September 8, 2006

Ralph Volcere’s Week

WE MUST BE THE DUMBEST PEOPLE ON EARTH?

This is exactly what the hierarchy in the SPPF thinks of the electorate because no matter what they do or don’t do for that matter, a good portion, enough for them to win the elections, keep casting its votes in SPPF’s favour, albeit with generous material inducement from the public purse and from the SPPF’s treasure trove, which is constantly being contributed towards by people in business enjoying the protection racket, which the SPPF has put in place.  The SPPF used every means at their disposal at the last Presidential election in order to be victorious at the polls. They gave away public assets without any consideration of the long term impact on the economy. The SPPF were desperate not to lose the election. It would have been suicidal for certain people within their camp. They simply had too much to lose personally; the welfare of others, the big majority, is never their concerns.

Unfortunately, just enough of the under-privileged is caught up in the euphoria of the election campaign, free drinks, free food and some fake five hundred rupee notes and suddenly they are there for the taking, ignoring completely the record of the SPPF in government over the thirty years that they have been in power. Luckily there still exists a group of right thinking people who can see beyond the few months before elections and are not influenced by cheap booze, food or a few hundred rupees just before polling day. And this group is growing bigger in numbers by the day and eventually truth should win out over lies and calumny.

All the ingredients were there for the SPPF to lose the election: Mr. Rene had threatened Civil Servants in an open rally and it was broadcasted on SBC in the eight o’clock news that same evening. In any other civilised democratic country that would have been the final nail in the SPPF’s coffin. Land had been sold for one Seychelles rupee to Arabs and to highly connected individuals within their ranks. Four and half million US dollars of Government money were lost to a bogus construction company without trace and the promised investigation by President Michel of the matter never materialised. Discrimination and political victimisation is still rampant almost fifteen years after the re-introduction of a multi-party democratic system of politics. The promised reform of the economy came in dribs and drabs, SMB’s privatisation programmes barely saw the light of day. The right to free speech and access to information is curtailed by not allowing the airing of points of view different to that of the ruling party. The opposition, which commands over 45% support of the electorate, does not have access to the mass media, SBC TV and Radio, which are government (the people) owned.

The SPPF hierarchy and President Michel by proxy is still behaving and conducting the business of the people with a one-party state mentality. This will have to come to an end in the next few years if the stability that we enjoy today is to progress deep into the future. The opposition has demonstrated political maturity and conducted themselves in a responsible manner over the years, especially in the last election campaign. It is high time the party in government reciprocate accordingly, so that together we can build a society that will be the envy of democracies the world over. This is your challenge Mr. Michel and we will judge you by your actions.

PERCY AH-MANE THE PATHOLOGICAL LIAR!

Percy Ah-Mane is without doubt a pathological liar. A few weeks before the presidential election a new publication was introduced onto the streets of Victoria by Percy Ah- Mane in order, according to him in an interview given to SBC TV, “to evaluate the character of people putting themselves forward for public office”. That he did aggressively. However, Percy for reasons best known to himself completely ignored the incumbent but instead concentrated his attention or attack depending on how one looks at it, most of it fabricated, on the opposition candidates only. Strange behaviour coming from a publication which calls itself ‘Seychelles Independent’ don’t you think?

He has attributed several stories to me, mostly false, which I chose to ignore because I knew exactly what his strategies were and I did not want to accord him the satisfaction he craved. His main aim was to create uncertainties amongst the people in the two parties SNP/DP that makes up the alliance, thus destroying the coalition. He failed totally in that respect. The alliance saw the presidential election to the end and his sponsors are disappointed to say the least for his obsessive quest to undermine the Alliance failed miserably to produce the desired results.

Last week we saw the apparition of his second issue after the presidential election and surprise, surprise Percy carried on from where he left off. Again in that edition he attributed to me a conversation he had with me at the Pool Bar, Coral Strand Hotel, some weeks back. The content of that particular article is false and Percy knows it. If he is half the man he thinks he is then he should admit to it. But that might be a tall order to expect from our Percy. It is clear more so than ever before that Percy Ah-Mane is out on a mission to demonize, criticize destructively and to divide all opposition to the SPPF so that his pay masters will conquer.

I have some very bad news for Percy: he will not succeed. The most he can achieve with the exercise he is conducting will be to sow the seeds of doubt and that can only be temporary. In the end Percy himself will be the victim of his own actions, the SPPF will never allow him to get away with pulling the wool over their eyes, especially when it is costing them valuable resources. Who in his right mind will have any respect for a man who claims to be a “mercenary.” “I work for whoever pays me” he once claimed. We all know that our Percy has an un-envious track record of having worked for SNP, DP and lately SPPF. What next, Percy?  

THE FALLACY THAT IS FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (FDI)

We have heard a lot too much in fact of the so-called FDI (Foreign Direct Investment). It is high time we look in-depth at this issue in order to be able to understand what really is going on in the world of false representation, deceit and manipulation, which unfortunately our government has become a party to along with certain foreign investors - who have been granted all the privileges possible on the strength that they are about to flood our shores with hard currency investments from abroad.

The term FDI is not a difficult concept to understand, the word ‘foreign’, which simply means in the context that we are talking about; introduced from outside, gives us a good idea of its meaning. So FDI for the common man like me simply means investment in the form of hard currency introduced from outside into a particular local project. The Eden Island project suddenly comes to mind. This Government has in the recent past and in the run-up to the Presidential Election in particular been making a lot of noise over Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). It is proof of the confidence foreign investors have in the local economy and in the Government of President Michel and in that of his predecessor former President Rene they never cease in telling us. Is it now?

In fact the opposite is true; investors apart from one or two have showed a total lack of confidence in the local economy. Just because we have had several new projects proposed or in construction already does not mean that suddenly out of the blue after years of economic decline investors are falling over themselves to invest their hard currency from outside in the local economy. If this Government tomorrow was to make available all the details which involve the deals made with foreign investors public, we would see that in fact the investors apart from one or two have been enticed, almost bribed, to invest in Seychelles. This is the ugly truth behind most of the so-called FDIs currently associated with the local economy. They are given all the duty free vehicles and R.1.00 property. They get concessions and exemptions on business tax, GST, Social Security Contribution, trades tax, provisional tax, pension scheme, and duty free imports to name but a few.   They are also allowed countless foreign employees without having to pay GOPs.

And to make matters worst the money being invested in these projects are from local sources. Mainly in the form of foreign exchange loans from Barclays Bank Seychelles. One might come up with the ridiculous argument that Barclays Bank Seychelles has to borrow from a foreign source - therefore that makes the investment an FDI. Baloney! The basis and idea behind FDI is that the cash injection part of the investment must be from a foreign source in all its shape and form. The fact that the people behind the project so happen to be from South Africa, Kenya, United Kingdom or Timbuktu for that matter is highly insufficient to qualify the development as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). As FDI is expected to dwindle in the coming three years one wonders what tricks the government will pull this time to get a share of the cake?

Copyright 2006: Seychelles Weekly, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles