The Present Too. But
the Future, No Way!
For his campaign
launch, Danny Faure has made the audacious claim that He is the Future.
Honestly! The next slogan can only be Faure Forever.
Faure is the past. He
cannot divorce his political career from the legacy of Albert René and the
one-party state.
From his early days, Danny was a loyal
henchman, serving the regime with enthusiasm. He is part and parcel of what has
gone wrong in Seychelles, the oppression, victimisation, malice, and
corruption. When people lost their jobs or were prevented from doing a business,
Faure did not risk his position to object. When people disappeared, he did not
ask why.
Faure has occupied
many positions of importance, in his political party and in Government. He has
been chairman of state owned enterprises, minister and Vice-President. He was
around when state-owned properties were stolen for the benefit of individuals
or for the political party. In his campaign launch, Danny made accusation that
an opposition challenge to his bid would be a desire for revenge. This is only
his way of telling the Seychellois people
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| The not too enthusiastic old guard |
He is also the present.
Faure’s accession to
the post of President was a result of a political system fashioned for
one-party to hold on to power. This is what he did. After the resignation of
his predecessor James Michel, Danny was handed power on a platter. This
arrangement has been denounced as undemocratic. While agreeing to scrap it, he
refused to step down.
On the key issue of
fighting corruption, Faure has not once used the power of the executive but has
left it to the LDS majority in the National Assembly to do what it could.
Meanwhile, Faure is
trying to claim a record of achievement that he does not deserve. The economic
development that we see today is only a result of the political freedom and
respect for individual rights which has come as a result of the work of the
opposition.
He is not the Future
Faure cannot be the
future because he is too much a part of the past which has caused our nation
much harm. As for the present, he is using it only to perpetuate his power.
In arguing that the
country needs him, Faure could only raise again the spectre of fear. In
accusing his challengers of being out for revenge, he is only trying to scare
people away from looking too closely at the past and his own role in it.
The country needs a
clean break from the past, and a new vision to take us into the future.
It is telling that his
audience was left unmoved by his claim, with doubt written all over the faces of
those looking on.