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2006 ELECTION – DID THE FEAR FACTOR INFLUENCE THE RESULT?

As Election Day approached there were serious concerns – concerns which permeated among the foreign election observers too – whether the SPPF would accept and respect the results of the election if Wavel Ramkalawan were to win. Before leaving Seychelles on the day of the election, former President James Mancham was asked whether fear for his life was also a factor behind his departure. He admitted as much.

When asked by BBC World Service reporter Tim Ecott outside the Anglican Church - after the prayers for unity and peace - if he would respect the election result if Ramkalawan were to win, Michel preferred to sidestep the question or not to give a categorical commitment to respect the democratic and collective decision of the people, in the event he lost the election.

Why was the question needed asking and by a foreign journalist? Why did so many express fear about their personal safety if there was a change of government when we are supposed to be living in a democratic and peaceful country? Why was it necessary for the bishops to organise a special prayer for peace? This does not happen in elections in the UK, USA, France, Germany and all the democracies of the world? Why was there any fear that one of the participants, namely the SPPF, would not respect the results of the election?

Indeed, those who have lived in Seychelles over the last 29 years will tell you why so many people live in fear in paradise, especially if one were not a supporter of the SPPF. The reason for the fear was and continues to be the SPDF – the Seychelles Peoples’ Defense Force - and its appendage the Seychelles Peoples’ Militia (renamed National Guards) and to a lesser extent the Seychelles police force. The first two are the creation of the leader of the SPPF, France Albert Rene, the latter corrupted to serve a political agenda. At no time in our history has any other political party resorted to arms to impose its will not only on its opponents but also on the population at large.

In the past SPDF did not hide the fact that it was an armed faction of a political party, as the slogan in the accompanying photograph to this article clearly shows. The slogan is categorical about the purpose for the existence of the SPDF and its mission. The SPDF (supported by the militia) during the one-party state acted only as an armed political faction to enforce total obedience to one political party against defenseless political opponents.

In this election Mr Rene made sure that no one forgot that he had his weapon of last resort if not of mass destruction. At a public rally during the election campaign he made it categorically clear with this statement: “I would like to issue a warning for those who wish to foment violence in this country. Don’t try it; don’t try to destabilise this country. But if (they) should try I would like to warn (them) that we are not afraid. I want to warn (them) that we will send them packing. This country has had 29 years of peace and this peace has given it prosperity. We will let no one disturb it.” The whole statement was faithfully reported on SBC television so that everyone unmistakably heard the warning and, therefore, better heeded it. This statement was nothing less than an attempt to intimidate supporters of the opposition.

The SPDF is not peripheral to our politics. Since the multiparty system was re-established in 1993 the budget for the SPDF has been consistently SR 65, 000,000 each year – not one cent more, not one cent less. And the SPDF spends each year exactly SR 65,000,000 when there are no elections. But during an election year they have overspent their budget. For example in 1998 – when we had both the presidential and National Assembly elections together, the SPDF actually spent SR 74, 000, 000 even though its budget was SR 65, 000, 0000. This year we will only know how much they actually spent when the new budget is presented to the National Assembly.

There is no doubt, however, that the fear factor had a very telling influence on the election results which international observers - all of whom arrived only a few days before polling day - would find very difficult to assess. After all Seychelles is a tourist paradise and all the observers were encamped in comfortable tourist hotels. But this time, however, among the observers were some from the African mainland. Based on their own experiences back home, they were more susceptible to the fear factor posed by the security forces controlled by one of the political parties in the contest.