 In 1969, the opposition party Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) led by Paul Bérenger was founded.Later in 1971, the MMM, backed by unions, called a series of strikes in the port, which caused a state of emergency in the country.The coalition government of the Labour Party and the PMSD (Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate) reacted by curtailing civil liberties and curbing freedom of the press.