TO coincide with the State of the Nation Address the Seychelles Peoples' Progressive Front (SPPF), the party of Present James Michel, issued a colourful leaflet with the inimitable heading of JJ Spirit. JJ Spirit was the title of Mr Michel's election campaign.
The leaflet contained many colourful photographs of Michel greeting his citizens, handing over trophies or observing others observing him. There is even a photograph of him and the SNP leader Wavel Ramkalawan at an innocuous exhibition of local arts and crafts attentively listening to a lady exhibitor, no doubt making some complaint or other about the shortage of foreign exchange adversely affecting her trade.
The leaflet contained text in both Creole and in English. One of the Creole headings claimed that JJ “will continue to remain close to his people in good times as in bad” (our translation). This was to introduce the colourful pictures of Michel meeting the people.
The last page, however, was the most revealing. Entitled “My say! Lazenes I koz lo pri lavi”, it featured three young people - 2 boys and a girl and some text in English and Creole - praising Michel and the SPPF for the current state of affairs. They are supposed to be the new generation moulded by the SPPF, the party which dominated the country for the past 33 years. These youngsters not only signify the future but are also the flag bearers of the party, at least according to the propaganda.
We are not too sure whether the text accompanying their portrait was their own words or that of the party propagandists, but two sentences attributed to one young man by the name of Jude Adolphe spoke most eloquently, and succinctly summarises the state of affairs of our country today after 33 years of a failed experiment in economic management by the SPPF. We thought we would honour the young man by reproducing the two sentences in bold:
“Whilst we might complain about the cost of living in
These words clearly spoke a thousand pictures