BOYCOTTING THE ASSEMBLY - A POLITICAL TOOL OF THE SPUP/SPPF

BOYCOTTING THE ASSEMBLY - A POLITICAL TOOL OF THE SPUP/SPPF

We reproduce here a Press Release from the SPUP – in the days when Mr. Albert Rene and his party was in opposition. Then, boycotting the Assembly was conveniently used by Mr. Rene as an effective political tool in furthering his cause. Now it is hypocritical of James Michel to criticize the Opposition today and use this as a excuse to dissolve the National Assembly.

A 1968 Press Release by the SPUP expalin theri decision to boycott the Legislative Council.

It is clear that the opposition chose to boycott the Assembly as a means of protest after they were savagely attacked and assaulted in the precincts of the National Assembly by rogue police officers sent in by their masters with specific instuctions to cause as much injury as humanly possible to the opposition leaders. These officers gladly obeyed and were later rewarded with promotion by President Michel.

Yet, this is precisely what Albert Rene did in 1972 and no one came with sticks and batons to crack his skull and beat the hell out of him. In the Guy Pool trial Albert Rene is asked:- “How many times have you broken the law in the furtherance of your aim?”

He answers: “I believe once; I held a meeting impromptu somewhere without having sought the necessary permission”. Try doing this today and see what would happen? This answer already shows the hypocrisy or the SPPF Government.

Although Albert Rene was complaining about the failure of the British Government to give control of the government to the party that wins a majority, he has until now denied the elected MNAs the facility in their respective districts that has elected them for them to do their work. Instead, he has put 25 District Administrators appointed (not elected) by the SPPF to keep total political control of the constituents, ignoring their political will. They then have the audacity to say that Seychelles is a democratic country and the opposition is a dictatorship. The quote from the SPUP’s press release in the Seychelles Bulletin is quite apt: “…the present constitution was one big farce and that it had no hope of working as long as the elected members has no say in the decisions of government….” Sounds familiar?

Michel should take a leaf from President Mancham’s book; the Government of James Mancham demonstrated respect for the Opposition and tolerated the right of the Opposition to voice their feelings as was seen fit. Whereas today James Michel is unable to accept the taste of his own party leader’s medicine.