Flash-back

Minister Morgan former stalwart of Parti Seselwa

MinisterMorgan (circle) when he was in the opposition

From dissident to minister, our photograph was shot in 1992, shortly after the return of multi-party rule. At the time, Joel Morgan was fiercely anti-SPPF and a stalwart of Parti Seselwa, which had just been founded by Wavel Ramkalawan and Jean-François Ferrari. He proudly sported his T-shirt inscribed” Mon Kontan Parti Seselwa” accompanied by green cap at the party’s rallies. It is also said he was Ramkalawan’s technical adviser which carried a seat on the party’s executive.

It is unclear why he fell out with that party and joined the SPPF sometime in the mid 1990s. At the time, he was working for the Seychelles Bureau of Standards.  He became en enthusiastic member of the SPPF’s Youth wing and was shown on SBC-TV quite a few times at the party’s extravaganzas all over the country. For the 1998 elections he hit the campaign trail at Fairview, accompanied by SPPF officials such as William Herminie and got chased a bit by some dismayed opposition supporters.

Shortly after President Albert Rene handed over the presidency to James Michel in 2004, Morgan, along with Vincent Meriton, a former trade unionist were appointed ministers.

Before taking over his present ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Transport, Morgan was Lands and Housing minister. That was when a dubious Dubai company was provided with $ 4.5 million for housing development at Perseverance. Shortly after that the company disappeared from the face of this earth never to be seen again. This was state funds, the taxpayer money - now three years later, a promised inquiry has still to make known its findings. “Judge me by my actions” – that is the answer to the question of where is our $4.5 million.

August 1, 2008
Copyright 2007: Seychelles Weekly, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles