I am worried for the future of Seychelles… so tell me how we can save our beloved country
By Lewis Betsy
What is going on in my beloved Seychelles?
The islands have long been a hotbed of rumour, gossip and yes, sometimes cruel sniping, but the temperature has been rising over the past few months.
Something is happening and it is unclear to me how it will pan out.
Wavel Ramkalawan’s administration is increasingly unpopular. Now that is not unusual in politics. Many governments are voted in on grand promises that they have little hope of achieving and are consequently booted out at the next election.
People always complain. But Ramkalawan’s situation is different.
His governance came after years of one-party rule with that ruling group led initially by a tyrant who had no time or patience with those who had different ideologies. It was a desperate and bloody period for Seychelles.
With that brutal history as a backdrop, Ramkalawan’s rise was a new dawn. Yet many promises made by the new LDS government have yet to be realised. Some of them seem now like empty gestures, meant to impress but with no chance of being fulfilled.
Today in Seychelles, the majority of the people feel that they have made a big mistake by voting for LDS in the last election.
They say politicians have gone back on their words.
More and more are calling for a change in the way Seychelles is going as they are sure that this is not what they voted for in the last election.
There are many sides to this crisis of faith in the Seychelles leadership.
Social media is full of comment on the issue. Opinions range widely and some things that are said should not be taken at face value. But the continuing stream of comments expose a dangerous fault-line in our country.
There is this from one person about how the LDS is operating: “You are all being played… wake up people and smell the coffee.”
Then this from another: “Things will never change in Seychelles, too much negativity, too much hatred, too many people who know how to run the country better than the President himself.”
I hear many reports of a new party being formed. No one will confirm many of these stories which come and go on a regular basis, but now sources hint at significant developments taking place in the background.
If there is a new party will that derail the political landscape?
Things could have been so different.
One key moment that I believe should have helped the country come together and move forward was the creation of the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission.
But we are still waiting for answers to the many questions posed by Seychellois at home and abroad.
I am a great believer in unity and I always thought that’s what former President Danny Faure and Ramkalawan also both wanted for Seychelles when they agreed to bring about the TRNUC.
Yet they have failed the people of Seychelles.
The issues raised during the hearings are still unresolved. There is still no closure for those who have suffered.
At a TRNUC hearing, former President James Alix Michel had been accused of being linked to the deaths of two men during his presidency. Michel described the charges – from a former army captain and the mother of a man found dead in the sea – as "malicious allegations”.
He now lives in the United Arab Emirates. Last month, Ramkalawan met him there.
Michel tweeted a picture of the two smiling as they stand together in Abu Dhabi for “Sustainability Week 2023”.
He said he had “fruitful discussions” with Ramkalawan. The event was concerned with the world’s climate and therefore a legitimate global meeting point.
But for our President to be seen closely associating with a man of Michel’s background is a strange spectacle.
Michel is an obvious source of contacts, perhaps even now at 78, a persuasive influence. But this is an unhappy collaboration. I find it very uncomfortable.
It adds to the general air of unease about our President who says one thing and then does another.
He had once stated: “The Government that I will lead will be conscious that we are not there for ourselves but for our country and people. We will start on a clean page, with respect for the rule of law, for the democratic institutions that we have worked hard to bring into being, with a commitment to justice and fairness. We will keep what is good and safeguard your rights and benefits.
“It will be a Government of decision and action. We will move resolutely to surmount the challenges and bring an era of new opportunity, based on the fact that Seychelles belongs to all its children and that the future of our country is in our hands today.
“Together we will truly make ‘Sesel Pour Tou Son Zanfan’.”
These were words full of hope and promise – yet I feel the “clean page” is blotted and clearly another reason why people in Seychelles are so rightfully angry.
The country is going downhill and makes a mockery of all that jubilation when Ramkalawan led the LDS to success in the elections in 2020.
So, the sake of democracy, in which I am a great believer, I would like to hear everyone’s views on the situation in Seychelles.
I will welcome comments and ideas that can help Seychelles go forward and achieve greater harmony, peace and prosperity.
This is your chance to make your voice heard.
Contact me at lewisbetsy@hotmail.co.uk
