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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

CHIKUNGUNYA, AT WHAT COST?

Sir, It has now been some eight months since the first signs of Chikungunya were detected in Seychelles. The Government Media has informed us that the spread of chikungunya is now on the decline. We are informed that this week there were ‘only’ 200 to 300 hundred cases per week.

In a small country with a small population like Seychelles, this is in itself significant. If 300 or so people were infected and each on average takes three to four days off work, his represents an economic loss to the community of 9,600 man hours per week. This of course does not also account for the families which must also stay home to look after those infected. Never mind the costs of medicines and the Doctors, Nurses, Health workers, ambulance drivers etc. I am well aware of many families who have chosen not to go to the local clinic where they are aware of the condition since other members of the family had already caught the virus.

There are also many frail people who for want of transport and or difficulty leaving their beds have simply not reported the incidents. So I wonder just how accurate the health statistics really are. It would be interesting to see the volume of increase in sales through the private pharmacy in Victoria as a result of the virus. Many simply go there to obtain their panadol and piriton without the complications of waiting hours to see a doctor at the government health clinics simply to be given panadol and told to go home and rest.

We have also been informed by government media that prior to the last six weeks there was on average some 1000 cases per week. This is alarming. The virus has been around since September last year. It would be a useful exercise for health authorities to inform us of the total number of reported cases to date. It would also be useful for health authorities to try to quantify the economic impact of the virus on Seychelles. We are it seems now experiencing diseases which we have not had in the past for example Typhoid. Both Chikungunya and Typhoid were brought into Seychelles by foreign workers. Have we benefited from their presence? Are we taking sufficient steps to apply control measures? Do we wait for another set of viruses etc to appear before we take steps?

Let us measure the losses we have suffered and determine whether we need to spend more money on control measures which may amount to savings in the long term before these expatriate workers venture into Seychelles.

A concerned taxpayer

CELEBRATING WORLD WATER DAY

Sir, I note with concern the recent media comments in the Nation of Thursday the 23rd March on the subject of ‘New Measures Proposed to Boost Water Conservation’.

A Government spokesman states that ‘the increase in demand for water in the country is attributable mainly to the high standard of living where people have adapted to installing and using high water consumption devices’. What utter rubbish.

As every Seychellois well knows, when you come to buying the necessary water systems for your nice new home, you walk the streets, shop to shop, wait months and in the end have to buy that which is available in the country, never mind its poor quality. The use of certain types of bathroom fittings, toilets, taps etc has nothing to do with a high standard of living. There are many countries in the ‘high standard of living bracket’, such as Sweden, Australia, Denmark etc etc. They all utilise water saving devices and have done so for many years. Stop blaming the population for its choices when in reality, given the lack of choice in the shops it has no choice.

In fact it is the government through SMB that has brought in many of the devices. I suspect that if one was to go through all the Government housing, the showers, toilet systems etc will be found to be high consumption devices.

We have had report after report for years on water conservation measures. We have been told for years that our water problems would be resolved, desalination is in at high costs. The problem persists.

Yes it takes everybody’s effort to get a good result, but let government not pass the buck onto the consumer, when the consumer has little choice.

A Disgruntled Consumer

AN EXPENSIVE DESTINATION

Sir, Seychelles is recognized by many as a Paradise Island, a dream destination but its stark reality is far from this wonderful picture of pristine beaches and ‘une population accuiellante’.

I believe many Seychellois travel abroad every year and they experience the ease of shopping and interacting that exists abroad and the benefits of getting what you pay for: value for money! That is goods being made available in a competitive environment, at a reasonable price. I therefore wonder why is it that they treat their visitors with such contempt?

Visitors who come to Seychelles are not necessarily rolling in money and they do not necessarily enjoy being fleeced. We are all aware of the relative cost of goods and most countries’ prices do not vary far from each other.

I visited ‘Victoria Market’ last week end to purchase a few vegetables (tomatoes and cabbages). I was left so speechless by the prices being asked. Three small tomatoes were selling for as much as twenty rupees. This equates to about US$1.20 a tomato. No one back home, will ever believe that such a situation could exist, especially in a free trade system. I understand that there are shortages, despite it appears, the Government control on importation of vegetables and meat products, ostensibly to guarantee available supplies and reasonable prices.

It seems that these Market ‘thieves’ had bought their stock from the SMB. Despite this the SMB Supermarket, frequented by many tourists, has been without vegetable stocks for several weeks. Frequently shelves are stocked the entire length with a single commodity, in an effort to make it appear that the shelves are full.

Does your Government really believe that people are so gullible that they do not see through this? The situation was no different for cabbages. Watermelon slices, one of the cheapest fruit commodities was selling at forty five rupees a very small slice and to add insult to injury, the fruit was rotten, having been harvested too early.

In the SMB Supermarket, the garlic has remained unsold for several weeks. Why? If anyone takes a good look, they will see that most of the garlic is rotten, so obviously people are not buying it. I have realized that when there are onions available, which is not always the case, there are always at least two or three in every bag that are rotten and where they are not plucked out they contaminate the rest very quickly. Whatever happened to satisfying the customer? Does not the SMB employ a product manager to ensure that all products are fit for human consumption? Do you have and enforce health regulations? A simple street vendor in many less developed countries does a better job of making sure his products are healthy. The SMB it seems could not care less, you either take it or leave it.

At the checkout counter, they provide young boys and girls to do the packing. Great stuff, but did anyone bother to train the packers. I make it habit of separating my vegetables from my household cleaning products and my other meat products. It appears that neither the cashier, nor the packers understand the need not to pack these items together. All my protestations appear to have no effect.

In some ways the problem of deficient service extends to other small shops. I frequently, find myself standing at a counter for ages, waiting to get served, while others who entered the store after me are served first. I wonder is it a case of the Seychellois not understanding the reality of good customer etiquette that he who comes first gets served first. It happens almost without exception, that each customer who arrives later at the counter, forces his way to the front, does all manner of crying out to divert the shop keeper to attend to his needs and frequently, pushes aside the tourist and even has the temerity to lean across, over the shoulder of the shopper (often a tourist), in front of him.

This appears to be the case with youngsters and adults alike. When, a frustrated tourist complains of this rudeness, he is simply ignored or abused. I blame also, the shopkeepers themselves. It is the shopkeepers’ responsibility to keep an eye out to determine which customers entered his shop first and approached the counter first. They do not it appears seem to care. If one does not cry out as loud as the etiquette ignorant one simply does not get served or has to wait until the shop clears. I wonder how this situation has come about. Are the children ever taught to respect each other, and particularly the adults amongst us? Do they grow up as adults without a sense of fair play? I get what I want at all costs!!! If I tread on your rights it is okay!!! This Paradise Island certainly has a lot to learn about human relationships and better business ethics.

A Disillusioned Traveller

SLEEP EASY WITH SMB

Sir, I wonder! Are we the Seychellois so gullible? Have we been so deprived for so long, of essential goods in shops that we really believe that a simple can of ‘sleep easy’ becomes a new ‘rev’ in Seychelles.

‘Sleep Easy’ is an item which should be considered as a preventive measure which is available in Seychelles at any time, in any shop, on demand, just like sunscreen. (But like sunscreen you simply don’t find it in shops). Pity the tourist getting burns on our beaches and risking melanoma cancer. The fact that it is rarely available and often expensive, when it is available, should be of concern to us and our health practitioners.

Should we see our government officials on TV conveying our gratitude to SMB for bringing some sleep easy cans into Seychelles, something which it should have done as a matter of course? Let’s also be realistic about it. One small can of spray per family of 4 Seychellois will last approximately 2 days.

My, what great relief! We are saved from Chikungunya by SMB!! We each get one can Free. These cans cost more than Sr500,000 without taking into account the freights costs, paid by Air Seychelles (a government enterprise, using our taxes).

The use-by-date on the cans is due to run out. The company which sold them to us must be laughing all the way to the bank. Consumer laws overseas require that once a use-by-date expires, the product must be disposed off. In reality they would have had to throw the cans out until SMB stepped in and so generously paid out our Sr 500,000 to take the cans off their hands. Would it not have been wiser to buy good quality, outdoor pest control chemicals which would actually kill the mosquitoes around our homes?

Sleep easy, does not kill mosquitoes. It is applied to the body in an effort to discourage mosquitoes from biting. In Seychelles because of the high humidity, people perspire a lot. This makes this kind of product virtually useless. I wonder just how effective they will be and at what cost, in making sure each home gets one can only.

The reality is that they will not be able to control the situation and some will end up with a few boxes, many with none, just the way birds’ eggs are sold.

Will we be conned again, just like we were with the one and only SACL share? I hope not. I would like to believe Seychellois are a thinking people and this futile attempt of ‘bat lat tet dimoun’ will be seen for what it really is.

A consumer