FOR a while now we have been following with interest arguments being put forward by government about the review of the Constitution. For many Seychellois this exercise seems to have no effect one way or another. This is understandable as many people still do not consider the Constitution as the Supreme Law of the country, at least in its implementation. This is because certain people connected with the ruling party always operate above the law.
Nevertheless the Constitution is supposed to be the Supreme Law and nobody is supposed to be above it; not even the President of the Republic. Why do many people assume that it is a document giving power to only a small group of people over the majority? Many Seychellois have no idea what is in the Constitution and what are their rights as citizens of
Let us take a simple example like the “right to education”. For a long time now many people believe that it is thanks to the government that we get access to education when the Constitution says that it is a right for every Seychellois citizen. Any government, be it SPPF, SNP or DP, has to make provision for us to have access to education and the same applies for health care, etc.
One of the major stumbling blocks is equality before the law. No matter what our leaders say many people still believe that equality before the law applies for most people, but not those with good connection because these people simply seems to get away with anything. An interesting example is the way the latest incident concerning the boat seized recently with illegal Chinese workers onboard fishing for 'banbarra'. It is being treated with a good dose of favouritism just because the culprit is well connected and holds a position of power in this government. The softest possible punishment is being applied.
So for those who are not well versed in what the Constitution guarantees and what their rights are, a review will simply be an exercise in futility. In the meantime, we wait to see after the review whether more Seychellois will be aware of what is in the document or will it be a case of “plus ça change plus ça reste la même chose”