WHILE Seychelles has been receiving hardly any economic assistance from France over the past decade, neighbouring Mauritius has just been allocated 50 million euros, to be disbursed by next year.
The French lending agency L'Agence Francaise de Developement ( AFD) said this will be in addition to 25 million euros given last year to the Port-Louis government and is destined to support budgetary reforms.
While Seychelles gets only peanuts, because of massive outstanding debts, the French ambassador in Mauritius, M. Jacques Maillard said the loans are proof of his government's confidence that Mauritius will use the funds to accelerate the islands' development. He added that Mauritius had always scrupulously respected its obligations vis-à-vis the international community.
In contrast, despite a concerted effort by France's ambassador in Victoria, M. Michel Tretout, Seychelles has owed the French Caisse Central some 50 million euros, loaned for various projects since the 1980s.
For several years after the 1977 coup, France was Seychelles' main aid donor, financing infrastructure and public utilities mainly. One project which Caisse Central refused to fund was the fishing fleet, of which the notorious “Spirit of Koxe " was the flagship. That was in the early 1990s, when the French purse seining fleet was already well based in Port-Victoria. The French refusal was viewed as sabotage by the Seychelles Government and triggered a hard-hitting speech from the then SFA boss Glenny Savy, who claimed that he had personally designed the vessel.
At around the same time, there was the visit by the late President Mitterrand, who stopped here as part of an Indian Ocean tour. There was no aid agreement signed, instead a stern speech to Rene about democracy and the need to return the islands to multi-party rule.
Until our debts are paid, there will be no meaningful assistance, prompting recourse to the foreign commercial banks where conditions are stringent and a strain on our already meagre foreign currency earnings.