TRUE LIBERALIZATION AND PRIVATISATION- AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM FOR SEYCHELLES!

Although the government of Seychelles has publicly announced that it intends to liberalize the economy and sell its assets to private investors, the realities on the grounds could not be more different. The fact remains that the SPPF has given away state assets to friends and SPPF sympathizers left, right and centre for pittance and without due process of the law. The National Tender Board set up to privatize government enterprises has been more or less non-existent as they have been regularly by passed and overlooked by the government in numerous instances where those assets were the subject of so-called privatization. The process is far from transparent and accountable leading to allegation of corruption, nepotism and cronyism leveled against the government.

The latest example of such practices has been the “privatization” of the assets of SMB. The fruit and vegetables division of this enterprise is alleged to have been controversially awarded to a senior management staff of SMB and his friends without any public tender. Other SMB assets are set to follow suit as several SPPF sympathizers have been clamouring for a piece of the cake. A privileged few has been identified as potential takers with a promise from these people to share their hard earned profits with the party to whom they have unequivocally sworn to remain grateful and loyal. The Port Launay site where Corvina is set to build another humongous luxury resort is another case in point. It is well known that the company is made up of SPPF sycophants and they were awarded this prime site, arguably the most scenic and striking piece of real estate in Seychelles, without proper, transparent and accountable public tender being conducted. Land at Providence Industrial Estate is also subject to this arbitrary practice with prime commercial land being awarded to SPPF sympathizers only to set up their businesses.

Desroches, Felicite, Ste Anne, Silhouette, Curieuse and Aride Islands are all examples where government has sub-divided large portion of real estate and selling them off to foreigners for vast sum of money which does not go through the banking system locally at all. Although the President has denied accusations that his “selling Seychelles to Arabs and Chinese,” it is a known secret that the Arabs are buying land in Seychelles in a frenzy and the government has given sanctions for these sales to go through. The country as a whole does not benefit from these immoral and unscrupulous deals masked in secrecy and mystery. Besides lamenting on National Television that out of 900, 000, 000 dollars which the economy generated in 2007 only about 200, 000, 000 went through the banking system here, the President has not done anything to curb the trend. Shockingly, even the IMF has accused the government of not going far enough in its “sois-disant” economic reform program.

As long as the government continues to bury its head in the sand oblivious to the economic realities on the grounds, liberalization and privatization will remain but trendy words to be uttered and repeated whenever it is convenient for the government to do so. As the National Assembly endorsed the ratification of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating corruption this week, the government has to look in its own backyard to find countless examples and acts of corruption within its own ranks which has been allowed to fester with impunity. The reality is that since 1977, not one single person in Seychelles has been charged or convicted of corruption or corruption related charge. This is the shocking truth and this despite the fact that the perception of corruption in Seychelles is being described by international organizations as being relatively high. Recently this dirty word was pronounced publicly by the President when he singled out the judiciary in his State of the Nation address for special treatment. He said that there has been allegation of corruption in the judiciary. Surprisingly enough, President Michel evaded making any comment on the issue of allegations of corruption within his own government although he paid lips service to the fact that his government has adopted a “zero tolerance” approach on corruption.