THERE are many things that President James Michel personally, and the SPPF as a political party, have learnt from Tanzania and the Tanzanian ruling party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).
One of the most important lessons Michel learnt from Tanzania personally was how to fire an AK-47 rifle and how to overthrow the democratic government of his country and replace it with a one party dictatorship. The lesson on firing the AK-47 was undertaken in an ANC guerrilla training camp outside Dar es Salaam in the early Seventies.
Following the overthrow of the democratic government of his country on 5th June 1977, Michel participated in the creation of a one-party state modelled on Tanzania and the establishment of the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF) modelled on the CCM, with similar ideology.
Thirty one years down the road, both Tanzania and Seychelles have become multiparty states once again. Both political parties are still in power in their respective countries because they control the broadcasting media and the economic levers. While it has taken 30 years for the SPPF to bankrupt Seychelles and return its population to using candles at home, CCM mired its population in greater poverty than what existed when the colonialists left, while most Tanzanians could only use candles at night until recently. Thirty years later, a new generation has risen inside CCM and one of them has taken over the leadership of the party and became President of the country in December 2005. So far President Kikwete's government has received accolades across the country and in the donor community for fighting corruption, investing in people, particularly in education, and pushing for foreign investments and economic liberalisation.
These successes have led the United States government to grant Tanzania US$698 million under the Millennium Challenge Account assistance programme, the UK government US$500 million for education, and the New York based Africa-America Institute (AAI) to award Tanzania the Africa National Achievement Award in September 2007 in New York.
President Kikwete was in the news again recently, but for something few thought would happen in Tanzania. He has sacked another Minister for corruption. Is there a lesson for President Michel here?