The political grapevine last week was dominated by the so-called re-structuring of government. In reality, as far as the Constitution is concerned, the only exercise of note that the President undertook was to sack Sylvette Pool, a long-standing political associate of former President Albert Rene, as a Minister in his Cabinet.
The official line that she has retired will not do. A Minister either resigns or is sacked by the President according to the Constitution. When either happens, according to article 73 (3) “The President shall cause to be published in the Gazette notice of the fact of the resignation or removal of a Minister from office.” The entire country awaits the Gazette and the “notice of the fact of her resignation”.
Sylvette Pool was not just any Minister in the SPPF administration of both Presidents Rene and Michel. She has been a political crony of the SPPF founder and leader since the party was formed in 1964 under the name of Seychelles People’s United Party (SPUP). Sylvette is probably the closest person to Rene that anyone could be, apart from his wives and concubines. She started her career in the party as a private secretary to Rene when the latter started his political career, after returning to
She served as Rene’s private secretary for many years in Rene’s law practice alongside the late Rita Sinon. As political activities rose to overshadow the law practice based at the wooden building in
The sacking of Sylvette as a Minister is another exercise of supreme irony, which seems to bedevil the presidency of James Michel. It comes barely a few months after the outgoing French Government sent a junior minister all the way from Paris to confer upon Ms Pool (who was formerly Mrs Sylvette Frichot) France’s highest honour – the order of Officier de la legion d’Honneur, albeit an honorary one. The official explanation provided by the French Ambassador in response to the small wave of controversy that erupted when the event was made public, was that Sylvette had achieved greatness in the line of the women’s affairs of the Seychellois nation (we paraphrase).
For the past few years, Sylvette has been living in a sizeable “mansion” at Bel Eau. This area used to be where most of the top colonial expatriate officials lived. After the remaining British expatriate government officials were summarily deported on the day of the coup d’etat, all their houses were taken over by new regime. They were used to house the new military top brass such as one James Michel. However, not all the properties belonged to the government. One particularly, which belonged to a lawyer contemporary of Rene, was simply confiscated, after he was imprisoned without trial, kept under house arrest and expelled from his own country. The property was subsequently handed over to Fidel Castro to become the Cuban Embassy. It is not known if Sylvette has bought the house she has been living in from the government.
The question seasoned observers are asking is not what happens to Sylvette Pool now, rather what happens to the party from now on. What accolade can the party bestow upon her? Or, has she become the first casualty of the vision 2017? Time will tell.