Monsieur le Rédacteur, Merci de nous avoir informé de la déclaration de Son Excellence Monsieur Nicolas Sarkozy, Président de la République française á propos des diplomates de son pays.
La déclaration du Président Sarkozy a été très utile pour nous faire comprendre l’attitude des ambassadeurs de
Maintenant que le Président de la République française a fait son analyse, nous attendons avec impatience des actions tangibles pour transformer les coqs ‘capons’ en coqs courageux. En particulier nous serons ravis de voir le jour ou les ambassades de
Mille mercis pour m’accorder l’opportunité de faire connaître mon opinion.
Un grand ami de la
SIR, I was indeed surprised to read in the last week’s issue of the Nouveau Weekly that, according to Mr.
Having also read the SNP’s statement regarding that same
Was Mr. Chow expressing his own personal opinion when he made that statement in Le Nouveau
I am a supporter of the SNP/DP Alliance, but I was taken aback by the mixed signals being sent by Progress House and Arpent Vert. Can Mr. Chow and Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan clarify their party’s position on the China-Taiwan issue once and for all.
Regards
Opposition supporter
Sir, I read The Story of Three Rolls Royce Cars and Three Presidents in your weekend issue of October 5th. In many senses, the story was correct, but all important details, which make the true story, are not generally known. Perhaps you will permit me to provide you with this information.
The story actually started in 1975 when two Government Representatives visited my Factory – Chelle – next door to the Brewery. They advised me that Barclays Bank, the Standard Bank and the Brewery had each made a donation to the
I offered to buy a newer car and acquired a 1972 Corniche for ₤10,000. The car was given to the People of Seychelles and at no time did President Mancham request, or have any involvement with the gift, it was between me and the said Government Representatives. Incidentally, it was
When President Rene came to Power, he asked to see me and explained that the car in question was somewhat flamboyant and might be regarded as inappropriate. I advised him that it had more than doubled in value and suggested that we might consider an extension to the hospital. President Rene said he would prefer that it was traded in for a bullet proof Mercedes. I explained that I knew nothing about Mercedes and even less about a bullet proof car. I explained that I could not accept the responsibility of providing such a machine, since if he got shot in, I would get the blame. He laughed and suggested an appropriate Limousine for visiting Dignitaries. The car was swapped for a Long Wheel Base Silver Shadow Limousine. The last person I saw being driven in the car was Mrs. Ghandi. Years later the car was sold and the money returned to the Government. This car is now being used in
In January of this year, a Senior Government Official advised me that there would be a visiting Dignitary from
I didn’t think it was right that the Seychelles Government should have to borrow, from a member of the public, a suitable car for Dignitaries, but should have their own. After thirty years of being resident in
I am no longer a ‘foreign businessman’, as I have been accepted into your charming Nation and I am very proud to be able to call myself Seychellois. My wife is Seychelloise and so is my son, so I was feeling a bit left out.
Finally, few foreign businessman plant Coco de Mer’s in their garden. I planted mine in February 1976, before independence and this year it is going berserk, having thrown out eight huge leaves, (twice as many as usual) and so soon. I shall know whether it is male or female. The man running the Agriculture Department in Praslin (where I purchased the seed) assured me it was female. He was quite old then and I pointed out, he would be in heaven before I actually knew whether he was right or wrong – he laughed!
Yours faithfully
Robert Gaines-Cooper
Group Chairman
SIR, It is with disbelief that I read on the front page of the Seychelles Nation of 22 October 2007 that the SMB are selling a list of essential items that they import at below cost price and also without any GST. My disbeleif comes about as a result of a number of factors:
(1) A couple of years ago, for those who remember, SMB were taken to court for their unfair pricing policies with regards to essential items. The case was never heard because SMB is “above the law” i.e. it is an outlaw.
(2) Everything at SMB is unbelievably expensive compared to other countries in the world. If SMB is selling below cost price, where does SMB import its goods from? Switzerland, Monte Carlo, Hollywood Boulevard, Harrods of London – these places where the rich and famous go shopping and only people like “latet karang” can go there.
(3) SMB has never been subject to transparency, and accountability. Nobody has ever been able to openly criticise SMB because of its pricing policy. Prices and quality are never checked at SMB. Goods are mixed to catch the public unawares e.g. sometime ago the “green packet rice” was the same quality as the “brown packet rice” – price control, police, taxation, health etc. etc all said “YES” to what SMB was doing. The only way I will believe SMB is if they can come with proof of what they are doing – this they will never do!
Jess