Mr. France Albert Rene, former SPPF President, now retired, but still mentally running the show, celebrated another birthday at State House last week, apparently using public money to make it look like he was being benevolent to the older People of Seychelles.
If you will recall, last year Mr. Rene thrashed us about telling how we must never say Seychelles is not a democratic State; if we do, countless people will loose their lives, many, many families, men, women, will needlessly suffer. This year, unlike last year, when he lashed out at the Opposition, Rene said nothing about us, electing instead to give us a speech scripted from his One Party State days, wherein he tells us we must not judge the progress of a country by its finances, its economy or health system. Instead, judge a country by how we treat our Senior Citizens. How cute!
Mr. Rene did not mention the children that are abused and have been tossed out as fresh meat for his soldiers over the years; he did not mention our young men who until today, are being beaten, shot with guns, tortured by officials from his Government.
These thugs roam our streets and drive along side us everyday. Mr. Rene does not believe these issues are important to judging our democracy and progress as a Country. Mr. Rene does not talk about the heavy drug problem in Seychelles. He does not talk about beach access being closed off to Seychellois and selling our Country and islands to foreigners. Nor does he mention the rise in murders and unsolved murders since his last birthday.
Let us take a close look not at the mumbo jumbo which sounds good and sensible if your DA has handed you two Seybrews before the speech starts. Then your MNA watching over your table, hands you a third Seybrew during the middle of the speech and finally, some local Government Animator gives you the last one just before the speech closes, so you do not have to think about what is said. Since you are drunk by then, you clap and laugh, until someone takes you away and dumps you on a Tata Bus which takes you back to your District. You walk on foot back to your ZONE, change clothes, place them on your KOMOD and lay your body to rest for the night, after a good day of BAT LATET!
Last year Rene lashed out and threatened us. This year he is soft. Why? The Opposition is now in two camps. How nice Rene must think to himself, how well orchestrated. The reason may also be because Rene today knows more about what is going on in the SNP than the Public may want to believe. His Party, through Speaker Herminie and Mr. President and others, are cultivating and breeding a Loyal Opposition to the SPPF through the SNP Leadership. The Loyal Opposition is becoming “loyal” to keep SPPF in power in exchange for some salary increases and National Assembly VIP perks to hedge against the economic difficulties ahead as we face an economic collapse which is imminent. We must all be concerned if an Opposition Party starts to become a Loyal Opposition to SPPF. As Speaker Herminie told us in the opening of the National Assembly, he wanted MNAs to make career out of the parliamentary service. He was not speaking to SPPF MNAs, they already have a career. He spoke to the SNP. Perhaps Speaker Herminie touched their hearts.
For example, the Leader of The Opposition salary is Rupees 18,000.00 per month. Based on the Purchasing Power of that money two years ago, today that salary is worth only Rupees 2,160.00 after DEVALUATION has started. Not a lot of money for being beaten over the head, is it?
An MNA earning a salary of Rupees 8,000.00 for the same period two years ago, today is worth Rupees 960.00 per month, after DEVALUATION has started. If SPPF Economist Ralph Agrippine’s logic, as presented on Face-A-Face last week, is applied and the Rupee floats and ends up being 2% of today’s value, the MNA salary will be worth Rupees 160.00 per month and the Leader of Opposition’s salary at 2% of today’s value of the Rupee will be worth Rupees 360.00.
In no time, SNP MNAs and their Leader, who are making parliamentary service a career as Mr. Herminie suggested, will start yelling and screaming, change the course, let us talk about the National Interest. Mr. President will greet them and say yes, of course, let us find common ground and convergence. Let us meet regularly at State House. Here is my phone number if you need anything. Whatever you do, do not give it to those DP People. They are too rough. Convergence will be in the making and they will say National Interest is their flag. It is a banner of ultimate betrayal, going beyond the breaking of the DP - SNP Alliance. Some will see it early. Some will see it later. After all is said and done, we will all see it. Our MNAs will take to retirement in Madagascar where they can live with themselves.
It will not be difficult since many SNP are former SPUP and have the same ideology as SPPF today, except they believe SPPF should have been more honest. Mr. Michel will say to them he is honest. They will believe him. In time, SNP and SPPF will reconcile, much like the Democratic Party has reconciled and realigned itself as a potent united force. Why? Because our fundamental ideology of respect for Individual Rights, Promotion of Free Enterprise, Tolerance of Free Speech and Free Press, Respect for Human Life, Implementation of a Free Market System, Implementation of a Meritocracy is not for sale, Preserving Wealth and Island Assets that belong to the People of Seychelles, for them, Putting Seychellois First instead of Putting the First Family First is not for sale.
Today, after SPPF has failed and SNP has let down the Opposition, breaking a working Alliance which could have defeated SPPF in the next Elections easily, the Democratic Party is the only alternative to remove Seychelles from the mess it is in today. Why they ask? Because our ideology and human compassion is the only answer to giving Seychelles a second chance from the position it stands today after over 30 years of mumbo jumbo policies. We make sense.
Furthermore, unlike SPPF and SNP, we know how to do it. Ideas can be borrowed here and there, hijacked here and there, even blood can be transfused to keep a dying casualty alive in ICU and bring him back for another day of BAT LATET. But medical science still has not figured out how to transfer brains. We will need a lot of brains to undo the mess SPPF has done. The DP has it! Its pool of brains is nationwide and worldwide.
Today, Rene worries about the surge of the Democratic Party again. He worries more about the Democratic Party than SNP. For the last year or more, the Weekly has kept Rene and his Party on their toes, in the light, in a manner they are not used to. They have reacted to this by being very left footed. Printec had censored numerous Weekly publications. Nation censored what it could. Opinions expressed in Weekly are firm, tested and truthful and challenge the SPPF to be what they are not.
Intellectually, SPPF looses its cool and compromises whatever “class” it may have after 30 years in power, when faced with the Truth. All the flowers from the failed Barbaron Orchid Farm decorating a room for a birthday and lovely bouquets they make and sell to themselves, but we pay the Bill, will not give SPPF and it’s leader enough “class” to jump the hurdles of Truth we make them face. The recent financial down-grade is an example of that. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation turning its back on Rene before his Birthday is another example of that. There are many. Lehmann Brothers Second Bond Issue reduced substantially from the First request is another example.
On Mr. Rene’s Birthday, the Truth is that SPPF has destroyed our economy. The Truth is that our “Strong Rupee” has been destroyed. The Truth is that the People of Seychelles today are going through the worse time since Rene stole the Country in a Coup D’Etat on June 5th 1977. The Truth is that when you tell us to “curb consumption and conserve energy” the least you could do is lead by example and pay for your Birthday Party with a personal check, instead of running it on State House Budget.
Rene is silent on the Economy, Education, Health and Transportation, because it is a disaster. Is it still worth it to defend Mr. Rene and SPPF with all our Lives? Today, army soldiers are not defending the State against any enemy.
After Rene Spoke, Mr. President James Michel had a few words for us on this day. He announced an increase in Senior Citizen Pension next year. The amount was not disclosed. Currently, our Senior citizens receive Rupees 1,750.00 per month. Compared to the value of the Rupee two years ago, this money is now worth only Rupees 210.00 per month in Purchasing Power. The Senior citizens can forget about using this money for a pilgrimage to see Per Laval in Mauritius.
To keep up with DEVALUATION and the rise in cost of living under SPPF and maintain our Parent’s current standard of living, in exchange for their years of hard work and contribution to our society, Mr. President will have to increase the Pensions by Rupees 1,540.00 this year and not “En Pti 50.00 Woopi”. Mr. President will have to bring the Senior Citizen Pension up to Rupees 3,300.00 to keep up with what he has done with our economy that is now hurting all of us and our Parents. Anything less will mean we are not giving our Senior Citizens the dignity they deserve, beyond a bottle of Seybrew every November 16th in honor of someone who promised to make all our lives better, but now this promise is taking a nasty twist for the worse and we are going back to square one. He is still celebrating his birthday on our account. Curbing Consumption does not apply to his Highness Royal Communist “A La Kreol”.
The promise of course is an empty one. The SPPF have been holding on to our Old Parents for 30 years because they are the most vulnerable. In turn, Rene has held on to power. Today, the scene is coming full circle. We need our Old Parents who are SPPF to let go of Rene and his failed policies in order that their children will have a future after Rene. They can still love him if they choose. But they must also know he has done us wrong on managing our economic affairs. After a few beers it can all sound so convincing. But politically, the young must now convince the old it is time to let go in order that a new generation can have any hope to outlive the disaster ahead. It will not be easy, but it can be done with the right leadership in place, that goes beyond securing next months Salary and Perks.
In the meantime, I heard that the next “Rice-Boat” will arrive in 8 days. For now, take Albizya Shavings; mix with Kasi Seeds, grind with stone, then boil. Use as a protein and carbohydrate replacement until we get some rice.