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TROUKLER

“OUR BOGUS CONGRESS

(by a disgruntled SPPF supporter)

This weekend the ruling SPPF will hold it’s Congress. It will be another bogus affair - another attempt by F.A. René in association with James A. Michel to appear as democratic leaders by utilizing a collection of Yes men and women to “rubber stamp” their deeds and misdeeds of the last twelve months. But every participant in that Congress knows that this is a René’s Congress and not really one for the party’s grassroots.

Congress certainly had no real say when Ministers Ernesta, de Comarmond and Herminie were abruptly given the sack - not because they had done anything wrong - but because James A. Michel who was about to take over from F.A. René, had decided that there was no room for them in his Cabinet.

When SPPF meets in Congress, no “outspokenness”, which could amount to auto-criticism of the Party, is tolerated. Instead a litany of praise will be poured out as if James Michel had become Kim Il Soong the third and René deserved being beatified like the late Pope of Rome.

In the SPPF system, the dictator appoints any one he wishes to his Cabinet. Never in its 30 years rule has any of his nomination been questioned, left alone rejected, by the Congress. Indeed, aware of the sentiments within the SPPF, the nomination of Joel Morgan as a Minister would have never gone through if the SPPF political machinery was a democratic one.

In the SPPF system, the dictator nominates who he wishes to be the SPPF candidate at the National Assembly election. In this way, he is able to use them to “rubber stamp” all his dictatorial decisions. Since F.A. René did not like the outspokenness of Mr. Simon Gill, which revealed that he was not only intelligent - but also ambitious, Gill was booted out of the national Assembly without the slightest protest from the so-called Congress.

Under the SPPF system of Government, the National Assembly never initiates any executive action, if these are not directed by the dictator. In this respect, no member of the National Assembly in Seychelles is in a position by himself or by herself to accomplish anything for his constituency unless he has the backing of the dictator. But with the propaganda machinery, under the control of the dictator, the latter is in a position to shift blame and responsibility unto the shoulders of the MNA whenever any constituent complains of neglect, malfeasance and/or non-feasance.

Only last week, the SPPF held a public meeting in Glacis which is represented in the National Assembly by a member of the SNP. From beginning to the end, every speaker attacked the SNP member for failing the Glacis constituency - although they are all fully aware that under the present system, any initiative by Opposition members are either ridiculed or viciously attacked before being irresponsibly rejected.

Fortunately, the people of Glacis including former MNA Gilbert Barbier has seen through the SPPF system which is centrally based on a bogus Congress which is called only when it serves the interest of the dictator for public consumption requirement.

Luckily the people of Seychelles have seen through this farcical and dictatorial system and will this time find sufficient bravado to vote for a change and give to Mr. René and Mr. Michel the boot which they both deserve. No doubt when this happen, there will be no happier man than the Hon. Simon Gill.