December 22, 2006

Troukler

Remembering Christmas past

Christmas – 1977

One of the ways in which the coup d’etat of 1977 changed our way of life was in the celebration of Christmas. Until 1977 Christmas would not be Christmas without the midnight mass. And midnight mass must be held – well at midnight. Kids would insist attending midnight mass because of the pageantry – the carrying of baby Jesus by the priest to the manger – was all too real.  And they would fall over each other  after the service to go and kiss the little feet of the little baby Jesus.

But the Christmas of 1977, for the first time in a century or more, or since the existence of the Seychellois community on the territory of the Seychelles, the tradition was abandoned. It was abandoned not because the Catholic Church’s decision but because of politics. Six months before, Albert Rene – who was the Prime Minister in the democratically elected Government – had decided to use violence to overthrow the very government he was part of, as well as the legal Constitution. He went on to appoint himself President with absolute power, ruling by decree.

One of the first decrees he issued was that all the population would live under a dusk to dawn curfew. No one – except people he personally authorised – was allowed to be seen in the streets from 6 pm to 6 am. Later the start of the curfew hours was modified. First it was put back to 8pm but by Christmas it was to start at midnight. Because of the curfew, therefore, the traditional midnight mass was moved forward to 7 pm.

 After midnight the streets belonged to a mercenary force of Tanzanian soldiers armed to the teeth.

The People falsifying history once again

The People, the organ of the SPPF, in its issue of December 14, published a black and white photograph of a demonstration on its front page purporting to show what life was like in 1977. The impression it is trying to give is that in that year – and all the years leading up to it - the people of Seychelles were in constant rebellion and demonstrating against the political system.  This is in reality a deliberate falsification of history. 

The picture, in fact dates back many years before when the Seychelles People’s United Party (SPUP), the predecessor of SPPF, was practicing demagoguery – using the low income workers for political ends.  The last political demonstration in Seychelles, however, had taken place in 1974 when a group of SPUP supporters turned up at the Freedom Square car park wanting to see their party leader, after the party had been virtually and decisively defeated by the Democratic Party in the parliamentary elections which had been held the day before. But their Leader, one France Albert Rene, refused to come and speak to them. They were eventually dispersed by police using batons but no teargas.

1977, was in fact the most peaceful and prosperous year in our entire history, as those who lived it will attest. Until the 5th June, that is. For on June 5th, the peace, tranquillity and security of the people were shattered when a group of terrorists led by Albert Rene staged a bloody coup d’etat, overthrowing the democratic and legal Constitution. Only eleven months before, Albert Rene had sworn allegiance to respect and uphold that very constitution. These terrorists then issued a decree banning all political parties and imposed dusk to dawn curfew (see above). Since 5th June 1977, all demonstrations were considered illegal unless it was under the auspices of the only political party allowed to exist – SPUP-SPPF. Only one trades union was allowed to exist which was also a branch of the only political party allowed to exist. No newspapers were allowed to exist unless it was approved by the party. No private schools were allowed unless it was approved by the party. From June 5th 1977 until the multiparty system was re-established in 1993, more than 10,000 Seychellois voted with their feet and left the country to live abroad.

Copyright 2006: Seychelles Weekly, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles