Official Communiqué from the Bishops of the Anglican and
While we denounce the unfortunate events of October 3rd whereby the nation experienced a day of civil unrest, we commend the initiative to open dialogue between President Michel and Opposition Leader, Mr. Ramkalawan.
This is an important step in the process of reconciliation between the governing party and the opposition and we urge the two leaders to discuss fully the points raised as reported in the article entitled “President Appeals for Calm” in the Seychelles Nation of October 10th, namely:
(a) Access by the opposition to the state media, Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation,
(b) The question of the use of force by the Special Security Unit and the Police,
(c) Respect for Law and Order at all times.
To these we would like to add as a preliminary to the first point:
The place of Democratic Debate and of Freedom of Expression as enshrined in our Constitution and the effective implementation of Clause 168.
While we acknowledge that freedom of expression should be tempered by social and political responsibility, we nevertheless emphasise the importance of open debate on opposing views as an incentive to the development of our nation.
The Church does not in any way condone violence and it is not a question of who was right or who was wrong, but to regard the interests of the nation as paramount. In this context we strongly urge the opposition party to desist from any gathering of their supporters because this serves to heighten the tension and anxiety of our people. It also undermines any effort at effective dialogue between the parties concerned.
We welcome and support the announcement from the President of an official, impartial enquiry and we would like to emphasise the importance of impartiality. We believe that this will go a long way in clarifying the reasons surrounding the October 3rd events.
We pray that God will continue to bless this nation and that peace, stability and the respect for law and order will reign unabated.
+ Santosh MARRAY
Bishop of
+ Denis WIEHE
Bishop of Port
Editor’s note: The above is the Communique from Bishops, Santosh Marray and Denis Wiehe released earlier this week; nothing has been added or amended. It is in its original form as received from their respective offices. Their message is clear and impartial and speaks for itself. Anyone who purports that the Bishops are backing their point of view or taking sides is both absurd and dishonest. The public is more than capable of drawing their own conclusion from the