Points of View

Justifying The Unjustifiable

It is with satisfaction, albeit minor, that ‘Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly’ greets “The People’s” attempt to justify the underhanded actions of the SPPF-led government with respect to the recent dismissals. Our satisfaction is only that there has been a lame attempt – this is where credit begins and where credit ends. Otherwise the exercise has been a futile farce with no substance or justification for what has happened. James Michel’s cries of hypocrites is one from a man looking at a crowd of people through a mirror - he sees’ himself first!

Members of the SPPF Central Committee are also high profile, well paid civil servants. They all receive two to three or even four salaries, plus various allowances. In other words they maintain deluxe lifestyles at the taxpayers’ expense. SPPF members of the National Assembly all fall within this category. Most of them, if not all, receive a minimum of two salaries plus allowances. If pain should come, why not start with those most able to bear it? Giving up a salary and some allowances places these people at the same level as those they profess to be working for – ordinary Seychellois.

Next with respect to redundancies, they should tackle the number of expatriates living in the Seychelles. There is a large expatriate community living in Seychelles duplicating jobs that Seychellois can do. The simple reason they are here is because of political patronage – this is given by the SPPF. The perks received by these expatriates are again within the league of two to three salaries and allowances. Being told to go and make your mark in the private industry, under a tight SPPF leash is like being banished to Hell’s island. Everything you touch or do requires SPPF approval and if you are not to SPPF liking you are doomed to fail. In other words become an SPPF pawn, do not believe in equal rights, do not believe in freedom of the individual, do not believe in justice and in the application of the rule of law - you will live happily ever after. “SPPF style”.

Wealth creation through forced redundancies would not be an issue as it is at present if the government of the day were transparent, accountable and had measures of good governance in place. The actions of the government without these issues being fully addressed is what is being questioned here. Saying that this SPPF is doing what the Opposition wanted to be done is simply denigrating 45% of the Seychellois electorate. The Seychellois opposition do not support dictatorship actions, it supports actions that are open and free and not forcefully imposed. Saying that the decision has been taken, does not mean that the decision is right. The decision-making process is deeply flawed. Its underlying philosophy is wrong and pretending otherwise is what shows the lack of conviction and basis of the actions that have occurred.

Rather than set-out the strategies, policies and targets to be achieved by these actions “The People” turns to making ridiculous comparisons between private businesses within the private sector and the Government Sector. Again this shows a lack of principles on the part of the writer and the writer’s masters. To talk about workers unions, where government recognizes only unions under the SPPF umbrella, to talk about the National Assembly where the Speaker is there to prevent, at all costs, free, honest and open debate on issues affecting our daily lives shows the true intentions of the SPPF. In fact it shows why under the SPPF openness, honesty and tolerance will never, never exist. It is only the underhanded that will attempt to justify underhandedness. “He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” John 12:16.