By Ralph Hoarau
Over the past two years we have seen a lot of allegations of
criminal wrongdoings by senior members of SPPF/PL that have come to light.
Those implicated include the former dictator France Albert Rene, his successor
James Michel and many other officials that comprised the core leadership of
SPUP/SPPF/PL. We have seen and heard allegations made by Dr. Maxime Ferrari
(former VP under the Rene dictatorship) about the brutal murders of political
opponents of the regime at the dictator’s former palatial home in L’Exile at
Sans Souci. Allegations of wholesale corruption, extortion, theft of state
assets and a plethora of white collar crimes by former SPUP/SPPF/PL elites are
being exposed almost on a daily basis by no less than the National Assembly.
In spite of all those allegations, we have seen no movement
from Danny Faure in his capacity as president to take any action to initiate
formal investigations into those serious crimes. This can be construed as both
impotence and dereliction of his duties or a demonstration of his connivance to
deliberately obstruct justice, so that he can protect his former colleagues and
political mentors who nurtured him and installed him in the position that he is
in today. This is the man who promised a new era of transparency and clean
governance, a man who proclaimed that “Sesel I pli gran ki nou tou.” After his
abject failure to take the moral high road and act accordingly, Danny Faure has
shown without a shadow of a doubt that there is a criminal elite that is indeed
“Pli gran ki Sesel.” Danny Faure has so far failed the cause of justice in
Seychelles.
In order to continue protecting his murderous political
masters, Danny Faure has tried to pull off a brazen act of deception. His
carefully staged apology for the callous murder of Constable Berard Jeannie by
the coup plotters on the 5th of June 1977 is nothing but a charade.
While this apology should be a welcomed small step, we can,
however, all see that it is disingenuous and a shameful stage-managed sham. On
whose behalf is Danny Faure apologizing, himself, Albert Rene, James Michel and
the other criminal coup plotters, the SPUP/SPPF/PL, the State of Seychelles,
who???? What about all the others that were murdered and that have disappeared
without trace to this day, are they insignificant??? Is this hollow apology
meant to compensate for all the crimes committed by SPUP/SPPF/PL and its ruling
elite over the past 42 years???
Despite its obvious devious intentions, this apology has
left the Opposition like a rabbit caught in the bright glare of a spot light in
the dead of the night. It has left them out on a limb. The fact is that the
Opposition should have acted more decisively on this issue a long time ago.
They should have taken steps long before to recognise and honour all our heroes
who have fallen in the struggle for the return of democracy in Seychelles. It
was after all their moral obligation to do so. They failed in that regard and
now Danny Faure has pounced to try and gain the moral high ground by offering
this so called apology. In the eyes of some he has managed to upstage the
Opposition on an issue where they should already have taken decisive ownership.
So now, what should the Opposition do next?
The Opposition should now take decisive actions. They should
call Danny Faure’s bluff and force his hand and demand that he immediately
initiates investigations into all those criminal allegations that have
surfaced. They should ask him to present comprehensive plans with timetables
when those investigations will begin. If he fails to do they should block all
his proposals and bring his government to a standstill.
This will play to the advantage of the Opposition in various
ways.
If Danny Faure’s government is brought to a halt, he will
have to dissolve the Assembly and call for fresh elections, where the
Opposition is likely to increase its majority in the Assembly. This outcome
would force Faure to resign and call for fresh presidential elections that he
will most likely lose. If Faure persists to hold on to power, he will become a
lame duck president and lose all respect on the international scene. World
leaders will not want to deal with a lame duck. Assumption is a good example
where Faure’s government has been humiliated on the world stage.
The Opposition now has an opportunity to show the people
that they really want to pursue real justice in Seychelles and bring an end to
that PL regime once and for all. The longer they fail to take the initiative on
the issues of championing the cause of real justice and the recognition of our
fallen heroes, the more they risk losing the political initiative to Danny
Faure as time drags on and he conjures up more of those dramatic stage shows.
If on the other hand Danny Faure is contrite and genuine in
the pursuit of justice and has really divorced himself entirely from
SPUP/SPPF/PL, his next move should be bold, courageous and decisive. He should
immediately order meaningful and serious investigations into those alleged
crimes and bring the perpetrators, whoever they might be, to justice. He should
be prepared to jettison his old criminal masters and make them face justice. He
should also grab the initiative and take steps to formally recognise and honour
our fallen heroes for their invaluable contributions towards the real struggle to
restore democracy in Seychelles. If Faure can do that, he will not only go a
long way to redeem himself but also to prove that he is a genuine reformer and
a transformational leader in the same mould as a Gorbachev or F.W. de Klerk. He
could even set himself up for a victory as an independent candidate in the next
presidential elections. The trillion Dollar question is - does Faure have the
conviction and moral fibre to take such a high road?
Mr. Faure we do not want your token, disingenuous apologies
that seek only to protect your colleagues and predecessors, we want to see the
pursuit and dispensing of real justice. Your continued impotence and/or
obstruction of justice are no longer tolerable.
Source:Seychelles Hero
