2008 Dancing Without MusicIn spite of SPPF, Happy New Year People of Seychelles! We are back!
The SPPF have set the stage for 2008 to be a very difficult year for the People of Seychelles. In fact, it may just pan out to be the most difficult year many of us have ever seen, since multi-party democracy was re-established in
For a few SPPF Princes and SPPF Princess, it will be just another year of getting what they can at the expense of the People of Seychelles. This will include reclaimed land properties, islands in the Farquar Group and others, which they resell to Oil Rich Arabs, soft contracts without competing for them, former government owned houses, plots of land at San Souci or Barbaron or anywhere in between, free airline tickets when the plane flies, and free food from SMB when there are shortages of the same, free fuel vouchers and to keep the girlfriends going, PUC rebates and just about anything else you can think of. The culture of Corruption now runs deep in our national veins. We all know it. We all see it.
The promise of Good Governance in 2008 will be just that: a promise. Will it be kept; it will be James Michel’s legacy to all Seychellois as the Third President of Seychelles. Much like Mancham gave us the Airport and opened our world to the World, and so Rene gave us the Army, SSU, NYS, IDC and DNA economic failure, Michel’s legacy is yet to be written. But he has started.
While we do not believe he will keep his word, we encourage President Michel to do so and prove us wrong. All the while, SPPF will have used many People during 2008, by the end of the year they will tell these People their “Use By Date” has now expired and like an SMB juice box, these good people, will be tossed out without due Notice. They will be DP, SNP and yes even SPPF. It will not matter.
In 2008, SPPF will dance, but without music. If you hear music, you will know the band has been paid a lot or offered a contract to replace foam earpieces in music head sets from the national air carrier that does not always fly, but does reschedule just about every flight. As it reschedules flights, we delay our progress and SPPF will increase taxes to keep up with the failure rooted in poor business judgment.
Under SPPF we have chased British Airways and Aeroflot away by not giving them their foreign earnings, dealt Air France out of the Paris-Seychelles route, discouraged Virgin Airlines from coming here with price control when Richard Branson was ballooning to come here. Collectively, these airlines have over 2000 planes in their line up and could replace a damaged plane on our route on a phone call. Because we failed to spread our national business risk margins by chasing these carriers away, now, we pay the price for SPPF’s “la follie grandeur”. More bad ideas, more failures. This is the price we now pay for having leaders that do not listen, instead they tell us to listen or leave our Country! Pure arrogance….
As the Year 2007 closed no one from Government went on SBC to tell us during 2007 we registered 2% growth. President Michel is falling short in meeting his economic growth target of 10% per year in order to double GDP (Growth Domestic Product) of
God made us pure. But man sinned and so, acquired the power to lie! In lying weak men try to defy the power of Truth. Only the wise know that Truth is a hurdle that men cannot avoid. You cannot out run Truth, for it always wins. When you face it- to defy it, it sidelines you to the dustbins of history. This has been the way of the World from the beginning of time; painful words indeed for some.
Sooner or later, we must all jump the hurdle of Truth. In the Year 2008, SPPF will face many hurdles of Truth. So will the People of Seychelles. 2008 is the Year SPPF will no longer hide behind the lies they have fabricated upon the People of Seychelles. As they invite us to face reality with them, they will wiggle, crawl, turn on their stomachs, belly ache about everything you can think of. Then they will try to blame all the problems on those that dare walk with the lantern of Truth in their path of darkness, for all their miss deeds.
People of Seychelles try as we may, we cannot ignore Truth. Neither should SPPF. The longer they ignore the Truth, the worse things will get. SPPF must come clean in early 2008, tell us our growth rate this year was Negative Five Percent (-5%). Tell us we are becoming poorer under your management. Once SPPF tells us the Truth, we can start facing the reality they started talking about late in 2007 with Wavel Ramkalawan. Then SPPF themselves, can sit down, take a deep breath, look at yourselves in the mirror and say,” yes, we have destroyed
Wow, and what a job you have done SPPF! You have even given yourselves a huge pay raise to celebrate the FAILURE at the end of 2007.
I say this to you SPPF and SNP: Cancel the Appropriation and do not take the money...it’s not too late. The times we face require great sacrifice. Lead the People of Seychelles by example.
Regrettably, the Leader of the Opposition said little and accepted the HUGE pay increase SPPF tabled. For a moment in time, SPPF and SNP forgot about the People of Seychelles. SPPF thought: “Be What YOU want To Be: RICH!” SNP thought: “Ya Papa, LES TOMBE… pran sa Deal!”
Its effect on the People will be a lifetime. While
Salaries increased for MNA’s from Rupees 8,000 per month to over Rupees 12,000. For Ministers and Leader of Opposition went from Rupees 18,000 per month to over Rupees 24,000.00 per month not including new -extra Retirement and Gratuity Benefits.
The President in charge of a failing Ship of State increased his salary from 26,000.00 to over 34,000.00, per portfolio. A lot of money for doing nothing since being elected to improve the disaster he has created as Minister of Finance. All the while, young Minister Danny Faure was using his hands to chop, chop, chop and his voice, to scream at us and yell at us into submission for his budgetary crimes. He claimed that we have to bring salaries in line with the Constitution. I never heard such a statement in my life. Salaries are usually based on performance, not inherent Inalienable Rights. If Mr. Faures’ logic is correct, we would increase all salaries in
People of
The first thing we must do is open our eyes and stop dreaming that SPPF and SNP can change our lives for the better. Today we all know without a doubt, they cannot. Do not be fooled any longer. They will change their own lives for the better before they think of us. The Budget debates are living evidence of that.
Outside the National Assembly is perhaps where the struggle for real Democracy was at play at the close of the year 2007. After being shut down by Printec, a SPPF loyal company who has ownership of the former government press machines, The Seychelles Weekly had been shut down by Regar Publication. This was a little like being intentionally shot dead by friendly fire in warfare. Immediately, the Weekly team published a paper on line on the Internet and handed Roger Mancienne’s logic for shutting down Weekly a Coup De Grace. 20,000 people visited the site for free. Twenty Thousand. Technology and collective smart thinking had overcome a left footed “Solda Rene” under orders from his apparent leader to silence the Free Press.
To bring news and views to the People of Seychelles, Weekly has had to be published in
Nation sounds like a primitive Politburo and even keeps speeches of Michel posted all year long on the homepage, like in George Orwell’s 1984 Book.
Journalist Mr. Davidson Barra is routinely being threatened with grave bodily harm to the neck by State Security in spite of Mr. Ramakalawan having tea and cake regularly at State House.
In the National Assembly, charades of Democracy are in my opinion, apparently scripted by Wavel Ramkalawan, Patrick Herminie and approved by James Michel. All of this is likely orchestrated by the SPPF Master from his bunker at Maison Du Peuple. SBC allows SNP a voice to get the SPPF message home to us of the failures and our time to pay up for their sins. I am told by a Finance insider, that Hotel Room GST will go up not just to 15% but Beyond to 17% and then perhaps even to 21% to squeeze investors and HOUDINI their money as SPPF finds new ways to pull their failing economy forward.
In the coming years, they will make more and more businesses pay for more items and services in foreign exchange. Hence, making a business forecast or business plan impossible to complete accurately under SPPF. The reaction to this will be that many hotels on line to be built will just put projects on hold. Only SPPF hotels will go up and they will have concessions for everything imaginable. Danny Faure will blame price increases every three months on DEMOCRACY. He will say Democracy is that way, pay your way. When he tells you that say this to him: “no Mr. Danny Faure, Democracy is not that way, SPPF’s understanding of Democracy is that way, since you do not know what democracy is, you are ruining my Country!” Democracy does not just chop, chop, chop and tax, tax, tax!
Try to think, think, think, smart, smart, smart for your People! And sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice starts with you, you, you not us, us ,us! While you all enjoy a 34% salary hike on the People’s backs, not including your Ministry of Finance euro credit card which has unlimited use and we have unlimited bills to pay as you sign.
We must pray for Wavel Ramkalawan. Do not chastise him for his left-footed walk up to State House or his inspection of the Military Guard. His acceptance of a higher salary when the People of Seychelles are going through the most difficult time in recent history is revelation of his weakness as a man not a demonstration of his strength as a Leader.
While we pray for him, we must ask him to show us due respect as well when in the National Assembly. Do not call yourself Leader of The Opposition, since when you speak, you do not speak for us. Call yourself Leader of SNP or Leader of The Opposition in The National Assembly. Secondly, do not say “nou dan l’opposition...” “say nou dan SNP”, because when you talk, you embarrass the hell out of us in the DP and everyone else who has dropped you off their Christmas Card List. Just a minor Protocol adjustment for 2008 to keep up with the times.
Finally, we must continue to ask Mr. Ramkalawan to cease his close and futile association with SPPF and come back 100% to the Opposition Camp. We appeal to him to open dialogue with DP. We in the DP are human and know how to forgive. The gift of Pardon is there for those who seek it. Jesus walked this earth and saw the weaknesses of man in his sinful state. He offered us a tool to overcome our faulty actions in affairs of men: Pardon and ask to be Pardoned!
Lead the Opposition if you can or want and cease to be managed by SPPF. If you cannot lead, then follow or get out of the way. Time is never on the side of the idle mind that seeks to live off the sweat of the Public in the name of Freedom.
Along these lines give DP its seat back in the National Assembly in 2008. Let all our voices be heard as was agreed by you before the People of Seychelles on SBC. Keep your word, in spite of what SPPF Courts and an SPPF National Assembly have to say.
People of
A man is worthless without his word, unless he has a gun to replace his integrity. Unless you plan on being a priest with an AK- 47 under your cassock, I urge you to abandon your plan of action of dialogue with the SPPF in the interest of the People of Seychelles. Dialogue is good, but it needs definition; it must have parameters and it must be inclusive of all Parties, not exclusive of some. When you exclude some parties it is called: conspiracy. You only now have to commit a crime to complete the story.
We encourage you to reconsider your position to try to shut DP out of the political process. Be bigger then the shoes you wear.
As moral compensation for removing Frank Elizabeth (DP) from the National Assembly, re-appoint him, shake hands, allow water under the bridge to so flow. Furthermore, give DP one extra seat and show us you are the Leader we voted for and wanted to be President of Seychelles, in spite of you being happy to loose the Elections, since you inferred in your speech in the National Assembly recently, you were so happy to loose, since the countries burdens are beyond your ability, which no expert could rectify.
In a word Mr. Ramkalawan, do what is RIGHT in spite of your urges at self destruction and self enrichment at our expense as a People. Repent! Allow me to remind you that your cloak of priesthood does not permit you to use Public Service for self enrichment in the material world. As a Priest, you have made a vow of poverty, simplicity and humility before God. You have an obligation to lead by example and make peace with all and not to burn bridges and spend your week days before a Court of law day after day, in conflict with your community. For the Bible says, a man cannot serve two masters. You must choose dear Father and/or Leader of Opposition. You must choose between the spirit or the flesh! In the meantime, you ought to handle yourself with a little dignity and do what is right! It is human to err, but closer to divine to do what is right!
May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!