Living off the fat of the land, while others slave, beg, steal and borrow

Lèse majesté is a term to denote an offence against one’s dignity, usually that of a king or ruler.  It also perfectly describes the tone adopted by the SPPF since the one party era and again upon the launch of their candidates for the forthcoming National Assembly elections. Do not criticize their practices and accept EVERYTHING they do and say with fanatical thanks.  This is the attitude that James Alix Michel & co says denotes a “good citizen”.  A glaring strange situation arises when such an attitude is placed within the context of a Democracy.  It reduces democratic values to a farce and makes the Orwellian storyline “Some animals are more equal than others” a reality.

The idea of an untouchable few, living off the fat of the land, while others slave, beg, steal and borrow cannot be sustained over the long-term.  This ferments civic unrest because the majority has to succor a minority.  Handouts are made at random and like serfs in a feudal society, these require grand outpourings of thanks and praise in return.  

There is the need for the rule of law, accountability and transparency and good governance that underlie positive social development and progress.  Saying that “only the SPPF are at the centre of Seychelles development” means that victimization, cronyism and nepotism are the cornerstones of their political platform.  This is an open declaration of a “them vs. us” (ek nou, pa ek nou) cold war mentality – A dinosaur in 2007 that augurs not to fulfill the 2017 economic strategy.

April 20, 2007
Copyright 2007: Seychelles Weekly, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles