ON the 29th of June this year, we marked 31 years of independence and yet it seems like only yesterday when the British flag was lowered down to be replaced by the red, white and blue of the first Seychelles flag. The date of 29th June 1976, was when James R. Mancham became the first President of the Seychelles and France Albert Rene was made the Prime Minister of Seychelles.
It was a great beginning for a small Nation but a year later almost to the day of 5th of June 1977, there was a coup d’etat and Rene became President of Seychelles. The Seychelles People’s Progressive Front (SPPF) has been in power since then and will remain so until 2012.
Today, we can look back and think about all the changes that have taken place, reflect on what we think good or bad and make our own personal judgments on the State of the Nation. There are many pessimists among us but The Indian Ocean Club takes a positive view. We have great hoped for the future through the efforts of the club and its newspaper the Star – we believe we have a massive role to play in the future of our beautiful Seychelles.
Last year, the Presidential Election took place and President James Michel got his first mandate from the people of Seychelles with 30,119 votes, 53.73 per cent of the total vote. This was a big show of national supports as 56,787 voters or 88.6 per cent of eligible voters (64,026) turned up to one of the biggest turnouts in a Presidential Election since 1992. Mr Wavel Ramkalawan of the Seychelles National Party (SNP) with Democratic Party (DP) collected 25,626 votes or 45.71 per cent.
When President Michel returned to office, braced for another five years, I was able to meet him and wish him well. During our meeting, he gave an exclusive interview to the Independence magazine. At that stage, I thought that politics on the islands was turning a corner, that we may have put all the divisive issues behind us. But on the 3rd October 2006, the world saw horrific pictures of Wavel Ramkalawan and Jean-François Ferrari – another high ranking member of the official Opposition Party bloodied and bruised after being beaten up on the steps of the National Assembly building.
It was a shocking advertisement for Seychelles and put into question the maturity of our political process. I await with interest the result of an inquiry into the events.
Apart from the domestic dimensions, it was appalling to see such terrible pictures when so many organizations, including the Indian Ocean Club are doing their utmost to promote tourism. At a time when the issue of National Reconciliation is key to harmony in our islands, we cannot tolerate such primitive brutality. I think we ought to be very careful that we don’t go back to the bad time of 1977. Thirty years on, surely we should know better.
This year’s Independence anniversary had been dominated by the National Assembly elections, and to the surprise of many Seychellois, especially the Opposition, President Michel used the State of the Nation address to the National Assembly in March to dissolve parliament for elections in May and soon the SPPF was ready to start, inevitably, was a successful campaign to maintain overall control of the National Assembly.
In April, the President of the SPPF, France Albert Rene, presented his party’s 25 candidates which included five women. Mr Rene thanked members for their solidarity. He said elected members where there to serve the people, boasting that the SPPF has established a visible record of achievements for the country. Pointedly, for it really, did not need saying, Mr Rene said that the SPPF did not require an alliance to win.
Mr Wavel Ramkalawan who headed the SNP/DP alliance, fielded 23 men and two women candidates. He called for maximum effort of all those involved in the campaign to achieve a victory in the National Assembly. Yet, it was clear the tactics were different and observers wondered if the incident of 3rd October 2006 had permanently changed things.
The SPPF fought a vigorous campaign with rallies almost every weekend trumpeting that the Opposition Members of the National Assembly had boycotted the National Assembly since the incident of 3rd October 2006. Indeed, the SNP/DP alliance offered a quieter approach with only a rally in the last weekend before the elections.
After claiming victory, President Michel has said: “The results show that Seychellois want to continue working to make the country forge further ahead. “By granting SPPF a majority in the Assembly, they have sent a clear message that they want all of us to continue working in a united manner for the country’s continued progress. He went on: “What gives me particular pleasure is Mr Wavel Ramkalawan’s commitment that he and other MNAs will work to bring in positive and constructive contributions that will help further develop the country. “It is something that is very positive. It is something I like, something I appreciate.”
Mr Ramkalwan shook hands with the President and congratulated the SPPF on its victory. He said: “It is obvious that if we want to achieve anything for this country, we need to work together, and I believe we can work together, so tonight my call is for all of us to remain united.” “It is the only way that ideas can be put forward. Ideas that will help Seychelles move, and it is only by talking to each other that we will be able to listen to each other.” He added: “Seychelles is in the heart of every Seychellois and it is my plea that we work together for its betterment and for its unity. I say congratulations to the SPPF on their victory, but we need to re-look at the electoral process.” Mr Ramkalawan explained that there were people whose names were missing on the electoral register and were required to vote in districts other than those where they expected to.
The National Assembly election results panned out like this: We saw 86 per cent of the electorate (55,827 out of 64,993 voters) turning up at the polls; 56.2 per cent (30,571) voted for the SPPF, 43.71 per cent (23,869) backed the SNP/DP alliance. As a comparison, the SPPF took 452 more votes than it received in the 2006 President Election, the Opposition slipped by 1,757.
So there we have it. The political landscape drawn for the next five years. I think now that Michel has retained the same majority, he clearly feels that he has a strong mandate from the people of Seychelles to press ahead with his policies. Some observers interpret the result differently. They claim President Michel’s appeal for more support was rejected and must be regarded as a slap in the face as the country voted to maintain equally strong support for Mr Ramkalawan. Be that as it may, the main concern now must be to get the country united.
It is important to note that all the political and church leaders in Seychelles want peace, stability, harmony and the cry from the majority of the people too is that they want peace. On my part, I have been promoting National Reconciliation and a Government of National Unity for the betterment of the people of Seychelles. I think we deserve that chance to work together and rebuild our country for the future generation.
Today, I look at Northern Ireland where there has been more bloodshed that we can ever think about – bombs, assassinations and innocent lives lost or changed irreparably – and not only there but on the UK mainland too. Yet, now it is on track to be one of the quietest and safest places in the world. Surely this proves that sheer hard work from politicians can make this possible.
We should take note of the changes to ensure Seychelles can progress further and I am confident we can do this in a short space of time if we only have the will. Our economy is struggling but it can improve. I want to see the day when the Seychelles Rupee is strong and able to be exchanged throughout the world. It is only then that I will breathe properly and I will be the first person to congratulate the Government of Seychelles.
(Lewis N. Betsy is Managing Director of the Indian Ocean Club)