers and Industries (MCFI) and the Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute (MSIRI).[3]

During the late 1960s and early 1970s Prem Nababsing and his wife Vidula Seegobin-Nababsing were actively involved in the newly formed MMM. At the 1976 general elections Vidula was elected to parliament in Constituency No.20. Following the victory of the MMM-PSM coalition at the 1982 elections Prem became Ambassador of Mauritius in Paris, France. At the 1983 elections Vidula was MMM candidate in Constituency No. 11 Vieux Grand Port Rose Belle but she was not elected.[4] Prem also returned to Mauritius from France after these 1983 elections. In 1987 Prem Nababsing was elected for the first time to the National Legislative Assembly in Constituency No. 13 Riviere des Angullies Souillac.[5] He held the position of Leader of the Opposition (Mauritius) from 1987 to 1991. At the 1991 elections Prem was re-elected for a 5-year term to Parliament and was part of the ruling MSM-MMM coalition.[6] He was Minister of Health until 1993, after which he became Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius until 1995.[7] In 1994 Prem Nababsing formed a new party called Renouveau Militant Mauricien (RMM).[8]