IN ITS issue of 13th June 2008, Vol.17 No.20, Ramkalawan wrote an article entitled “Time to See Where Dialogue Is Going” that: “Today we have to question what dialogue has achieved. First of all there has not been much in the way of concrete outcomes.”
The impression conveyed in the article is that Ramkalawan has been used by James Michel and the SPPF and then discarded. He described the dialogues only as a series of “informal meetings” and “face to face meetings between the President and the Leader of the Opposition” which did not accomplish anything. For instance, he says: “…many issues such as ending political victimization, reforming the SBC and implementing the recommendations of the Reilly report remain unresolved.”
What Ramkalawan fails to grasp is that James Michel and SPPF wanted the dialogue to mean just that; dialogue. There was no good faith on the part of SPPF or indeed a promise that something would be done about the current situation as a result of the dialogue. Ramkalawan was clearly deluded to think otherwise. He was simply being taken for a ride and beaten at his own game.
The article reveals a lot about Ramkalawan himself and it shows just how politically naïve he is. Just before he was invited to dialogue with James Michel, Ramkalawan was in a position of strength and James Michel and the SPPF were in a position of weakness.
James Michel realized that unless he neutralizes Ramkalawan politically and renders him impotent, there was a real likelihood that he may win the presidency at the polls in 2011. At the time opposition was united and speaking with one voice; something which made the SPPF nervous. The results of the polls had maintained the opposition share of the votes at about 46%. James Michel was about to put Seychelles through its most trying times with a series of economic measures and reforms which would inevitably hit the ordinary Seychellois hard in their pockets.
Devaluation of the rupee, rising cost of fuel and food prices, increase in electricity and water tariffs, steep increase in the crime rate and social problems such as prostitution, drugs and alcohol issues, all combined to create never seen before hardship in the country.
Had the opposition stuck together and relentlessly attack James Michel and the SPPF between now and the next election, Ramkalawan's popularity and ratings would have definitely increased, making the presidency a real possibility for him.
Instead, James Michel decided to literally adopt the saying: “Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer.” He cunningly invited Ramkalawan to a series of “sois disant” dialogue knowing full well that both himself and the SPPF did not intend to do anything of significance as a result of the dialogue. But James Michel knew that Ramkalawan would be hurt politically if the dialogue does not bear any fruit and nothing “concrete” comes out of it.
Ramkalawan, because of his naivety, foolishly believed that SPPF really wanted to dialogue with him sincerely for the betterment of the country. Against his better judgment he accepted to dialogue with the SPPF. He literally took the SPPF bait, hook, line and sinker. He broke the opposition alliance and fragmented the opposition. He went to State House to meet with James Michel on several occasions and decided that it was the SPPF which were his true friends and not DP. For its part SPPF callously used these dialogues to ridicule Ramkalawan and used him as a stooge.
Ramkalawan admits as much in his article. He says: “One unfortunate result of the dialogue is that it has been used to misrepresent the way in which some decisions have been made so as to place the responsibility on the Leader of the Opposition. This happened in the way the increases in electricity tariffs were announced after a meeting with President Michel and recently in the way in which the decision on MNA salaries were reported by the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly.”
Ramakalawan was foolish to believe that James Michel and SPPF wanted to discuss matters of State with him in a sincere and honest manner. He was foolish to destroy the unity in the opposition. He was foolish to decide to stop printing Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly at Arpent Vert. He was foolish to take SPPF's money. He was foolish to tell everyone on SBC that he never wanted to be President in the first place and then paradoxically told a few rabble rousers at Freedom Square that he will stand again for the presidency in 2011. SPPF are like leopards. They will never change their spots. The sooner Ramkalawan and his goons realise this, the better it will be for everyone. The so called dialogue was only a ploy to destroy Ramkalawan's political credibility and weaken his resolve.
SPPF never intended to do anything as a result of the dialogue. It is only now that Ramkalwan is starting to realize this. He literally strikes the nail right on its head when he says: “Dialogue will only be valuable if it serves its purpose of advancing democracy and resolving the problems that our people face.
It will not be satisfactory if it is used only to serve a partisan agenda and score political points with the help of the State run media.” Why did you not realize that before you agreed to dialogue with SPPF Ramkalawan?
Ramkalawan is now at his weakest politically because of the many unforgivable mistakes he has committed. That is why James Michel does not want to dialogue with him any more. What's the point anyway, since it is now common knowledge that Ramkalawan will never win the presidency in this country. He is no longer a political threat. James Michel knows that and Ramkalawan knows just as much although he is trying to put up a brave face.
His recent antics in the National Assembly, walking out twice in a row, shows a man who has completely lost the plot and desperate to go back to his old ways to try and rescue what is left of his political career. He started the race well but is now finishing badly. Basically, he is like an athlete who is a great starter at the beginning of a race but a poor finisher at the end of the race. His political credibility is in tatters.
The only option available to him now is a dignified exit from politics. However, it remains to be seen whether Roger Mancienne, the party Secretary, will be able to come up with an “exit strategy” for his man.
Who said that James Michel was stupid?