RAFFLES HOTEL - THE PRASLIN EYESORE

President James Michel’s recent visit to Praslin was all hyped up to the point that we had an overdose of propaganda (as usual), with SBC and Nation regurgitating the same spew over and over again for the whole of last week. There is no doubt that Michel’s presidential campaign is already in overdrive.

The two day visit took in all the ‘emotional’ issues (children, elderly, sick, small entrepreneurs) which allowed Michel secure political mileage in an otherwise morose, depressed and ramshackle Praslin island. The island has been neglected for some time now, as the SPPF/Lepep gangs (led by Mrs. Honorable herself) were too busy carving up the place, building their little empires of hotel establishments, car hires, shops etc... They have been too busy filling their pockets with the blessing of James Michel to attend to a dilapidated hospital, a dysfunctional police force, understaffed & unequipped schools, decaying agriculture, drugs infestation, haphazard transportation system etc...

Michel failed to visit one key ‘development’ which is defacing Praslin. It is the perfect epitome of the current state of affairs on Praslin. Perhaps this is the reason that Michel chose to stay away from it, as it would be a major embarrassment for him. It is the humongous hotel development under the aegis of another Michel Arab friend (Prince Talal of Saudi Arabia who already has the Four Seasons at Petite Anse). The Raffles Praslin was gifted a prime site on the way to Anse Boudin and it would seem that the contractors (Vijay Construction) were given carte blanche to put this pristine environment to the sword. The destruction of the environment in that area brings chills down the spine of many a Praslinois and visitor. As is the case with all these foreign investments, it is concessions galore and full repatriation of profits to overseas bank accounts.

The road diversion into the hilltop at Anse Boudin is a major inconvenience for the local population. Access to the beach in front of the development will now be a thing of the past for the Praslinois. Political leaders from both the ruling party and the elected opposition must fight for fair and adequate compensation for the people of Anse Boudin. It is only right to compensate them for their massive loss of peaceful enjoyment of a gift given to them by the almighty, which has been ruthlessly taken away forever from them by the Arabs and James Michel.

The company’s website boasts – “Raffles Praslin has been master planned and engineered to be self-sustaining and environmentally responsible. Paramount in its design is the preservation of the outstanding beauty of the land and people of Seychelles. Water conservation and irrigation recycling, energy management and environmentally friendly materials will be used throughout. Each secluded home site is positioned and oriented with the deepest respect for the natural environment. Whenever possible, trees and granite boulders will be kept in their original place. This ethic will contribute to a truly harmonious and tranquil guest and homeowner experience.”

We now leave you with these pictures which tell a whole different story. It is purported to be a 5 star luxury development but it resembles more like the old NYS camps of yore. It seems that the developers got the plans back to front as all rooms are located along the hill (with a diverted public road as backdrop) while the public areas and swimming pool close to the beach.

James Michel will obviously be dressed for the occasion at its opening later this year, with another mind boggling speech to extol the virtues of this type of development - which squeezes our country dry in all areas.