The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Seychelles Enters Economic Depression

After touting the need to make economic reforms in the last quarter of 2008, the SPUP, SPPF and Parti Lepep have now officially taken the Seychelles into economic depression. This is the official IMF position concerning the Seychelles, as highlighted by Forbes Magazine, July 9^th, 2009.

Forbes, an authoritative business publication quoted International Monetary Fund (IMF) source and reports referring to Seychelles said: “…the USA was fortunate to not be in a depression like numerous world economies such as Seychelles, Iceland, Venezuela, Ukraine and Jamaica, (which) are saddled with huge government debt burdens and are drowning in it”.

Worse, according to Forbes, all five (5) countries have weak GDP (Gross Domestic Product) meaning what a country earns in one year, creating the ugly phenomenon known as stagflation.

As Seychelles is already under performing with -11% GDP in 2009 as confirmed by the IMF, we now have breached the -10% benchmark for what would be considered a recession. According to Forbes and IMF, Seychelles is one of the countries of the world going through an economic depression.

This depression is aggravated because we are also experiencing stagflation, wherein unemployment and cost of living shoots up, while the national turnover represented in GDP drops like a falling star.

Stagflationary depression as found in Seychelles is particularly troublesome and difficult to get out of because of the downturn in economic activity results in a curb in demand, hence, reduced economic activity which results in less money in circulation that is needed to generate business and economic activity. This results in reduced growth rates and reduced prosperity.

The final result is that life gets harder for everyone; there are less handouts, less capital projects from business and government alike. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) takes flight. The poor and vulnerable get even poorer and more vulnerable quickly.

The rich find their wealth in real terms disappearing overnight as values deflate from curbed demand, overhead costs eat away at reserves as cash flow tightens. Wealth vanishes over a prolonged downturn. In a phrase, we are now doing the incredible, unbelievable shrinking thing. Believe it!

Parti Lepep is leading the depression. How sad! What happened to Strategy 2017 and the 10% plus GDP per year and doubling of our income? All fancy words but no action and reality as usual.

A Personal Note

People of Seychelles, I have been writing for you for many years now at a time when few people would even think of alerting you to the real impending crisis we were about to face. SPPF called me arrogant. They said I was a prophet of doomsday, they called me Dr. Gill and Mr. Know it all, and ridiculed me and all my ideas I put on paper, while they could not fight back with any better ideas. They could not defend themselves, so they attacked me personally. Because I showed you the SPPF lies and I showed you how they have ruined our country, they punished me.

To punish me, they delayed my Planning Applications for subdivisions by as much as six years, for restaurant, by over three (3) years and even asked me for an EIA for a simple restaurant which Ephelia would be proud of, which counted every plant and crab on the proposed site that already had an old septic tank on it from a previous structure. For a fence, to protect my clients from thieves which they could not control, they delayed this reasonable request unreasonably for years, without showing good cause, after initially approving it on site.

A request for a car hire license was rebuffed even when it violated my constitutional rights to participate in the development of my country. In a phrase, they have done everything they could do to discourage me from placing a light over their heads. Like all Seychellois, SPPF and LEPEP want us on our knees to beg for what is rightfully our rights. I will not go on my knees. I ask all other Seychellois to stand and do not go to your knees. Face this failing regime with pride and dignity.

I will not be deterred from exposing SPPF Parti Lepep for what they are: an utter failure in Seychelles history. Give support to those that demand peaceful change. For those that cower on their knees in fear of retribution, please pray that God will give them the strength to fight this battle which we will win eventually.

They Are Communists - Red, Red Your Pants Are On Fire

We must see SPPF for what they are. They are communists. They use the People, the most simple and the most vulnerable to keep power so they can continue their communist ways.

As they continue to run Seychelles, we will all continue to suffer greatly. The suffering will continue to increase and it will continue to get worse.

Communist find blame everywhere except on their own desk which is usually empty. When they implement a bad policy or bad idea, they say it was necessary and now they will stop.

They will blame Seychelles problems today on the world recession. But remember, when they say the world is in recession, today in Seychelles, under SPUP SPPF Parti Lepep, same-o same-o , we are in depression again, like we were in the 1920’s under the British Crown and in the 1800 under the French Government.

As those administrations at that time neglected the Seychelles and was slow to do what was in the best interest of all our people, SPPF Parti Lepep has been no different. But today, the financial numbers are higher, but the pattern remains the same. Rene has changed nothing and has led us into an abyss of failure. He has only changed the names of our streets, got rich off the hard work of our citizens and state assets, and attempted to alter history to make him look better than his colonialists forefathers; some of which mismanaged our affairs.

Today Rene overtly attempts to side step Mancham’s good deeds and erase them from our history because Mancham was successful and smart; Rene was simply jealous of a Creole being successful and leading the Nation beyond the bondages of colonialism and history of slavery.

The Real Liberation

Mancham’s idea of an international airport and encouragement of a tourism based economy was the real liberation for all Seychellois from the shackles that Kastor wore under orders of his white shirt masters. This single timely great idea, set us all free and Rene knew this would happen. How many people work at the international airport and are open supporters of Le Pep, but in private and at the ballot box support the Opposition? They know who gave them the airport and the opportunities that came with it.

Without the airport, pilots today would be carrying cinnamon sacks on their backs. Stewardesses and air hostesses would be polishing floor planks with brosse coco, SPPF LEPEP! The airport which Rene opposed is what makes things possible today and what opened the Seychelles to the international tourism market.

What will make things happen is a full transition!

Big Let Down Lion Bites His Tail

Parti Lepep, SPPF, SPUP, same –o same-o have let the people of Seychelles down with their failing ideas. They want to claim to be architects of modern Seychelles. Yes, they are the architects of modern Seychelles depression.

They have ruined our economy of which the seeds were sown in the early days of the 1970’s under Mancham’s’ leadership and foresight to build dams like Rochon and La Gogue, to build an international airport and international class hotels on world class positions.

Today we look upon the Mancham era from Chief Minister to President, as an era of unprecedented growth and prosperity in Seychelles modern history. It was Mancham who took us out of the bush and allowed us to leave the cinnamon for birds if we so wished.

It was Mancham who gave us an alternative to the copra plantations, although he did not chastise them to destroy ambition and enterprising, hardworking individuals. It was Mancham who created the first housing projects of substance. But Mancham did not give out houses based on political support. He thought that if he provided housing, support would follow.

Rene and SPPF Parti Lepep like all communist organs want you to lay allegiance on their door mats in order for you to live and eat. They take your dignity and place it under arrest. They hold your dignity and individual pride hostage over a house, apartment, plot of land, business license, or even a little Terios Jeep with fuel vouchers.

SPPF-Lepep leaders Rene and Michel, you are not Gods and never will be. Your Parti Lepep is not the Catholic Church nor is it the Protestant Church. And you are not the mosque either.

SPUP SPPF Parti Lepep have let Seychelles down in a big way. Now it even bites its tail. Read on Red Herring!

Keep on biting!

Today, People of Seychelles, Parti Lepep is taking us back in time reminiscent to periods of great pain and suffering in Seychelles history. After World War One, under the British Crown, Seychelles suffered from neglect in administration, and went through a depression.

After the Second World War, again, Seychelles went through a period of depression as she was again mismanaged by the Crown Governors.

In 1935 James Lehman, a good Governor faced with a depression in Seychelles, advised the Crown Legislative Counsel that the government had been over spending and proposed that government official salaries be cut. The hard grim facts are that the government had been overspending, he told the Legislative Counsel.

Governor Lehman had the courage to tell the truth when Seychelles was in a depression. He took brave courageous exemplary measures to correct the shortfall. Example, he cut the SR 4,000 allowance for overseas travelling afforded to top officials and he found that to be exorbitant in difficult times, citing that Seychelles was not a far off savage uncivilized place that people had to escape from.

Parti Lepep so far has displayed no courage to cut top government salaries. Instead, they cut workers from government and raise their own salaries. Unbelievable indeed. But communist indeed.

With Parti lepep what do we see? A SR 64,000 proposed salary for a judge we do not know, when a Seychellois judge can and is showing every day he can do the same job for less and restore integrity in the court system. Plus our own Seychellois judges understand our Creole language!

Today, Bernadin Renaud stands in the same place Dr. Paul Lanier stood in 1929 seeking a doctors post as a Seychellois well/best qualified and he was side stepped by a medical assistant “Dr. Bradley”, a non-Seychellois, non-trained, non-qualified surgeon to head the hospital.

Will qualified Seychellois ever have a place in our judiciary system?

How sad a legacy this is for you, Mr. Rene, an attorney yourself! Today, a Seychellois must fight for a job he is qualified to do in his own country. You may want to take a dip in your triple dip pool and reflect on this as a personal matter for a minute. You will see quickly how the lion bites his own tail.

After all, Justice Renaud helped us draft the Constitution and he has proven that he is an avid learner and does not sleep on his head. He is young, energetic and his willingness to do good and improve himself and all that is around him comes from his heart, not his pocket. He places his name and convictions on the line and does not leave with it as he exits the immigration counter for another land to retire.

What about Chief Registrar Melchor Vidot, is he not qualified to be a Magistrate? And Mrs. Nicole Tirant, is she too smart to be a judge as is Miss. Alexia Amesbury, another very capable Seychelloise?

Or shall we continue to quote Mr. Boulle’s that “in the old days, Seychellois aspired to be judges and today, judges aspire to be Seychellois”?

Communist Perfect “No” Word

Oh, how you communists have perfected the reasons behind the word “no” is testament to the evil tendency of the human condition when faced with insecurity and the constant need to control what does not need instruction.

As the depression of 2009 sets in, the waste continues at State House. We see Goldwing motorcycles being used for VIP escorts when they can be used to patrol the streets of North Mahé and South Mahé to keep our people and visitors safe. We see abuse of spending in all corners, shopping trips to Singapore, Dubai, the list is endless of abuse of funds. Those caught by the press or even their peers with their hands in the public jar are allowed to frolic on to private enterprise without ever being held accountable. In fact, not a single Government worker has been sent to jail for corruption since the Coup D’Etat!

As this example remains the order of the day, more graft and corruption continue to eat away at our skim resources in a period that Parti Lepep has taken us all by themselves, but they want us to now “Koste” and help them get out of it.

Yet, they expect us to swallow all the partisan dung they dish out for us on June 5^th each year, and endure all the exclusive airtime on SBC possible to whitewash history to make themselves look good, when in fact, they are the ugliest historical scar upon Seychelles since the measles outbreak in 1919 and the whooping cough epidemic in 1920.

How many lives and livelihoods will you take in this Depression of 2009 SPPF-Parti Lepep?

May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois and Our Beloved Seychelles!