Seychelles – One Of The Most Expensive Countries In The World

Seychelles – One Of The Most Expensive Countries In The World

Seychelles must really be one of the most expensive countries in the world and we should not ignore the plight of the occasional tourist who has repeated the same complaint time and time again. One needs only to pop into Super Save or any other supermarket around the country to get a reality check.This week 1kg of potato was retailing at Rs.23,(USD 4) lettuce at Rs.43 (USD 8) and 1kg of mandarine at Rs.62.50 (USD10) .Whilst the basic salary of Seychellois workers has remained stagnant for the past 20 years, the cost of living has soared under the SPPF causing widespread hardship and poverty. This has forced many families to seek assistance from the Means Testing Scheme. People have now complain that the bureaucratic procedures in place there, have made it practically impossible to secure any sort of assistance within a relatively short space of time. Some have simply given up as political considerations seem to be the order of the day as much as anything else in this country.

What is peculiar about the high prices is the fact that there is now irrefutable and uncontroverted proof that the government applies the price control laws selectively. They target some retailers on purpose as a form of harassment if they are deemed not to be supporting the SPPF whilst others have been allowed to profit and violate the law with impunity. Poverty has become a stark reality in Seychelles although some has argued that it is more apparent than real.

As the Government is set to unveil secretive plans after parliamentary elections which would definitely increase the price of fuel locally from Rs.7 a litre to Rs.12 a litre, the situation is expected to get much worse. The most vulnerable in society, women and children, are expected to fare badly as the economy continues its free fall into the abyss of oblivion. Things are definitely expected to get much worse before it gets better and the Government is under a lot of pressure to make a large number of Civil Servants redundant to save money. These workers, the government hopes, would be absorbed by the private sector to compensate for the unemployment that this move would inevitably cause.This would also relieve the heavy financial burden off the already laden shoulders of this tired Government.

1 kilo of mandarine selling for US$ 10 or SR62.50