Independence Day is here… and now is the time we should achieve unity and save Seychelles

By Lewis Betsy

We celebrate 48 years of Independence for Seychelles this year. And what a journey it has been.

I remember the great pride we felt as the British Union Flag was lowered on 29th June 1976 and we entered what we thought would be a new era of freedom and hope.

Two men at that symbolic ceremony were key to that process: James Mancham, the President, and France Albert Rene, Prime Minister.

Time of hope: The British Union Flag is lowered in Seychelles on Independence Day 29th June, 1976

Mancham, later Sir James, I was proud to know as a friend. For me he epitomised the realisation of a dream. He stood for democracy and fairness.

Rene, I knew less well. then. But his true colours were revealed in his savage coup a year later which crushed all our hopes and led to decades of darkness.

Innocent people were to die. Many were brutalised.

It took the 2020 elections and a victory for LDS and Wavel Ramkalawan for Seychelles to shake off the yoke of that tyranny. We face elections next year and as we plan our future it is time for us to reflect once more on our past.

As we, the people of Seychelles, celebrate these 48 years of independence we can see just how difficult things have been.

There is still much to do.

We all have to continue to work hard for our young generation and today I am calling on politicians from all parties to think seriously about bringing unity to Seychelles and its people at home and abroad.

I urge you to make a special effort to work together and save our precious Seychelles.

Today, for example, I look at Haiti which was such a beautiful place. It was once a thriving country, but now there is chaos. It is sad to see people living like that in this day and age.

I don’t want Seychelles to become like that – and I see this as a real danger unless we take positive action. Every day, I hear deeply troubling things about our politicians.

It is a nightmare.

I am begging with all of them to think for one minute what they are doing to our country.

I urge them to take our Independence Day as a wake-up call – a time to change and think how we can save these islands.

Our young generation is being destroyed by drugs on a daily basis and now we have to depend on foreign workers to do the jobs they can’t.

Parents have lost control of their children due to drug abuse. The situation is dire.

We must get together as we are running out of time.

We need to change course and mobilise all our resources and educate our young.

Today, we should embrace our independence celebrations to focus on unity. We need more understanding and tolerance and I have to say the politicians have failed to set us a good example.

Unity is vital and it is something that I will fight for until I’m die. Seychelles needs it badly so our people can have a better life.

Independence Day in 1976 began with such hope and promise. We must get that feeling back.

On that note, a Happy Independence Day to you all.