THE POST MORTEM: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2007

People queueing up to vote.

This is how it all started. President James Michel unexpectedly dissolved the National Assembly by proclamation on the 20th March 2007 in the State of the Nation Address clearly intending to ambush the SNP. After giving his reasons for dissolving the National Assembly, that is, that the opposition was not consistent and they were preaching democracy but practicing anarchy. He refused the Leader of the Opposition his right of reply and smugly relished in the knowledge and prospect that he had pulled one of the most formidable political coups in the history of Seychelles. The SPPF, smelling blood, then aggressively went on the offensive; throwing everything they had at the SNP; money, influence, manipulation, gerrymandering, inducements, promises, houses, to name a few. President Michel was seen huffing and puffing on SBC TV threatening that the SNP will only have proportional seats in the Assembly, after he had finished with them.

The general impression given was that the SPPF was about to blow the SNP completely off the face of the earth in a cleverly master-minded manoeuvre orchestrated by the great Machiavelli himself. “We want absolute majority in the National Assembly,” they clamoured, “and we will get it” they were heard to have stated on more than one occasion. The SNP, on the other hand, decided that the best strategy is to change tactics. They adopted the “Lafors Trankil” slogan and refused to be goaded by the SPPF, something which clearly annoyed the SPPF hierarchy. The SPPF on the other hand, with the collusion of the Electoral Commissioner’s Office, went on an unprecedented gerrymandering exercise of mammoth proportions. Thousands of voters had their names moved to other districts without their knowledge, permission or consent. These voters were only informed that they were not registered to vote in the districts where they normally vote only on the day of the elections itself and some after queuing up for several hours. Most of them gave up in frustration and disgust and went home without exercising their constitutional right and duty to vote; some 2000 of them at the last count. Others succumbed to voters’ apathy syndrome expressing the view that no matter how many times they vote nothing changes and the elections result is a “fait accompli”.  Others still, received letters from the Ministry of MLUH informing them that they have been short listed to get government houses after the Elections. Each SPPF MNA was generously given Rs.1, 000, 000 to campaign in their respective districts.

As the people voted the SPPF waited patiently with bated breath in anticipation of the great moment, the time of reckoning, the mother of all announcements; that they have won in all the districts, dealing the SNP a death blow. As the results slowly trickled in, the SPPF were shocked beyond belief when they realized that despite everything, despite all their efforts, promises, money, inducement, gerrymandering and threats, nothing, absolutely nothing, had changed. It was the moment of the great deception. It slowly dawned on them that the whole elections process was nothing but an exercise in futility. Against all the insurmountable odds, the SNP had miraculously caused an election upset in that they had  unexpectedly retained 7 electoral seats; exactly the same number they occupied before the general elections. Gran Golan was even quoted as saying: “What the hell are they celebrating, we have gambled and lost” he lamented. The approximately 2000 odd SNP votes which were not cast in favour of the SNP at the general elections did not go to the SPPF either. Although these people were not entirely satisfied with the way the SNP conducted their affairs immediately preceding the elections, they decided not to vote at all as a protest rather than vote the other way. The SPPF had indeed gambled and lost. Although President Michel disappointingly confessed that their majority had increased only “slightly” by two percent, it was negligible and irrelevant in general elections as opposed to a Presidential election. In all 30 million precious rupees that we can barely afford were thrown down the drain immediately before and during the elections period. SNP took the SPPF on at their own game and beat them at it.

May 18, 2007
Copyright 2007: Seychelles Weekly, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles