Unity is vital for the future of Seychelles. We must ALL do our best to achieve it
By Lewis Betsy
On the 18th October the United States of America will be celebrating Unity Day.
The celebration calls on all of us to unite in kindness, inclusion and courage in order to improve our welfare and wellbeing.
Specifically, this plea is about preventing bullying… and that is something that the people of Seychelles can well appreciate.
The Seychelles suffered adversity for 44 years under the brutal regime of SPPF.
We currently have a democratically elected government which made promises to rebuild and create unity in the country.
Yet I have to express my disappointment in the adverse direction our beloved islands are heading.
Seychellois people were meant to have a better future, but now only disparity exists.
The Ramkalawan government does not want to listen to, or respect, the opinions of the Seychellois people. Instead, it is imposing its own rules and policies and these are pulling the country apart.
I call on all the politicians, especially the MNAs, to take a deep breath and rethink their ideas.
I remember the good years before the 1977 coup when we enjoyed a blissful, friendly lifestyle in our beautiful group of islands.
But since then, politicians have radically changed our ‘’joie de vivre”, our way of life and the respect we had for each other.
People accept that there has been good progress in building the infrastructure of the country, but this alone does not reflect on the future progression of Seychelles.
Things are changing and not always for the better.
The tourism industry is the major source of revenue for the economy of our country.
One of the main concerns is the introduction of the Seychelles Tourism Sustainability Levy, which came into effect on 1st August this year.
Many small hotels and guest houses are against this levy as they fear a loss of business and this will clearly have a negative effect on their income.
Some voters are concerned about another policy.
The Seychelles Electoral Commission has recently introduced a Delimitation of Boundaries Committee whose task is to assess how electoral boundaries are to be determined in the country.
It has been claimed that this exercise is not politically motivated – is that really the case?
Only time will tell.
As time goes on, the Seychelles electorate are feeling increasingly disappointed and concerned about the government.
For too long we endured the divisive politics between SPPF / Parti Lepep and the SNP and other Opposition parties. However, it is now clear that we are returning to the same old routine again – and more new political parties are being formed.
The Seychelles has a population of around 108,000 of which 20 per cent are aged under 14, so why on earth do we need seven political parties?
There is LDS, US, One Seychelles, Linyon Sanzman, Lafors Sosyal Demokratik, Independent Conservative Union Seychelles, and the Seychelles United Movement.
In a real democracy there is nothing wrong with choice, but I think there is something odd going on here when we have all these parties registered.
This will only stifle progress and make our people suffer even further.
My personal question is, do the people of Seychelles think they made a mistake in the last election?
Do they think the LDS government is not doing what it promised in its campaign?
The pressure is piling up on the administration of President Wavel Ramkalawan. But his problems won’t make it an easy ride for US leader Patrick Herminie either.
Both will have to stand up to greater scrutiny.
It will be a serious battle at the ballot box.
At this time of great uncertainty, I therefore make this plea.
In order to protect our country and the future of its people, I beg our politicians to put their differences aside and start acting responsibly to ensure a better and progressive Seychelles.
We are at a crucial and difficult moment, so every Seychellois, at home or abroad, who cares for our younger generation should do their utmost to encourage unity in Seychelles.
Unity is the key to our well-being. Unity is vital for our future. Indeed, unity will not only save us, it can make Seychelles great.
Let us all work to achieve that.