The Almost Perfect StormMANY fishermen around the world risk their lives everyday on the high seas to seek out a living. They use the best technology available to evade the elements that can become treacherous. They use sonar, GPS, VPS, and radios to help them navigate the ocean, and find fish and come back home safely. Circumstances are never perfect in fishing. Fishermen learn early to make the best out of any situation. But beyond making the best out of a day, there is the unspoken thought of the need to survive above landing a catch. In the "Perfect Storm", when all the element of nature gather to destroy everything man made, from boat to life itself, there are no survivors. “L'Homme Propose Et Dieu Dispose.”
In Seychelles our economic-social Perfect Storm which threatens to destroy everything has been created by SPPF over the past 34 years is now brewing and building up fast. It is almost the "Perfect Storm". Read on Everyone, especially the Opposition. To survive this brewing “Perfect Storm”, we will need everyone SNP, DP and smart SPPF: The "Seychellois First" team.
The Price of Oil is Sky-Rocketing
The most basic element that goes into costing of goods and practically anything we buy is the price of fuel. Fuel cost is pinned to the price of oil, which has exceeded $120.00 per barrel and OPEC has now said it will go up to $200.00 per barrel... Captain Adam at SEPEC has told us that we pay a higher rate per barrel for oil than the bench mark price. However, what he did not say was that we do not refine fuel, but purchase it in bulk already refined. Had SEPEC undertaken a refinery plant today, Seychelles would be supplying the entire region oil based petroleum products at a competitive price. Our strategic location on the globe would be put to good use. Instead, as the price escalates, we suspend building Tankers and propose to build a mini tanker for fuel transshipment in our region, in and around our EEZ, because it is a compromise position while the crisis sets in. What will the mini-tanker do when ships stop coming to Seychelles?
As the price of fuel skyrockets with no end in sight, transshipment of goods will skyrocket. We will ship goods from South Africa and the cost of shipping will outpace the value of the goods we import. All along, SPPF will keep GST on fuel and Trades Tax. While SPPF Government enjoys a 450% tax on fuel, we are supposed to suffer and our businesses are supposed to slow down, so they can give young Danny some money to mismanage in our name in the SPPF tradition.
If SPPF is serious about creating growth in Seychelles today in spite of the surge in prices for fuel on the World market, declare a 200% drop in Trades Tax on Fuel and petroleum products. To help Seychellois survive this disaster, remove GST on all food stuff so we can eat.
In conjunction with the reduction, Government of Seychelles will have less Revenue, so also reduce your ministerial budgets across the board. I know these are hard times, but hard times call for hard decisions. Make them so the general population will be better off and not worse off, because of your failures. Start selling off those diamonds glittering Toyota Land Cruisers worth Euro 80,000 before tax. If the USA Ambassador can drive around in a Hyundai, I do not see why all Ministers cannot do the same.
Stop wasting our money and killing us at the same time SPPF.
As a Nation State, not including private debts, our external debts are skyrocketing everyday with accumulated interest payments not being serviced on time. The Rate of the Euro to the US Dollar also has a dis-favorable impact on our debt. It makes it go up faster then SPPF can say "Leker dan Leker". SPPF has failed to disclaim an external debt of Euro 490Million or roughly $ 800 Million. This situation is alarming in as much as when we fail to perform on our external obligations, we will move to a Defaulting Status with financial houses like Standard and Poor's. When that happens we will be downgraded a second time in 2 years and the Government of Seychelles will only be able to secure loans from the Russian Mafia, Nigerian Mafia or Libyan underworld. When that happens, we will risk our status as a Nation -State. Because like in Somalia, our neighbor, legitimate countries will have to invade us in order that they can remain safe. No time to look to the floor Mr. President, when you speak to men wearing white shirts, white pants and white shoes and sporting brass olive branches on their hats. They don't visit you to say hello, they visit you to pick the best beach landing. Just when you thought you were watching us, guess who is watching you?
Mr. President has now shown us he took his mandate off to a false start when he secured the Lehman Brothers $200 Million Bond to pay regional creditors and keep the Country going. Later he sent young Danny to the National Assembly to pick up another $30 Million Junk Bond, to keep SPPF going. This Bond will mature soon or it can be rolled over for another 5 years. As SPPF rolls the payment of the Bond, we roll. Soon our heads will roll as well because SPPF is just rolling and is not taking commitments which they made to a reputed financial house seriously. As for Lehman's, they have been offered Coetivy to run the prawn farm fiasco, but have declined, refusing to place their names on it. In New York, they have already shed 1000 top jobs, cutting staff after they too received a financial house downgrade as punishment for flirting with Clients like SPPF.
As the price of fuel skyrockets, don't be surprise if Lehman's packs up the tuna factory. Why? Because their venture capitalist undertakings are now under close scrutiny. It seems that they invest in sometimes risky businesses. Dealing with SPPF is probably one of those risky businesses. The property magnates in South Africa have already started to smell the roses. SPPF may as well go back to the business to acquiring properties to make a living. The Plantation scenario has played itself out well. It is not the first and it will not be the last. Now let's see who finally ends up with the Hotel.
After telling us for 20 years we are rich, rich rich - we are now obviously poor, poor, poor. SPPF themselves are looking at each other in the rear -view mirror and realize it was just one big, long dream-ride Rene took them on and Michel took over the driver's seat without ever earning his own license. He has always relied on Rene's license to maneuver the vehicle of Government. In the past when Rene said, "Michel, turn left", he would. When Rene said, "turn right", he would; "step on the brakes a little James", he so followed; "change gears... put it in second gear", he tried his best. Now he wants us to send him an e mail. We may as well send the e mail to Rene, and cc Michel for his information. Rene will answer it in bed, feet up, while Michel will scratch his head make a few calls to get half an answer to you. C'est la vie SPPF...C'est la Vie!
Government of Seychelles functions in disorder, like a ship without a rudder. Government officials leave office for undetermined periods of time and don't come back until they feel like it. Administrative decisions go un-accomplished because there is no leadership in action. The President is filmed walking around a District to meet a geriatric when he should be making sure his offices run effectively. The Minister of Administration administers only a crisis of trying to find enough money to pay everyone. Give students their allowances as promised or revoke it if you cannot perform. Pay TRANSEC staff their allowances as well instead of scamming them SPPF. Planning Survey Division cannot issue out plans in an effective manner, even though they have all the computer software they need to do the job a 12 year old can do. An appeal to a Minister for Planning for one case I personally have is now taking 6 months after been delayed now for almost 3 years already. In the meantime, while I wait for a fence, thieves rob my guests over and over again. They post the experience on the Internet on Seychelles blog sites. Seychelles Investment Bureau (SIB) under Mr. Nourice is notorious for delaying applications. But Michel is worse. He sleeps on Nourice's act of delaying applications. Instead of calling Nourice to task and say Nourice, move it or get moving! Nourice and people like him of course, will say but this and but that Mr. President. A real Leader leads all and follows only the path of what is good for all his People. Maybe what is best for Seychelles is to just give Nourice or people like him another one of those soft painting contracts behind the scene to paint UNITY HOUSE.
To mask the disorder, SPPF have learned a new tactic from David Savy: decorate everything, spend money on raffia and chairs and make it all look so Bali! Wear Yves St. Laurent (YSL) euro 225.00 (Rupees 5,800.00 with GST) shirts to look smart. Behind all this fuzzy stuff is the same chaos in our Government offices that we found 20 years ago. If you don't believe me, ask Planning Authority to show you their Archives. Better yet, just go to the Planning Office. See for yourself the chaos a la grade "AAA". Ask yourself, how on earth will Seychelles ever prosper under SPPF chaos? Answer: It never will. We need SPPF themselves to see that, as you see it the DP will help you move on. We will help you through this bad dream. But we can all get over it.
When we were building Tankers SPPF, why did you not build regional container shipping hulls so we could offset our shipping cost today? Answer: Because we needed a Fleet and the President likes wearing a coat to Germany. When we were dredging providence so Doctor and friends could have some nice beachfront plots looking to Cerf Island, why were we not building up adequate fuel processing capacity or cement silo capacity or feed meal capacity not just for Seychelles, but for the entire region. And as we buy for us and the region we offset our costs locally by the bulk purchase- redistribution exercise? Because, we are Communists and we don't like to work too hard, we like our weekends on Outer Islands, eating fine turtle thighs and drinking fine champagne in fine French crystal on the beach, young girl in hand. We, in SPPF, would rather spend time in 7 Star hotels than spend time positioning Seychelles in any serious manner to compete in the World. We use the poor fool. We do not want to be poor!
Why Almost Perfect Storm
The external factors are horrific for Seychelles. Internally it is chaos. For every Seychellois, the cost of living is beyond our ability to cope daily. SPPF RED Umbrellas are heading for the bins around the Country even when it rains. Why an almost Perfect Storm, which could bring in the winds of change in Seychelles once and for all and give Seychelles a new start with change that is serious and competent?
Well, unfortunately for us all, while this wind of change brews and builds up and the tide of change imposes itself on us, the Leader of the SNP, is now in cahoots with SPPF. He is ferry-ed regularly to State House, his salary only gets larger to help him cope with SPPF failure. He is being courted by SPPF to placate the People of Seychelles. SPPF have clouded his brain with the false hope of becoming a Prime Minister in a Coalition Government that does not exist. His betrayal towards the Democratic Party is evidence of that clouded brain. When he removed Frank Elizabeth from the National Assembly he sacrificed a United Opposition to weather the Perfect Storm. With that, he has sacrificed the opportunity to remove SPPF once and for all. As the Opposition remains divided, SPPF will stay and our suffering will linger on. As the Opposition unites, SPPF will go. Only then will it be a Perfect Storm.
SNP Leaders have elected up to now to remain silent and their leader leads them to Fools Gold! People of Seychelles must hold the Party collectively accountable for its leader's silence as we suffer in despair at SPPF hands. Those that remain silent, and fill their pockets in our hour of despair must not be pardoned, for they become worse than SPPF when they remain silent.
Many SPPF do not know what is right and what is wrong. But SNP does not have the luxury of ignorance as an excuse as they remain silent and try to fake us with a Viyzon every other week while they try to nurse a poisonous fruit with SPPF.
May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!