By Alain St.Ange

THE French laid claim to the Seychelles in 1756 when their Royal Flag and their ‘Pierre de Possession’ were formally placed on the islands. The Seychelles had become French Colony. A series of Capitulations followed, and by 1811 Seychelles had changed hands and become a British Colony. In 1976, Mr. James Mancham brought the islands to Nationhood when the Colony gained its Independence, with Mr. Mancham taking office, as President of the Republic of Seychelles. In 1977, a Coup D’Etat brought in the islands 2nd Republic, with Mr. Albert Rene as the country’s President.  In 1992, the country embarked on a process to be reaccepted in the ‘Community of Nations’ when Seychelles prepared for the reacceptance of multiparty politics. The island’s 3rd Republic Era was then launched in 1993.

These are milestones that will remain memorable dates in our Country’s History. Knowing where we come from enables us to understand where we are and why we are where we are, but more importantly, it will, and it should help everyone of us better chart our own future.

Much has been said, and a lot has been written about the colonial era and what existed or did not exist during these chapters of our history. We know that each stage of our history has brought changes that have had an impact on our lives, or before us, on the lives of our forefathers. Each stage of our history, for example, saw different style of people’s involvement in the decision making process of the Country. 

During the early French days, those who supervised the upkeep of roads, the treasury accounts and who also decided on the fate of ‘run away slaves’ were called the ‘Conseil de Commune’ which was made up of four inhabitants. The first such body constituted in 1806 had Mr. Savy, Mondon, Langlois and Blin as the first members. The British Era brought in a Board of Civil Commissioners in 1872 aimed at enabling the inhabitants to take better participation in the administration of the country. This was followed by the setting up of a Legislative Assembly made up only of ‘Appointed Representatives’. In 1948 Seychelles had its ‘First Elections’ that saw Seychellois elected to the Legislative Body of its islands.

From then on Seychelles entered a more intense political process where Seychellois were chosen by the electorate to represent them in the Legislative Body. This participation of Seychellois, accountable to the people who elected them, took a new dimension after the 1970 General Elections when Seychelles got its first Chief Minister and a Council of Ministers who were all directly elected by the People.

An attempt at bringing National Unity to the islands was instigated in 1976 when a Coalition Government was formed under the leadership of Mr. James Mancham as Prime Minister and with Mr. Albert Rene who became a Minister in the Unity Government.

Unity in the country had set the stage for the Seychelles to move peacefully to Nationhood in 1976, when Mr. Mancham became President and Mr. Rene Prime Minister. At that time, the joint SPUP / SDP Council of Ministers were also all Members of the House of Assembly. This stage in the history of the Seychelles was proudly described on the front page of the Nation Newspaper as “Now We Are Free” with a message from the two political leaders.

On the 5th June 1977, the Unity Government was overthrown by the Prime Minister of the Government, Mr. Albert Rene, when he installed himself as President of what became Seychelles’ Second Republic Era. The islands had become a ‘One Party State’ and was to remain so until 1991 when Multi Party Democracy was announced and introduced in 1993 after eight political parties registered to contest the first elections of the new ‘free’ Seychelles – The Constitutional Commission Elections.

This brought about the Country’s third constitution and its Third Republic with Mr. Albert Rene retaining his position as President until 2004 when he passed over the realm of Government Power to Mr. James Michel, a long-time Member of his Council of Ministers. Mr. Michel then won the following 2006 Presidential Elections making him the Country’s Third President.

This brief historical perspective brings us to the Crossroads where Seychelles finds itself today.  This Crossroad is seen at a time of change and possibilities, coming from different angles, all at the same time.

Civil Servants and Government workers have been loosing their jobs in what is being called a ‘restructuring’ at the same time that the value of the Seychelles Rupee has been sliding down through what is being called ‘readjustment’ resulting in serious increases in cost of living. Change in the country’s policy has brought about a programmed loss of National Assets to foreigners. This is being credited as the reason for the arrival of the ‘revival of the country’s Tourism Industry’ at the same time as the Government is announcing to the Tourism Trade of its intention to ‘Harmonize Fiscal Concessions’ offered to that industry.

Civil Servants, are Seychellois who joined the institution of Public Service as a career and for job security, are today facing a new dilemma - uncertainty. President James Michel had earlier this year given a reassuring statement about removing politics from the Civil Service when he was addressing the National Assembly to dissolve the institution. But the recent dismissal of so many Civil Servants, who are not known political activists, is a departure from the Presidents call in his State of the Nation Address, because Political Civil Servants – (Political Activists occupying posts of District Administrators, SPPF Central Committee Members who are Civil Servants and Members of the National Assembly occupying posts in the Civil Service) - are all still part of the Country’s Civil Service.

The declaration made by President James Michel came after an interesting explanation by Mr Patrick Herminie on the 8th August 2006. Mr Herminie is now Speaker of the National Assembly, but then was the MNA representing English River District when he stated in a session of the National Assembly that ‘Politicians formulate policy, politicians are elected by the people and politicians are there to impliment a program that the people have said they want them to implement, Civil Servants do not have this responsibility. Civil Servants  are paid by the people to do what politicians tell them to do and this needs to be respected once and for all’. Mr Herminie was of course right, and his explanation made clear that Civil Servants turned politicians cannot represent the people who elected them as they are there to do what politicians tell them to do. This makes it impossible for these Civil Servants, who have the dual role of politicians, to be able to serve the people of Seychelles who are paying their salaries.

What is happening today in Seychelles is exactly what Mr. Albert Rene, President of the SPPF had preached against when he was addressing one of the Seychelles Constitutional Conferences when he stated, and here I quote “We must also take steps to prevent the abuse of political power in certain specific spheres, and in this connection we shall propose the setting up of a civil service commission to cover all civil servants, independent of any political government. We feel that our Civil Service can be efficient only if it is independent of the political party in power”.  Today many of those fired or relieved from their Civil Service positions are skeptical about the sincerity of politicians and are reminded that the country have gone through full circle as the world gets ready to host in mid October the 3rd African Diaspora Heritage Trail International Conference with the theme ‘From Slave Ships to Self-Determined Destinations’ . Colleagues of Civil Servants and Parastatal Companies employees have gone scared for fear of loosing their own monthly salary that pays for the daily food placed on their family table.

That fear of being able to loose one’s salary if and when a political master so decides is a loss of the freedoms enjoyed by people of the free world. The loss of any freedom is a return to the past and no words can better illustrate the need for the protection of these freedoms than the demands echoed by Mr. Albert Rene at another Seychelles Constitutional Conference, and here again I quote:- The Constitution must “provide for the fundamental human rights and freedoms of out people. It must afford adequate safeguards against abuse. It must guarantee the independence of the judiciary and of certain authorities that must be outside political influence. The sort of constitution we adopt must enable our country to achieve political stability and political stability can only be secured if the people can choose and change their leaders if they so wish….In order for the democratic process to function properly it is evident that there must be freedom of expression and freedom of association. In the context of a small country like ours where there is limited radio and press facilities, it is essential that broadcasting must be free from political partiality”

The four Freedoms so sought after are Freedom of Association, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Assembly and the Rule of Law. These freedoms separate a human being of today from the macabre past of our history, and when the likes of Castor ran away even though those in control of his life had been given a roof over his head, a plate of food when he was hungry and work. Castor wanted more for his colleagues and for himself – he wanted to be free. Many modern day Seychellois have seen themselves being compar-ed to Castor, and one who often comes to mind is Sylvestre Rade-gonde, our Country’s Former Ambassador and the man who was mandated to lay the foundation stone for our Country’s Tourism Re-vival Program. He spoke his mind and he expressed himself freely at the same time that he discharged successfully his responsibilities as an employee of the Government of Seychelles. He was clearly one who had earned the respect of his colleagues within the Civil Ser-vice and his dismissal from his position as the Head of the Seychel-les Tourist Board sent shock waves through the Civil Service and through the employees of the Government Parastatal Companies.

It is important at this Historical Crossroad for everyone to take stock of the happenings and to analyse their own expectations at the same time. From what is known for sure is that the Seychelles of today has a National Assembly that is made up by a majority of Civil Servants who are paid by the People, as was stated by Hon Patrick Herminie, the now Speaker of the National Assembly. These Civil Servants have to do what politicians tell them to do. This is a sad state of affair when representatives of the People have to what politicians tell them to do for fear of being fired from their Civil Service position. The case on hand is agravated when Civil Servants are then compelled to show public support for the political party in power when discharging their responsibilities as Government Employees so that they can be spotted, and in due course promoted to a Ministerial position. Civil Servants so promoted, remain Civil Servants at heart, and do what policians tell them to do for fear of being left out of the next Cabinet reshuffle.

The People of Seychelles are the only real loosers in this situation where everyone is working to protect their Civil Service position that could, through devotion and loyalty to the Party, earned them a position in the National Assembly or a promotion to the Cabinet of Ministers. The People have no real representation, and decisions that affect the daily lives of the People end up originating from the only politician of the present setup – The President.

Accountability of a Minister is not to the electorate but to the President as they have no electoral or popular base. This is why they can be appointed and left out at will, and that they appear from nowhere and disappear to obscurity only at the stroke of a pen of the Head of Government. The confusion of the situation is so sad that the same Ministers who were promoted from their Civil Service positions for having towed party lines and served the People of Seychelles as party activists first, were clapping when the President said earlier this year that politics had to be removed from the Civil Service. They forgot that they attained the position they were in only because of the Governments ongoing policy of tolerating politics in the Civil Service. The policy had the unwritten rule of politics being acceptable only as long as the correct party’s doctrine was being regurgitated daily to the people, to Foreign Press and visiting Dignitaries. The same can be said about the Members of the National Assembly who are Civil Servants.

Today the country is assessing costs to patrol and control political manifestations. Vice President Belmont was also understood when he spoke of the adverse impact political manifestations had on the country’s tourism industry and on the stability of the country. Curing the root of the problem is the only solution and limiting political manifestations will not attain the results being sought by the Vice President. SBC remains the main cause for the Oppositions needs to take to the streets because they have failed to bring out the views of the representatives of have of the country’s population, whenever major decisions are announced and statements are made by the Government. SBC has failed in its role of adequately informing the Seychelles population of the two opinions that exists. When the one side benefits of daily political statements being broadcasted over and over again, the spokesmen for the other side is not given the possibility of stating the oppositions views on the announcements made. SBC remains guilty of allowing Government actions to be defended in all manner and form, through the different programs conceived only for that reason, and for not having had the foresight of calling on the Opposition’s Spokesperson to react on what was being announced by the Government so that the People could be well informed at all times.
    
At the time of the present Crossroad, as History is being docu-mented, as Biographies of former Presidents James Mancham and Albert Rene are being written for our children and grand children to know the political past of our country, James Michel, our current President, has the unique opportunity of charting a new course for Seychelles, one where all politicians become accountable to the ele-ctorate and where Civil Servants remain servants of every Citizen of Seychelles as they are paid by the sweat of every Seychellois.

…and politicians will only become accountable to the people when they are elected, based on a program they have submitted to the people, and one that the people have said they want them to implement.

Alain St. Ange is a known Seychellois Hotelier who was also until the last General Elections the directly elected Member of the National Assembly for Bel Air. He says that when he brought out his first book “What Next?” in 1991 he had exactly that question in his mind, what next for our country. Then came his answer to his own question in his second book published in 2005 together with Bernard Georges, “In Search of  democracy”, because our country was still searching for its democracy as it  had done since its humble beginning. The third book, “The Cry  of A People” followed as he took time to look for the echoes from
the masses and their cry for a better Seychelles for themselves and for their brothers and sisters who were always scared of being in  the forefront.  His next two books, “The Biographies of James Mancham” - The man who became Seychelles Founding  President and that of Albert Rene, “The Biography of a Life Long President” will attempt to portray the Seychelles as seen from the eyes of the opposing political leaders and from the two sides of the political divide. It is clear that no one is better placed than Alain St.Ange to do this work as he grew up as a young boy, the son of Karl St.Ange, in a family firmly entrenched as Albert Rene
followers opposed to James Mancham. He was then to work  along side Albert Rene in the People’s Assembly of 1979  and in SPPF’s District Committee for La Digue.  On the other  hand Alain St.Ange only really got to know James Mancham  at the Opposition’s Germany Meeting prior to the return of  multi-party in Seychelles and in the cooperation that followed in the Opposition Camps in Seychelles when he was a  Candidate at the different elections and became an  Opposition’s Elected Member of the National Assembly.