OPEN LETTER TO THE SEYCHELLOIS NATION
A government of the People – for the People – by the People of Seychelles
CEFRAD shares the pride of this nation following another peaceful and orderly election process. But as a movement for the promotion of respect for human dignity and freedoms, this NGO is somewhat perturbed by many instances where human dignity has been disregarded prior to election and on polling day. It is sad to note that reports and complaints made to the electoral authority or other national authorities have been simply ignored. This raises the question as to whether this election has been truly free and fair.
Respect for democracy and people’s aspirations
Our new head of State has vowed to be a president for all Seychellois. In the context of true democracy the entire nation owns government, no individual or group can call it “my” or my party’s government. President is leader and chief administrator, not the owner. It is time for our politicians to stop imposing their own aspirations and visions on the nation. They have to understand that the term ‘people-centred development’ is not so much about deciding what is good for the people, but really about developing the appropriate environment and natural conditions for citizens to comfortably utilise intellectual freedom and personal integrity, to result in motivation and maximum productivity. It is high time for all of us in these islands to share one broad, common vision that can lead to personal stability and national sustainability.
There has been talk of strong government and strong opposition, but not so much about strong private sector and strong civil society. Sustainable development can come only from a truly genuine partnership and collective engagement between politicians and the rest of society, where opportunities, responsibilities and challenges are jointly and equally shared. All development actors and players, without any exception, have the right and responsibility to propose and share initiatives and innovative actions. Meaningful opposition must be in pro-active forms, not reactive. And when it comes to private sector and civil society, we need to understand that we share rights and responsibilities with a vast majority of the population. We should not feel comfortable only when doing things that will please government and politicians, it is our sacred duty to push for whatever is in the nation’s best interest. Every single citizen of this country, whatever his or her function, role or status, has the fundamental responsibility to contribute to meaningful change.
Quality of rights and freedoms
Life, food, shelter, education and health represent the fundamentals when it comes to practising respect for human dignity, rights and freedoms. The right to education is key to personal stability and development. Education is not simply about achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of education for all. It is more about lifelong learning, knowledge and skills development. Long-term stability for individual citizens and the nation as a whole depends largely on the quality of education available to our children, youths and beyond. Education that can lead citizens to well-informed choices and decisions. Quality education is, in turn, highly dependent on quality information, together they provide the most viable option for the gradual elimination of factors that induce poverty, in traditional and modern forms. Government, politicians, private sector and civil society are urged to take this issue very seriously. It is also our collective responsibility to encourage all our children and youths to develop their moral integrity and intellectual freedom to the maximum, and let us stop treating our citizens like children or paupers.
Role of the media
Today referred to as a ‘fourth power’, media has a vital role in providing quality education to the entire nation, through accurate, unbiased and balanced information. Such an important function is not yet being practised to satisfaction in this country, more especially by the State-controlled media. As usually the case, SBC television and radio, in several respects, continued to perform as the ruling party campaign machine throughout the election process. While media practitioners usually carry out directives from their owners, in
Mathew A. Servina, President CEFRAD
Centre For Rights & Development