The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Why The Downturn Will Last For Ten Years With Parti Le Pep (P.P.) - External Factors Part II

This article is the second of two articles to explain to the people of Seychelles, business community, and the outside world why the economic downturn in Seychelles will last 10 years or more under P.P.

World Financial Crisis-USA

Not long after the Government of Seychelles defaulted on the interest payments of the Lehman Brothers Bond of US$ 245 Million in August 2008, the World entered into a financial crisis that took down financial house giant Lehman Brothers and numerous other companies. Those that survived were bailed out by the United States Government or they were significantly downsized.

The sub-prime mortgage crisis in the housing sector of the United States collapsed at that time, and instantly over a few months, as much as US$ 840 Billion disappeared from the US Economy (Economist Magazine). This took the total amount of money in circulation in the United States back to Year 2000 levels. In other words, the US economy downsized by eight years overnight.

As this downsizing took effect, the auto industry came to a skidding halt. This hit the big auto makers like GM, Ford and Chrysler. The vanishing of money sent property prices spiralling downwards. Factories came to a standstill and unemployment started to climb. Today, it is beyond 10% and still climbing. The initial predictions that we were in for a short term recession in the early days of the financial crisis vanished quickly. In fact, the USA is in for a long term, deep recession that will likely last many, many years. The fall out has been the worse downturn since the Great Depression.

For a country to come out of recession, it must have productive capacity to come out of troubled waters. The USA has that. With interest rates by the FOMC set at .25% or less, the US Dollar now lower then the Euro at 1.0- 1.51, the USA is poised to climb back out of the hole it is in. In Florida, property prices are coming back as Europeans start to reinvest taking advantage of the fire sales and great exchange rates that will not last forever. If the USA will take 10 years to get back to 2008 levels of growth and economic activity, what makes JJ Spirit think that they can register a grand success in only 12 months of Economic Reform after an undeclared bankruptcy in October 31, 2008?

They are lying to us of course, to fool us into believing they are doing great deeds. People of Seychelles remember what I always say: “Oen your eyes, do not be fooled by P.P......Communists always try to fool their People to stay in power.”  

World Financial Crisis- Europe

As the USA went through a rough unprecedented downturn, Europe, our main tourism market, was not to be spared. While the USA has one Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to make decisions and negotiate directly with the White House and Congress for a solution and bailout package, the European countries that make up a common market, may have a single currency, but they have to lobby each other for consensus to do anything. Hence they lack the ability to rally and take measures to lessen the financial crisis. In Europe, it has been bad. Productive capacity has dropped to -15.75% this year alone. If Industry drops, there is less money in circulation, Europeans will not travel on long hauls, as the feel good factor has gone. Beware!

Bad Loans = Bad Banks-Bad Structure

As European Banks lent out money to former communist countries of the eastern block and those loans were inadequately secured, and these new republics approached default status, IMF had to come in and shore up their debt servicing to keep many European banks above water.

In the UK, a property bubble burst dropping real estate prices by as much as 60%. The market has stabilized, but nothing near to 2008 levels. It will take years for recovery, unlike in Seychelles, where according to Mr. James Michel, one year has done the trick. That in itself is a trick.

People of Seychelles do not be fooled by Communists.

In the United Kingdom, banks fell to the road side and the Government had to intervene in banks and take over ownership in institutions like Northern Rock, Lloyds of London, Royal Bank of Scotland, etc.... the fall out affected the feel good factor Britons enjoyed for years, and curbed travelling to our destination.

In Europe the close connections between banks and industry worsened the crisis, because the banks’ close relationships to industry inhibited their ability to raise funds on the open market to meet immediate liquidity shortages.  Collusion covered bad debts and bad deals. The problem is deeply rooted. In Seychelles, our Central Bank had no problems according to Mr. President.

The European Central Bank dropped interest rates to 2% and 3% respectively over the last 2 years. This had resulted in overly cheap credit facilities that translated into real estate bubbles, credit bubbles, a boom in consumer spending and consumers taking their trips of a lifetime, in some cases that meant a trip to Seychelles. Hence the progressive numbers in 2007 and 2008 with corresponding top revenues, before the crisis hit home turf. It had nothing to do with STB, that did practically nothing to market Seychelles in those 2 peak years.  

Most affected by this downturn will be the EU countries with large deficits such as France andItaly, our 2 primary markets. Both have very active banks in failing emerging markets of former communist countries. The French and Italian banks are heavily exposed.

The crisis in Europe is a long term protracted crisis that will last for years. When growth rates of 2% or 3% are applauded, when GM executives cheer a US$2 billion plus quarterly loss, when loss of production is as high as -15.75% in a single year, you don’t have to be a genius to figure out just how long it will take for Europe to get back to 2008 levels of growth. That is, after it overcomes the bailout of these banks and other key industry players. Stake a claim of 12 years since Europe will not recover until the United States markets recover.

In Seychelles, according to Mr. James Michel, the man who told us we had paid off all our debts after visiting the Pope, Seychelles has turned things around in only one year. The People headlines 3 weeks ago declared: “SIKSE”- SUCCESS!  Success indeed a la communism!

The Dubai Financial Centre Bust

Four hours of flight time from our shores, the Dubai Financial Centre vision (proposed replacement to New York and London) has come to a standstill. Buildings built under the Islamic Bank finance schemes stand incomplete in the financial centre. The World’s tallest building the Burj Dubai sits unfinished and unoccupied. The non-moving cranes have become part of a stark landscape. Instead of seeing thousands of working getting on with the work of the day, you see one here, and one there. Roads are incomplete. The dream is lost in the sands and the only positive is that traffic jams have become less frequent.

The real estate bubble in Dubai has burst. Property values have shattered. Five star hotel rooms in the best hotels in the World can be reserved online for US$ 100 per night. You even get free breakfasts and transport to and from the airport. Marinas are full of boats with “For Sale” signs.

Retails sales have slumped in Dubai to all time lows of -35%. Emirates is experiencing a drop in activity by -30%, officially, perhaps more. They angle the best possible news to a bad situation, but nothing like what JJ Spirit is telling the People of Seychelles today, that the worse is over, we have been through the toughest storm etc....”

The worse, Mr. President Michel Sir, has just begun!  Right under your nose, while you attend high-profile evetns like the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, or while you continue to spin tales and tell the world that Seychelles is sinking due to Global Warming.  But Sir, with all due respect, granite islands do not sink.  But we are sinking indeed from hot air, but it has nothing to do with global warming!

Wasting Resources - Wasting Time

The most valuable commodity in life is time. As Seychelles goes through her worse financial storm -4% GDP in 2008, -8% GDP in 2009, -12% and counting, an unsustainable debt portfolio exceeding US$ 850 Million, President Michel is busy flying around to unknown markets, trying to establish new routes for Air Seychelles in countries wherein their citizens do not care much for sun, sea and sand, like China and Korea.  Mr. President waste time, limited resources to establish vague markets when our main market, Europe has a GDP of US$ 14.91 Trillion (2006). Is that not enough market for Seychelles to cultivate and to continue to focus on?  Again, does it take a genius to figure that out?

He rushes off to give a speech on World food requirements at an FAO conference attended by ministers of agriculture and secures some fertilizer and seeds for Seychelles for another year of planting.  That is, if we still have farmers on the blocks.

Mr. President is off to Lebanon for a meeting with its President to secure a dubious award, likely organized by the one investor we have in common with Lebanon: Alwaleed Bin Talal, owner of Raffles, and part owner of Four Seasons Seychelles. He is a dual citizen of Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, and a main investor in Lebanon, as in Seychelles.

What does Lebanon have in common with Seychelles aside from a few ladies that went there in the 1970’s and 1980’s as maids? Most if not all, have already come back and do not want to go back.

As there are no loans to secure, no money to collect, Mr. President spends his time travelling, instead of attending to managing the economic and social crisis in Seychelles that is engulfing us all.  

When he returns, he does a little photo prop in a district or holds up the World Cup as if he is the new Maradona!  But for us, we are financially excluded from benefiting from South Africa World Cup promotions because we have been late to make deals and establish flights to Cape Town or Durban for years. Air Mauritius flies to these cities 3 times a week by the way.  Again, it does not take a genius to figure out that an affluent South African market is right under our noses, pretty much our neighbour. Mauritius have been tapping this market for over a decade while we stand still.

At WTM, Seychelles was re-launching the UK market.  AGAIN! Air Seychelles will start a direct flight. AGAIN!  And a new marketing campaign has been re-launched.  AGAIN! With new staff.  AGAIN!  At least Alain St. Ange reaffirmed that the UK market is an important market for Seychelles.  Though someone else may have said the same thing before. How many times will Seychelles re-launch critical markets for Tourism that had already existed?  Why do we abandon our markets? How much time and money have we lost over the years as a result of this market abandonment, relaunch programmes?  Something wrong with our leadership (geniuses), don’t you think?

Where Is The Much Touted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)  

Remember when Mr. President told us his Government had secured US$ 2 Billion in Foreign Direct Investments (FDI)?  Most of that money is history. It is gone indefinitely. This money will be gone for 10 years or more. Why? Sure the world recession will linger for years. Sure no one will invest in a country whose debts are not sustainable. That will take us to 2027 at least. That is 17 years Mr. President.  Not 1 years as you infer.Why do you continue to misrepresent our true financial reality and mislead the People?

Seychelles as a remote emerging market, with an ongoing, revolving IMF Stand By Arrangements, will not be able to attract Foreign Direct Investments for many years to come with P.P.  running the country. The World knows our finance and our debts have been mismanaged. Our portfolio is upside down. Our credit rating is Selective Default (SD), and we have the worse credit rating in the World under P.P. and the stewardship of Mr. President Michel. Who will take the risk now? 

Only a strategy of 100% debt forgiveness, once in place, will be able to attract FDI within a short period of time as opposed to 17 years from now under P.P.

People of Seychelles, open your eyes, see our reality for what it is, and do not let P.P. and Mr. President Michel fool you. If you do, we will move to the status of Lesser Developed Countries (LDC) and debt forgiveness will be at hand anyway.  But it will be painful for you and even more painful for your children. To achieve this status with P.P. in place will mean great, great suffering for the People of Seychelles.

Somalia Pirates Factor

This issue is our Achilles heel. The piracy activity in our region is a US$ 450 Million business per annum for the pirates. It is a pillar of the Somalia economy. Over 100,000 ships have to traverse through the Gulf of Aden each year. As long as the World community ignores the suffering on the ground in Somalia, piracy will continue. These people have no intention to stop hijacking ships and taking hostages. Do not let P.P. fool you into believing the hijackings are over. They are not.  They are attacking boats in our waters as a matter of routine now.

The escort of ships through the Gulf of Aden is big business as much as $3 Billion per annum and this industry will continue to grow. It is a growth potential business for Seychelles security companies, but Mr. President Michel ignores that, even though the opportunity rests right under his nose. Seychelles is ideally positioned to offer escort services as a business venture to ships making the trip through Gulf of Aden, or at least from the Mozambique channel northwards.

As we remain idle and wallow in our economic sorrows because of mentally defeatist resigned leadership, Israeli private security firms are making a mint of money in this new industry. They are quickly establishing themselves as security escorts with 5-6 men per ship, earning a minimum of US$ 1,000 per day per man, for trips that can last up to 15 days.  Do the numbers P.P. This is serious business and it is happening right under our nose, in our waters. 

If Israeli private security escorts start making money, some of it will find its way to the Jewish lobby Political Action Committees (PACs) in Washington D.C. They will prevent and pre-empt President Obama, and any other US President down the road, from intervening on the ground in Somalia.

Without a ground solution, this piracy issue will not go away for us here in Seychelles. It will whittle Seychelles down over the next 10 years if left unfettered. If Seychelles maintains -8% for 10  years, it will bring our economy to -80% in 10 years.  Possibly, our own people might turn to piracy, and instead of “taxi pirate”, we would have “Bato Pirate”.

Mr. President Michel would have done the direct opposite of what he promised under his election promise “STRATEGY 2017”. Instead of doubling GDP in the positive in 10 years, he would have reduced GDP by almost 100%. Unfortunately, he has already shelved this little book. We no longer hear anything about it.

Perhaps it is a good time for Mr. President to think about how Seychellois companies can get involved in the security escort service for ships, to guarantee safe passage. Remember that old saying you revealed to us at Providence when fuel prices were US$ 150 per barrel in 2008: ”People of Seychelles, we must learn to think out of the box”. Well Jack, start thinking or we will all become “Jack in the Box”; no disrespect intended.

But the sooner you cut into the Israeli action, the better off Seychelles will be, because they already have it in for us, since you have made friends in Lebanon, and you wine and dine with the grand sheiks of the World, on the World stage, without regard for the consequence and retaliation Seychelles will face. 

And instead of creating a new “TAZAR” special force in your little Army to supposedly fight piracy, how about using the current personnel who watch over you, ex-President Rene, Ministers, wives, mistresses and other important P.P.s at night, and send them out to fight piracy and earn the country money instead?  Food for thought Jack, and money for our coffers too! After all, if our Police Force is doing such a great job of patrolling our neighbourhoods, why are you high-level guys so worried that you have to have Kalashnikov-toting guards watching over you when you sleep at night?  If you need them so badly, what about the safety and security of the rest of the Seychellois public? Or are we second-class citizens?

World Tuna Stocks Dropping

This year we are experiencing a drop of -53% in Tuna Fishing due to piracy interference. This is an incredible drop in turnover for Seychelles. The numbers just do not make sense at this time. Perhaps by year’s end, we will get the figures right.

World Bluefin Tuna is almost extinct. Not found in Seychelles. Yellowfin/Albacore Tuna is a threatened species, as is Big Eye, and other species found in our waters. The situation is alarming, because in the good years, when we could have maximized the benefit of the resource, we did not. Instead, we offered cheap licenses, built the most funky tuna-boat in the history of boat-building, and built infrastructure for a canning business, instead of focusing on added value products like tuna-loins. Now it appears it is too late to cry over spilled milk. Perhaps we will have a decline for a few years, then after the piracy abates, the tuna will be back.  Or maybe IOT will just shut its doors and move the factory elsewhere where labour is cheap and abundant, and where the Government does not interfere and where utility rates are not exorbitant!

In that time, Seychelles will need to focus on added value. For that to work, you need direct flights to markets that offer top prices for your products. Mr. President, that would not be China, Sir. It is Japan. 

Coincidentally, they do love the sun, sea and sand. They are the ideal Asian market to develop with a direct flight, if you can ever get the hotel and service product right for that market. The flights that bring fresh tuna to Japan, could return with tourists. It would be a complementary exercise. This is much more profitable than exporting coconuts on Air Seychelles for IDC.

Don’t Count Mauritius Out

Our neighbour Mauritius is a member of SADC. They have angled Seychelles out of competition for hub positioning to SADC markets and the region. Recall well, when Mr. President visited Mauritius as Mr. Paul Beranger’s guest and did the parade thing. He told us he was going to make Seychelles a regional hub. What happened to all that talk, was his attention diverted to Asia, the Grand Prix, now Lebanon?  

While Mr. President travelled the World and watched the Grand Prix races, and dined in fine restaurants of Asia, Mauritius set up a regional hub second to none, creating a pivotal new economic pillar for itself with its SADC status.

While Communist China was asked to build a National Assembly on Ile Du Port for Dr. Herminie, Mauritius asked them to build and expand a new Airport worth over US$ 100 Million. They are doing it.  While China gives us a grant of US$ 6 million for our new Supreme Court Building, Mauritius’ Judiciary arm is functioning flawlessly with Mauritian judges.

With 15% Business Tax plus Ebene Cyber City Centre, and its cultivation of the Indian business market, which is experiencing unprecedented growth of 8% plus per annum GDP, Mauritius has invited Indian subsidiary companies to set up shop and business in Mauritius, and to use Port Louis as a base to access SADC markets free of taxes.

Business in the Mauritian offshore, transhipment base is booming. As Tourism slacks, the SADC market access business is booming, hence offsetting the down fall in Tourism revenues due to the extended downturn in Europe.

Now, why did Seychelles not take the lead over Mauritius? Simple.  It is because you cannot teach P.P. communists anything.  They will not learn and they have no capacity to learn because brain power is sorely lacking.  Because free thinking, smart thinking let alone future thinking are not their thing.  Remember their great visionaries and architects!  Where are they now that they have bankrupted us?  Counting their millions I’m sure!

People of Seychelles, P.P. SPUP and SPPF have let us down. As our neighbours’ economies flourish, ours continue to decline.  As their people are employed, ours are getting the sack and returning to the P.P. masters or their District Administrators for a social handout.  Mr. President and P.P. has counted us out of the SADC markets in any material manner, for not just 10 years, perhaps now for 100 years.  Because for every opportunity we lose to our neighbours, it is an opportunity lost for Seychelles and our people. There are no second chances here.

People of Seychelles, unless you want to see 10 years or more downturn in our beloved country, we have no choice but to throw the P.P. out. The sooner we take steps to correct this “sleeping on the job” error.....or I should say, travelling on the job error, the better it will be for our young nation.  The case for change has never been any stronger than now.  And our so-called leaders are not about to wake from their slumber.  Let them sleep and dream of their millions and their worldly luxury travels while we take the reins of our country back.

May God Bless Seychelles And All Freedom Loving Seychellois! 

Christopher Gill

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Why Seychelles Downturn Will Be With Us For A Very Long Time With P.P. (Parti Le Pase)

Parti Le Pep (P.P.) has launched a propaganda blitz to ease the minds of Seychellois to make them believe that the Economic Reform is a success and that we are on the road to prosperity. The propaganda is so successful that it has gripped even the best business people in the Country, let alone the simple ordinary Seychellois.

In this special supplementary article, I take this propaganda machinery and half truths apart to help those in business come to grip with the big picture. Those that are part of productive workforce must take note because it concerns your future as well, regardless of political party affiliation.

From Bankruptcy To Reform Economic

I have already written about October 31, 2008 when Seychelles went to her knees and Michel announced the “Economic Reform” Programme under the aegis of the IMF in the form of a Stand By Arrangement for $26.75 Million, which was to be disbursed over two (2) years.

The term “Economic Reform” was only a term to hide the fact that Michel had driven the Seychelles to bankruptcy (faid). Most recently, we have gone through one (1) year of reforms, many structural matters have been addressed by the Ministry of Finance to bring the Government of Seychelles policies in line with IMF recommendations. This is all good and necessary, although long overdue. What P.P. should have done when it was SPPF over 32 years, it has done in one (1) year alone.

This has included abolishing currency control rate regimes, cutting expenses, firing thousands of Government workers (most of them from the opposition), cutting loans which go unpaid while interest goes up, privatization of old state monopolies and industries (most of it going to party stalwarts such as the milk, juice and water factories), increasing PUC utility rates, and shutting down white elephants such as the Coetivy prawn farm and Barbaron Orchd Farm, two infamous ideas of Albert Rene and Mukesh Valabhji. The new tax laws will take effect in 2010 according to World Bank recommendations and IMF pressure. These are all good moves to try to put order into the government house. But they are not the signs of “reform”, they are the signs of a bankrupt government of failed ideas.

Grace On Debts

Seychelles under the leadership of Faure and Afif has successfully negotiated some grace period to restructure debts and hold off repayments. This is good and necessary as any Bankrupt government would seek this request. A solvent Government would continue to make payments and service its debt. But of course our poor bankrupt Seychelles under the PP Michel administration is not solvent according to Messrs. Faure and Afif and even good friend Mr. Peter Sinon of African Development Bank.

In that time of course, Mr. Pierre Laporte has been brought in to float the Rupee, and he has. Is the rates indicative of its true values? No. The Seychelles Rupee has gained on hard currencies like the Euro and US Dollar because of deflation and lack of demand for hard currency. The economy has shrunk. In the case of US Dollars, the Seychelles Rupee gained 70% in just one year, yet the economy shrank. Instead of the 1989 movie “Honey, I shrunk the kids”, Mr. Michel and Mr. Laporte have now given us a new comedy: “Seselwa, I shrunk the economy”!

As demand for hard currency stifled in the market, Pierre Laporte had to intervene in the market, buy the Euros and US Dollars from the commercial banks to keep rates palatable. Had he not done that, the Seychelles Rupee would have become a moon-currency. This allowed the Governor to build up a reserve of over $134 Million about 1 ½ months imports to Seychelles. He has a very long way to go.

As he is building up reserves, interest on commercial debt is ticking and increasing. Interest rates at commercial banks are too high to encourage any economic activity beyond survival mode. Growth under this situation is out of the question.

P.P. Is Not Counting New Debts Signed

Our country is sinking with over $850 Million in external debt and another four billion rupees more in local debt. To keep this country afloat, P.P. is not counting and announcing the new debts it signs. Afif says the debt has gone down to $760 Million to mislead the Public into believing everything is a grand success. It is not. In order to fool you, he counts the $70 Million or 45% Paris Club write-off before it has been completely written off. Remember that only 22% has been written off. The remaining 23% may be written off in six (6) years, that is, if we stick to the IMF reform signed by P.P., advocated by Mr. Danny Faure, and applauded by Mr. Michel.

The total IMF obligations undertaken, plus last week’s World Bank loan exceeds US$69 Million. All to be used used to keep Seychelles afloat. The interest on most of the commercial debt is 10% per annum. That is roughly US$ 50 Million per year on commercial debt that Afif and Ministry of Finance do not count when they talk about external debt portfolio. Domestic debt at SCR 4 Billion is a story in itself lest we forget!

Business Must See The Failure

People of Seychelles, People in business, People with real estate in Seychelles, hear me out. This debt is unsustainable. When something is not sustainable, it collapses.

IMF said Seychelles collapsed last year. We are still in collapse mode. There is no success story this year, next year or in Ten (10) or Twenty (20) years under P.P. Our bankruptcy is here to stay!

This year property values have slumped by 60% and sales are still not happening in the local market. When a market drops over a short term by 30% it is a bubble burst effect. In Seychelles we are undergoing a bubble explosion, resulting from the collapse of 2008 that went undeclared.

There are few properties that are holding value and resale value. Property is the basis of national wealth, but P.P. never figured that out. Hence, values are depressed not only because of market forces, but also because of poor, antiquated legislation and restrictions on alienation and property use, that protect fruit bats over humans.

By being left footed on property issues, P.P. today, has pricked a hole in the life jacket that could have saved Seychelles if we had our act together. Instead, they get desperate and seal deals for SCR 1.00, without building a proper real estate tax base focused on growth that can reduce taxes for everyone else, while increasing revenue for the Government.

We will never be able to educate P.P. on how to do things as they still have the Communist mentality for us while they think Capitalism for their own pockets. These P.P. people are beyond help.

Our only hope is a strategy of debt forgiveness in Seychelles. This is it! No other option. I am dead serious about this proposal.

After that, we use our energy to rebuild Seychelles, make it the shining star it was meant to be. Our children will thank us for it, instead of cursing us for doing nothing.

We must now work towards it.

More Incredible Propaganda To Fool Us

In our national newspaper, the Nation, the government goes out of its way to fool us again. In Nation, Wednesday, November 4, 2009, vol. XXXII NO. 212, headlines,” in bold face: President Addesses Special CBS Event- ECONOMIC REFORM FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN. What are they doing in State House?

This economic reform has nothing to do with a better future for our children. The economic reform is about our children repaying the debts created by SPPF for over 32 years. It is about our children repaying the debts the Michel Administration created, the debts the Rene Administration created. The debts of a Communist Party!

Seychelles National Debt For Our Children

My son is 9 years old this week. Pierre Laporte says we will have a grace of five (5) years to repay loans and on the obligations. As these obligations tick interest, who will pay the interest?

It is not Rene, he is too old to pay any interest. It is not Michel, he will be too old to repay interest. It will be you and me.

In five (5) years, my son will be 14 years. He will be too young to pay interest. But in another five (5) years, when we start looking at principal debt repayment, my son will be old enough to repay the debts France Albert Rene created and James Alix Michel endorsed with pen, silence and signature. This is why I write. I will do more if called to do so.

Dear People of Seychelles, today, the debts we are talking about are the debts the next generation will inherit. Our children will repay the debts. This is not about their future as James Michel tries to fool us into believing. This is about our children assuming today’s debts, in the future. If you love your children, love your family, then you must wake up from this hypnotic sleep P.P. has put you under.

By the time they start to repay the debt, the houses built will be falling apart. The roads built will be falling to rubble, many are already. The electricity grids will be on brown out and black out scheduling. We are heading for a real social disaster. Make no mistake about it. And not even another US$70 million loan to PUC for new generators will help us as it just be more debt burden for you, me and our children!

“Leve Debourye” Program

To get us up on our feet, to move again, and get on to the productivity path, the P.P. has created a campaign called: “Leve Debourye”. The inference in the campaign is that Seychellois do not “Debourye” or hustle in English.

Never has a campaign slogan printed on T- shirts insulted the intelligence of a nation so much.

This campaign focuses on increasing work productivity in order to generate economic prosperity and hence, increase our bottom line as a Nation: increase our GDP. This year we are (minus) -8% according to the last IMF statement.

To repay our debts and make them sustainable, we must generate 10% GDP per annum every year. This is a huge challenge today. Why? Because Seychelles lacks the available productive capacity to field a functional workforce that can achieve 10% GDP.

What is Gill saying? Well put another way, we have too many drug users and drunks in the country that is actually preventing us from succeeding as a Nation.

According to CARE the main anti-drug NGO, on the low scale, we have 9800 drug users and addicts in Seychelles today. On the high scale, we have 18,000 (32% of population) drug users and addicts.

According to NDEA, we have 3000 heroin users. Scary isn’t it?

Michel Blames Patients For Downturn

If Michel Administration is asking 18,000 drug users and addicts to “Leve Debourye”, then we have a serious problem down the road. President Michel and his team of communist propaganda spinners at State House are ignoring the lack of productive capacity by thinking drug users and addicts can just get up and get to work. These people are unable to maintain employment. They are unemployable. When they come for an interview, we smell the drugs or alcohol on them, we see the needle marks, we see their blood shot eyes. This is why they do not get hired.

These people are sick. They should be patients. Before you get anything out of them, you need to heal them. Any other policy is just a joke and the hard working People of Seychelles will pay the consequence of this bad policy and joke P.P. is playing on us. Stop playing politics with our unemployable people P.P. Help them in a real way and this starts with rehabilitation. But where are the centres to help those porr lost souls? And remember, we still have to learn of one Escobar that has been caught. I wonder why?

People of Seychelles, open your eyes. SPUP, set your grandchildren free. SPPF, set your children free. P.P., give us a break as your communist antics and slogans have no place in a country that needs to “Leve Debourye”. We have been doing that for years, while you have been spinning lies and misrepresentations upon a people and filling up your own pockets at the detriment of our nation and future generations. Even to “Leve Debourye” you spin a lie! Shame on you!

$30 Million From Abu Dhabi

Recently, Michel squeezed US$ 30 Million from Sheik Khalifa of Abu Dhabi UAE while he sipped tea and at crumpets at the Yas Marina Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Formula One race. SBC announced immediately that because the economic reform is a success, we will be investing US$ 30 Million into Ile Perseverans Housing Project. This project was to build 5000 houses in 2000 and it is now 2009. Nothing is complete, not even electricity grids, sewer, roads, houses.

Ten years late. The next project will be 25 years late.

To restart this project is putting bad money into a bad idea. We are bankrupt. Our debts are unsustainable, which means for a long time, we will not be able to borrow money as a sovereign state. Therefore, after giving away mega acres of prime state land for one rupee to the Sheikh instead of selling the land outright, after removing our proud coco-de-mer immigration-customs stamp from passports, after bending over backwards to accommodate our new “friends”, after giving duty-free tax exemptions on imports to his new-found friends, we now have to tell our children that our country needs hand-outs from rich Arabs in order to start let alone finish any capital projects for our country. There goes our sovereignty once again while the begging bowl gets larger! Shameful, shameful, shameful!

Finance Money Factor

Without financing at reasonable rates, commercial interest rates will kill growth industries that are much needed to remove us from the stagflation predicament we are now in and to create new jobs for our children leaving school.

Pierre Laporte has focused on inflation reduction and has allowed growth industries to suffer at the expense of curbing inflation. Hence, inhibiting the opportunity for us to reverse the deflationary cycle we are now in. The banks now hold our economic jugular for future growth.

Thank you Mr. Laporte. Thank you Mr. Michel. Thank you P.P.!

How Will Next Year Be?

The question is not whether we will do well next year, it is rather, how much more will we lose from the -8% this year. Will Seychelles economy shrink another -8% in 2010?

If not, how much will it shrink?

Unless the debt is serviced, we will continue to shrink. The debt is like a cancer that eats the body of a human being. Ignore it, it will grow. Attack it, it will become smaller, perhaps. The bigger the debt, the less likelyhood you will get your economy back on track. As you fail, IMF will give you another Stand By Arrangement (more debt) to keep you alive.

Pay Down The Debt P.P.

Having said that, P.P. should have been brave with all the money it gets in donations to PAY DOWN THE DEBT, especially the commercial debts. This would show a great amount of good faith to the Creditors and it may open up negotiation space for additional debt reduction based on early settlements which could be negotiated. It would take pressure off our children tomorrow and off us today. It would prevent bankers from saying Seychelles is high risk so we charge 18% for a commercial loan while you need to include your grandmother’s farm as collateral and Granpa’s watch as a guarantee!

Find Another Option For Ile Perseverans

The houses at Ile Perseverans should be given to any Seychellois, that is in need and can provide a bank performance on completing the houses on an “as is” basis, and add 20% for infrastructural contributions. Those that cannot afford it, need to save to afford it. Those that cannot save, need to get a guarantor to vouch for them.

Government can encourage creation of civic groups to promote self-help programs to finish these houses. As a family or person helps to finish one house, they earn guarantee credits to the extent of their labour input in helping their neighbours complete a house. They can work after hours, if they have to. Surely Seychellois can “leve debourye” and mix cement and paint houses and get the carpenter Uncle or Electrician cousin to assist at this time. In return, a beautiful home with pride and “sweat equity” included. Is this so difficult a scheme that P.P. cannot think of it?

Seychelles today, needs to use cash very wisely but it must boot strap these houses into functionality and get them occupied. People need houses to allow their dignity to flourish. Jimmy Carter, former USA President, has done that throughout the world with his NGO Habitat For Humanity.

In the Western Pacific, it just so happens that a Seychellois, is building houses under this program by the hundreds every year. His name is Peter Gill, Jr.

This is not time for Government to go back to the drawing board, to handle a project in the style and fashion that led to their bankruptcy. Wake Up P.P.!

How many times will you bankrupt Seychelles?

I will address external factors that are real, next week. That will explain why we are in for at least a ten (10) year downturn under the P.P. “ economic reform” as we know it now.

Unless we have critical changes from them that are meaningful, we will have to throw them out at the next elections in order to survive. Be it SPUP, SPPF, P.P., SNP, NDP or whatever other party or name comes next. So keep an open mind as it will be the key to our survival. Remember, we hard-working “leve debourye” Seychellois are used to that. After all, we have been doing it for 32 years.

Fortunately for us and unfortunately for those 15 clueless P.P.’s, throwing them out will be easier than teaching them how to function in a limited environment wherein resources are very limited.

And one last word of hope for all you faithful readers. Instead of blaming the Opposition for not uniting or doing nothing, remember that it is P.P. who bankrupted our country, and not the Opposition. Remember that it is P.P. at State House with a majority in the Assembly, and not the Opposition. Remember that it is P.P. people who are rich today while our country has unsustainable debts. So point the fingers in the right direction. To Parti Le Pep (PLP) which today should stand for “Parti Le Pase”!

May God Bless Seychelles and All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Air Seychelles Seeks Bail Out

Air Seychelles has gone to its major shareholder, the Government of Seychelles in search of SCR 30 Million to bail the company out of projected budgetary shortfall for 2009. The move would be normal in normal times, but today, the main shareholder, Government of Seychelles is bankrupt itself and under IMF Administration. Air Seychelles cannot get an overdraft without a guarantor signing off.

The Seychelles Government itself is currently maintaining an unsustainable debt portfolio. It has sought IMF Administration and signed a second IMF Standby Arrangement for US$ 34 Million which will last for another 3 years. Successive IMF Administration Standby Arrangements are very likely for a number of years, if not decades. The World Bank recently assisted Government of Seychelles with a US$ 9 Million loan assistance program, the repayment of which will take 25 years.

Air Seychelles for its part, secured three additional planes this year while the world went into a deep recession and air travel dropped to all time lows over -20% as the European industrial output dropped by -15.75% this year.

As Europe’s recession deepens, trips to long haul destinations such as the Seychelles will be curtailed. Hence as we have seen much of this year, the planes Air Seychelles acquired on lease are now parked most of the time in the permanent parking zone of the Seychelles International Airport.

What airline company in the world today can afford to lease planes and park them for a year, without placing them into a proper business plan of operation? How can any CEO or Chairman of any airline company justify this type of fat riddled business program?

21 Century Business Models

Business today is about maximizing our resources and putting them in play. As a business gets maximum output from its assets, it spreads its cost base and becomes more profitable. These planes need to be up in the air, flying with passengers.

But Colonel David Savy has told us that: “Air Seychelles flies planes, it does not book hotels or do marketing for Seychelles”. This statement demonstrates the closed state of mind of a pilot who thinks his job is to take a plane to the air, then land it, and whether or not he has passengers is not his problem. This is why Air Seychelles is asking the bankrupt Government of Seychelles to foot a SCR 30 Million bill for basically, an overdraft. This is bad business practice, unless you are a moderate Communist.

What is The Money For?

The money is not for new planes. It is not for parts to keep the old Boeing 767-200 safe. It is not for marketing to put passengers on board and keep the passenger loads above 75%. The money is to be used to:

1. Reconfigure and redesign a business class seating arrangement. This is when business travellers are travelling now at an all time low, causing airline companies like British Airways that rely on that market segment for its profits to suffer a 240 Million Pound Sterling loss this year. Unprecedented in recent history.

Without regard for market forces and market indicators, Colonel Savy loves to spend money on refurbishments. Remember the renovation of the new office in Victoria? Well, according to Marie Lise Potter, Leader of Government Business, he wants to refurbish that office again. But tourists do not come from Victoria, they come from abroad. If we are short of them here, we should be spending extra money we cannot afford to spend in places that will increase the passenger load capacity for Air Seychelles. But Government asks no questions and baby Colonel Savy moves along. Even the Board of Directors of Air Seychelles is made up of members of Colonel Savy family. They will not question him.

Remember the US$ 1Million spent on the water fountains and bamboo wall paper for the VIP Lounge at the Seychelles International Airport? Air Seychelles never recovered this money. It was wasted. Pearl Class is regularly full of free fare passengers from Government, leaving little room for real paying passengers. These are the seats that are supposed to bring in the profits. Instead, they bring in the fat cats from shopping trips overseas, to refuel on nice little luxury items that please their hearts. Most of them pass through the VIP lounge anyhow!

2. The money is also to be used for completing a building at the Cargo Terminal that Colonel Savy is supposed to use as his office in the future and terminate a lease from his wife’s family in town. Why does not Air Seychelles get one of those low interest loans from one of the commercial banks in Seychelles to complete the remaining SCR 20 Million of construction works? A steel prefabricated building would have been a third the cost and look 100% better with a little glass finishing. The building would have been up and finished in half the time as well, if the plans were done right.

The reason why Air Seychelles has not gone to the banks has been expressed by Colonel Savy himself. I only repeat it. The banks want Air Seychelles to have the Government of Seychelles guarantee the loan (overdraft) and the company needs someone to vouch for its credit worthiness in performing on a Euro 3 Million loan.

Colonel Savy says to us that the Government of Seychelles cannot take any loans as it is a requirement of the IMF that they must have loans approved by IMF before proceeding.

Hence, the Parti Le Pep (P.P.) Government weasels around this condition, and drafts an appropriation bill, in the form of a supplementary budget for SCR 230 Million, and gives Air Seychelles SCR 30 Million to meet its overdraft requirements. Wise communist business style indeed!

What Is Wrong With Pierre Laporte’ Advice?

Why does Pierre Laporte tell us to go get loans from the banks to stimulate the economy and Air Seychelles does not do the same? Mr. Pierre Laporte has said that the interest rates at the banks are favourable. However, they may not be for long since we are now in the peaks and valleys of macro finance on a day to day basis.

The Seychelles Rupee gained 70% on the US Dollar in 2009. This is such an amazing feat that Bloomberg and Reuters are now comparing the Seychelles Rupee to the US Dollar regularly, and also to the Brazilian-Real and Mexican-Peso. But they also know our credit rating is SD (Selective Default) and that our economy collapsed last year. They are poking fun at Pierre Laporte and his funny rates. They just do not mention his name. But we do.

How To Save Air Seychelles

The best way to save Air Seychelles, with the resources we have as a country, is to tap into the no nonsense human resources we have in business and get them on the Board and shake it up.

How can Air Seychelles do without advice from real sensible business people like Mr. Alan Mason, Mr. Marc Houareau, Mr. Radley Weber, Mr. Freddy Karkaria, Mr. Louis D’Offay, Mr. Guy Savy of Bird Island who once operated a small domestic airline, and perhaps some other DMC operators that can help keep the seats full?

The airline business is not some mysterious business or more complicated than running a Tata bus line, except the engineering is aerospace not automotive. That is done mainly overseas. But the business thinking, the ideas, that make things happen for us all, come from the brain, not from the family bloodline.

This is the fundamental error Albert Rene and James Michel made when they argued against Mancham building the international airport. Simply put, Mancham was visionary while the other two were busy coming up with communist ideas and taking over the country by force.

Mancham did not put his family in place to run the show at the airport. He put the best man. People of Seychelles must learn this lesson, for it is the cause of our downfall, year after year. Today Air Seychelles borrows from a bankrupt government to keep afloat. This for me is shameful and inexcusable, even if it is “entre nous”. Air Seychelles should never have faced bankruptcy or even a shortage of cash with a product like Seychelles as its prime destination.

Be Prepared For Worse

With Etihad Airlines from Abu Dhabi coming, there will be greater market share loss for Emirates on this route. Emirates had been building its share against Air Seychelles loss. Although Air Seychelles has battled, Etihad is now taking on Emirates. They smell a weakening competitor. With their oil reserve cash, they are buying new planes from manufacturers and have the money to finance worldwide expansion in 3 years.

Michel’s Promises Will Finish Air Seychelles

Meanwhile, President Michel is asking so much from these people in UAE in the form of favours, and giving land for one rupee in return. But Air Seychelles will be wiped out not by my little article, or the little cartoon another Seychellois did, nor by the commentary by Volcere in Weekly, or Ramkalawan in the National Assembly, nor by the demoralized Air Seychelles staff.

Air Seychelles will be wiped out as we know it because in the good years, Colonel Savy made money and did not invest it right. He invested in lounges, changed the decor, and the money was spent badly. Now he borrows to buy a US$ 3.4 Million Twin Otter when our outer islands are under pirate threat and when the load factor to Praslin is at an all time low and flight frequency has been reduced.

I will confirm the real price in a follow up article. My “Cousin” works in the factory, another exile Seychellois, this one building planes for Seychelles. Air Seychelles will be wiped out because in the bad years, Colonel Savy did what he did in the good years: squander resources.

Michel will allow Air Seychelles to lose market share in exchange for some crazy “Don Quixote” windmills that will never work in Seychelles, a little renovation at the hospital which our own Government should have funded had we planned and budgeted properly instead of doling out Social Security money to win elections or build District Administration buildings that are never used or create prawn and orchid farms that cost us millions of dollars that we did not have. Desalination plants were just the cream on top of the already bankrupt cake.

Is Air Seychelles Bankrupt

Whether Air Seychelles is bankrupt or not is irrelevant. If it is, it is only sad for us all. If it is not, it will be soon under this kind of infantile leadership. Remember the other two supposedly smart Savy brothers also bankrupted IDC and STB as well, so it is only a matter of time. But take heart my friends. Those employees at Air Seychelles must not think that they will be out of a job. They will not. You will have jobs. Read the next section.

New Opportunities

The Airport will still have to function, and a professional ground crew operations company hopefully not managed by Savy will still have to hire you in that sector. Those engineers that have trained and under the constraints we operate under will also find employment in aerospace engineering in Seychelles. Planes will still come to our country. In fact, we may have more than ever, instead of less if we turn over the management of tourism and the airport to professionals. Cabin crew will have options to work with other airlines and the mistreatment will stop as will the complaints. Your pay will increase as countless cabin crew on Emirates Airlines from Seychelles have demonstrated.

Remember, at one point we had British Airways and Air France flying Boeing 747s twice a week to Seychelles, and other airlines such as Air India, South African Airways, Aeroflot, Alitalia and more.

Most airlines literally took off never to return because Albert Rene promised them that they could repatriate their earnings in foreign exchange and of course this never happened. So the key is in marketing the Seychelles destination like Alain St. Ange is doing so that we can get more major airlines to fly into Seychelles.

More airlines will mean more tourists to Seychelles because airlines do not just fly planes, they also market destinations. This is what Colonel Savy misunderstands as his role in the larger equation, as per his profound revealing statement. More tourists mean more jobs for ground crew, hotels, excursion companies, restaurants and so forth. Time to put the Savy legacy behind us once and for all.

Time To Retrain Skills

If you do not want to be based elsewhere, this is the time to stop complaining and retrain your skills. But get moving fast. In this economic downturn you can expect the worse. If you do not retrain your skills, do not blame Colonel Savy for that. Blame yourself. The downturn will last for many years, unlike Party Le Pep (P.P.) would have you believe. It is over and things will get better. Do not get caught in P.P.’s trap. And let Michel promote Savy to a Brigadier in his armed forces if he wants.

Downturn Will Last Many Years. Is Air Seychelles Ready?

“Entre Nous”, in USA it is expected to last 7 years. In Europe, with burst in manufacturing bubble (-15.75%), high Euro (Euro 1.00 = US$ 1.50), lack of reorganization of financial system, it will last even longer. So you can imagine what we are in for in Seychelles, with a bankrupt government, an IMF plan, a population on drugs between 9800-18000 according to CARE.

P.P. will revamp the tax system according to World Bank and IMF instructions. They will drop business tax from 40% to 20%. While this is good, it won’t be enough to generate new business, create employment let alone create enough wealth for our country. Mauritius business tax base is 15%. We must do better to compete, if not, we play catch up and lose as usual.

Without new businesses to generate enough taxes to run the country, the Government will continue to tax the same businesses and the tourism industry to death. As we are taxed to death, naturally, we will die.

What is needed in Seychelles is a program to jump start new investments with the corresponding productive capacity building of the Country to be increased in order to generate a minimum of 10% growth per annum. This is a great challenge that will require a change even in the political system to be achieved, let alone our social and economic priorities. This is the real battle field we must face.

This will allow us to pay down debts in reasonable time. P.P. does not have an answer for this in 2009 let alone 2010. So do not be fooled by optimists that believe their time on earth is shrouded in an inherent right to succeed in this economic atmosphere. We are in for a real down turn in 2010 and beyond.

It is true some market segments will do better like those that provide essential goods for living at better prices than the Ramadoss milk and juice factory, or STC for rice, etc.... but that is not a growth sector that creates wealth. It is only a survival sector. This will not create new jobs. In fact the poorly structured businesses will fail, because their model for growth is outdated and belongs to the Rene-Michel communist one party state era.

As this sector becomes the only viable sector, more and more people will join it and it will become more competitive. Large companies built on the communist model of business will of course fail. Do not hold your breath to think this will not happen. It is already happening around us. Reminds one of the NYS failure!

Hotel Industry Needs You Badly

Today, our hotel industry has at least 500 slots available for guest hostesses, front desk assistants, managers, and so forth. Your experience in dealing with passengers is a 100% boost to you getting a job. With that experience and corresponding dedication to the industry, your pay will be increased as well. With you in the industry, we will not have Filipinos or Mauritians greeting our tourists when they arrive at our hotel resorts.

A New Beginning For Us

All is not lost. Think of it as a new beginning. In life, we all have new beginnings. As Christians, the power of renewal in our hearts and minds keeps us fresh as we face the struggles of life and the great challenges the evils of Communism and cronyism bring into our lives.

Finally, at Air Seychelles, remember well, the Berlin Wall fell to the ground 20 years ago. The dominos have all come tumbling down. According to the East Germans, no domino should be spared in this human experiment of failure. They must all come down, just like the NYS and SMB failures came crashing down. If you do believe a domino will be spared, then you still believe in the tooth fairy!

When the domino falls, do not blame us who expressed opinions over the domino and exposed the truth. We were not the CEO or Chairman and we are not on those Boards either. Be brave and blame yourselves, blame the moderate communists. Because all of us who speak the truth and expose the evil in our country pay for our flights from our own pockets and do not fly Air Seychelles for free. And we do not send our furniture and private goods via free Air Seychelles cargo either.

May God Bless Seychelles and All Freedom Loving Seychellois! Christopher Gill

Seychelles Comedy - State House Anytime Now

State House Anytime Now (SHAN) - Grand Prix Dreaming in Abu Dhabi - very far away from Seychelles.

Mr. Seychelles President is in his office dreaming about the recent Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. It was a great racing day, $55,000 per ticket, seated next to one of the most powerful men in the region and Ferrari race cars zooming through the complex. The smell of high octane fuel came back to his mind, and then his thoughts of the fantastic weekend in Abu Dhabi came to an abrupt end with a knock on the door….

Jenpa: “Good morning Mr. President. I hope that you are well rested after your Yas Marina Grand Prix vacation in Abu Dhabi”.

Mr. President: Yes JP, that was five-star treatment at its best and I am still dreaming about the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

JP, this was the Grand Prix of all Grand Prix! It was fantastic...scholastic.... incredible. I sat down next to the richest people in the world. We had cakes, pastries, dates, tea, caviar, champagne but no pork sausages. I felt like a success. Everyone wore Rolex Presidential or Diamond Rolexes under their sheets and gowns. I wore mine too and placed the Casio watch in my luggage for use when I got back home to visit some poor suffering Seychellois living off half the money he lived off last year, and paying twice the price for everything in the shops.

No one called me that naughty word “Communist”. No one called me a “Traitor” or an “Albert Rene lackey”. No one asked me if I had bankrupted my country. Most of them thought I was rich, free of baggage like them all. I told them I had an oil quadrant for sale. Impressive, indeed it was JP. One man walked up to me and asked me if I would finance a new Grand Prix racing team, since Honda and Toyota have pulled out. I was so shocked that I was in the middle of such a group that I did not know what to say.

Jenpa: Well, you could have said, “No, not today Speed Racer. My country is currently bankrupt and under pirate attack, but I can give you an option on an oil drilling quadrant in the deep ocean worth hundreds of million of dollars. What do you think?”

Mr. President: Yes I could also say, no, I only finance wind mills that are funded from your highnesses consolidated fund. Or I could say no, I am waiting for my meal ticket from IMF in order that I can keep on travelling. For you see, I cannot afford to be here, my people are broke, they are suffering, they use one tin can of tuna fish for a dinner of 6 people, and mix it up with a little papaya on the side that nature provides, and they use one match to light a wood fire as they cannot afford gas or electricity any more. Last year, I created a law to supplement their income and clean up the environment by actually making them collect pet plastic bottles. Now people fight for these bottles and rummage through rubbish bins in town to make ends meet.

I am here on invitation my friend, 5-star hotel and meals all paid for.

Jenpa: But Mr. President, that would be too honest.

Mr. President: Yes JP, I should have been honest with this man now that I think about it. But I am not sure if I have a conscience any more.

Jenpa: Why Mr. President, what did you really say to the man Sir?

Mr. President: Well, I did not want to embarrass myself JP. So I said “Yes, of course, I will buy a racing team”. I immediately thought about where I would get the money from. I turned to the other side and offered Curieuse Island to his Highness the Sheikh and he nodded his approval. I used the island next to Praslin to pay for my escapades and fantasy. It worked JP! I got millions of dollars in just a few seconds. And I asked that the racing car has Seychelles printed on its side.

Jenpa: Sir, you sold Curieuse? What about the Marine Park? What about the giant tortoises and the Coco-De-Mer trees? What about the Doctor’s House?

Mr. President: Ah JP, stop with the questions. After all, there are plenty of tortoises on Aldabra and I can always create another marine park. But I sure sold the island and the Sheik grabbed it quickly since there are very few islands left for us to sell. Just like I sold most of St. Anne to little Francis Savy for one rupee and the ex-Tracking Station La Misere property to the UAE ruler for another rupee. I make deals JP. I do not sit idle. At that moment, I felt rich, I felt like one of those big success stories that surrounded me at the Grand Prix. It was great. No more IMF, no more World Bank, no more Jean Francois Ferrari, no more Gill calling for Truth, Accountability, Reality, no Ramkalawan calling for change now; no Volcere calling my girlfriend and trying to steal my squeeze, no Mancham asking questions about the past, the future and what we still owe him, and will never finish paying, since we just want him and his family to suffer as long as they live.

I felt rich making that deal JP, and I wish the people could feel how I felt at that moment. I wish I had brought SBC and that Tou-Tou Onezime along this time. It would have been really something to share with all the people, especially the JJ Spirit Team.

Jenpa: Sir, but you sold another one of our islands? How could you?

Mr. President: JP, if you ask me that question again, I will make your cousin David Savy reroute to Bangkok again, and sell your little butt down at Pat Pong for a few Bhat. That will make me feel rich again, so don’t push me wonder-boy. Why don’t you go see the American drone maintenance crew and call SBC with you? Take some pictures, make it look like we are fighting piracy and everything is under control for the British press. You could ask him if we could paint the Seychelles flag and name on the drone. That would be publicity JP, and make me feel really rich beyond my wildest dreams!

Jenpa: Yes Sir, of course. (JP exits, depressed and dejected that he has lost another island and have to defend the sale in public and on Facebook… all the while he is trying to figure out where he left his Rayban sunglasses and his 4 inch concealed sole shoes…Oh God, just wait ‘til Regar and Weekly get hold of that story… I am going to be crucified! I need a vacation badly..).

Bye bye Curieuse Island

Sunset Beach Hotel Road Diversion Petition - Seychelles

PETITION TO STOP THE SUNSET BEACH HOTEL ROAD DIVERSION - SEYCHELLES ALERT!

NOTICE

AS PER EIA CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY IN GLACIS DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION OFFICE IN REGARDS TO THE SUNSET BEACH HOTEL ROAD DIVERSION, THERE IS NO PROVISION MADE FOR ANY SORT OF PARKING AND PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE BEACH NEXT TO THE SUNSET HOTEL.

ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO FEELS THAT THEIR RIGHTS WILL BE AFFECTED SHOULD SEND AN EMAIL TO THE ADDRESS BELOW:

freebeachaccess@rocketmail.com

YOU SHOULD ALSO SEND A SHORT LETTER TO YOUR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION AND TO THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT - MINISTER JOEL MORGAN. ANOTHER EMAIL SHOULD BE SENT TO PRESIDENT JAMES MICHEL AT:

jmichel@statehouse.gov.sc

MENTION THAT ACCESS AND PARKING FACILITY SHOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THE SEYCHELLOIS PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE ENJOYING THEIR BEACHES.

IF YOU ARE A CONCERNED CITIZEN, PLEASE COPY THE TEXT AND FORWORD THIS MESSAGE TO AS MANY SEYCHELLOIS AS POSSIBLE. OUR RIGHTS ARE BEING VIOLATED AND IT IS TIME FOR THE CITIZENS OF SEYCHELLES VOICES TO BE HEARD. THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT, BUT A CALL TO ALL SEYCHELLOIS TO PROTECT WHAT IS RIGHTLY OURS. THE RIGHT TO SWIM AT ANY BEACH IN SEYCHELLES AND ENJOY OUR BEACHES.

Air Seychelles Business Plan

Another SR 40 Million bailout package for Air Seychelles needed for David Savy's playpen....& Christmas Gifts too.

The plan is to bankrupt the airline, then break it up so David, Francis and Glenny, Adam, Mukesh, Corvina (with Albert as the key Mob Leader) can own the domestic airline that will have a monopoly on flights to the inner and outer islands. Add the Zil Air helicopter service, add the stolen islands such as Farquar and Felicite, add the villas sold to Mauritians and South Africans while they get their cut on each sale, and one can see where this is all going.

Then after another study by some James Michel task force that will cost the people of Seychelles a few more millions that we don't have, Michel will sell Air Seychelles to his Arab friends from Abu Dhabi.... and bye bye Air Seychelles, hello Arab Island Air. Or maybe Air Mauritius can bail us out and Glenny and David will get some shares. Or how about the South African group who now owns Desroches and Alphonse and probably more islands that have been sold off by Glenny and Michel?

Well, thank you David Savy for bankrupting our national airline, thank you Michel, thank you Albert Rene, thank you Glenny Savy, thank you little Prince Francis, thank you Geva, thank you Sarah Rene, thank you Ramadoss, thank you Corvina, thank you Guy Adam and thank you all or all your hard work in selling off our heritage and stealing the remainin pieces. Thank you to all you traitors and thieves who have the gall to call yourselves patriotic Seychellois. A pitiful bunch you are. But the people are watching closely. The end is near, so keep acting as if Seychelles still belongs to you lot. My advice is for you to move overseas with your stolen millions while the going is still good. Because when we find you after the deluge, Montagne Possee will not have enough bars to hold us from getting to you. Retirement will be quite tough.

Chritopher Gill - Address at SNP Convention 8th November 2009

Economic Reality in Seychelles Today

_____________________________________________

ADDRESS BY:

CHRISTOPHER GILL

TO THE SNP CONVENTION

AS AN INVITED SPEAKER

NOVEMBER 8^TH, 2009

*********************************************************************************************************

INTRODUCTION NOTE:

I COME TO SPEAK TODAY, ON INVITATION OF MR. WAVEL RAMKALAWAN.

I THANK HIM FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU.

THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO OPEN MORE DIALOGUE IN THE OPPOSITION!

I COME BEFORE YOU, A SEYCHELLOIS, A FATHER, CONCERNED SERIOUSLY FOR THE PROBLEMS OF SEYCHELLES TODAY.

TO FACE THE FUTURE, WE WILL HAVE TO DO IT WITH AN OPEN MIND TO SURMOUNT THE CHALLENGES! WE WILL HAVE TO CALL ON ALL DP SPPF SNP TO BRING CHANGE IN SEYCHELLES!

1. WHAT IS OUR REALITY TODAY

TODAY, SPPF- PP ARE TELLING US WE ARE UNDERGOING AN “ECONOMIC REFORM”.

EVERYWHERE YOU HEAR PHRASE “ECONOMIC REFORM”.

MICHEL HAS TOLD US THE REFORM IS A GREAT SUCCESS.

MICHEL SAYS THE WORSE IS OVER.

BUT MY FRIENDS OF SNP, THE WORSE IS JUST BEGINING- AND IT WILL NOT END, IF WE CONTINUE TO ALLOW MICHEL AND PP. TO DO WHAT THEY WANT WITH SEYCHELLES!

REMEMBER THE STRATEZI 2017? 10% GDP EVERY YEAR. THIS YEAR IT WAS PROJECTED TO BE -10% AND POSSIBLY, IT WILL NOW BE -8 %.

REMEMBER WE WERE TOLD BY MICHEL THAT WE PAID OFF ALL OUR DEBTS AFTER HE CAME BACK FROM VISITING THE POPE?

NOW OUR DEBTS ARE BACK UP $850 MILLION AGAIN, AND WE ARE

NOT REPAYING IT.

OUR SITUATION IS VERY SERIOUS. BUT MICHEL AND PP ARE MAKING US BELIEVE WE ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK .

WHY DO THEY LIE?

BECAUSE ELECTIONS ARE NEAR.

WHY DO THEY SAY REFORM?

A. IN SEPTEMEBR 2008, WHEN SPPF WAS WIPING OUT OUR NATIONAL RESERVES TO PAY FOR FUEL AND OTHER THINGS

AND SEYCHELLES WENT TO HER KNEES!

IN THE LAST HOURS OF SPPF’S CRAZY ECONOMIC POLICIES, WE WERE ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF FUEL,

CENTRAL BANKS RESERVES HAD DROPPED TO LESS THEN 5 MILLION DOLLARS, SEPEC COULD NOT PAY ITS BILLS,

CARS WERE ABOUT TO STOP RUNNING IN SEYCHELLES WHILE OIL PRICE WAS $140.00 PER BARREL,

IMF WAS BROUGHT IN AND A STAND BY ARRANGMENT WAS MADE, AND AN IMF PLAN WAS ADOPTED BY THE END OF OCTOBER 30, 2008.

THE PLAN WAS TO LAST FOR TWO (2) YEARS.

IMF TOLD US LAST WEEK, THAT IN OCTOBER 2008, SEYCHELLES

COLLAPSED!!!!!!! MICHEL NEVER TOLD US WE COLLAPSED!

AT THAT POINT, IN HIS ADDRESS TO THE NATION OF OCTOBER 31, 2008, PRESIDENT MICHEL, JUMPED ON HIS “BIG HORSE” CALLED “ECONOMIC REFORM”.

B. WHAT MICHEL WAS REALLY SAYING TO US, WAS THAT SEYCHELLES WAS “BANKRUPT” AND HE WAS NOW CALLING IN THE IMF TO PLACE OUR COUNTRY UNDER ADMINISTRATION OF THE IMF.

C. SPPF SAID IT WAS THEIR “HOME GROWN PROGRAM”.

D. MARIE LISE POTTER LEADER OF GOVERNMENT BUSINESS SAID IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY,” NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, WILL WE SAY THE WORD “BANKRUPT”.

SHE SAID:” WE ARE GOING THROUGH DIFFICULTY AND WE WILL REFORM. WE WILL “KOSTE”, AND PULL THROUGH”. SPPF IS NOT SCARED OF DIFFICULTY.

DEAR FRIENDS, SEYCHELLES IS “BANKRUPT”.

SPPF- PP CALL THIS “ECONOMIC REFORM”. WE MUST OPEN THE EYES OF ALL SEYCHELLOIS AND SHOW THEM SPPF-PP “BANKRUPT” SEYCHELLES.

WHEN A COUNTRY HAS 3 MILLION DOLLARS IN RESERVES AND NEEDS US$ 11 MILLION PER DAY, WE ARE BANKRUPT.

IN 2008 WE WERE BANKRUPT.

TODAY IN 2009, WE ARE BANKRUPT UNDER PP AND JAMES MICHEL.

THEY HAVE MADE HISTORY.

IN 5, OR 10 OR 15 YEARS UNDER PP MICHEL, FAURE OR HENSLEY

CONSTANCE, OR DR. PAYET, WE WILL STILL BE BANKRUPT.

IN 2009, WE ARE STILL BANKRUPT WITH $100 MILLION RESERVES, BECAUSE OUR DEBT EXCEEDS $850 MILLION.

WITH -8% GDP WE WILL NEVER REPAY THIS DEBT UNDER SPPF- P.P.

MICHEL FOOLS US TO BUY MORE TIME.

IN THAT TIME SEYCHELLOIS SUFFER! WE WILL SUFFER!

ALL THE SOCIAL ILLS TODAY LIKE DRUGS, ALCOHOL, CORRUPTION, ABUSE OF POWER, ARE THE SIGNS OF A SUFFERING PEOPLE BECAUSE OF SPPF-P.P. FAILURE

RESERVES $ 100 MILLION TODAY ARE ONLY 2 MONTHS EXPENSES.

TODAY, WE ARE NOT PAYING OUR DEBTS. IMF KEEPS THE COUNTRY GOING, AND THE INTEREST ON THE DEBTS KEEP GOING UP.

LAST WEEK ANOTHER IMF AGREEMENT FOR A $ 34 MILLION LOAN WAS SIGNED FOR ANOTHER 3 YEARS, AFTER THE 2 YEAR AGREEMENT. THAT MAKES IT 5 YEARS.

THIS GAME SPPF PP PLAY WILL BE CARRIED OUT FOR OVER 25 YEARS. EVERY 3 YEARS, WE WILL GET ANOTHER IMF AGREEMENT AND SEYCHELLOIS WILL BE CALLED UPON TO SUFFER AND MAKE SACRIFICE WHILE OUR PRESIDENT WATCHES THE GRAND PRIX RACE IN ABU DHABI AND TRAVELS TO ASIA FOR THREE (3) WEEKS.!

TODAY WE NEED SERIOUS LEADERSHIP TO FACE THE SERIOUS CHALLENGE BEFORE US. WE NEED LEADERSHIP THAT IS INTELLIGENT, AS WELL NOT DREAMERS OF THE PERFECT SOCIETY, BUT REAL WORKERS OF THE PERFECT SOCIETY.

IT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR LEADERS TO WORK HARD.

THEY ALSO HAVE TO WORK SMART TO SAVE SEYCHELLES.

SPPF AND P.P. HAVE WORKED HARD TO BANKRUPT SEYCHELLES MAKE HER “FAID”.

WE NEED TO WORK HARD TO MAKE SEYCHELLES SUCCESSFUL AGAIN. WE MUST DOUBLE OUR EFFORT.

2. OUR DEBT

A. HOW MANY MILLIONS WE LOST TO CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT, ABUSE OF AUTHORITY.

HOW MANY MILLIONS HAVE WE LOST BY BAD IDEAS.

EXAMPLE IN 1994, SEYCHELLES COULD JOIN AFRICA ONE FIBER OPTIC CONNECTION TO THE WORLD FOR $10 MILLION.

TODAY WE WOULD HAVE FAST COMPUTERS AND THIS COULD BE ONE OF OUR MAIN MARKETING TOOLS.

SPPF DID NOT JOIN. NOW SEYCHELLES IS 50 YEARS BEHIND KENYA, AND IT WILL COST $30 MILLION TO GET FIBER OPTIC CONNECTIONS TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

B. HOW MUCH HAVE WE LOST TO COETIVY FARMS, SILHOUETTE FARMS, ORCHID FARM, IDC, AIR SEYCHELLES, THE ARMY BUDGET, THE DESALINATION PLANTS, LEHMAN BROTHERS BONDS, OTHER BONDS, OTHER LOANS,

THE LIST IS ENDLESS.

MOST RECENTLY MICHEL WANTS “WIND MILLS” TO CUT ELECTRICITY. WRONG AGAIN. ANOTHER MISTAKE.

THE CHEAPER AND BEST SOLUTION FOR SEYCHELLES IN ENERGY ATRAVER “CURANT LA MER”-“WAVE-ENERGY”.

CHEAPER AND NOT UGLY.

BUT MICHEL JUMPS AT THE FIRST THING HE SEES.

C. OUR DEBT STANDS AT OVER $ 840 MILLION TODAY. DIVIDED HALF AND HALF BETWEEN DEBT COMMCERIAL AND DEBT MULTI LATERAL.

D. PARIS CLUB

THIS IS AFTER THE PARTIAL FORGIVNESS OF 22% OF MULTI-LATERAL DEBT HELD BY PARIS CLUB.

THE REMAINING 23% TO BE PARDONED AFTER 6 YEARS IN TOTAL, IF,

IF THE SPPF-PP STAY UNDER THE IMF PROGRAMME.

SPPF- PP SAY 45% IS ALREADY PARDONED TO FOOL US!

THE PARIS CLUB AND IMF KNOW THAT WE HAVE 25 YEARS OF REFORM AHEAD.

IMF

BUT PAUL MATHEIU DOES NOT TELL US THAT BECAUSE HE DOES NOT WANT TO SCARE US.

HE WANTS US TO SUFFER IN TRANQUILITY.

IMF AND P.P WANTS US TO STAY QUIET.

WHEN SPPF PP HAMMER US ON THE HEAD,

THEY WANT YOU TO SAY THANK YOU.

THEY DO NOT WANT YOU TO SAY,’” WAIT A MINUTE, MY FRIEND, YOU ARE HITTING ME ON MY HEAD AND IT HURTS!”

THIS IS TYPICAL COMMUNISM !

IMF HAS NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER BECAUSE THE GOV. (OZORDI) DE JURE IS COMMUNIST.

E. HOW MUCH WE OWE?

PLIS KI $100,000.00 PER HEAD.

IN USA LARGEST ECONOMY OF THE WORLD, PER CAPITA DEBT IS $30,000.00.

THIS GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT MICHEL AND RENE DID ALL THESE YEARS: THEY BORROWED IN THE NAME OF SEYCHELLES, FOR US TO REPAY.

THEY WILL NOT REPAY THIS MONEY!

PARIS CLUB, IMF, WORLD BANK KNOW THAT WE WILL BE BANKRUPT FOR MANY, MANY YEARS UNDER SPPF PP IF THEY STAY.

ACCORDING TO IMF COUNTRY REPORT ON SEYCHELLES, MAY 2009, OUR DEBT BURDEN IS UNSUSTAINABLE UNTIL 2027. WITH -8 IN 2009, THIS WILL TAKE US TO 2028.

SPPF-PP IN THE MEDIA AND DISTRICT MEETINGS, ARE LYING (BAT LATETE) TO THE PEOPLE TO ENSURE THEY WIN THE NEXT ELECTION.

THEY SAY THE WORSE IS OVER ( TEMPET EN FINI) , WE WERE COURAGEOUS LAST YEAR.

MICHEL WRITES IN STATE HOUSE NEWLETTER, THE “TEMPET” IS OVER; BUT THE “TEMPET” HAS JUST BEGUN.

CHER SEYCHELLOIS, WE MUST WAKE UP FROM THIS BIG LIE BEFORE WE CAN LOOK TO ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF SEYCHELLES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SEYCHELLOIS.

SEYCHELLES CANNOT HAVE PROSPERITY, PROGRESS, IF WE LIVE A LIE ON THE TRUE STATE OF OUR AFFAIRS.

TODAY, UNDER PP WE ARE BANKRUPT (FAID).

1. LOOK AT THE RESERVES

1. GOVERNOR PIERRE LAPORTE SAYS OUR RESERVES ARE $ 100 MILLION.

A. THIS IS 2 MONTHS OF MONEY TO RUN SEYCHELLES AND WE STILL HAVE NOT PAID ANY DEBTS.

B. IT TOOK MR. LAPORTE 1 ½ YEARS TO RAISE TWO MONTHS RESERVE, WITH AN IMF PLAN IN PLACE.

C. NEXT YEAR, HE MAY HAVE 4 MONTHS RESERVE.

THIS IS NOT MAKING HISTORY

THIS IS FIXING- SPICING HISTORY

D. TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, IN 1976, MANCHAM COALITION GOVERNMENT HAD RAISED POUND STERLING 375 MILLION, ENOUGH THEN TO RUN SEYCHELLES FOR THREE (3) YEARS THEN, PERHAPS 10 YEARS TODAY IN REAL VALUE

TODAY THIS MONEY WOULD BE LIKE HAVING POUND STERLING 800 MILLION

ENOUGH TO RUN SEYCHELLES FOR 10 YEARS.

TODAY, WE ARE NOT PAYING THE DEBT. INTEREST IS RISING!

2. WHO WILL PAY THIS DEBT?

A. MR. RENE WILL NOT PAY THIS DEBT. SINCE 1976, HE HAS LIVED OFF THE GOVERNMENT OF SEYCHELLES. HE HAS COLLECTED MONEY, AND HAS PAID NOTHING IN SEYCHELLES NAME.

B. HIS FAMILY LIVES OFF SEYCHELLES THROUGH PARASTATALS, LITTLE CONTRACTS FOR ISLAND FOR RUPEE ONE (1), ALL IS IN THE FAMILY;

ONE SON RUNS AIR SEYCHELLES,

ANOTHER CONTROLS ALL THE OUTER ISLANDS AND TRANSHIPS FUEL IT BUYS FROM SEPEC TAX FREE TO ESTABLISHMENTS, YET IDC DOES NOT HAVE A TANKER.

ANOTHER SON DID NOT EVEN GRADUATE FROM NYS WITH LITTLE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, BUT HAS MANAGED TO SET UP A HELICOPTER BUSINESS AND MAKES DEALS WITH THE RICHEST ARABS IN THE WORLD, WITH ONE RUPEE ISLAND PURCHASE, AND OTHER SOFT TRANSACTIONS.

SO DO NOT EXPECT THEM TO PAY OUR DEBTS.....THEY LIVE OFF US.

C. THOSE THAT STOLE MILLIONS AT SMB AND CENTRAL BANK, WILL NOT RETURN THAT MONEY IF GOVERNMENT DOES NOT ASK THEM TO.

D. IF SPPF-PP STAY, THEY WILL NOT PAY.

THE PEOPLE OF SEYCHELLES WILL PAY.......ALL OF US WILL PAY, FOR THE NEXT 25-30 YEARS.

THIS MEANS OUR CHILDREN WILL PAY THE DEBT!!!!!!

THIS IS THE REAL SACRIFICE MICHEL DOES NOT TALK ABOUT IN THE DISTRICT MEETING OR ON SBC!

PRESIDENT MICHEL DOES NOT TALK ABOUT THIS LITTLE DETAIL IN THE DISTRICTS.

3. HOW TO PARDON ALL THE DEBT

A. The other side of this bad situation, is that we can have the entire debt of $840 Million pardoned.

THIS DEBT IS LIKE AN 8” CONCRETE BLOCK AROUND OUR NECKS, DROWNING US WHEN WE TRY TO SWIM.

B. We can have the entire debt removed from our necks, BE FREE AGAIN, AND MOVE ON AS A PEOPLE.

NOW I SPEAK TO ALL SEYCHELLOIS, SNP, DP, SPPF, SPUP, ALL OF YOU EXCEPT FOR THE 15 THAT LIVE OFF US.

C. How- CLUB DE PARIS KNEW-

The Paris Club knew Seychelles could not repay its obligations when it gave out the loans. A new Government that did not create the debt, can approach Paris Club and ask the debt be pardoned, because it gave the money to an already non-performing government that is not responsible.

LIBERIA HAS HAD ITS DEBT PARDONED UNDER THIS REQUEST.

(SERS EN PROGRAM POU PARDON TOU DEBT)

THEY REMOVE CHARLES TAYLOR, WENT FOR DEBT FORGIVNESS, NO MATTER WHAT CHARLES TAYLOR SAID, THEY IGNORED HIM.

D. The Commercial Debt

1.This debt mostly, the Bonds, were issued by an American Company Lehman Brothers. This company had what in law we call an obligation of “Due Diligence”; To inform buyers that Seychelles could not repay the bonds if it had knowledge of that at the time it issued the Bonds, which it did not conduct.

2. Lehmans had a duty of full disclosure to purchasers, and should have questioned and verified Government of Seychelles on ability to repay the bonds.

3. Because there is a lot of fraud in these transactions, a new government can bring out the fraud, establish it in court of law, and render the obligation null and void. Free Seychelles of the obligations.

4. I HAVE ALREADY TAKEN STEPS OF NOTICE REQUIREMENTS UNDER US LAW TO LEHMAN BROTHERS AT THE TIME THE TWO BONDS WERE ISSUED.

NOTICE TO FOLLOW US LAW BY LEHMANS WAS SENT AT THE TIME EACH BOND WAS ISSUED.

LETTERS WERE REGISTERED.

IF WE DO NOT FIGHT, WE WILL NOT KNOW IF WE CAN WIN!

I DO NOT SEE WHY WE CANNOT WIN! BUT WE MUST FIGHT,

BECAUSE THE 15 PEOPLE OF PP RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS “”FAID “”

WILL TRY TO DISCOURAGE YOU. THIS IS NORMAL FOR COMMUNISTS.

The money, $ 400 MILLION plus interest at 10% per annum, where will we get it if we have to repay the Bonds?

4. DO NOT FORGET THE $2.4 BILLION THAT IS MISSING IN THE BANKING SYSTEM ACCORDING TO IMF

Audit the $2.4 Billion MISSING WHEN Government changes.

With a new Government, we can audit the $2.4 Billion as Paul Mathieu

of the IMF has suggested the people of Seychelles should if they so desire.

This money was mostly in offshore deposits that originated in Seychelles, BY SEYCHELLES CITIZENS.

In that Audit, you will find enough money to run Seychelles for 15 years.

Then, we will have no option but to go find that money or a portion that is missing.

THIS MONEY IS THE KEY TO OUR FUTURE.

This EFFORT WILL BE A KEY TO OUR economic future, this is our wealth, which we must secure, after the BANKRUPTCY under SPPF and IMF Administration under PP.

WITH THAT MONEY,

~WE WILL HAVE THE BEST HEALTH CARE POSSIBLE,

~WE WILL HAVE THE BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE,

~WE CAN HAVE THE BEST TRAINS WITH AIR CONDITION FOR OUR TRANSPORT SYSTEM,

~WE CAN HAVE CABLE CARS TO LA MISERE,

~ALL SEYCHELLOIS CAN TRAVEL 3 TIMES A YEAR BECAUSE THEY WILL HAVE HIGH SALARIES;

~SEYCHELLOIS WILL ALL BE RICH LIKE WE WERE SUPPOSE TO BE WITH THE MOST FANTASTIC ISLANDS ON EARTH;

~OUR JUDICIARY WILL BE INTACT; WE WILL BE ABLE TO BUILD OUR OWN JUDICIARY

AND

~REAL PARLIAMENT OF DEMOCRACY WITHOUT COMMUNIST CHINA DONATIONS THAT PLACE US IN AN EMBARRASSING SITUATION;

~INSTEAD OF RENTING OLD PLANES, AIR SEYCHELLES WILL BE ABLE TO BUY NEW PLANES.

WE WILL NOT HAVE TO JUST DREAM OF A NEW PLANE; WE WILL HAVE THEM!

~AIR SEYCHELLES WILL STOP FINDING EXCUSES FOR OLD PLANES.

~~THERE IS NO LIMIT TO WHAT WE CAN DO, IF WE AS A PEOPLE, DECIDE, WE WANT TO DO IT RIGHT!

5. ANALYSIS OF OUR REALITY WITH MICHEL

DO NOT BE FOOLED BY MICHEL AND PP.~( PA LES MISEL ENBET ZOT)

MICHEL IS AN BIG - ACTOR,

HE HAS NOT MASTERED LAW,

HE HAS NOT MASTERED THE BALLPEN,

HE HAS NOT MASTERED BOOKS AND GOOD IDEAS,

HE HAS MASTERED ONLY THE CAMERA AND THE GUN.

THE CAMERA WITH THE GUN, IS ENOUGH FOR POWER,

BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR LASTING SUCCESS!

6. KOMPRAN IMF------ UNDERSTAND IMF,

THE $2.4 BILLION IS MISSING FROM OUR BANKING SYSTEM IT WAS TAKEN BY SEYCHELLOIS CITIZENS. IMF HAS TOLD US THIS.

IMF HAS ALSO TOLD US, IT IS UP TO THE PEOPLE OF SEYCHELLES TO DECIDE WHAT IT DOES ABOUT THIS MISSING MONEY.

THIS IS A CLEAR MESSAGE FROM IMF:

“IMF IS TELLING US TO CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT ‘’.

BUT IT CANNOT BE DIRECT, IT MUST WORK WITH THE PARTY IN POWER.

BUT IMF TREATS THE PARTY IN POWER ACCORDING TO ITS MERIT.

SOME COUNTRIES LIKE MEXICO FACED WITH COLLAPSE RECEIVED $80 BILLION IN 30 DAYS.

HERE IN SEYCHELLES, IMF GIVES US A LITTLE AT A TIME TO PUNISH US FOR KEEPING P.P. IN POWER.

THE PEOPLE SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCE.

IMF HOPES THAT THIS PAIN WE GO THROUGH WILL HELP US MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS FOR CHANGE.

THIS IS HOW THE IMF, CONTROLLED BY USA WORKS.

I APPEAL TO ALL SEYCHELLOIS,

ESPECIALLY SPPF SPUP, LET US STOP THE PAIN,

LEAVE P.P. IN THE DUSTBINS OF HISTORY

GIVE OUR CHILDREN A CHANCE TO TOMORROW.

7. MICHEL ECONOMIC POLICY

WE CAN NO LONGER HAVE AN ECONOMIC POLICY OF GIVING ISLANDS AND LAND TO ARABS FOR SCR 1 RUPEE,

when we have no money in the hopes of getting money.

THIS IS NOT ECONOMICS AND FINANCE OF A SERIOUS COUNTRY.

I SAY IT AGAIN. THE FIRST JOB WE HAVE IS TO REMOVE PP FROM POWER.

NOT BECAUSE WE THIRST FOR POWER, BUT BECAUSE WE OWE IT TO OUR CHILDREN TO START DOING THINGS RIGHT IN SEYCHELLES.

WE CAN DO THIS,

WE HAVE TO DO THIS!

UNLESS PP IS REMOVED, THINGS WILL ONLY GET WORSE ON THE

ECONOMIC FRONT.

CONCLUSION

LET’S ALL WORK TOGETHER FOR THE SAME OBJECTIVE.

STAY STRONG! STAY DETERMINED. DO NOT LET P.P. WEAKEN YOU.

UNDER COMMUNIST SYSTEM, THEY WEAKEN OPPONENT BEFORE BATTLE, BEFORE ELECTIONS. DO NOT FORGET THIS!

AGAIN, THANK YOU MR. WAVEL RAMKALAWAN FOR THE INVITATION TO SPEAK TO YOUR SNP CONVENTION.

I THANK MY GOOD FRIEND MARC HOUAREAU FOR HIS CRITIC-IDEAS.

I THANK MY MADAM FOR ALL HER DEVOTION,

I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME AND

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEVOTION TO SEYCHELLES IN THIS DIFFICULT TIME.

MAY GOD BLESS ALL FREEDOM LOVING SEYCHELLOIS!

THE SPPF ARE PARANOID INGRATES

If there was any doubt that the SPPF, SPUP, JJ or whatever they are calling themselves today are paranoid ingrates, the short story I am about to tell should remove all doubt.

About 4 years ago my older brother Francis was considering moving part time to his home here in Seychelles. Francis loves Seychelles and wanted to return and contribute to his country’s advancement and development. He purchased and packed a container full of household goods and shipped it to Seychelles. When the goods arrived at the Port, he appeared to claim his container. Present were at least 30 armed personnel from the Army, State House, State Security and various other agencies. I was present as well. We were both told that there was to be a personal search of every item in the container.

Several SPPF goons then went through the container. Even to the extent of unscrewing air conditioners and dismantling water heaters. Every item was so thoroughly searched and dismantled that when they were done, numerous screws and bolts lay on the ground – the SPPF goons can’t do anything right, not even remove screws and put them back where they took them out.

All the furniture and other items in the container, including some very valuable couches, were strewn out on the tarmac while rain pored down on the items. Again the SPPF goons can’t do anything right. You would think they would have a cheap piece of plastic on hand to cover items they have out in the open just in case of this kind of rain shower. While every Seychellois knows there are frequent rain showers in Seychelles, and therefore a piece of plastic is essential when you don’t have a proper warehouse to conduct these searches, nevertheless, the SPPF goon’s could not figure out this basic point and make basic preparations. So all my brother’s hard earned personal items were drenched out on the tarmac and some of which were ruined. Not even an apology was forthcoming from the goon squad. My brother was already considered guilty in their eyes and destroying his property was just punishment for his crimes they thought.

Both my brother and I were at a loss as to what was going on. We just assumed this is one more miserable method of victimization by the SPPF, retaliating against me for bringing their sordid corruption and incompetence to the disinfecting sunshine of daylight before the people of Seychelles.

After this ordeal, both my brother and I thought the matter was finally laid to rest. Well it wasn’t. We went for a lunch burger at the Berjaya and to unwind and relax – only to be surrounded by a cadre of SPPF armed goons. Obviously these goons were sent to frighten and to intimidate us. But we assumed this was further evidence of SPPF’s effort to victimize me for airing my views. So, we ignored the goons and finished our lunch.

I then received a call from the head goon and was told that my brother’s container would have to be searched once more. I protested. The head good informed me that there were arms in the container. I said if there were arms you would have found it since you pulled everything in the container apart with dozens of men.

Despite my protests the container was searched again without my brother’s consent. He had two valuable drums he had acquired in Mindanao and were about 2.5 meters in height. The covers on both drums were shredded to bits – nothing inside. Again we thought this was the end of this matter. It was not. The SPPF, despite two thorough searches of the container, insisted that there must be invisible arms in the container they, with their limited abilities, could not find – but they were there, they insisted. So it was again searched a third time. Still no arms. No doubt the SPPF goons must have concluded, by now, that my brother had invented a cloaking devise similar to the ones the Romulans use on the science fiction movie Star Track to cloak his weapons, making them invisible to the limited vision of the SPPF goons.

Needless to say with this level of harassment my brother decided to postpone his plans to live in his own country.

Recently, my brother’s father Peter Gill passed away. For those who do not remember, Peter Gill was a founding member of the Executive Committee of the SPUP. He financed some of the SPUP’s first activities that allowed them to become an established political movement. Albert Rene, the coup leader, dictator and architect of Tanzanian massacres of Seychellois, was given his first decent suit to wear to represent Seychelles at the OAU by Peter Gill, when he was seeking independence for Seychelles. Peter Gill for years paid for the printing of the People newspaper – the main newspaper for the SPUP and now the SPPF or whatever they’re called.

After all this, the SPPF ran him out of Seychelles and confiscated his businesses. They did this because Peter Gill spoke the truth to the SPUP and told them they were betraying the ideals of the party. He told them that he did not invest his hard earned money and his time in the party to see the leaders turn into corrupt murderous criminals who have used the State for their personal benefit and abused the people. We all know what happens to people who challenge SPPF corruption, incompetence, violence and abuse of power – they are imprisoned, harassed, murdered or run out of their own country.

So, Peter Gill lived and died in exile away from his beloved Seychelles. Vowing to return and live in Seychelles only after the SPPF traitors were no longer in power. However, on his death bed, his dying request was for him to be cremated and to have his ashes scattered in Seychelles.

By now you are wondering what does Peter Gill’s death have to do with invisible arms. Well my brother made the promise to bring Peter Gill’s ashes to Seychelles and plans on doing so this December.

A confidential patriot, the same reliable patriot who notified me of the SPPF scheme to plant drugs in my car, recently informed me that the SPPF still considers my brother a “threat” due to the Romulan cloaked invisible arms, and that it would be best if he did not come to Seychelles – even if it is for the purpose of scattering the ashes of an SPUP founding member. I was told the SPPF intend to inflict harm on my brother. This is another classic example of SPPF “Goonsmanship” that they perfected from their communist instructors.

If the SPPF has evidence that a Seychellois has committed an offense against the State they should bring it before the Courts, where the evidence must be publicly presented and reviewed. But since their evidence is invisible they must resort to tactics of intimidation. This is a fundamental problem we as a people must once and for all resolve. We must remove the SPPF from power and establish true democracy and the rule of law in our country.

Never again should our government intimidate and harass its citizens on the basis of rumours and suppositions. We are citizens entitled to be respected under the law by our government. We as a people must make the SPPF respect our right to be free from intimidation and to be ruled by laws and not their whims, rumors and paranoia. All Seychellois must have the right to pursue their happiness and enjoy their liberty without fear of arbitrary violence from their government. We must make this ideal a reality for our country. We must throw the bums out in the coming election.

May God Bless Seychelles and All Freedom Loving Seychellois! Christopher Gill

The Painful Transition from Communism to Socialism to Capitalism in Seychelles

Now that the world has finally rejected the utopian ideals of Marxism, there are only two relic nations that are clinging on to this ideology purely for the preservation of their ‘dynasty’; Cuba and North Korea. Since the unification of Europe the adoption of capitalism has been the modus operandi of failed communist states. Those with resources like China have been able to adopt a model based on totalitarian principles, while others have scrambled to find a way to adapt or be replaced by new blood.

In the case of Seychelles, there is a bit of both. The old guard wants to cling on to power at all cost under the banner of democracy / unity / solidarity, while they know full well that they are the ones responsible for the financial mess that their utopian experiment has caused this nation. So the never give up at all costs mentality is the pain being inflicted on the Seychellois people.

Desperation

James Michel’s government has a daunting task indeed. Whilst Alibaba and his forty thieves have pillaged our country for three decades leaving a massive hole of $ 2.4 billion, he has called the IMF to the rescue. This rescue package is a painful one. No more largesse, no more welfare state and it is an about turn to capitalism ‘a la Chinese’ minus the resources. Hard core communists masked as capitalists but with empty pockets – begging the whole world to help keep us afloat. While they try to change their mindset and ‘metamorfoz’ into a Parti Lepep, they want the Seychellois to believe that they are the champions of democracy, the best economists of our lifetime and all the crap that they can throw at us with every given second on the state media. The irony is that they have a bunch of Eastern bloc / Cuban educated, politically indoctrinated stalwarts leading this transition! Since the announcement of the IMF bailout plan last year, the likes of Danny Faure and Marie-Louise Potter have been leading the bastion with their sweet talk to entangle the population even further while they desperately fight for their own self preservation. Remember, and not surprising, they are both Cuban trained!

Time to pay the price

The people now have to pay the price. No more free lunches. They have to pay their way in life as this is the capitalist way, the IMF way. Will it be the Lepep Way? In this painful transition, they are cunning enough to bring in legislations that they can manipulate around election time or once they get voted back into power. So for them, the transition is only cosmetic, to soften the blow and prepare for the next ride to a new mandate. The vicious cycle will never end as there is too much at stake for Parti Lepep. Sooner or later they will have to ‘rann kont lepep’! The name change of the SPPF is already an indication that they are trying to wash their hands from their tainted past.

Implosion on the way

However, a party cannot transform itself from one extreme to another without some form of implosion. What is keeping the party together today is just a façade of unity among the ranks. Things are already starting to fall apart and the musical chairs in Michel’s government are set to continue. Once the old man goes, the break up into different factions is inevitable. They committed treason in 1977 and they will soon be fighting amongst themselves as we mere mortals slave away through the morass.

Our only hope is to have a unified / united country that goes beyond political lines. We need capable people with competence irrespective of their political colours to take the lead and leave the divisive attitudes and politics of the ruling party to the dustbin of history. Michel (and no other member of the Parti Lepep for that matter) can unite this country as they have all been part of or adhered to the treason on 1977. His ‘Koste Seselwa’ theme of this year has seen more division not only in the opposition but also within his own camp.

So what next?

Perhaps next year he will call it ‘Unity Year’ and the year after ‘L’annee de l’unite’… Unity will not be achieved if we do not live by proper values, sincerity, respect for the rule of law. Liberte, egalite, fraternite. We need to be united again as brothers and sisters for the one cause of saving our country from the brink of this precipice. It is only then that we can move forward. We need a transition from a government that has been too long in power and tainted by too many acts of evil. We owe this to our children. Let’s all unite to make this change and usher in a new era of hope, justice, fraternity and prosperity for the People of Seychelles.

The Future of Seychelles

In the end, our people must be united in its effort to remove the SPPF or Parti Lepep from power. A communist turned socialist turned capitalist overnight party cannot implement democracy. They do not know what true democracy really is. The failed regime who has brought our people so much misery cannot and will never implement successful policies of real change. Remember that it is Albert, Michel, Faure, Potter and all the other SPPF stalwarts who have bankrupted Seychelles. So how does anyone expect them to make us successful all of a sudden?

Albert is enjoying his retirement and his wife and kids are rich beyond our wildest dreams. Michel has stashed plenty away and with large pensions awaiting him, he will never have to worry about his next meal while he vacations in five star hotels. Mukesh is surrounded by Gurka guards, and one wonders if he sleeps at night while he worries about his millions stashed in offshore accounts. ChangLeng roams the streets as if he has done nothing wrong. Meanwhile, a few old ladies who have been given a few hundred rupees to carry the dimly lit SPPF torch that is running out of batteries go door to door to see if they can still rally a few votes! Meanwhile, Joel Morgan (Minis Lapire) is on TV every night telling us that he is dealing with Somali pirates when they are attacking boats only 60 miles from Mahé.

A failure is born every minute in life. Each individual Seychellois must make sure they are not one of those failures. Drop SPPF, drop Party Lepep and drop all those failed ideas, failed men and women who have led us into this abyss. History will not remember them kindly. After all, do not expect a man who cannot read and write to lead us into a new era of success!

Contributed by a Freedom Fighter who prefers brain-power to gun-powder.

The Seychelles Column - Seychelles Central Bank Governor & His Funny Laws

Governor of Central Bank of Seychelles Hits The Road With His Funny Law

The Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles Mr. Pierre Laporte has placed his credibility on the line with a highly dubious and vexatious legislation aptly named “The Foreign Exchange Control Act”.

While the law does not restrict possession of hard currency, it targets the tourism trade and other wealth earners and forces these local institutions to price all their services in Seychelles Rupees. This ridiculous law states that only banks and money changers licensed under law can change money for profit.

Which side of the Saturn moon did Mr. Laporte get this brainless concept from? Lest he forgets, the Seychellois people are simply worn out from the constant interference of Government in their daily lives and messing with their businesses and livelihood. They are still reeling from the bad monetary policies of President Albert Rene, Finance Minister cum President James Michel, Financial Guru cum advisor Mukesh Valabhji with his MERP program (more like the SMURF cartoon) and of course the total mismanagement of our Central Bank by former CBS Governor Francis ChangLeng. Not to forget the Lehman Brothers bond fiasco and the disappearance of $2.4 billion from our economy, plus a bankrupt Government and previous foreign exchange control laws that totally destroyed our economy while creating a rampant black market system.

Dinner served a la Central Bank

We all know that hotels and businesses change money systematically the world over. But not so in Seychelles according to Mr. Laporte’s law. Do not change money systematically or continuously he says!

In defence of his pet legislation, which in public he defends like a lifetime partner, Mr. Laporte together with his Central Bank staffers are on a road trip to tell the Public how things will operate in the future under his monetary kingdom.

On Mahé, he was successful at dishing it out. A few protests here are there, but timid cries from a trade and a public that have been battered for 32 years! The poor Mahé citizens ate what was served to them on Mr. Laporte’s tin platter, fearing for their livelihood let alone their licences which could be rescinded at any time.

Encouraged by his success on Mahé, the CBS Governor made his way to Praslin to meet with trade partners and business players from Praslin and La Digue, two islands that are key to tourism earnings. Only twenty-five (25) people turned up for what should have been over 500 businesses. Not to be dissuaded by the low turn out which should have been a sign of protest, Mr. Laporte proceeded to spell out his grandiose plan.

He was to be in for the dead surprise to learn that on Praslin and La Digue, we take our business seriously and officials are not welcome to come dish out rubbish for us to consume. I hope you found the Praslin Express quick enough!

Next time come prepared, Mr. Governor. Enjoy the title while you still have a new car and bonus for doing nothing to save Seychelles in 2009.

People of Seychelles, Francis Chang Leng may have bankrupted Seychelles, but if Mr. Laporte does not smarten up fast, we will stay bankrupt indefinitely. You do not have to be an economist to know that.

If you need help Mr. Laporte, I will along with the business community oblige for the sake of saving Seychelles.

Mr. Laporte thinks Seychelles has 0% Inflation

According to Mr. Laporte, Seychelles has 0% Inflation and he hails this as a great success of his policy. He is wrong!

Inflation is reported in Reuters at 29.8% still the second highest in Africa, only second to failed state Zimbabwe. Last year, before you intervened in the market to save the skin off your back, and bought up hard currency, it was 78.4%. This is not a sign of success Mr. Laporte. It is a sign of failure.

Who said that? Christopher Gill! Learn to respect that name when you hear it Mr. Laporte. It is a little like “Rose a Mere”. You hate the taste, but it is actually good for you!

Mr. Laporte Thinks The Paris Club Forgave 45% of Our Debts

According to Mr. Laporte, the Paris Club forgave 45% of Seychelles debts. Again, he is wrong!

The Paris Club forgave only 22% of our debts of the 45% proposed. The remaining 23% is to be written off in Two-Three year increments, only under the condition that Seychelles adheres to the IMF recommended program it has implemented. In Kreol, this means “Kapot Ek Las”!

Mr. Laporte Is Not familiar with the IMF Report on Seychelles

This poor chap engulfed in an air of self pity, did not know that the IMF said in its last Seychelles Country Report in May 2009, “…that the Seychelles debt burden will remain UNSUSTAINABLE as it is beyond 2027”.

People of Seychelles, this is not the fisherman fixing a bamboo fish trap aka “kazie”. We are talking about the knowledge of the Governor of the Central Bank of Seychelles, who happens to manage our economic affairs. A man entrusted by the Government of Seychelles with our economic future and the viability of all our investments. Even poor JJ is touting him as “our best man”. Lord help us if this is true!

Has made the Seychelles Rupee Stronger than the Euro for Six (6) Months

Mr. Laporte has done what no Global Country Central Banker I know of has been able to do in 2009: make their national currency stronger than the Euro.

Today, as I write this column, the Euro is trading at Euro 1.0 = US$ 1.4979.

In Seychelles, Mr. Laporte’s Central Banking dancing has brought the Euro from Euro 1.0 – Seychelles Rupee 23.00 late last year to Euro 1.0- Seychelles Rupees 13.00, sometimes even dipping to SR 12. Incredible! Magic? A Herculean feat indeed?

The Euro is weak in Seychelles only. It is strong the world over. The Seychelles Rupee is strong in Seychelles only. And weak the world over.

Now, Mr. Laporte wants to legislate confidence in the Seychelles Rupee, force us to accept it, force visitors to use it, so that the commercial banks can steal the real value between Mr. Laporte’s variables of mental error and financial mismanagement of our monetary system.

Mr. Laporte Is Not Sure If We Are In An Economic Depression

I have seen clown shows before, but this one beats them all. Mr. Laporte said to us on Praslin that he did not know if we were in an Economic Depression. He says he has to wait for IMF to come and tell us. Seriously?

What kind of economist is that? We need IMF to tell us that we are in an economic depression? Well, maybe with his high salary and bonus, together with the complicity of other Government officials with high salaries who can afford first class tickets, caviar and champagne, the Governor does not feel the pinch and does not know that our people are suffering, hungry, poor and seriously disgusted with this Government’s policies. And maybe he does not know that Seychelles is in a serious economic depression with businesses struggling to stay alive while CBS does nothing to control the commercial banks who are fleecing the populace with their exorbitant fees and high interest rates! Maybe he did not pay for his brand new Government car in order to understand that even a “rich” person in Seychelles cannot afford a new car these days due to the ridiculously high taxes. For the price of a Ferrari car overseas, one gets a small Kia or Honda in Seychelles! Maybe he does not know that the cost of fuel at the pumps does not reflect the true global prices and this is killing our economy, putting boat charter prices and sea-based excursions out of reach of most tourists, and making even a pickup truck delivery of a load of cement blocks unaffordable to most. Maybe he goes overseas often enough to buy all his luxury goods tax-free while most Seychellois struggle to put a piece of “Karang” onto their children’s plates at night. Maybe Mr. Laporte eats too often at hotel restaurants instead of driving around Victoria at night to see the underage girls prostituting themselves in search of SR 50 for a take-away, or to see young people rummaging through rubbish bins in broad daylight in search of a few plastic bottles to sell at the next Indian shop in order to buy a can of tuna or a loaf of bread.

Yes Mr. Laporte, in case you did not know, I am telling you now that Seychelles is indeed in an economic depression. You don’t need Mr. Paul Mathieu of IMF to tell you that. I just did!

Mr. Laporte Attacked Me For Being Smarter Than Him

Many other people commented and questioned Mr. Laporte’s intent behind his programs. In the end, he asked that we be patient and he will consider whether to extend his transition period under legislation, or scrap his ludicrous law altogether.

The Public also placed great pressure on Mr. Laporte to stop treating international companies like Four Seasons with special rights of passage while local businesspersons and investors have to bear the brunt of Mr. Laporte’s failing laws.

The People of Seychelles must hold Mr. Laporte to task on this key point.

For some reason, he found it appropriate, as a Central Banker, to question my political affiliation and used name calling antics to attack me. At one point he referred to me as a “big capitalist”. What kind of Central Banker calls people “capitalist”? Not only is this unprofessional, but any free-thinking person who believes in free-enterprise and who owns a business is a “capitalist”. Since Mr. Laporte should still be playing with spin tops in our school playground instead of running our economy, I wish to enlighten him about the words “capitalism” and “capitalist” as quoted by Wikipedia:

“Capitalism is an economic and social system in which the means of production (also known as capital) are privately controlled; labour, goods and capital are traded in a market; profits are distributed to owners or invested in new technologies and industries; and wages are paid to labour.”

“Capitalist”:

The word capitalist was first used by Arthur Young in his 1792 work Travels 1787–89; undertaken with a view of ascertaining the cultivation, etc. of the kingdom of France in the sense of one who owns capital, and was more precisely defined by Karl Marx in Das Kapital as one who owned working capital including machinery and made money by letting others work on those machines. Being a capitalist in this original sense does not necessarily mean that one supports capitalism.

It is a person who owns or controls the means for producing wealth, deriving their livelihood from profits off the labour expended by employees.

The term capitalist has more recently come to refer to someone who supports capitalism or a free market ideology.

Throughout 20th century, the term capitalist country was used in the Soviet Union and aligned countries to denote advanced free-market western economies. These included the United States, Canada, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and all European countries outside the Warsaw Pact except Yugoslavia. The term could occasionally be interpreted more widely to include developing countries outside the USSR's sphere of influence.

So there you have it Mr. Laporte. Think of hard working Seychellois in the tourism trade who wake up everyday and go to work to create wealth not only for themselves, but also for others through job creation. All within a free-market framework instead of a big-Government controlled environment full of useless bureaucrats and political party lackeys!

What about legislation for the local Commercial Banks?

With commercial bankers, he has refrained from implementing proper legislation to deal with over charges and high interest, and has elected instead to pussy foot with the financial cartel in Seychelles. Instead he picks on the earners of national wealth. An idiot of an act indeed!

Get serious man. If we are giving you a bonus for destroying the Seychelles economy in your 12 month tenure, the least you can do is to take on a more serious attitude. After all, your enabling legislation does not entitle you to a SCR 1 Million bonus each Christmas while the rest of Seychelles suffocates. It violates the Central Bank Act, because the money comes from Government, and it compromises your INDEPENDENCE, under law.

Crossing the floor

Mr. Laporte attacked me senselessly for “crossing the floor”, which of course has nothing to do with monetary policy. But for the record, I told him I crossed the floor because France Albert Rene was sending men from State House to my house at night with guns and scaring the hell out of my family and me. Nothing to ridicule Mr. Governor! At least by the time you left Praslin, you were not laughing anymore, although no one had a gun to your head!

In a future article, I will focus on how to fix the problem Mr. Laporte has created. Meanwhile, I look forward with anticipation to the future decision the CBS Governor will take in regards to this nonsensical foreign exchange law. Hopefully he has listened carefully to the people and the tourism trade and will make the correct decision. After all, a departure from the erroneous ways of his CBS predecessors would be welcomed by all Seychellois capitalists!

May God Bless Seychelles And All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Judiciary Needs Money

The time to put our heads in the sand has past. Today, we face a critical situation in the Judiciary, one of three branches of Government in our democracy. The members are appointed by the Executive Branch and are not elected. Recruitment is done overseas, when locally judges can be selected. Staff are civil servants. Some judges enjoy contract arrangements.

A Little Background

Under Chief Justice Allear, a Mauritian national, this branch of government had collapsed for years, but the staff remained silent or at least not vocal enough to stop the collapse. Allear ruled in an autocratic manner like most chief justices do, but the traditional is to serve justice, not ones pocket. Allear’s office was always lined with a bench and the amount of citizens that sat on it made the court look as if it was a social welfare money packet collection center.

Upon the departure of Allear, Bernadin Renaud, a Justice, took over as Chief Justice Interim. Justice Renaud is no stranger to Seychelles. He presided over the Constitutional Commission, and was Ombudsman for a number of years, a post that was created at the suggestion of Mr. Mancham, but in all likelihood, a post that fit Renauds’ public persona.

As Interim Chief Justice, Renaud promised to clear up the backlog of cases and get on with the work of the day. He did not present any grand plans and held a seminar with Court staff to keep the plug on the tub so to speak, hoping the Michel Administration would make him a permanent Chief Justice.

However, Renaud’s court decisions were frowned upon by some SPPF and now Parti LePep (LP) hierarchy. They opted to bring in a Judge from Uganda who has promised to sort out the courts and appoint Seychellois magistrates to vacant seats on the bench. We must welcome the new Chief Justice at this time, not because we agree with the appointment, as we do not even know the man, but because, we need some serious help. Any help if it is on offer in good faith to secure a court worthy of a modern society. After all, we used to have an exemplary British Court system in place that was destroyed by no other than former President Rene and his SPUP/SPPF party.

Crisis Sets in After Collapse

Most recently a number of magistrates resigned prompting an immediate crisis to emerge in the Judiciary Branch of government. Without Magistrates, criminal cases cannot proceed. That means the 300 accused and alleged criminals remain out on bail, another daunting task for prosecution by the Attorney General’s office that is short of lawyers needed to prosecute criminals.

Consequently, the Public must deal with these shady elements on a daily basis as the system has failed not the accused so much as the innocent, Seychellois citizens, whom expect reasonably, that the government of the day will protect them. If crime increases, you will know why it does.

If the Attorney General cannot adequately prosecute, the Magistrates courts cannot expeditiously put culprits and accused on trial in reasonable time. The Judiciary cannot transcribe proceedings of courts, and the waiting time currently for that is 3 years for a case back log. We are in deep trouble.

Vote The Money For The Courts

The Judiciary needs an immediate large cash injection in the numbers we have not seen before in our history. They need automated transcribers that are cheap on the electronics market. That is the easy part. But salaries are too low for staff. They immediately require at least 100% increase in salary for civil service staffers. Judges from magistrates up to the Justices in the Supreme Court of Seychelles need an increase of at least 50% to bring their package in line with the standard set by Government for the new Chief Justice.

This salary package must be retroactive, to back pay the staff of the courts that have made great sacrifice to keep this branch of government going while it has collapsed and failed them as professionals.

Intentional Neglect

The financial neglect of the Judiciary is not a haphazard event. It has been systematic, year after year. Somehow, one gets the feeling that Albert Rene and James Michel wanted the Judiciary to fail. Only they know why. But of course, total control has been in the Executive branch since the Coup D’Etat in 1977, instead of leaving the Judiciary as an independent branch. The Government has shown no political will to fund the Judiciary adequately and employ competent capable judges in sufficient numbers in order that justice is served and seen to be served.

Failure To Act Now

The misfiring of justice has deterred serious investments in our country. It continues to kill investments, curtail FDI and dwindle down the offshore business sector. In fact, this industry which was advocated by Mr. Paul Chow during the early days of the multi-party system, is now undergoing more abuse than ever and its image has been tarnished by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) which seems to have its own agenda and has no comprehension of our laws. Mr. Chow gave SPPF a viable business option and created a third pillar of our economy. Now SPPF-LP has severely damaged the offshore business. Too much greed is a bad thing, even offshore.

The offshore sector with a failing Judiciary will attract more shady businesses and crooks while it will scare off legitimate investors. This phenomenon will adversely affect our bottom line, that is, how much money Seychelles can earn and whether or not it can remove itself from the economic depression doldrums. A failing judiciary will mean a failing society. It will mean our people will get poorer and poorer each year while this branch of government is left to die a slow death as initially intended.

The Final Word

The Judiciary does not have months or years to act. The Executive Branch does not have weeks or days to delay funding. Priority funds must be made available to the Judiciary in order that it can clean its house, and set this critical branch of government on the right track. Surely the Justice Department is more important than a new District Administration building or Jj Spirit funds to win votes. If we can afford boats for the NDEA, if we can afford high-salaried Irish and Australian expatriates, if we can pay hundreds of millions to the French for managing PUC, if we can disburse millions to the Army to fund the anti-piracy project only to let pirates go free, if we can pay millions every year in bonus schemes to politicians and ministers, if we can allow our Ministers and Principal Secretaries and other Government officials to fly in First and Business Class, if we can pay our Central Bank management millions in annual bonuses, then SURELY we can afford to fund our Judiciary branch of Government.

After all, we can all agree, it has been on the wrong track of administration of justice for far too long. Thirty-two years is simply too long. And that is 32 years too late. The real citizens of Seychelles (LEPEP) are watching and waiting to judge by your actions!

May God Bless Seychelles And All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

UAV (Drones) FLY OUT OF SEYCHELLES

The first United States Air Force Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV aka drone) took off from the Seychelles International Airport this morning. Hopefully, their surveillance capabilities will be a boost in the effort against piracy in the Indian Ocean, given that these Somalian degenerates have started roaming the seas again now that the calm season is upon us.

It is sad however that these UAVs are not armed! While shipping is being disrupted by these vagabonds, shipping and insurance rates are increasing and the costs are being passed on to the consumer. Meanwhile, millions are being spent by the Navies of Europe, India, China, Seychelles, Russia, United States and other countries, and yet no one is willing to use force and blow these pirates out of the water. Even when they are fired upon! Wake up world and let us get our sanity back. Criminals, pirates and terrorists are all the same, and they should be dealt with accordingly!

Welcome UAVs. Welcome USA. We welcome the US troops back to our shores! May the memories of the June 1977 Coup D'Etat and the lack of a response from then President Jimmy Carter remain but a sad memory! But be aware that Rene and Michel are still communists at heart, and Fidel Castro is still their old buddy. Rene and Michel used to chant "Yankee Go Home" during their revolutionary days. Today, they chant "IMF and US Dollars"! But they are yet to apologize to the people of Seychelles for their act of treason committed on the 5th of June 1977. They have not apologized for the killing of innocent Seychellois during their 32 reigning years of terror, and for the corruption and the millions they have stolen from our country which have led us into bankruptcy. So be aware USA that you are dealing with criminals. The two communist killer wolves are cloaked in sheep's clothing, and both have blood on their hands.

Seychelles Comedy - State House Anytime Now

PART 1 - EMPOWERMENT & REFORMS – THE NEW PARTI LEPEP REVOLUTION

The second wave of the SPPF-Parti Lepep revolution is based around their own survival. In 1977 they wanted to create a model socialist /communist society but this cannot be sustainable in this day and age of globalisation, IMF bailouts and other hardships that this old generation of politicians have to lie their way through their umpteenth political mandate to ensure their survival. The buzz word is empowerment and reforms – the biggest smokescreen to hide behind all their incapacities. Danny Boy has been summoned to State House to discuss the way forward...

JenPa: Good Morning Sir! The Minister of Finance is at hand to discuss all the rush of bills that are being put forward to the assembly for ratification that will absolve our government of any responsibilities with regards to the hardships of the open, liberalized economy that we have ushered in. You will recall that he did a fabulous job at one of the district meetings to diffuse the bomb about the missing $2.5 billion. A true orator and champion of language manipulation!

Mr. President: Good morning JP. Hello Danny, please make yourself comfortable and give me a briefing on how things are moving along. We need brave people like you with persuasive and authoritative demeanour to push all these reforms through. Government needs to come clean in all this as we do not want to be losing any votes along the way. The district meetings are already doing a lot of damage on the ground and the damage control is costing us a bomb.

Danny Boy: Good Morning Mr. President. I have been labouring the whole week to put this scheme of privatising the government services from cleaners, security, maintenance etc. We have taken this out of our realm and now the onus will be on the new cooperatives and agencies that will see to it that these services operate autonomously, without government interference. So if things do not work out, then we deflect the blame onto someone else.

Mr. President: Smart thinking my man. This is why I think that you have a great chance of taking over the VP seat. I gather that you have met with these sections of society to reassure them that things will run smoothly. I am glad to note that you are also on the same wavelength as I am and getting all of them to look at this as a form of empowerment. As our reforms take place, the empowerment process is inevitable. This is a smart way to get them to think for themselves and not depend on the state anymore.

Danny Boy: Sir but there is a lot of uneasiness and apprehension that this might be as catastrophic as the home carer system. But at least when things get sour on that front, we will not be held responsible. Empowerment is the key. They will have to take their own responsibility. No one will be able to point the finger to our government anymore as they did in the home carer fiasco. On the liberalization front, we are dismantling everything and our people will have all the choice in the world. We are in a global economy and cannot escape the trappings of this beast. We can no longer throw a lifeline at our small local industries. They will have to sink or swim. My feeling is that they will sink faster than we thought. This is what they wanted and this is what they will get. We have amassed a huge reserve of foreign exchange and this will go towards all the imports of our crazed society bent on consuming everything that is foreign.

Mr. President: Great my man! That’s a very well thought out plan. Our government must be leaner and this is one of the best ways to trim the fat. So whatever happens to this excess fat we do not care as long as we have to fulfil our mandate of slimming down this government. The IMF reforms seem to be going according to plan but we now have a major problem on our hands with too much forex and too few rupees. What will be the next move?

Danny Boy: Sir, we will have to get the banks to relax on their tight monetary policy. There are no more rupees in circulation to stimulate growth. You see all this baffles me as I studied my economics principles based on an isolated peso in Cuba. All these floatation of currencies is a real rush of blood to the head for me. I am trying my best, with the help of my huge team of advisors to get the message across.

President: Even with the IMF policies in place, it will take years before we get out of this economic mess. How are we going to go on like this now that we are making so many commitments including the Indian Ocean Island Games, even if top businessmen L’Amie Joe and Hoareau are on board to help us raise the funds? This is why I am engaging in this Constructive Economic Diplomacy with our best friends in the gulf region. We need to get them to pour some money into this economy as just the IMF program will not suffice.

Danny Boy: I can understand your frustration Sir. But it is also time for us to revamp our team so that we can show a renewed vigour. The word out there is that we are becoming more of a pantomime than a serious government. Our efforts are not coordinated and we are all looking at a hapless bunch at the controls but with no proper plan of where we are heading. We are creating a lot more bureaucracy with these commissions which do not even have a mandate. The rotation of the same heads should be discontinued if we are to remain credible. We need upward mobility, not sideways shifting. Look at you and I, we are true embodiments of such upward mobility. It is a new mindset that needs to be adopted Sir.

President: Not to worry. Danny. You have shown all the courage and determination of a true militant. I will soon put this house to order and reward those that I feel have the will power and commitment to stay on. Look at Pat, he decided to cop out and I am sure that a lot of others will be deciding on early retirement next year.

Danny Boy: Indeed Sir. We need to empower those that have shown their unwavering commitment. Look at Joel, he has been working tirelessly night and day. He is our master negotiator and I think that he will do well as the next minister of Finance with his sleek negotiation skills. We should soon retire old Joe who has totally lost interest. He has served long enough like Pat I suppose. I will make a better VP that’s for sure. We can then get rid of this Jj thing and make it more a JD team. It rings better. Think of Jack Daniels Sir! Vintage!!

President: Indeed Danny! You have high aspirations and I like this kind of mentality. We cannot give up the fight. There is a lot more to come. My recent visit to Ras Al Khaimah will be bringing in loads of cash and investment possibilities and I am sure this will be a tremendous boost for our economy and our quest to become one of the key energy players in the future. Watch out for the ceramic tiles and the ‘Black Marlin’. The future looks bright Danny so do not despair. I have prepared the survival of this party beyond several generations. When I am done, you’ll take over, when you are done, we’ll have others like JP to take over. Parti Lepep spans across generations and like I mentioned when I took over the most prestigious office in the land, it is like our granite of our islands. It has been there for millions of years and will remain here forever. This is why we are now called Parti-Lepep...

JenPa who had been sneaking behind the door to overhear the conversation muses to himself. Hmm... I am in the right camp after all. With Danny becoming the next VP, I can aspire to become the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and we can still continue on these famous trips together with the President to far distant places to spread our message of active, engaging democracy. ‘ Nou pe debrouye pou Sesel!’ The future looks bright indeed...

PART 2 - THE STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION OF GOVERNMENT

The President has requested a second summit with Danny boy to get an update on the progress of the works going on the National Assembly to transform this government. The wheels of reform are now well oiled and spinning frantically to meet up with all the deadlines. So the leaders believe that nothing will stop the ‘Lepep’ government in its quest for a lifetime mandate to govern. We are ushering in a new era of total control under the label of democracy... until all hell breaks loose.

JenPa: Good Morning Sir! The Minister of Finance has just returned from the conference in Istanbul and has some favourable updates that will give added momentum to this government as we bring further proof to our people that we are on the right track.

Mr. President: Good morning JP. Now that the district meetings are over, we need to come up with a proper strategy to subdue all these complaints. The list has grown too long and the technocrats have to start moving. We have already lost a lot of votes and we will be unable to buy them back this time around. Our people are suffering JP and I hope that Danny has the right solutions.

Danny Boy: Good Morning Mr. President. I bring you warm greetings from our close partners at the IMF / World Bank summit. Our reforms have been well received and we are on the right track.

Mr. President: Great! I can see that my young team which most people call inexperienced are doing well. With JP, we are running an efficient State House and I can see that with your young team you seem to be doing a fine job at the Ministry of Finance. The 2010 budget will be up soon and I hope that you can cope with this entire work load.

Danny Boy: Not to worry Mr. President we are taking it well into our stride. The cosmetic changes that we envisaged has now been before the assembly and approved. We have a new departure with more accountability for the parastatals with new boards. It shows that we are doing something but as usual we will exempt the untouchables under the guise that we need to protect the institutional memories of these companies. In this way, we absolve ourselves. This is what I call fine tuning Sir. Little empires can remain under this cover and we do not have to make any explanations.

Mr. President: You seem to have become a master at this Danny. You did take a lot of coaching from the old mentor of Barbarons! Indeed I also see on the new boards that we are going ahead with appointing some new princesses such as the assembly’s big man’s wife. All in all we are a big happy family...

Danny Boy: Talking about family Sir, I am glad to see that little brother will be back to head foreign affairs under your guidance. This will help us immensely as active diplomacy is the key to get these reforms sorted out. Brothers in arms!

President: Indeed we need all our combatants back by our side. The district meetings have proved to us that we have not delivered as a government and we have an uphill battle to gain political ground. Soon I will get Ronny back so that he can start walking the districts instead of the streets of New York. I am thinking of giving more world exposure to our younger generation in these overseas postings. What do you think JP?

JenPa: It will be the best motivational tool for our youth Sir. I propose that we do this on a rotation basis as I would love to gain some experience at the UN as well. This will no doubt mould me into taking over at Foreign Affairs when you deem fit.

Danny Boy: Let’s focus back on the work at hand here locally. Our reforms are more fundamental Mr. President. We have now dismantled the monopoly of the SMB / STC. With Mukesh gone and the old man out of the picture, no one seemed to have noticed that our dear institution of consumer protection is buried and gone. Can you imagine that I was once the chairman of such an institution? I will have to erase this off my resume.

President: Ha ha ha! How times have changed! But we are now in a new era of liberalization my boy. No more ‘Ser Sang’. Just let everything loose. Soon we will have to tie our trousers with ‘lakord bannan’. When Casino comes in, we will finally put an end to all the little Indians.

Danny Boy: I did my best to put it across to the assembly that with this new law we will have no more of these unscrupulous cartels that control the monopolies. I love taking swipes at things that we created ourselves. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment. It is better to undo something that you have done wrong yourself than to let somebody else do it and take pride in it.

President: Oil Danny! We need to find oil. This is the key for us to keep control. We have embarked on empowerment schemes, dismantling the controlled economy and pretty soon we will have no more power over our people and they will be deciding on out fate. Oil is the key. Then we become like the UAE and we share it amongst our people and win all of them back one by one. We can then have all our tankers come home with their bellies full of oil and gas to distribute to our people freely.

The dream is not over yet! They do have too much to lose and therefore have to think of a cling on to power at all cost strategy. Perhaps another government reshuffle and a snap election next year to install some new blood and raise their profile? But credibility is the key word. As long as the same faces are around, the end is nigh... But JenPa is content that despite the implosion within the government, he is riding the crest of a wave, with his recent appointment to the Air Seychelles board… now he can fly in Pearl Class with the rest of the Government elite. Boy, it pays to be an Adam!

A Grand Exercise in Deception

The District consultative meetings of President Michel

Now that the curtain has fallen on the comedy in 25 acts to cover the districts, where President James Michel of Seychelles and his ‘team’ were facing the ‘people’ to speak about the future of our country, it is time to assess what has really come out of these meetings.

We all know that this was carefully orchestrated with the huge help of Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) to get Michel and his government to gauge the political support that they currently hold in the districts after the decision to embark on the IMF program. As he tried to reassure the public in all the districts that the reforms were on the right track, he could not escape the various criticisms being dished out left, right and centre about the failings of his government since he has assumed power. So instead of focusing on talking about the future of the country, Michel and his team were confronted about the inefficiencies of his government in all sectors. The message coming out was very clear. The SPPF and now Lepep Party has failed the people for the past 3 decades. The present needs to be fixed fast before he can get any support in the future.

Michel calls it a grand exercise in democracy. How ironic when people are denied their democratic rights under the constitution (freedom of association etc…) and then he decides that meeting with a handful of mostly his own supporters in the districts constitutes democracy. It would be best to call it a grand exercise in deception as the sole purpose of these meetings was to deceive the people into believing that everything was fine, the economy was doing well under the reforms, currency was stabilizing, we need to unite etc…

Unfortunately, for those who have been following the SPPF throughout their history in power, it has always been about lies, deception and ‘bat latet’. The reforms that we have embarked on will take us more than 15 years before we see any light at the end of the tunnel. But not even a year on, Michel chooses to distort the facts by claiming that we are already there! And according to him, we will be out of this in no time. Many will remember when he came out after his first election to declare that ‘nou lekonomi y solid’. We were very far from the truth. While behind the scenes, the pillaging and siphoning off of funds were going on to reward the architects of the revolution; the people were being deceived into believing that all was well. Today, Rene, Mukesh, Sarah, Ramadoss, Savy brothers, Leopold Payet, and many others are living the lives of millionaires while the people of Seychelles return to poverty not known since the British days.

Michel was somehow voted in with another mandate (after spending millions of funds including our own social security reserves) and he declared arrogantly that he did not need the opposition to run the country. ‘Kile lopozisyon, les Jj travay!’ Now that the situation has turned on its head, Michel is out to deceive again. He wants unity; he is calling on every Tom, Dick and Francis to ‘Koste’ so that we can chart the course of a new Seychelles. He now needs everyone on board as it is in the interest of his own political survival. Michel cannot be trusted. He will manipulate any situation to his own advantage and has a total lack of sincerity. Who can trust a man who helped Rene gain power via a violent coup d’etat and then declared that his hands are clean? Who can trust a man who helped Rene and his cohorts to rob the country of billions of dollars while he was Minister of Finance? Who can trust a man who let Francis ChangLeng, the Central Bank of Seychelles Governor, steal millions from the State coffers?

Michel has now realized that things ‘on the ground’ are far worse than he feared. His closing address at the Bel Ombre meeting (which by the way was a gross abuse of state funded television air time) seemed like a desperate rallying call to all his dwindling middle leadership and supporters to double their efforts and reach out to the Lepep that they have lost touch with since his last election. The economic reforms are already the writing on the wall for the demise of Michel and his clan. A president who does not have much to do than to listen to problems in respective districts shows how much work he has on his agenda! He is perhaps slowly realizing how much he has lost touch with his people and how inefficient his government has become. As he tries to turn to the people to guide his leadership, he is confronted with problems, problems and more problems. From rubbish bins to basic lighting in districts, to an inefficient bus service and district administrators that work for their own pockets. Is this the future?

Another exercise to visit the districts soon? I don’t think so. He will be better off receiving dignitaries by the loads and try to look presidential… while waiting on the leader of the opposition to come along for tea so that he can weave his web of deception and try to come out as the leader who can unite the people of Seychelles.

James Michel lacks the intelligence, vision and integrity to take this country beyond party politics towards a healthy recovery for the benefit of our future generations. He is part of the stock that violated the constitution in 1977 and cannot preach democracy on a moral high ground. His grand exercise will always remain one of DECEPTION as he was part of the group that dismantled democracy in our country and replaced it with inefficiency, an impotent judiciary, and three decades of misery for its citizens. UNITY is beyond him and his legacy will always be one of a “deceptive thief in the night”.

Life's no beach for Sir James

By Fred Khumalo: Somewhat serious, somewhat fun

The founding president of Seychelles has not been lazing on an island since leaving office.

Fred Khumalo: What do presidents do once their terms in office have expired or, in the case of the despotic amongst their ranks, they have been deposed?

ON A MISSION: Sir James Mancham, left, would like the US to take a diplomatic interest in the scenic and, in his view, strategic island archipelago in the Indian Ocean and not allow China to dominate this tourist paradise

'We basically had a smiling, guitar-playing Seychellois under every palm tree. But when René took over, it was an AK47-wielding fighter under every palm tree'

In the latter case they usually flee to benign climes such as the south of France - a convenient hideaway which is within easy reach of Switzerland, where many of them would have stashed their ill-gotten riches while in office.

Others, in healthy democracies, start eponymous foundations that are not only protecting their legacy, but are also institutions whose raison d'être is to seek ways to further deepen democracy.

Here the names of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford and others come to mind.

Sir James Mancham belongs to this club of former presidents.

But unlike the other former presidents he is neither lazing on the balmy beaches of France nor going around the world selling his own brand and interpretation of democracy under the aegis of an eponymous foundation.

In case you haven't heard of him - chances are you haven't as very little is known about his country - Sir James is the founding president of the Seychelles, an archipelago of 110 islands off the African coast in the Indian Ocean.

He led his native country to independence in 1976, and was in turn deposed by Marxists less than a year later, with the help of Tanzanian fighters.

Attempts to put him back into power - fuelled, it was reported, by the old South African government and spearheaded by the mercenary Mike Hoare - failed in 1978.

He then spent 15 years in exile.

"During my tenure, I actively sold our country as a tourist destination of choice," he told me during a recent interview when he was in South Africa promoting his latest book, Seychelles Global Citizen: The Autobiography of the Founding President of the Republic of Seychelles.

To sell his country he embarked on what came to be called "smiling PR" where the Seychellois were encouraged to extend a benevolent hand towards visitors to their islands.

"We basically had a smiling, guitar-playing Seychellois under every palm tree," he said, pausing enough to deliver the punch line: "But when René took over, it was an AK47-wielding fighter under every palm tree."

France-Albert René was the new president of the Marxist regime who deposed Mancham.

Almost 30 years later, Mancham is back to selling his country to the international community, not only as a tourist destination now but focusing on its strategic importance to the world's superpowers.

The islands are famous for natural beauty, and are the playing ground of the rich and famous. But very little is known of the region's politics and strategic importance in the world - and Mancham is on a mission to right that wrong.

During a conversation I had with him, in the book itself, and in a piece he has since written in the Washington Times, he is at pains to suggest - what, to me, comes across as a plea - that the bigger powers recolonise his country.

The fact that the Chinese have moved in gives him hope, but as an avowed anti-communist he wonders aloud why the US does not have diplomatic relations with his country, as evidenced by the fact that there is no US embassy in the Seychelles.

But you have to sympathise with and understand this intelligent man: in these days of piracy a country with a population of about 85000, a negligible army and a government still clinging to ill-defined Marxist economic theories has to be worried.

More importantly, in the newspaper piece that I referred to, he pointed out: "The growing competition for power and influence in the Indian Ocean, the world's primary energy and trade seaway, has certainly put the Seychelles at the centre of superpower rivalry, not unlike the position held by another island resort in the '50s more familiar to Americans than our nation - Cuba."

He continued: "While on the 'military basis' both the US and China could consider the situation 'balanced', the Chinese appear to be winning diplomatically.

"The Chinese are operating with full ambassadorial presence and are extremely active in day-to-day people-to-people diplomacy."

How I so wish that, even in retirement, or imposed repose as I call it, our African presidents would channel their energies towards building their countries rather than supping on sour grapes.

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Mr. Seychelles Governor Sends Smoke Signals To Sell in Rupees Your Investments

The Seychelles Governor of the Central Bank has been at it again. This time, he has brought the financial markets and economy of Seychelles to a lop-sided position that would make Humpty-Dumpty look like a Playgirl centre fold. As the Seychelles Rupee is now stronger than a Euro in real terms and it is also beating the US Dollar to death week after week, month after month, investors must read the smoke signal Mr. Governor is sending, or be consumed in the campfire next year when we must start to service our debts and finance elections.

Strong Rupee Means Sell In Rupees

The strong Seychelles Rupee with prospects of convertibility on the horizon mean individual Seychellois who have held properties in the past waiting for Euro or US Dollar sales, can now sell in Seychelles Rupee and convert the transaction at the bank, and have their investment repatriated overseas to Australia, if that is where they are going.

All indications point to Australia, where they have discovered natural gas rivalling Qatar ‘s holdings. The time to cut your loses under LP is now, or stick it out for change.

If you stick it out for change, you cannot just do business and stay quiet, you will have to become a molecule in the fuel for change. I have chosen to be a molecule for change. SPPF and LP have devalued my holdings just by being around and not giving Seychellois with strong economic potential a fair chance when placed in the market with select foreigners that have had to grace their entry with a little here and a little there.

But like many Seychellois, I live off salted fish and fresh grilled mackerel with great pleasure and satisfaction. A little lentils is considered a luxury, since the lentils boat is always stuck in Dar es Salaam.

From Down Under to the Equator

Over 30,000 Seychellois reside in Australia. What effort has LP made to ask them and the other Seychellois overseas to return to Seychelles in a meaningful way? They could easily replace your 9,400 GOP workers and meet the demand for another 10,000 in time. Even if they come here 6 months per year to contribute to the Country it would be a great benefit. Instead, it was announced with great fanfare last night on TV that the Australian High Commissioner (Ms. Cathy Johnstone) is providing us with a technical advisor (Dr. Bryn Battersby) from its own treasury down-under. I assume the Australian Treasury is doing very well indeed. And of course our own Finance Minister Faure was at a loss for words for this grateful contribution since our own Ministry of Finance is in great need of western-trained experts as all we have are Cuban-trained ones from the Rene and Michel’s era. Of course, a few million Aussie dollars would have been better for our economy, but then, beggars cannot be choosers. How ironic that our own countrymen are leaving our shores for Australia, and here we have Australians flocking to our shores in search of greener pastures? I wonder if it’s the lucrative expatriate salaries that are attracting tax men, financial advisors, customs officers from down-under to our shores. Some say it’s our beautiful local girls too, but our smart ones are still emigrating to Australia as I write while the remainder are turning to prostitution and drugs!

Seychellois who stay benefit

Seychellois that have the courage to remain behind and take the blows that will be delivered by Mr. Laporte for the duration of his contract and if renewed, will benefit from this freak event in the markets (Seychelles Rupee gaining on Euro). They will be able to borrow Seychelles Rupees from banks and convert the Seychelles Rupees to an asset that will maintain hard currency values over the long term as the non-sustainability of the Seychelles external debt takes hold of our financial jugular veins. Property will be safe only after the financial and political storm settles.

Build Local Industry

In these ever turbulent times, investors staying in Seychelles permanently may want to consider investing in local industry. I know one gentleman producing coconut oil and he is doing very well. The retail side of this business is highly profitable if the product is sold as an exclusive tanning product.

Another friend is investing in vanilla plantation. He has brought in 3 ton trucks, excavators and will employ Malagasy personnel to plant and maintain the vanilla plants. Incubation period for this venture is 3 years. After, he expects huge profits that will rival returns of 5 star hotels. All is not lost. But you will have to put your back into whatever you do and you will have to watch your back if LP is around. They smell success from over the mountains and they rush in to penalize it and eventually destroy it. Vanilla is a little like diamonds. You can carry your asset out of the country or place it in a few boxes and ship it as luggage. Enough boxes, you can use the money from the sales to buy a house and start a business elsewhere if things go really bad in Seychelles. Mango farm in Australia anyone?

The days of picking Euros off the beach are over. Now under Mr Governor’s economic financial guidance, Euros are worth less than they were 6 months ago: about 40% less. Incredible. Who else could defy World trends? Perhaps Mr. ChangLeng who is enjoying the fruits of retirement and living like a King while we toil to pay his pension.

Rupees Valuable Hence Local Crime Increases

As Seychelles Rupee gain great value, crime that has the objective of securing Seychelles Rupees will increase. This will affect ill-prepared residents. Since the Black Market is no longer on the beaches, drug addicts no longer have an avenue in which to obtain money quickly. They will now resort to attacks and burglaries to meet demands of a habit. Local law enforcement must be aware of this development.

Mr. Laporte must know what impact the great imbalances will have on a society not prepared to cope with such unpredictability in the money markets created by himself.

After all, if you did not know, in a society, especially small ones like Seychelles, everything happens to be connected and inter-related.

Yes, somehow… what is concocted in those leatherette chairs in the CBS glass building, does have a profound impact on people’s lives, be it good or bad. Unfortunately, so far, it has been bad, and our international credit rating proves it.

May God Bless Seychelles and All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

Seychelles Comedy - State House Anytime Now

Situation at State House has been growing restless. The President has been frustrated over Patrick Pillay’s resignation, and cocktail accusations of corruption. After getting nothing out of the African Union, and being placed next to Mugabe, and the SADC group wants Seychelles to remove trades tax to allow goods to freely flow, Mr. President feels burnt in Africa. He wants the fame and fan fare that Mancham enjoys, breakfast with the Press Club in DC, lunch with the Washington Post , meetings with top US people and leaders.

JenPa: Good morning Mr. President, as you have placed yourself as Foreign Minister and you have left me out of the picture by moving Barry Faure in as Principal Secretary, what role do you envision for my smart self sir?

Mr. President: Ah JP, do not take it too badly. I am not sending you packing my boy, you will always carry my bags. So every time I travel, you will have a 5 star room right next door to me. Every time we arrive in Abu Dhabi and we are received in an Oldsmobile Delta 88 stretch limo, you will be there next to me. I need you to write letters for me. Like that nasty little letter you wrote Mathew Servina a few weeks ago.

JenPa: Yes of course Sir, I understand. You need the light to shine on you a bit, to prop your self up and look statesmanlike....or like Mancham our First President.

Mr. President: Yes you are dead on JP, I need to look like a statesman with qualifications of course, which is why I demanded that I be named Chancellor of the University of Seychelles. Now I don’t have to earn a degree, I can of course just give myself one. As I give myself the University of Seychelles degree, I will automatically get a University of London Degree like Philippe Boulle. There, I have outsmarted, even the smartest on the Seychelles Bar! How do you like that JP?

JenPa: What about this Gill who is also a lawyer? He seems to always outsmart us. He now does a blog with other smart people, and they send it out to thousands of people each week. They work off googles engine and puff Mr. President, an opposition in cyberspace and it cost them nothing. Not a penny to attack you and our grand party Lepep, and they even draw funny cartoons of Sosis and the old Barbaron Master.

Mr. President: Well JP my smart SOS, there is irony in everything. In fact, it was the blog cartoon of me going to the moon that made me want to finally take the big leap into Foreign Affairs. I want to be where it’s happening like Mancham. Along the way, I will have you by my side.

JenPa: What if Ramkalawan takes the Country?

Mr. President: Don’t worry JP, you are young indeed. You are a better swimmer than survivor. In this game, it is about survival, in luxury of course. Look my friend, do you not attend these district meetings, we have too many gutters to clean, to keep them clean, too many bins to empty, to keep them emptied, too many passengers and not enough buses, too many seats on Air Seychelles to fill, too many students to school and train to educate, too many people to keep healthy. We are finished JP, I feel sorry for you and your generation. Your lives, and all LP Youth will be hell. Ton Albert and me have skimmed all the fat and sucked all the milk that can be sucked. The only thing left now is 18000 drug addict and alcoholics, and ladies asking for better pay, better housing, better buses, better MNA, better Ministers, and yes, a better President. Our university has more titles than degree courses offered. We have taken over polytechnic like Gill said we should instead of building a university on reclaimed land with speed boat access like Dr. Rolph (in two weeks) proposed. We are going fast my boy. Our only hope is the deep blue skies of Foreign Affairs with a little help from Mancham if I can get it.

JenPa: So you mean we will travel until we die, Sir?

Mr. President: Only if we are lucky JP!

JenPa: Oh goodie, I don’t have to write to Mathew Servina, and I don’t have to meet people from the Districts. I can live on Facebook. Yeep Yeep!

Mr. President: Your glass is not full yet JP!

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Mr. Governor Takes Us On Deep Dive Down

The Seychelles Governor of the Central Bank Mr. Pierre Laporte has been pre-occupied with making hotel establishments display Seychelles Rupee pricing. He has been vigorously implementing legislation, sending out published notices in the Nation newspaper, to direct the earners of hard currency how to participate in the economy. He even gave us a deadline.

Mr. Laporte’s attempt to legislate confidence in the Seychelles Rupee, also has a stiff cash penalty and term of imprisonment for non-compliance. That should get everyone to shake in their boots.

He could not have chosen a worse time to threaten the Public and the Tourism Trade with prison sentences, when the Judiciary has only one (1) magistrate, after six(6) resigned for want of better pay. An average drug charge can take ten (10) years to get to trial these days, according to those in the know. It will get worse if Finance does not come up with a lot of money fast.

Euro Strong on the World Market, but Weak In Seychelles Only

Under Mr. Laporte’s “hocus-pocus” central banking, the Euro is weak in Seychelles, and getting weaker everyday. Currently in the world, the Euro is enjoying an all time high against the Pound Sterling, against the US Dollar and against almost every other convertible currency on Earth.

In Seychelles, the Euro has lost over 40% of its value since Pierre Laporte started to implement his “hocus-pocus” banking polices. Since devaluation of the Seychelles Rupee last year, the Seychelles Rupee traded as high as 22.00 – 1.00 Euro. Now, it is trading as low as 13.00 – 1.0 Euro. Remarkable success for a country whose GDP is (minus) -25% for the same period. We are truly living in “Another World”!

How does Mr. Laporte pull off such miracles with the system? Divine intervention maybe?

Seychelles Not Paying Debt

A small part of the answer is that Seychelles is not paying its unsustainable debts. It has a moratorium on all its debts bilateral, multilateral, commercial, until January 2011. At that time, we will have to pay debts. It will be very painful for about Fifteen (15) years. Mr. Laporte has built up 2 months reserve of about $100 Million, which will be used in part to service debts. The President says it is for rice in emergencies. Well, we are in an emergency now and it is not for rice, try Seychelles Rupees. The people have none.

But the answer is more complicated than that.

Pierre Laporte’s Plan was focused on Inflation Primarily

The reason why we are in an economic grave hole, is that Pierre Laporte’s prognosis for our economic woes focused primarily on inflation fighting by empowering the Seychelles Rupee. He has been successful at that. Initially, after devaluation last year, Reuters reported Inflation in Seychelles reached 78%. Most recently, as the Seychelles Rupee built up muscle, inflation now stands at 31%, but still second highest in Africa. To get an idea how bad the Seychelles has been managed, we are second only to Zimbabwe. Frightful thought indeed.

Now he has proposed to buy up Euros and US Dollars from commercial banks to stabilize the rates. Of course, this a great way for Central Bank of Seychelles to buy foreign currency on the cheap seeing the Seychellois people have no rupees left to buy currency from the commercial banks, let alone rupees to buy food. All this is good and normal, but it is not enough. I hope Mr. Laporte will not be travelling over the next 60 days.

What He Did Not Do

What Pierre Laporte did not do while he sat in his leather chair at the Central Bank and plot the countries recovery is establish an early program to ensure that liquidity in the market was preserved to foster economic stimuli and activity. He ignored that and admits in the Sunday evening news, he was relying on the “good morals of bankers to do the right thing”.

Since when do central bankers rely on the good morals of bankers to run the economy? For that matter, the good morals of anyone? Did Mr. Laporte rely on the good morals of the Tourism Trade to establish confidence in the Seychelles Rupee? No, he legislated it, however improper it was. But why is Mr. Laporte treating the biggest profit centres in Seychelles, the banks ,like a club of toddlers who need a baby sitter?

What Mr. Laporte has not done, and he better do it fast, is establish a global banking standard in Seychelles instead of letting the commercial banks run amok like they are currently doing at the detriment of the Seychellois business community. Banks, lest we forget, are those little institutions that are in the business of earning money at small amounts at a time in the form of reasonable interests rates, and reasonable commissions, for money related transactions that make the economy of a country run efficiently and hence allow it to prosper and grow.

Banks must not be in the LOAN-SHARKING business, or in the business of charging exaggerated fees and interest, that go beyond what is acceptable trade practice in the industry. Not just in Seychelles, but in the entire World. After all, banks in Seychelles enjoy a sort of cartel. Hence, they cannot be the standard of proper banking business practice. And let us not forget that the Seychelles Government also operates 3 banks in Nouvobanq, Development Bank of Seychelles and the Seychelles Savings Bank!

Exxagerated Commissions or Simply Robbing The Seychellois Customer?

Where in the world does a bank buy a British Pound for SR 15.05, and then turn around and sell it at SR 19.25 rupees, making a SR 4.20 gain or 28% profit in less than a minute? Where in the world does a bank sell a US Dollar for SR 9.30 and then turn around and sell the same for SR 11.98, making a SR 2.68 profit or a 29% profit?

But tell us where in the world, other than Seychelles, can a bank send a wire transfer of Euro 100,000 and make a profit of SR 311,350? Yes, Mr. Laporte, that is THREE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY SEYCHELLES RUPEES profit, plus of course additional wire transfer fees to boot? That amount is more than what most Seychelles businesses make as a net profit in an entire year!

And while Mr. Laporte wants to put local hoteliers in jail for not following Central Bank’s par rates, the commercial banks are free to gouge their customers to financial oblivion! And Mr. Laporte has even suggested that if hotels don’t like it, they can apply to become an official money changer through a Bureau De Change. Pity the small guest houses and small hotels that will now be burdened with another license fee and running a bureau de change in order to satisfy their guests who simply want to pay their bills!

So, it is now up to Mr. Laporte to set the parameters for the commercial banks in Seychelles. That is his job. If he needs help, I volunteer my knowledge, free of charge, to get it right. Seychelles cannot afford to stay indefinitely on the wrong track. If we do, even Mr. Laporte will want a seat on Tiger Airways flight from Singapore to Perth, Australia.

What Is Wrong With Our System

Interest rates are not controlled or subjected to any controls. Banks and for that matter, any one with a license, can charge any interest rate they choose. Interest rates can mercilessly be compounded monthly under Seychelles laws or lack thereof.

This is a medieval business practice found in the days of King Arthur, the Patriarch of the Kingdom of England. If we are a civilized society, banks must come to the table all trimmed out and proper.

We must set limits to prime rates of interest and additional interest charged for risk analysis. Banks must then start working within those margins. After all that is what banks do. This will encourage them to lend more and spread their lending and business base; as opposed to restrict their lending base to 1.PUC, 2.Seybrew, 3. SEPEC, 4. Cable and Wireless, 5. SPTC.

The wider the base for loans is spread, the more penetration and impact money will have in the economy. It will be a critical tool to remove us from this stagflation status we are now living under.

But banks must direct capital to solid partners as well, and not toss their reserves to every one and anyone that has an idea, albeit a bad one.

As money circulates, and properties are placed as mortgages in real terms, then citizens will become active participants in the economy in a meaningful way. And more responsible citizens too.

Government must allow properties to be marketable to enrich its citizens. This means it will have to get rid of the “Gardette Law”, “no construction at or above 50 meter topography”, found on Praslin and La Digue. This type of policy is a disincentive towards economic prosperity. If we are to watch every fruit bat pass by as an economic principle, then SPPF-LP must say so. Then we will judge who is the fruit bat, or sick-bat!

I remember the quote in a meeting not so long ago where one smart intelligent businessman was explaining to an idiot about the fundamentals of business (without having to steal from his neighbour that is): “You cannot promote growth and restrict it at the same time”. The idiot of course answered: “Yes We Can”! Maybe he was an Obama groupie!

Why Spread The Access To Loans

Because that is what banks are suppose to do. Make money available and not hoard it. Banks must make reasonable profits from involving others, and this fosters greater stability. When banks restrict access to funds unreasonably, banks in turn foster greater instability themselves. In fact, they will be in a big way, responsible for high risk they assess to borrowers when they say Seychelles is a high risk lending jurisdiction, hence the 10%-15% clip above what should be charged for lending fees.

Now that we are in a stagflation-depression, our Rupee is mighty again, hotels are cutting costs, freezing hiring, unemployment will rise, occupancy rates will drop further, total receivables will drop further than -25% as Seychelles will structurally get more expensive then any 5 star investor ever imagined, to the point that goods in warehouses will rot, the public will suffer greatly. I ask Mr. Laporte and the LP, wake up and seek a second opinion my friends, for you have made a royal mess of an ordinary communist mess.

I suggest you provide the business community a few seats on your board Mr. Laporte. Then make the Central Bank Governor present bi-annual plans to the board. Once approved, implement. If a crisis arises, call for an emergency meeting and resolve the matter. But do get a bit more serious over the affairs of our economy because we are now in a truly royal mess.

That means we are in a royal communist mess......nothing moderate about that, huh!

May God Bless Seychelles and All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

BOOK REVIEW: A man for all regions - By Lelei Lelaulu

SEYCHELLES GLOBAL CITIZEN: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SEYCHELLES

By James R. Mancham

Paragon House, $24.95, 352 pages

Reviewed by Lelei Lelaulu

Generally, after distinguished careers, internationally recognized political leaders from the developing world descend gently into well-deserved rest from the strobe lights of the politico-paparazzi. Sir James R. Mancham, K.B.E., is an intriguing exception. His helmsmanship of the Republic of Seychelles, a tiny group of islands off the African coast in the Indian Ocean, was rudely shortened by a violent coup that ended democracy on the tiny island nation.

Undeterred by the brutality of the Tanzanian-supported coup on his isolated archipelago, Mr. Mancham, traveling in other regions, plied his "smiling philosophy" of dignifying the views of political opponents, gaining the respect of leaders in the nongovernment firmament.

In his accounts of negotiations to gain independence from London, Mr. Mancham details a litany of encounters with duplicitous British officials who could have populated a lesser John le Carre novel of bungling and betrayal by the guardians of the Establishment.

Mr. Mancham, who originally pushed for integration with Britain, soon realized colonizers could not be relied on and were even downright deceitful dealing with their charges. He writes, "[T]he word 'colonialism' had become synonymous with oppression, injustice and brutal exploitation."

Even when the Union Jack was lowered for the last time in the capital Victoria during the independence celebrations in June 1976, the first Seychellois president looked out to the harbor at warships assembled to respect the new nation from India, Australia and Iran. He rued that there was "not a single name from that never-ending list which constituted the Falkland Islands invasion armada."

Educated in London and Paris by parents of Chinese-French extraction who wanted their bright son to be "a man of letters and culture," Mr. Mancham did return as a Middle Temple-anointed barrister, but he used his legal training to enter the political arena with calls to repeal laws such as one protecting the "almost feudal privileges of the island's planters which made it an offence for an ordinary Seychellois citizen to be in possession of a coconut without a written permit."

It was also at the time when nationalist fervor in Africa had been excited by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan's "winds of change" speech committing London to the dismantling of its empire as quickly as possible. Mr. Mancham wryly suggests decolonization was Whitehall's way of preparing the United Kingdom for entry to the European Union.

However, the colonial practice of divide and rule, the denuding of resources and the dumping of territories accelerated as spent colonies were ejected from the chilly bosom of Whitehall. And, without adequate training and appropriate aid, former colonies descended into civil strife and dictatorships.

Looking across the English Channel didn't help, as Mr. Mancham was subjected to the perfidy of a Paris trying to wrench cultural dominance from the English, who vanquished them in battles for control of the islands in the 19th century. In fact, it's a wonder Mr. Mancham didn't swoon into the welcoming arms of the Soviets after his subjection to the double-dealing of Paris and London.

When you grow up in a colony, it is hard to think of any Big Power initiative that was based on altruism. Indeed, when London and Washington acceded to Mr. Mancham's push for an international airport, it was clear the oil-consuming West needed an "unsinkable aircraft carrier" like the powerful U.S. base in neighboring Diego Garcia to monitor and protect the oil lanes. So, the Seychelles got an airport big enough to land military aircraft, and the airliners bearing high-end tourists and their tourism dollars.

Mr. Mancham noted the base was moved to Diego Garcia instead of another preferred island because of a small colony of booby birds. There were, however, no displayed qualms when the native human inhabitants of Diego Garcia were removed to make way for the fortress.

After the start of his forced exile, Mr. Mancham started to really play on the international stage. At the Universal Peace Federation, he was thrust into the international limelight in New York alongside the likes of former Prime Minister Edward Heath, former Secretary of State Alexander Haig and other luminaries. He joined the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace, which placed him in the company of religious leaders of diverse faiths and regions.

His wanderlust contributed to his political ouster, and the coup leaders used his many absences as excuses for toppling Mr. Mancham, but through his exposure to other lands, he was also able to see that without aid from the colonial governments, the best way to generate income was through their citizens' desire to travel to faraway islands.