The TRNUC looks doomed to fail… the Government must not let the victims down again
By Lewis Betsy
All along, I have been urging the Government and our President to make sure that the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) project doesn’t end in failure.
At the 11th hour, we are at a dangerous point. The TRNUC will officially come to the end of its mandated time on August 31, but, as predicted, its work will not be completed by that date.
An interim report has been presented to President Ramkalawan with the chair of the Commission, Gabrielle McIntyre, saying the final report is expected to be ready in three months, or possibly by the end of year.
It is a very sad state of affairs and, after almost three years, the victims – and I and my wife are among them – find themselves still fighting for justice and nowhere near closure.
Today, I am calling on the President and his Government not to let the victims down. The TRNUC has taken testimonies from more than 200 cases and there are at least 100 more to be heard in what the Commission categorises as Volume Three.
The Commission hearings have shed more light on the atrocities that have occurred in Seychelles since the coup d’etat on the 5th June, 1977, but much more has been left unsaid.
My first question is: Has the TRNUC been given the whole truth?
I know the answer.
The truth is we never had the full truth because the majority of the perpetrators never came forward. Some of those who did turn up lied under oath so they could get away with their crimes scot-free.
A handful came forward to face the victims and ask for forgiveness. But were they genuine, were they really sorry, did they reveal the truth?
I would like to think the best, but I was saddened because they did not show any remorse.
It seemed purely a show.
I ask then, what is going to happen to all the perpetrators?
Will they be brought to justice for all the atrocities they have committed, or are they going to be allowed to walk about freely in town, like they’ve done nothing wrong?
Will they get amnesty?
It looks like the victims are getting an extra kick in the teeth and this awful situation has left many of them fighting among themselves. The perpetrators are laughing at us – they are sure nothing will never ever happen to them despite what they have done.
My second question is whatever happened to the process of reconciliation and national unity?
Even Gabrielle McIntyre admits the Commission would not reconcile the people of Seychelles.
Our unity and reconciliation depend on the national leadership, she said. And that means politicians, religious and community leaders, and, of course us, the people.
Mrs McIntyre, a human rights lawyer with much experience, said: “We hope we have laid a foundation for that to happen, but there is still more work to be done.”
Quite so.
From the beginning, my main aim was to have all generations of Seychellois unite and to get together for a better Seychelles. Yet it looks like we’re going to be bitterly disappointed and the victims will suffer for a third time.
We must push for unity now to make it happen, not just preach or talk about it. This is the moment to do it, otherwise many Seychellois home or abroad will miss this important opportunity.
Already we have lost so many friends and families it is time that we act.
This is not just about reparation. It is about justice.
However, I believe someone is playing games. There has been political manoeuvring. The TRNUC was set up during the presidency of Danny Faure. I think that the creation of the TRNUC played a massive role in getting the LDS government elected to power.
That accounts for the mess we are in.
The TRNUC was underfunded, and has lost Commissioners. There is a sense that we are being left in limbo.
Seychelles probably hasn’t got the money to pay full and correct compensation to the victims and so the fact that the Commission’s work is not complete will help matters.
The funds are not limitless so how can compensation be fairly awarded if not all the cases have been heard?
Meanwhile, a new association comprising the victims heard by the TRNUC has been launched.
The existing TRNUC Victims committee now becomes the TRNUC Association of Victims (I am the treasurer).
Chair Barry Laine said as it was the State that carried out the coup d’etat, it was the responsibility of the State to resolve matters relating to it.
He told the media: “Crimes committed during that time included murder, rape, disappearances, forced exile, torture, land and property confiscation, illegal arrest, imprisonment among others.
“Is saying sorry enough? No. Reparation is a national debt and it is clearly stated in international law where reparation is known as an odious debt. The incoming government inherits this debt and must pay for it. They have no choice.”
I hope that the Association of Victims can get matters moving.
However, despite all the criticism, I want to thank the Commissioners who have done an exceptional job – but they have done so without the help of the government.
I am bitterly disappointed that the TRNUC has failed in its main aims and this failure has inflicted more damage on the people than it has brought national unity and reconciliation.
In my last article I pleaded with the President to not to let TRNUC fail, yet this is exactly what is happening.
It is a big blow to our people and all the victims.
I fear the majority of the victims who have lost their loved ones will never get closure. The way things are going, many people will have died before there is a result on their claim.
I wish and hope that the Government could start dealing with the cases that have already been determined, instead of hanging on for all the cases to be considered.
We’ve been waiting for too long.
