TON PATS COLUMN; BRAVO TO THE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Following the tirade that James Michel hurled at the health and education professionals; at least one of the two ministers concerned met with her ‘Waterloo ‘ in the afternoon of Monday 22^nd February, in the Ministry of Health. The woman whose wardrobe seems to consists of anything and everything red, had called a meeting of all health professionals, seemingly to follow-up on the litany of instances of alleged malpractice and mismanagement, which were levelled against her ministry, by her boss during his SONA last week.

One health worker opined that she suffered from a Freudian slip and started off addressing what she thought was a gathering of party faithfuls from Marie Jeanne Estate on Baie Ste. Anne Praslin!

Not only have the health professionals been ridiculed about their performance; but to add insult to injury, they have also been accused of politicking while on duty. What is ironic is that the person the most guilty of abusing her position to politicize and campaign in the Ministry of Health, is Madam Mitcy Larue herself !

She has her team of foot soldiers at all levels in the ministry, who before and during last year’s presidential election were campaigning for the ruling party. Perhaps the most glaring and objectionable incident was when Michel Faure got the Cuba trained doctor to don his ‘kitenge’ and address the crowd at the rally, where he denigrated the opposition’s supporters, particularly the Lalyans Seselwa Executive Committee Members!

How can the general public have faith in the health system when health professionals who are supposed to serve without fear nor favor, openly show allegiance to a party that has a record of victimization of the Seychellois who are political dissidents? Interestingly enough while his colleagues health professionals openly and candidly expressed their outrage and frustrations to the Minister, the doctor who was kitenge clad during the rally of the reds, sat and listened in muted silence.

Whispers doing the rounds in the hospital have it that State House has not kept its promise to the good doctor to elevate him to the rank of minister. He had allegedly agreed to come out and speak in favour of Michel on the understanding that he would be replacing the ‘lady in red!’ Perhaps you should stick to your scalpel dear doctor. Politics are for the rough and tough and many have been used and discarded after they had served their purpose for Michel and co.

It would appear that Mrs. Larue had dangled some obscure promise before the health professionals, to be delivered on health workers day, but this cut no ice with those who had had enough of being unappreciated while giving their best. When a leader fails to understand and appreciate the challenge, frustrations and low morale of his or her troops, then he or she is no more a leader and should step aside in the interest of the organization and in this case, of the Ministry of Health and ultimately in the interest of the Seychellois patients who are its clients.

One thing is clear,- the professionals in this country have found their voice. Gone are the days when the Seychellois workers do not question the shenanigans of the ruling party. If Madam Larue is to seriously start on an audit of MOH, she should start with the dialysis unit which has been the subject of much controversy over the last year. The only way to clear all the accusations around the Abu Dhabi backed company managing the dialysis unit, is to bring in an independent firm (from South Africa for example), to carry out a comprehensive audit of this unit. That is if the CEO would give his blessings to such a development!

Finally, I have spent four very fulfilling years at the Ministry of Health and I have witnessed just how devotedly and how hard the health professionals work to keep the service delivery at an acceptable level.

For a leader and a supposedly Head of State at that, to publicly berate, criticize and scold the health professionals the way Michel did, is to lower their worth in the eyes of people whom they serve. That is a sign of a weak leader and at the very least a leader who has not grasped the basics tools of organizational management and inspirational leadership.

I therefore salute all health professionals who gave the minister a good dose of home truth! I know that home truths hurt. Perhaps she will do the most honourable thing and find an exit where she would not lose face.

As for the other professionals in the public service, my advice to you all is to stand up for your rights and for the respect that you deserve. Do not give in to incompetent and under- qualified leaders who are supposedly running government without knowing their -sides from the hole in the ground.

Long live freedom of speech.

Source:Seychelles Weekly

MEMBER GOES NUTS AT MARCO FRANCIS

Dear Editor,

I refer to your article on page 2 in yesterday’s newspaper and wish to make the following observations.

 As a member of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) for over a decade, I find it disrespectful to all members that the SCCI Chairman Mr. Marco Francis has gone on record to make several comments in regards to the 13th paycheck or end-of-year bonus that was introduced last year by President James Michel as a populist measure in order to woo the electorate to vote for his party.

Firstly, the SCCI should have consulted with and should have asked the views of all its paid members. According to Mr. Francis, the majority of businesses in the private sector are already giving a 13th month salary and that most of the companies agree with the President’s proposal. Can Mr. Francis please provide the members with the survey that he has done personally, or perhaps one that SCCI has done to prove this? In reality, no such survey was done and therefore, Mr. Francis’ comments do not reflect the views nor the will of its members. Lest we forget, Mr. Francis was an avid supporter of President Michel in the last election and he is once again showing that his allegiance lies not with the SCCI members but with the President instead.

Secondly, Mr. Francis states that “we cannot have two systems whereby one group is having a 13th month salary and a few is (sic) not getting it.” Why not Mr. Francis? If our already bankrupt Government wants to waste more taxpayers money by dishing out election favours in order to win votes, does that mean that the private sector has to bankrupt itself as well?

Thirdly, “we cannot have an unfair system in Seychelles”, Mr. Francis tells us. Has it not occurred to Mr. Francis that we already have an unfair system for housing, for land allocation, for welfare, for jobs, for pensions, for security clearance, for licenses, for GOPs, etc...? All condoned by the same corrupt Government I might add. Therefore, if STC pays out 15 paychecks each year or SPTC gives out 2 bonuses, do we in the private sector have to agree with this madness?

Fourthly, Mr. Francis now wants certain companies who cannot afford to pay the 13^th salary or companies in financial difficulties to be exempted. Seriously? Please tell us who will approve or disapprove such exemptions? Or shall we see the creation of another “13^th Month Bonus Commission” by the President, which will probably comprise of some familiar board members, with Mr. Francis himself appointed to chair the board?

Fifthly, Mr. Francis contradicts his “unfair” statement by wanting expatriate workers in the construction companies exempted as “this will adversely affect construction businesses in the country”. He also wants to exclude people above managerial positions from receiving a 13th month salary, stating that the proposed 13th month salary “is to help ordinary people and not high earners”. I assume that Mr. Francis considers all management staff as “out of the ordinary” and undeserving of such bonuses. Thus, here we go again in creating an unfair system for workers in our country, all courtesy of a President who by the way has never owned nor managed a private business in his life. He did manage to bankrupt the country as Minister of Finance though, so I guess he now qualifies to bankrupt most businesses in Seychelles as well, all with the assistance and wisdom of Mr. Francis, a man at the helm of SCCI who ironically is supposed to work on behalf of the private sector.

The appalling business decisions taken by President Michel in the run-up to the election and the additional measures announced during his State of the Nation address only serve to underline the weaknesses of this Government, one that can only be seen to be grasping at straws in order to hold on to power. Giving away taxpayers money so frivolously will only serve as a short-term pacifier and while welcomed by many, will come back to bite us all in the medium term as companies curtail investments and cut back on employment in order to keep their heads above water. This country is already bankrupt, courtesy of an inept Government. And whoever coined the term “intellectually spent” prior to the elections when referring to the Government in power should receive one of those fake, honorary degrees. And both Mr. Michel and Mr. Francis are experts in that domain.

 In the end, the 13th month salary would not require a discussion if it had been publicly debated first before any announcement was made. It is clear that this is yet another misconceived idea that will have serious impact on employment in the years to come if it becomes law, and one that could force certain businesses to close down. Simply put, the private sector cannot be made to pay for the folly of James Michel and his irresponsible Government, and Marco Francis should know better than to misrepresent the views of the SCCI members.

A.L.

Source:Today in Seychelles

TON PAT’S COLUMN; AFRAID TO ASK FOR ‘PARDON’?

The sad demise of Adalbert Denousse on the streets of Victoria has brought back memories of some of the saddest and darkest hours of our post-independence history. I am thinking here of the murder of Simon Desnousse, a young vivacious student with courage and obvious leadership skills.

 However, he was one of the sacrificial lambs who were used to instill fear and obeisance in the Seychellois people, as the authoritarian rule of post 1977 became entrenched and fear spread like a dark cloud over the population. Many of us will remember photographs of the scene at Anse Forban in the south of Mahé, where he and his friend the South African national -Mike Archer had been blown apart by a car bomb.

The unfortunate accident.

Word spread soon after of how they had been tortured before being put back into the vehicle and a bomb set off seemingly from under the car. We should never allow ourselves to forget that such real heroes like Simon Desnousse, Alton Ah-Time and Gerard Hoarau actually lost their lives as a sacrifice for us to move on to the road to multi-party democracy. It may not have been obvious at the time, but their lives were a sacrifice which started the slow process of creating an awareness in the minds of our oppressors that the time was to come when we will stand up to them and show clearly that those lost lives have not been in vain. At the right time when the so called liberatorsturned oppressors are gone, we, the Seychellois people will find a fitting way to remember those who were brave enough to stand up to the bullies and in so doing, lost their lives.

Was the Policeman riding recklessly?

It is time for us to revisit the past to bring healing to the nation. Time waits for no man and there are those in our society who are waiting to hear the truth, to forgive those who have committed these atrocities and to get closure. There is no need here to advance any moral, intellectual or political arguments. There are so many documented examples in countries around us where healing and reconciliation have taken place, because there was political will and political courage to bite the bullet. In the case of Simon Desnousse there is talk that one of the perpetrators of this horrendous crime, hallucinates often and cries asking for a chance to ask for forgiveness from the family of the victim. Once again the question that begs an answer is- why can we not set up a healing and reconciliation commission to enable those who have lost their loved ones to know exactly what happened and thus find closure?

Equally important is the need for the perpetrators to be afforded an opportunity to confess their crimes and ask for forgiveness! Although nobody talks about it the individual cases openly in most of the cases, the perpetrators are known to the families of those who were tortured, killed, and disappeared.

 It takes a brave and courageous leader to take a concrete decision to let the truth be told and forgiveness to take place. As a Christian society, we are a forgiving people and do not to belong to a culture of revenge. Time is running out and those who should and must take the lead in creating structures for healing for the sins of the past, are though alive; not in the best of health.

24 hours after the accident, markings are sprayed down

 Are we going to be bold and set up a commission which will facilitate things for whosoever needs to ask for forgiveness and atonement, to actually depart from this earthly existence to knowing they have made peace with themselves and the people they were meant to have served? Whether we like it or not, truth liberates!

I know that what frightens everybody is the possibility of criminal prosecution. This is where the mandate and terms of reference of the commission has to be well defined beforehand and the emphasis being placed on forgiveness and healing. The programme called ‘restorative justice’ which has been started in the Montagne Posée prison, is a good example of such a programme where if possible, good faith and trust is the bedrock of such an initiative.

 It will go a long way towards bringing about real and meaningful healing amongst the nation so that we can move forward to the next level. We will not be able to keep what happened in the post 1977 years, under wraps forever!

Meanwhile for those of us who believe in an afterlife and in God, we live in the comfort that the Desnousse father and son will be reunited in radiant love.

R.I.P.

SEYCHELLOIS OVERSEAS IN UPROAR AT UK PRIME MINISTER

Rt Hon David Cameron MP - UK Parliament

10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA

 Dear Prime Minister,

It is with regret that I have read that you have recently sent a message to congratulate James Michel on his election victory as the President of the Seychelles.

As you are well aware, the last presidential elections that were held on the 18th of December 2015 in the Seychelles have been contentious and are disputed. Following allegations of widespread vote rigging, bribing of voters and intimidation of opposition voters, the opposition parties have referred this matter to the courts in the Seychelles. The case is ongoing. The government of the United States of America has raised serious questions about the validity of those election results and has called on the regime to address the concerns raised by the opposition.

James Michel; the illegal President

 These elections as with previous ones have followed very much the same pattern of irregularities by the ruling regime, ever since Prime Minister John Major played a major role in forcing the return of multi-party democracy in 1992.

My family is of Seychellois descent and my husband was exiled from Seychelles by this very regime that has held an iron grip in the Seychelles since they usurped power in the Seychelles on the 5th of June 1977. His brother, Gerard Hoarau, who was the leader of the exiled opposition was gunned down in the streets of London on the 29th of November 1985. This case has yet to be solved by Scotland Yard. Previous to that agents of that regime had illegally bugged his house on British soil. The current regime in the Seychelles has changed very little from the one that usurped power in 1977. James Michel was one of the ringleaders in that coup that eventually led to the imprisonment, forced exile and disappearances of many political opponents.

James Michel; the terrorist

 Frankly we are deeply dismayed by your congratulatory message to James Michel and his regime especially as those election results are still being contested in the courts. While I applaud the stand of the US government in this regard, we feel that your message, which is tantamount to one of support and recognition for such a regime was ill timed and is a complete betrayal of the conservative values of democratic, responsible and accountable governance that is the very essence why we vote Conservative. This regime and its supporters are now using your message, pasting it all over social media as a ringing endorsement of them and their methods.

US Ambassador Vilarosa with Linyon Sanzman leaders

We wish to express our disappointment and urge you as both a Conservative and Prime Minister of Britain, one of the world’s oldest democracies to be more critical of that regime so as to help in the ongoing struggle to establish real democracy and transparent governance in the Seychelles.

Yours sincerely,

 Josette Hoarau

Source:Seychelles Hero: Gerard Hoarau Group

DISAPPEARANCE OF FRANCIS MONCHOUGUY

Francis Monchouguy was only 19 years of age when he disappeared mysteriously and to this day there is no trace of his body. At such a young age he had not had been given the opportunity to live his life as a teenager and although he did not enjoy the use of a lap top or a mobile phone his pleasures were no less enjoyable as a teenager growing up in Pointe Larue.   The skull recently found in Bel Ombre, which the police is hiding the revelation of its DNA until after the Presidential elections is a shameful act on the part of the Commissioner of Police who is no doubt taking his orders from the big house on the hill.

Francis Monchouguy

One afternoon on 20 December 1991 Francis told his mum he wanted to go and buy something in the shop and at 19 he did not require to be chaperoned especially in a country like Seychelles where we know each other.  He went to the shop but he never returned and when his father Paul Monchouguy, who was the Democratic Party Representative for Pointe Larue went to the police station, they told him they had to wait 24 hours before they could consider Francis a Missing Person then they will act. 

That night his father went round the District of Pointe Larue making enquiries and he was told by several people that they saw Francis being asked to get into a car but they did not have the description of the car nor could they see the driver but they were of the opinion that there was a woman in the car whom Francis appeared to know and she was talking to Francis beckoning him to come into the car.  In those days people feared for their life and even if they knew who took Francis away and killed him and disposed of his body they would not give any names. Such was the barbaric state of Seychelles in the years following the Coup D’état and today the same people who took part in taking the country at the point of a gun have the bloody nerve to come on TV and smile at us telling us they have saved Seychelles and we are doing very nicely when our country is bankrupted and we cannot repay our International Loans and our national debt stands at 65% of our GDP. Who do they think they are kidding?

They got away with murder and now they want us to idolise them and thank them for our current economic turmoil. Francis had nothing to do with politics and if they were real men they would have tried to deal with his father but instead they chose a weak target because they are cowards and they will burn in hell for what they have done to Francis.  The Chang Tave and the Monchouguy families want to know what really happened to Francis so that they can bring closure to their loss. Until this happens a curse has been placed on those who took Francis’ life away and the perpetrators including those who gave the orders will perish a slow death as their punishment. They have no shame and no integrity and so far they have not shown one iota of courage and seek forgiveness for their misdemeanours.  We are ready to forgive but we will never forget.

Francis is my nephew and I have promised my sister, who has now passed away, that I will do my best to find out what really happened to her son. Nowadays one lives in hope and retaliation is not an option because one bad deed to try make up for another bad deed is not the answer and revenge can be avoided if the truth is told and forgiveness is exercised. Francis’ father, like all Seychellois, have the right to belong to any political party because this is one of our fundamental human rights guaranteed by our Constitution and by International Human Rights Treaties. Gone are the days when Seychellois would shiver in their skin at the sight of a few army people exercising along the road in their uniforms carry guns or a few boats in the harbour moving around aimlessly trying to show their presence.  This kind of intimidation belongs to days gone by and does not instil fear in the people who now uses the Social Media to get their message across. We do not need SBC.

This year Francis would have been 43 years old. We hope that soon a new Government will be installed and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be created and we will know the truth about Francis and his soul can rest in peace. The same can be said for all the souls whose life was ended prematurely following the Coup D’état and the years that followed.  

Contributed by: Barry Laine. barrylaine@hpcgroup.sc   

Ton Pat’s Column; STANDING UP FOR WHAT’S RIGHT

In the last three decades, we as a nation have been living in fear. We are coming of age. We will not give in to victimization tactics. We are following our hearts, to be guided by our hearts, to steer us in the right direction, the bottom line is to ensure that we treat others the way we want to be treated.

A lot of blood, sweat and tears from our fathers, mothers and other compatriots got us to where we are at today. We cannot take lightly what they sacrificed to make us what we are today as a nation.

 One of our principles in Lalyans Seselwa is to encourage our citizens to be more active and engaged in the affairs (in all spheres) of the nation, especially where it concerns a government which treats us as morons. It is for this reason that I am this week writing about the Baie Lazare MNA saga.

 It is a fact that the petition asking the MNA to resign emanated from two lead activists from Lalyans Seselwa in Baie Lazare. Before they went around with the petition, the issue was discussed in our weekly meetings of district representatives. We all felt that they should go ahead and get the inhabitants of Baie Lazare to sign the petition.

There are different ways of making one’s concerns heard, as in a protest march and other tools. A petition is probably the tool that is most likely to not to end up with silence, arrest or even incarceration. The bottom line is that we have to speak up when it comes to our rights and freedoms.

We in Lalyans Seselwa have taken a pledge that we will not be silent when we see and witness gross violation of our rights and freedoms by the ruling party. I have been asked why are we targeting Wilby Lucas? As leader of Lalyans Seselwa I have to categorically state that it was never our intention to target Wilby personally, or his immediate family! In my time as a member of the SPPF, I got to know Wilby well. Both he and his wife served the country as true professionals in Anse Boileau and Baie Lazare.

I am well aware that Mr. Lucas has helped many a client and common person in legal matter, where and when said clients were unable to afford usual legal fees. In that sense he must be commended for putting his professional creed and his Christian compassion before his own financial gain or self-agrandisement. In that sense he is quite different from many in the legal fraternity.

 I am also aware that Mr. Lucas is currently facing grave health challenges and on that aspect, both on my personal behalf and on that of all activists and supporters of Lalyans Seselwa, we wish him God Speed and a full recovery to normalcy.

That said I would like to explain that the aim of the petition was more importantly to awaken the ruling party (to which Mr. Lucas belongs), the executive and the legislative to the plight of the Baie Lazare residents who have not had any representation in the National Assembly for more than two years!

Surely this cannot go on indefinitely. Normally, when a Seychellois worker goes on medical leave for more than 15 days, does he continue to get paid by the government or the private sector indefinitely? What is good for the goose must also be good for the gander!

Furthermore it is obvious that the ruling party did not see it fit and fair to assist Mr. Lucas and get him to vacate the National Assembly seat and hold a bi-election as was the case in Anse Aux Pins two or three years ago. After all Mr. Lucas has been a conscientious and devoted supporter of the SPPF for many years. This is one example of the ruling party abandoning its generals in their most dire hours of need!

It is surely a good sign that committed and engaged citizens are now standing up for their own rights and freedom and also boldly taking the executive and the legislature to task, where they are seen as failing in serving the very people they are being paid to serve!

This is particularly significant for a district in the South of Mahé which has traditionally been SPPF/Lepep. A sure sign that the winds of change are blowing in the south and the once mighty and fearsome ruling party, may be crumbling. 2016 is surely going to be a year of change. The time for fear of victimization and intimidation may well be behind us. We in Lalyans Seselwa will continue to fight and bring enlightenment and freedom for all the people of Seychelles.

In conclusion, may I once again wish Mr. Wilby Lucas and his family every good and God’s blessings for a full recovery.