Hope: Lewis Betsy meets President Danny Faure at State House on 16th March 2017 to discuss unity.
11th March 2024
By Lewis BetsyI write this with a great sense of loss and despair. For decades now I have campaigned for my beloved Seychelles to achieve unity.It is now March 2024 and there is nothing like it in sig... more...
1st March 2024
By Lewis BetsyWe heard optimistic words about the future of Seychelles from President Wavel Ramkalawan in his State of the Nation Address for 2024, but will these hopes be fulfilled?He talked about th... more...
Expert: Alain St.Ange addresses the audience at the African-Asian Union ceremony
29th February 2024
Seychelles tourism expert Alain St.Ange was part of the awards panel that declared Sharm El-Sheikh the Tourism Capital City 2024.The former Tourism Minister for Seychelles who now heads his own touris... more...
Devoted mother: Helen Azolan
31st January 2024
By Lewis BetsyIt was with great sadness that my wife and I said a final farewell to our dear friend Helen Azolan.Helen, a much-loved mother of four, died aged 64, and Seychellois families and friends ... more...
Dedication: Rosie Bistoquet (picture The National Assembly of Seychelles)
8th January 2024
By Lewis BetsyI would like to pay a personal tribute to the life and work of Rosie Bistoquet, a member of the Seychelles National Assembly, whose life has ended so tragically.Rosie Bistoquet, 62 and a... more...
Best wishes: Lewis Betsy, publisher of Seychelles Life
20th December 2023
By Lewis BetsySeychelles Life would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.It has been a terrible time for those hit by the floods and then the massive explosion in Mahe.My heart... more...
Appealing to the voters: Vincent Padayachy, second from right, when his party was registered with the Electoral Commission
8th December 2023
The latest political party to emerge in Seychelles is the Seychelles National Alliance Party (SNAP). This means that, according to the Electoral Commission Seychelles, there are now eight separate pol... more...
Team players: Lewis Betsy and Tim Jackson at the grave of Gerard Hoarau in Hounslow
1st December 2023
By Lewis BetsyThe life and sacrifice of national hero Gerard Hoarau has been honoured in the UK and Seychelles.In the UK on November 29 – the day of his death–  we remembered Gerard a... more...

We must pursue the idea of unity, the future of Seychelles depends on it

Hope: Lewis Betsy meets President Danny Faure at State House on 16th March 2017 to discuss unity.
Hope: Lewis Betsy meets President Danny Faure at State House on 16th March 2017 to discuss unity.

By Lewis Betsy

I write this with a great sense of loss and despair. For decades now I have campaigned for my beloved Seychelles to achieve unity.

It is now March 2024 and there is nothing like it in sight… and the chances of unity taking on a tangible form soon are fading.

We can never forget the Hell we went through under Albert Rene, the dictator of Seychelles, and now we’re seeing another pattern similar to dictatorship from a leader we expected more from.

Certainly, President Wavel Ramkalawan has never committed any crime or atrocity and has  none of the brutality of Rene, but there are some traits that are deplorable.

Ramkalawan promised a lot of things before he was elected, now he’s a different person altogether. He doesn’t listen and he doesn’t keep his word.

He came into power on the back of the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC), but today he’s treating the victims like imbeciles and fools and he thinks he can get away with it.

Former President Danny Faure believed in unity and we discussed it at some length when I met him at State House in 2017. He and Ramkalawan agreed to set up the TRNUC.

This was an important milestone in the troubled history of Seychelles.

Since my release from Rene’s jail and arrival in the United Kingdom on 1st April 1980, I have never stopped thinking about my friends and all the suffering that they and other Seychellois went through after the 1977 coup.

Indeed, the TRNUC were given many details when I submitted my case in 2019.

I met the late Sir James Mancham when in the UK and he told me that he was going to fight for National Reconciliation for Seychelles. It was an excellent idea, one worth pursuing.

In the UK, with my friend Bernard Verlaque, we launched a newspaper called the Seychellois International. It was the first newspaper printed abroad to tell the world what was really happening in Seychelles.

Unity has been a beacon for me. It has always been close to my heart.

President Wavel Ramkalawan called for unity in his 2024 State of the Nation Address. Sadly, this failed to impress because – shockingly – it is obvious he is not serious about the issue.

Nor it seems is anyone else in Government.

In the National Assembly at every single meeting, politicians from both parties are at each other’s throats. There is a walkout almost every time.

It is shameful. Surely it is time these MNAs grew up.

If we cannot get our National Assembly members to unite, how are we ever going to get the Seychellois people to unite?

We need mature and sensible politicians, maybe even new parties that reflect common sense and purpose.

However, here’s an idea I think will help unity.

We should arrange a convention where politicians from all parties, plus all the other organisations in Seychelles, can meet and discuss a formal process to achieve unity. Following that, they would hold a referendum so the people of Seychelles can vote on the matter.

Otherwise, I cannot see national unity in my lifetime. Failure to achieve unity would be a disaster morally, socially and economically. Seychelles cannot afford to lose this opportunity.

News Latest News

We must pursue the idea of unity, the future of Seychelles depends on it
11th March 2024
Hope: Lewis Betsy meets President Danny Faure at State House on 16th March 2017 to discuss unity.
By Lewis BetsyI write this with a great sense of loss and despair. For decades now I have campaigned… more...
Will our President deliver us the unity Seychelles still desperately needs?
1st March 2024
By Lewis BetsyWe heard optimistic words about the future of Seychelles from President Wavel Ramkalawan… more...
Former Minister Alain St.Ange on top awards panel for tourism
29th February 2024
Expert: Alain St.Ange addresses the audience at the African-Asian Union ceremony
Seychelles tourism expert Alain St.Ange was part of the awards panel that declared Sharm El-Sheikh… more...
A sad farewell to our dear friend Helen Azolan
31st January 2024
Devoted mother: Helen Azolan
By Lewis BetsyIt was with great sadness that my wife and I said a final farewell to our dear friend… more...
Tribute to Rosie Bistoquet, a caring nurse and politician who gave so much to Seychelles
8th January 2024
Dedication: Rosie Bistoquet (picture The National Assembly of Seychelles)
By Lewis BetsyI would like to pay a personal tribute to the life and work of Rosie Bistoquet, a… more...
I wish you a peaceful Christmas and hope we can celebrate 2024 as a year of harmony
20th December 2023
Best wishes: Lewis Betsy, publisher of Seychelles Life
By Lewis BetsySeychelles Life would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.It… more...
New political party declares: The government has failed and is in total disarray – we need to act decisively in 2025
8th December 2023
Appealing to the voters: Vincent Padayachy, second from right, when his party was registered with the Electoral Commission
The latest political party to emerge in Seychelles is the Seychelles National Alliance Party (SNAP).… more...
How we all remembered our Seychelles hero Gerard Hoarau
1st December 2023
Team players: Lewis Betsy and Tim Jackson at the grave of Gerard Hoarau in Hounslow
By Lewis BetsyThe life and sacrifice of national hero Gerard Hoarau has been honoured in the UK… more...
March's News
News Archive