September 22, 2006

Letters to the Editor

THE MINISTER IS DUCKING AND DIVING - BUT THE QUESTION WILL JUST NOT GO AWAY

Sir, Joel Morgan, the Minister for Land Use & Habitat has expressed satisfaction with the way work is progressing on the Perseverance Island housing project. He made his comments during a visit there on Monday to inspect on the progress made since his last visit there earlier in the year.

The Minister now wants to apply pressure on the contractors to go faster despite the shortages of building materials in the country. It seems that the Minister is either not in touch with the local reality created by the government he represents or the statement was made to raise his profile amongst his colleagues on the cabinet. The reality is that the contractors have to compete with other projects in the country for material like building blocks, stone dust and ‘makadam’. It will help greatly if Mr. Morgan could persuade his colleagues on the cabinet to lift the ban imposed on building block production allowing the SLA to issue licenses permitting others to go into the business of producing these products. It will help greatly.    

According to an article in the Nation (20/09/06), ‘work on the Ile Perseverance housing project intensified earlier this year after government awarded contracts to five different local contractors’. The article made no mention of the fact that a foreign company was awarded the contract previously and only after they had made off with US$ 4.5 million of our money that the decision was taken to allocate the contract to local contractors. The Seychelles Nation is strong on propaganda but very short on the facts.

The project is expected to be completed in the next three and a half years; it will comprise some 2,056 houses and is costing the government, which is in fact the people, some R567 million.

During the visit and in his interview with the press, the Minister made no mention of the on-going investigation, which he went on SBC TV last year to promise about the money that is already in the hands of the foreign contractors his ministry originally selected for the contract. The US$ 4.5 million involved is all but lost it seems. The question which arises now is who is paying Barclays Bank Seychelles back the US$ 4.5 million lost to the people behind that fictitious company, which took the money?

The Minister is ducking and diving but this question will not go away until his government gives a full account of what happened and who will take responsibility for the loss of that money. President Michel promised transparency and accountable government now he has an opportunity to do just that. We are all hoping he does not disappoint the people who voted in extending his mandate at State House! 

Observer

WAITING FOR A MIRACLE

Sir, In his letter profiling the new Minister of Education, Bernard Sham Laye, L. Chang-Ko ended by challenging Sham Laye to carve out a legacy of his mandate by returning catholic schools to our islands.

It is not my intention to disappoint Mr. Chang-Ko by saying that this is just wishful thinking on his part. Let us not forget that it was former Seminarian, Catholic priest-wannabe and self-installed Marxist dictator, France Albert Rene who engineered the dismantling of Catholic schools and the seizure of Church property in our islands, in collusion with the then Minister of Education, former juvenist and ex-Brother of Christian Instruction, Jacques Hodoul and the then P.S. for Education, ex-Catholic priest Jeremie Bonnelame.

It’s just not logical to expect former juvenist Sham Laye to have the motivation and courage to undo the work of his mentor. But then, as we Catholics like to say, miracles do happen.

Tivye Senior

UP AND ON!

Sir, I refer to Mr L Chang-Ko’s comparison of Seychelles College as one of the best in the Western Indian Ocean.

In my opinion, having been educated there and presently living in Australia, I would regard Seychelles College as one of the best in the world. We were fortunate to have had an institution which provided a high level of education. It also brings back great memories.

UP AND ON! Best Wishes.

J.L.

3500 CANNABIS PLANTS UPROOTED ON PRASLIN!

Sir, News this week that the police has uprooted and confiscated 3500 cannabis plants on Praslin has brought back the debate on cannabis use in the country and the overall issue of drugs in general. It has been some time since the government declared war on drugs in Seychelles. “The Barons will be caught and brought to justice”, President Michel promised in a ‘meet with the people’ exercise at Glacis last year.

Heroin use has now overtaken all other form of illegal drug consumption in the country. The drug squad has been unable to bring the situation under control despite devoting unlimited man-hours and other resources to the problem. The people fighting drug on our behalf are not bringing in results in fact they have become part of the problem in the way they go about their responsibility. It is alleged that certain high people in the force have connections in the under-world making it difficult almost impossible to combat drugs effectively. Unfortunately, the government solution to this continuing problem seems to be throwing more valuable resources at it even if results have been far and few.

It is time for the government to look into the matter in a manner that is objective and sincere in exercising restriction or some control over dangerous drug use in the country. Heroin is now the drug of choice follow by hashish, which is cannabis resin and herb, which is the dry leaf of the marijuana plant before it is processed into other forms. The government has failed to conduct an in-depth study or investigation into the problem to identify its impact on society and on the economy. President Michel and his entourage are avoiding the issue because of its sensitive nature and because it does not make for good political football, their approach so far has been to criminalize the problem totally - leaving it to the police force to deal with.

The time for an open debate on the matter is here involving the participation of all, church leaders, medical experts, law enforcement agencies, politicians, people against drugs and people in favor of soft drug use, we need to hear their point of view. The population knowledge on drugs is limited - they too need to be educated on the matter, so that they can be of good use in helping their children to stay off drugs.      

G.V.

Copyright 2006: Seychelles Weekly, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles