Sheilabai Bappoo (born Rama on 16 June 1947 in Beau Bassin,

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

) is a Mauritius politician, Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Senior Citizens Welfare & Reform Institutions in

from 2005 to 2010. She also held the ministry of Gender Equality, Child Protection and Family Planning from 1983 to 1995 and from 2010 to 2011.

Biography

Sheila Bappoo completed her graduation in teaching from Queen Elizabeth College. She was a teacher until 1977. She was a leader of the

Mauritian Militant Movement The Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM; ) is a left-wing socialist political party in Mauritius. The party was founded by a group of students in the late 1960s. The MMM advocates a fairer society, without discrimination on the basis of social clas ...

and was General-Secretary of the party until 1975. She decided to step down in favor of

Anerood Jugnauth Sir Anerood Jugnauth, GCSK, (29 March 1930 – 3 June 2021) was a Mauritian statesman, politician and barrister who served both as President and Prime Minister of Mauritius. He was Member of Parliament for Piton & Riviere Du Rempart. The c ...

, who went on to become the President. Bapoo was elected councilor of Beau-Bassin & Rose-Hill where she was appointed as Deputy Mayor in 1977. The split in her party created a rift between the new Prime Minister

and the leader of the party Berenger. In 1983 they finally announced the termination of their alliance. Jugnauth proposed the creation of a new party sister to the MMM with the members who disagreed with Berenger, one of them was Bappoo. She finally merged with Jugnauth in the new party called the

Militant Socialist Movement The Militant Socialist Movement (, MSM) is a centre-left political party in Mauritius. It was the single largest political party in the National Assembly of Mauritius, having won 42 of the 69 seats in the 2019 general elections; however, follow ...

(MSM). The party won the elections of 1983. Jugnauth remained Prime Minister with a new team along with Bappoo as Minister of Women's Right. In 1996 Rama Sithanen, Alain Laridon and Sheila Bappoo formed a new party named Rally for Reform or Rassemblement Pour la Réforme (RPR). The RPR allied with PMSD for the municipal elections, going on to win 25% of the votes. From 1991 to 1995, she served as the Minister for Women's Rights, Child Development and Family Welfare. She joined MSM in 2003 and subsequently served as the Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations and Women's Rights, Child Development and Family Welfare. She was elected again in Constituency No 16 as from July 2005 to date, under the banner of Labour Party, Social Alliance. At the 2005 elections she was candidate for the

Labour Party (Mauritius) The Labour Party (, PTr) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Mauritius. It is one of four main Mauritian political parties, along with the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) and the Parti ...

with the Alliance Sociale coalition Alliance Sociale (PTR–PMXD–LVF–MR–MMSM) and was elected at Constituency No. 16. At the subsequent elections in 2010 she was again elected in the same Constituency under the banner of Labour Party (coalition of PTR-PMSD-MSM). From July 2005 to 11 May 2010, she held the ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Senior Citizens Welfare & Reform Institutions. Her portfolio was changed to Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare on 11 May 2010 and she continued till 7 August 2011. On 18 August 2011, she became the Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reforms Institutions Welfare. On 15 March 2015, Sheila Bappoo withdrew from politics.

Awards

* 2007: Grand Officer of the

Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

and set eligible to use post-nominal (GOSK).

References

External links

Official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bappoo, Sheila Members of the National Assembly (Mauritius) Living people Government ministers of Mauritius Mauritian Hindus Militant Socialist Movement politicians Labour Party (Mauritius) politicians Grand Officers of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean 1947 births Women government ministers of Mauritius 20th-century women politicians 21st-century women politicians People from Plaines Wilhems District Mauritian politicians of Indian descent