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.