Dear Editor,
In response to your
article a few weeks ago regarding the National Forum and the request for your
readers to write in with their list of “taboo” subjects, please find my
contribution.
National Forum -
Speak up now or forever hold your peace
Prelude
At day break on the
5th of June 1977, I woke up to a radio announcement that a “coup d’état” had
taken place and a group of people who called themselves “liberators” had
deposed the democratically elected government of James Mancham. At the time
coups d’état were commonplace and fashionable on mainland Africa.
What we had been
liberated from is to this day still not clear because a little less than a year
before, we had obtained independence from the United Kingdom and had become a
free sovereign State.
Members of this group
went on to form an illegal government and to this day, the same people are
still in control. Prior to independence, times were not exactly that quiet in
paradise. We had sampled what this group of people and their sympathisers were capable
of. They had subjected us to violent strikes, countless demonstrations,
bombings and fires.
These and this act of
treason provided the best indicators of the kind of future the people of
Seychelles faced. And looking back this view is firmly proven.
Now in their twilight
years, some members of this group are showing signs of remorsefulness and want
to be forgiven for what happened. Others, it is reported, would prefer to take
what they know to their graves.
The call for the
truth has always been there but has always fallen on deaf ears. It seems times
are changing and the braver ones are asking for “taboo subjects” to be
discussed openly. Therefore for this reason alone, I respect President Michel
for having the courage to table the subject openly.
A National Forum
One of the reasons
cited by President Michel for establishing the National Forum is the need to
remove the elements that have divided our nation for so long, so that we can
make progress on most fronts on a bipartisan basis. He has invited us to speak
up in an unreserved manner.
Below is the list
that I have compiled to help the chosen members of the forum do their work as I
believe this is an important opportunity for them to make history and bring
about meaningful changes to our country.
The Original Sin: The
source of the division and Taboo Subject Number 1
Unquestionably, the
source of division and polarisation of our country as we know it today, are the
tragic events which happened on the 5th of June 1977, and prior to this, the
mysterious disappearances of a few Seychellois which up to this day remains
unexplained. More than half of the population viewed the 5th of June event as
an act of treason while others considered it a “liberation”.
Deprivation of Human Rights – Taboo Subject 2
The treatment of
other people who were in politics when this sad event occurred and
subsequently, remain sore wounds for those affected, to this day.
Imprisonments, seizure of assets and killings were the order of the day and we
were told these were all done in the name of improving the lot of the
Seychellois people. How could depriving people of civil liberties and human
rights improve the lot of others? Is killing one’s own countrymen justified?
Victimisation – Taboo
Subject 3
Under the one party
State, government ruled with an iron fist subjecting individuals and businesses
to all sorts of scare mongering tactics to the extent that there was an exodus
of people fleeing Seychelles and businesses going bankrupt, simply because
their owners would not tow the same political line. People were scared to talk
openly about politics in case they were victimised. Even to this day, you can
lose your civil service job if you criticise the government and the reason for
dismissal would be that you are a security risk.
Mismanagement and
Corruption – Taboo Subject 4
The mismanagement of
funds and the corruption on the large scale that has happened has been entirely
under the watch of the only government this nation has known since the 5th June
1977. The Mancham government had not been in power for one year. The government
must stop blaming the opposition for any misdoings because the opposition has
never been in power. It must recognise that it has been solely responsible for
the economic mess which led to the IMF bail-out and only it can get us out of
it. Furthermore, allegations of corruption must be investigated and those
responsible be brought to justice. Lip service to this is no longer acceptable.
It is time to randomly audit the assets of government officers past and present
and the envelopes which they declared their assets be opened for verification.
Leave the Judiciary
Alone – Taboo Subject 5
The government has
always exercised undue influence on the judiciary and has interfered with its
independence through various tactics including appointment of foreigners who
have sucked up to the system so that they could be conferred the Seychellois
nationality. The government must stop this practice and must allow the
judiciary to do its job unhindered. It is only through an independent judiciary
that we can achieve meaningful outcomes and justice will triumph in all
instances.
In a Democracy the
Opposition Deserves Respect – Taboo Subject 6
The government must
recognise that people have different views and will always differ on policy
matters. The opposition is there as a check on misaligned policies and has an
important role to play in pointing deficiencies in policies. For this reason,
its members should not be victimised whether for: 1. belonging to the
opposition, and 2. speaking out against bad policies. If the government was in
the opposition, it would claim exactly the same respect.
What Happened to
“Sesel Pou Seselwa”? – Taboo Subject 7
The people who coined
this phrase at the time of the movement for independence have totally forgotten
about it. When the Opposition and the public speak out about the protection of
State assets, especially land allocation to foreigners, they are speaking on
behalf of the entire nation regardless of party affiliation.
Government has a duty
on behalf of the entire nation to put in place legislation on how assets of the
state are disposed of in a transparent manner. No asset can ever be offered to
anyone privately, especially to foreigners. When assets are identified for
disposal, a public tender must be published and only Seychellois persons can be
allowed to participate in the tender. The recent Bel Ombre hotel proposal is a
case in hand, where the government has sprung a surprise on its people. This
practice is wrong and must be stopped. If the government is calling on its
people to unite for nation building, the same people must be given priority to
participate in this process and preferences not be given to foreigners.
Public Scrutiny is
Normal – Taboo Subject 8
Ministers of the
government, political appointees and civil servants who accept almost quasi
political roles, must understand that in accepting these posts they are subject
to public scrutiny and must accept criticisms from all angles except in cases
of defamation. Frivolous court cases entered by these people who know that they
can exert influence on the judiciary to get unjustified outcomes in their
favour must stop.
Tell Us What You Are
Doing With Our Money – Taboo Subject 9
Whenever money is
collected from the public for special reasons, these should be subject to the
same control as funds/taxes collected under the appropriation act. We need to
have full audits of the use of the Corporate Social Responsibility funds as
well as the Children’s Fund. In the case of the latter, the responsibility for
allocation of funds collected under its name should be enfranchised to a body
made up of responsible members of our society and not by a government officer
or agency, let alone the President’s Office or his appointees.
Enact Balanced Laws –
Taboo Subject 10
The electoral laws
and public order act must be revised and the views of the entire nation
reflected in them.
Our Environment –
Taboo Subject 11
The government of
President Albert Rene was very conscious of the fragile environment of
Seychelles and did its best to protect the environment while creating reclaimed
land for development. Today, we see just the opposite happening under President
Michel’s government, with foreign companies being given permission to build
whatever they want, wherever they want, with total disregard and respect for
our environment. A few cases of note is Sheikh Khalifa’s palace at the top of
La Misere mountain which is considered not only an eyesore, but a scar on our
landscape, the proposed hotel development at Bel Ombre which has just been
announced out of the blue and linked again to Abu Dhabi, the proposed hotel at
the only remaining wetlands at Grand Police, and of course the Emirates
Airlines proposed project at Cap Ternay, an area of unrivalled beauty and a
haven for the marine environment. These are crimes against humanity Mr.
President, let alone against your own people! Beau Vallon Beach is now so
overcrowded that it has become nothing more than a cheap commercial tourist
spot. Port Launay is now the home of the huge Ephelia Resort Hotel and the
Seychellois people are now pushed into a small section of the beach and no
longer welcomed. A lot of beaches around Mahé and Praslin are now out of bounds
to locals; the people have simply had enough of large hotels on the islands. To
top it off, our outer islands are now being sold off to rich foreigners rather
than kept as national treasures for our future generations.
Our Citizenship –
Taboo Subject 12
Government has sold
and given away our passports to foreigners from all over the world, from
criminals who have paid for favours, to judges who are in favour and to
“friends of Seychelles” who have greased the palms of many politicians. It is
time to take this power away from the President and State House, and the recent
change of laws has done nothing to stop the abuse of power.
Hear the Entire
Nation Out – Taboo Subject 13
And how can the views
of the entire nation be heard, if the main avenue for its people to air
concerns is controlled by government? For too long now, the SBC Radio and TV
have been used as tools by government to indoctrinate and broadcast the
government’s position only, while the Nation newspaper has been used as a tool
for State House to spread its own propaganda, philosophy and lies. Recently, a
new Seychelles News Agency which clearly is another arm of the State House
media machinery has emerged and is housed in the new Jj Spirit Espace building.
Worse, it is being funded by taxpayers money. Aren’t NISA (Nation) and SBC
enough?
It is the same SBC
which has been used all along to lead the nation to believe that the all the
taboo subjects were the creation of the opposition. Now the new SNA
regurgitates everything that State House spouts.
Half of the
population views these subjects as very real and sensitive ones. It would
appear that for the other half, they were “taboo” subjects which should never
be discussed at all costs and which SBC should suppress discussions on. It is
time government and State House to get out of the media business once and for
all. Only an independent media without ties to the government can bring freedom
of press and expression to the fore. As long as State House controls the media
in the country à la “En Moman Avek Prezidan”, the country will never move
forward.
Where Do We Start?
But now that we have
been told we can discuss these “taboo” issues, we need to make a concerted
effort to table them, or at least the chosen, “distinguished citizens” must ensure
that the true voice of the nation are heard. If we are uncertain as to where to
start the discussions to bring our nation together then we can start the
dialogue with subject 1 above, the Original Sin. If we cannot agree on this,
then it is back to the subject 1 again, because it will not go away. Will the
perpetrators of this sin be brought to justice? We think not, at least not for
a while. Possibly posthumously, some truth may come out about who did what. But
in the end, we are a forgiving people due to our Christian upbringing, and most
believe that forgiveness is better than retribution.
For a lot of
Seychellois the hurt can only start going away when the truth is exposed about
a lot of sufferings which have taken place so that all those affected can start
the healing process in a dignified manner.
It is only after the
skeletons have been removed from the closets that perhaps the pain will start
to fade into history, and not the phony history as written by Shillington!
Summary
Seychelles is at a
fork in the road, or at least this government is. President Michel can either
accept that he and his party are the true cause of the polarization and that
only he and his party can rectify the situation by openly discussing the issues
as listed above, or he might as well dissolve the National Forum now. He
himself owes the Seychellois nation an apology, if not for taking part in the
coup d’etat which he absurdly believes was needed to liberate the people, then
at least for all the lives that were lost during and after the coup. Yes, a lot
of people still alive today are guilty of various sins and they know that
putting their hands up could end them in jail. But the families who lost their
loved ones are ready for closure and are the only ones who can pardon the
sinners. And moving “Zomn Lib” a few hundred metres down the road and replacing
it with a new “national” monument concocted by the President himself is a slap
in the face to all Seychellois with an iota of common sense.
The question is that
with elections around the corner, will the President fast track this process of
truth? This is highly unlikely and therefore, this forum would well prove to be
another waste of time of the ‘distinguished’ members of the National Forum, let
alone another golden opportunity to move the country forward, lost amidst the
haze of the original sinners’ narcissistic blurred visions of leadership.
Sincerely,
C. A.
Source:Today
