Ralph Volcere's Week

Ralph volcere’s week

A BRAND NEW POLICE COMMISSIONER!

The public in general has welcomed the appointment by President James Michel of Major Gerard Waye-Hive as the new Commissioner of Police. This appointment brings with it fresh hope that finally our police force can be turned into a credible and professional force of which we can all be proud.

The task before Mr. Waye-Hive is not easy by any stretch of the imagination; his predecessor has not done him any favours. The institution he is leaving behind for Mr. Waye-Hive is disorganised, unprofessional and susceptible to corruption. Mr. Waye-Hive must be given the resources that are required in order to put matters straight. If President Michel believes that by just replacing the person at the head of the police force and suddenly all things law enforcement will right itself, than he is making one big mistake. Mr. Waye-Hive will need all the help he can get to put things right. And it is our duty, every one of us, to see that the new chief of police gets the assistance required to turn the police force into the best we have ever seen in this country so far.

We can all understand the concerns of the Leader of the Opposition with this appointment, but even Mr. Ramkalawan is willing to give Mr. Waye-Hive the opportunity to turn the police force into one that will be worthy of its name. “The opposition will judge Mr. Waye-Hive by his performance,” he said. Mr. Ramkalawan also added that he would seek an appointment with the new police chief to discuss what he thought were pressing matters and to urge the new commissioner in reviewing all sections of the force so as to improve them and ensure that police officers do real police work.

We are taking this opportunity to congratulate Major Gerard Waye-Hive on his appointment as the new Commissioner of our Police Force, we will give him all the co-operation and assistance available to us in making the maintenance of law and order a success in our beloved Seychelles. “A country is as good as its police force”, so the saying goes. We are all hoping that the appointment of Mr. Gerard Waye- Hive is a turning point in our fortunes. Good luck and God bless you Mr. Waye-Hive!

COURT OF APPEAL ADJOURNS YET AGAIN!

The Court of Appeal (CA) has issued Court of Appeal Circular No. 7 of 2006 (see below) giving notice yet again of the adjournment of the August session of the Court. This is indeed a very worrying trend as there are litigants waiting since last year for their cases to be heard by the Court of Appeal.

This problem continues to surface despite the fact that the Constitutional Appointment Au-thority (CAA) has recently for the very first time, appointed a Seychellois, Hon. J. M. Hodoul, to sit on the Court of Appeal. These problems have now become endemic to this vital arm of the judiciary and it is having a disastrous effect on the dispensation of justice in the country, violating a fundamental right under our Constitution. The reason given this time for the adjournment is a lack of quorum. This is hardly comforting since provisions should be in place to enable the court of Appeal to sit at very short notice.

It is to be remembered that last year Hon. Amonibedi resigned as President of the Court of Appeal amidst a myriad of problems. Mr. Philip Boule, well known lawyer and presidential candidate at the last election two weeks ago, in his PPB warned of the “crumbling of institutions” in this country. The trend being set by the Court of Appeal is worrying since it hardly instils confidence in our judicial system. There is evidently something seriously wrong with our judiciary, when the Court of Appeal, which is the highest Court in Seychelles, cannot sit for “lack of quorum”.

Now that the electorate has decided to give James Michel an extension of five years over and above the two-and-a-half he had already enjoyed, he must attend to this problem as a matter of urgency and priority to prevent its re-occurrence. Lawyers and litigants have expressed frustration and a sense of hopelessness at the present situation. This is an issue which warrants a comment from the Chief Justice. We are all hoping the SBC will pursue this cause on our behalf.

THE TOURISM INDUSTRY MOVING ALONG SMOOTHLY?

On Friday (04/08/06) last week we saw the taking over of the Northolme Resort at Glacis by the Hilton Hotel chain. In a reception to mark the occasion at the newly named Hilton Northolme Resort, the Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), Maurice Lousteau-Lalanne gave his reaction to the take-over.

According to Mr. Lalanne the Seychelles is now set to tap into the global marketing power of the Hilton. This statement was made I believe to make certain people feel and look good in the event that there is nothing great to report from the tourism sector apart from already proposed new projects going up or about to go up around the country. The fact that the people who have been running the Northolme Resort in the last year is having to pass control over to a new company sends a negative message through-out the local tourism industry and the question as to WHY arises. Remember not so long ago we had the Sheraton group here.

Mr. Lousteau Lallanne went on to say that, “We have already attracted well-known chains like the Shangri-la from Asia, the Four Seasons, The Meridien and the Lemuria chains.” What direct benefit the country is gaining if any from these world famous names Mr. Lalanne failed to inform us, but what we know is that most of these establishments are getting to keep one hundred percent (100%) of the foreign exchange being generated through their operations on Seychelles soil. Has the Hilton Northolme Resort been granted the same privileged deal, Mr. Lallanne? We want to know, it is our right to know! Will the Hilton Northolme Resort be allowed to keep the army of foreign employees currently working at the hotel? We want to know, it is our right to know!

The news that Hilton is already looking for another resort on a different island in Seychelles to “allow guests to hop from one Hilton to another within the country,” is not very good news at all. Hilton is attempting to extend its operations beyond Mahe taking with it the privileges already negotiated with the Ministry of Tourism. This cannot be comforting to other establishment which over the years through thick and thin have worked hard to contribute to the economic wellbeing of the country. The spoils are not being shared out in a manner that is fair and just. This the STB and the Ministry of Tourism must take into consideration when granting privileges to the new friends.

PRESIDENT MICHEL AND VICE-PRESIDENT BELMONT ARE GETTING REPETITIOUS AND TEDIOUS

Air Seychelles welcomed a new addition to its domestic fleet, last Saturday (05/08/06) with the arrival of yet another 36-seater Shorts aircraft at the Seychelles International Airport. The new aircraft according to Captain David Savy will increase capacity by 37% on the domestic network and it will create extra jobs. Another five pilots will be recruited soon, he said. We are hoping they will all be Seychellois.

The arrival of the new aircraft is certainly good news to all of us, but the manner in which President Michel and his vice-president treated the occasion leaves a lot to be desired. This is a state occasion for all the Seychellois and should never be turned into a party political broadcast (PPB). Michel and his entourage made it a point to turn up at the airport fitted from head to toe in party (SPPF) colours. This is the petty mindedness and immature political games I spoke about in an article entitled “Wavel Ramkalawan is a great Seychellois”, last week in this column. Michel and Belmont must bear in mind that we all, including the 45% in the opposition have also contributed in the acquisition of this aircraft.

The President and his Vice-President are both becoming repetitious in their addresses. It seems that both are reading from the same script and have nothing new to say. ‘The Head of State said the acquisition was another one of the promises of his government kept’, (Seychelles Nation, 07/08/06). And, surprise, surprise the Vice-President in his address had this little bit to add, “Only last month we delivered on our promise for a modern and functional international terminal. You stand witness of it today.”

Both Mr. Michel and Mr. Belmont must stop playing at daddy and mummy. They must start acting like true statesmen working to build a better society for all the people. They must stop acting like a couple who has come home late from work and has brought back sweets for the kids to make up for the abandonment the children felt during their absence. All the present development is very late in coming; both Mr. Michel and Mr. Belmont know that. And it is not a favour they are doing the country, it is the minimum that can be expected for the millions being collected from the people in the form of taxation.