DP LEADER MEETS WITH AMBASSADORS ACCREDITED TO SEYCHELLES
The leader of the Democratic Party, Mr Paul Chow, was special guest last week at a luncheon attended by six ambassadors from Europe accredited to the Seychelles. The luncheon which was held at the exclusive Muthaiga Country Club in Nairobi, Kenya, was hosted by the Ambassador of Switzerland Mr Georges Martin.
Mr Chow said that the occasion gave him the opportunity to brief the diplomats first hand on the political, economic and social development of the Seychelles from the perspective of the Democratic Party and the opposition as a whole. Many of the Ambassadors accredited to Seychelles visit the islands perhaps only twice during their term of office – once to present their credentials and another to say goodbye. They rely, therefore, mostly on Seychelles Government official information to know what is going on in the country, which is a restricted view of the reality, Chow said.
The occasion saw a lively discussion developed over the future of the Seychelles in the light of the serious economic deficiencies which are coming to light after 30 years of rule by one political party according to Chow. “The ambassadors were particularly interested to hear what solution we have to tackle the seemingly intractable foreign exchange shortage” Chow said. The DP leader said that his party will shortly be publishing a paper proposing a long term solution to the convertibility of the currency and the elimination of the foreign exchange shortage.
The ambassadors attending the luncheon were H.E. Mrs Laetitia van den Assum (ambassador of Netherlands), H.E. Walter Lindner (Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany), H.E. Mr Polydore Kokonas (Ambassador of Greece), H.E. Mr Varol Őzkoçak (ambassador of Turkey), H.E. Mr Igor Liska (ambassador of the Slovak Republic) and H.E. Mr Petr Kopriva (Ambassador of the Czech Republic). H.E. Mr Georges Martin, ambassador of Switzerland hosted the luncheon.
The Muthaiga Country Club is one of the most famous institutions in Kenya. It was there that the movie Out of Africa was shot. It was also a controversial institution in that during the colonial times only white male settlers were allowed as members. It continues to remain an exclusive club today although all races are now admitted.
