How Serious is the Government about Small Businesses?

“Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly” has discovered a simmering resentment of the treatment of official taxi operators by the government. Taxi operators are small businesses that need to invest quite a substantial amount of money in a vehicle before the business could operate effectively. Taxi operators pay inordinately high insurance premiums to protect themselves against possible write-offs or loss of business if an accident were to happen to their vehicle.

The recent devaluation of the rupee, it appears, has not helped matters impacting immediately on the cost of spare parts. Hard on this heel is also the world’s highest increase in the price of fuel recently ordered by this same Government. Other hardships have to be suffered with the unfair system in place at Pointe Larue airport. Further hardship comes in the unfair system put in place whenever a cruise ship visits Victoria. Taken all together, it is a very hard and bitter pill to swallow for our taxi operators, especially those who have supported and spied on their neighbour at the taxi stand for the ruling party.

Take the situation at the New Port Harbour. Only buses belonging to tour operators are allowed to enter the port to take tourists alighting from cruise ships. Taxis have to queue outside the security gate. The taxi operators wonder why? Any cruise ship passengers who may want to use a taxi have to walk the long walk to the gate. Inevitably, cruise ship passengers opt for the available buses from tour operators parked alongside the ships. Why is such unfair system in place? Is this the “avant gout” of the government being facilitator for business in Seychelles where one type of business is given preference over another type of business?

To add insult to injury, according to taxi operators, the government invariably displays an arrogant and devil-may-care attitude when it comes to taxi operators. The concerns and their representatives who express them are ignored as if they are not stakeholders in the Seychelles economy. A few months ago Mr Michel publicly promised that he would take the advice of an Irish Statesman when it comes to dealing with stakeholders in his 2017 strategy and that he would meet with all concerned parties.

President Michel’s words of “Judge me by my actions” has yet to strike a positive chord as far as the taxi operators are concerned. He has yet to come round to meet with the taxi drivers or the taxi drivers association to hear their numerous concerns. Taxi operators are judging him by his inaction as far as they are concerned.