EYEWITNESS NEWS

Irish Secret Army Working Over time

This week a Commission of Inquiry in Ireland will issue investigative findings on the Irish Army and or Guardia officers doing moonlighting work in the Seychelles.
It has been alleged that the Government of Seychelles, under James Alix Michel hired under contract a number of Irish officers who tool leave of absence to work in Seychelles for the Communist leadership in exchange for lucrative contracts. There have been allegations that these men concluded arms transactions in South Africa on the Black Market, for the Government of Seychelles. One former Seychelles Police Officer, of high rank has confirmed this to me in private.
The investigation in Ireland was prompted after information had been received from MEP Joe Higgins, in March. Higgins limited information when questioned by Labour leader Eamon Gillmore and Sinn Fein deputy Martin Ferris in Ireland’s parliament.
High Level of Surveillance Implemented in Seychelles
Preliminary information released in the Irish press this week suggest that these men were tasked with assisting the Government of Seychelles, with the fight against piracy. However, they have in fact been doing dubious work for the Government of Seychelles, to spy on political opponents and conduct internal surveillance on opponents of the ruling Communist party in Seychelles.
The little town of Victoria has been wired with cameras and State House has been dotted with the same surveillance style equipment by contracted personnel.
Attempt To Place Drugs on Me
Over the past Three (3) years, I have received information from Two (2) different sources of two separate attempts, to place narcotics contraband in my vehicle on Mahe and Praslin respectively. In both cases, I successfully took preventive measures to prevent a successful drug plant on me.
As a precautionary measure, I advised the US Embassy of the attempts and the office of the Bishop of Victoria, Mahe. I met with the Bishop and disclosed all the information I had concerning these incidents as well as the Us embassy in Port Louis-Mauritius.
Threats By Phone and Visits By State House Thugs
On Three (3) occasions over the last Two (2) years, I have received intimidating phone calls from individuals purporting to be State House operators. I have made this information available to President James Michel, but his administration has failed to react or even offer any protection in the higher interest of securing democracy in Seychelles. The gist of the threats have basically asked me to stop writing and stop the flow of political cartoons, or else I would pay with my life for my free expression of ideas that have been on point for Five(5) years.
The Recent Warnings
Most recently, I have been warned by Two (2) different sources from State House of imminent danger I face because of my refusal to stop writing and refusal to stop the cartoons. I particular concern have been the articles that revealed the La Misere debacle, which I brought to the attention to the world.
One Informant has advised me that I must vacate my residence on Mahe, as State House Secret Army, run by the Irish under investigation in Ireland, have learnt of my locale or residence and they intend to set up a bug and monitoring operation on me, without a warrant.
Presumably, the James Michel Communist government feels highly threatened by me and they do not have sufficient information on me or my activities, since bugging my phone and monitoring my emails have produce only trivial information.
Another Informant has advised me that my Black Nissan Nivara 4x4 on Mahe will be burnt soon similarly to the burning of Lydia Jumeau’s car at La Misere.
A few people have advised me that they have been told that I burnt Lydia Jumeau’s car.
If any harm comes to me, my family, my Nivara, my Sorento, or any other property interests, I hold the Government of James Michel directly responsible and his agents. In Seychelles, political crimes are done under orders, as in any dictatorship or as in any government that retains respect by the barrel of the gun.
Home Under Surveillance
Last week, I was advised by a State House Informant that my residence on Praslin is under surveillance and my family is being watched as well.
This information corroborates with a separate report I have received from another State House Informant on a separate occasion.
On Praslin, the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA) is conducting public safety operations, after the Seychelles Police has more or less collapsed and failed to maintain Law and Order in Tourist districts. They would be the most likely operatives conducting surveillance on my residence on Praslin.
The NDEA is based at State House not at the Police Headquarters in Victoria, and is run by Nail Scully, Sergeant of the Irish Guardia, and has been one of James Michel’s key Irish contractors. Another is Liam Quinn. My impression of these Two (2) men is that they are not men of principle, but men who work under contract if the contract pays well.
Republic of Ireland Guardia investigative unit is put on Notice of these men’s work status in Seychelles.
Late last year, I had a meeting with Nail Scully, and asked him why did you come to Seychelles, he replied:” I came to help, they (GOS) seem to really need some help”. I replied to him,” Mr. Scully, if you believe in Freedom, Democracy and Justice, even Law and Order, you are working for the wrong people and you will give Ireland a bad name” before you leave Seychelles.
Scully asked me why, and I said, “Mr. Scully, you are working for criminals, the government of the day has its roots in criminality, they are beyond help”.
I asked him, Mr. Scully, did you not read the history of Seychelles, before you came here? Scully replied, “No, I did not”.
When you are through with all the bugging, intimidation, all the killing, threats with the help of your mercenaries for hire, PL, remember this:
SESEL POU SESELWA!
May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

Christopher Gill

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Regar Puts Foot In Mouth- “Save Air Seychelles”

Recently Regar October 15th, 2010 issue front page headline,” Save Air Seychelles”, revealed how lost the SNP are on issues that are threatening the viability of the Seychelles Tourism Industry. The SNP have been sleeping on the job so much, that when they finally wake up to an issue, they were in a daze and totally confused.
The crux of the article is that we must save Air Seychelles as Alain St. Ange (CEO of Seychelles Tourism Board) signed a 7th flight agreement with Emirates. Now Emirates can fly to Seychelles everyday of the week, opening up scheduling options for potential visitors.
The Boss at Air Seychelles, David Savy is not happy with an Emirates 7th flight. Regar is not happy about the additional flight either. But the Seychelles Tourism Trade is delighted over the extra flight.

The Trade, facing an unprecedented downturn in visitors to hotels beyond Eden Island and Ephelia and Lemuria Hotel ( both Constance Group Hotels), needs extra flights to fill up their rooms.
Regar did not mention the special deals Eden Island and Ephelia have made with Air Seychelles, for seats, at the detriment of the entire remainder of the trade over the past year. Nor did Regar mention the over 6000 potential new rooms that the Michel Administration approved, and will be coming on line soon enough. Who are you kidding snoozers?
Supply- Demand and Bottom Line
When the balance sheets come out each month, the Trade needs to focus on the bottom line and could careless who delivers the visitors to our shores at this point.
We would be happy if Air Seychelles could do the job and would support them, but the reality that Regar ignores and David Savy is silent on, is that Air Seychelles has been less than a Fifty –Fifty partner with the Trade.
This is where Regar and Savy, get it wrong. This is why Air Seychelles will fail. Unless Air Seychelles stops being run like a little fiefdom and coordinates its business plan with the Tourism business plan of STB, Air Seychelles will fail.
Complaining of lack of money is not a response for a CEO or Chairman. Both are hired and paid to find money to develop markets, unless they are hired and paid to be happy.
No Team Work , Face it, Accept it....but Change it!
The reality that Regar is blind to, since it is out of touch with the issue, and Air Seychelles denies, because its leadership is focused on self preservation, is that there is little team work in promoting Seychelles between STB and Air Seychelles, as a coordinated effort, today.
The strategy of Air Seychelles, is conjured up between David Savy and his Mauritian second man Rajiv.
Air Seychelles does not work to promote Tourism in Seychelles anymore as it was initially envisioned to do, a sort of insurance policy when other airlines were not quick enough to the draw to add a flight to service a market that the country wanted to develop.
Today, Air Seychelles as Col. Savy has said in numerous instances, is a business, and it is in the business of flying, sometimes that means it flies anywhere on Earth. Sometimes, this means Air Seychelles flies anywhere to survive, and that is where Air Seychelles has lost focus.
When a business loses focus, like a political party, no one can save the organization from itself. This applies to Air Seychelles, and it applies to SNP, as we see in Regar.
Air Seychelles flies to the Falkland Islands, it flies to Mauritius for Air Mauritius, it flies to Chennai, India, without a coordinated tourism marketing promotion in that city, it cancelled the Frankfurt leg all by itself, it flew to Maldives at one point, then the Comores Islands, when Singapore was developing along with the China market promotions last year, Air Seychelles cancelled the direct flight routed through Chennai. Direct flights from the key Italian markets were cancelled, without any coordination with STB. The Seychelles Tourism Industry suffered greatly from these cancelled flights. The numbers speak for themselves in those segments.
Come on guys, get a life. It saddens me to write such rubbish.
Stop Moaning and Trump Emirates
Regar and Air Seychelles are playing the same tune. They are moaning about the 7th flight Emirates will bring to Seychelles, and the 14th flight if Alain St. Ange has his way.
A Little Advise To The Mighty Air Seychelles Board
Emirates operating success is also its operating weakness. Emirates uses a hub and spoke system of flying travellers to Dubai and then it uses smaller planes to fly travellers into shorter routes. Travellers collect themselves in Dubai in a transit, then make their way to a final destination.
To out smart Emirates, all Air Seychelles needs to do is refocus on the main tourism markets in Europe, and provide direct flights for European travellers to Seychelles, cancelling the dreaded sometimes long overnight transit in Dubai. But Air Seychelles will have to coordinate its effort with a solid marketing program to win back travellers. It cannot just fly to a destination and expect travellers to jump on board because it now flies to a destination.
This is the time to coordinate efforts with St. Ange, STB, SHTA. It is sad that I have to write this, but it shows how the fiefdom strategy of management is a total failure for Seychelles. The time to end the fiefdoms is now, wherever they remain.
We Are Surrounded By Opportunities
Air Seychelles flies out of Charles De Gaulle Three (3) times a week. It can increase this frequency . It flies out of UK Three (3) times a week, but it pre-sells large percentage of seats with Air Mauritius and it can cancel that in part and focus on the Seychelles market.
Take A Deep Breath: Focus, Focus, Focus
Why is Air Seychelles flying to Mauritius so often? Air Seychelles even flies to the Falkland Islands, and I mention that, just to give you an indication on how Air Seychelles has lost focus. Our national airline cannot lose more focus then that. We all know Air Seychelles is just a one man show when it comes to bottom line decision making. It’s Board of Directors are a rubber stamp. Hence why it fails today. Michel should clean up that Board. They are menacing the success of the Tourism Industry, because they have resigned themselves to having excuses for everything that poses a challenge to them.
The infighting and back biting is more than sufficient reason to send them all packing and replace them with a serious no nonsense business oriented Board.
You don’t need to know how to fly a plane to run an airline business. You need business skills and business instinct to run a business. You can hire a pilot to fly the plane.
Refocus or Be Doomed
Air Seychelles should press to re-establish routes it closed in lucrative markets such as Frankfurt. Germany is the only EU country registering impressive 3.8% GDP and we pulled out our flight from Frankfurt. That is a bozo decision if ever I heard of one, especially when we know Germany will continue to register 3.5 % plus growth rates in the next Five (5) years.
Will Seychelles ignore this little detail regarding Germany like Air Seychelles is ignoring it?
Push to open routes in Northern Europe. Copenhagen is a hub of Northern Europe and we do not even fly there. Yet, Northern Europeans love Seychelles, and enjoy the longest holiday period in the World.
Thai Airways caught on to this and they fly directly into Oslo regularly each week and Copenhagen, cleaning up a potential tourist market that Seychelles could have easily cornered.
Let St. Ange Do His Job
Finally, Mr. St. Ange is no saint yet, as his name infers. But Mr. St. Ange is the best option Seychelles has at this point in time in marketing our destination.
Mr. St. Ange works with Government of Seychelles, and he has been appointed to STB by the SHTA, the tourism trade NGO that handles the day to day issues of Tourism Trade.
Yes the President is the Minister of Tourism, but the Trade asked for that, in order that we could face the issues that were destroying the Industry in quick time, because the Government of Seychelles had gone inept and nonresponsive to the Industries issues for too long. Regar cannot rightfully pounce on St. Ange for that.
Let St. Ange do his job!
This is the second swipe Regar has made at St. Ange in one month. The first being a critic of the Seychelles International Carnival. In both instances, I have confirmed, Regar did not even bother to reach St. Ange for a comment and the man had to resort to Nation to defend himself and his best efforts.
Such lack of respect for St. Ange and the Trade which he represents, is indicative of people that sponge off the hard work of the business community. You have all gotten use to a fat pay check being deposited into your accounts each month.

You forgot that someone had to earn that money, pay taxes, to make sure your fat cat salaries were paid. St. Ange’s strategies, under the circumstances and the reality of dealing with national bankruptcy, an IMF reform program in the face of a world financial crisis and a collapsing yield in the industry makes sense.
I will not only defend him as long as he makes sense, I will urge the dormant opposition that write in Regar to leave the man alone and let him do his job.
Did you not vote for a SCR 77 Million Budget Surplus Expenditure last week Regar-guys? Where do you think that money came from?
If St. Ange was not doing his work well, you could not have raised your hands to be fooled by Danny Faure, who rode you like a jockey on a horse.
Let me be clear for those that just woke up from a Five (5) year snooze, St. Ange is not the problem, he is trying to find solutions to the problems, while you write all sorts of mumbo-jumbo.

Sesel Pou Seselwa!
May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

WE NEED TO GET SERIOUS WITH OUR CITIZENSHIP

Christopher C. Gill
Anse Takamaka,
Praslin, Seychelles


October 21st, 2010

The President’s Office
State House
Victoria
Mahe
Seychelles
__________________________
Department of Internal Affairs
Citizenship Officer
Immigration Division
Independence House
Victoria
Mahe
Seychelles

RE: OBJECTION TO NOTICE OF APPLICATION OF CITIZENSHIP OF MR. Felicitas V. Rabara

Dear SirsMadam:
I am writing pursuant to notice in the Nation May 17th, 2010, Section 5(2) or Section (6) Notice of intention to apply for naturalisation by Mrs. Felicitas V. Rabara, nationality Filipino.
I am registering officially an objection to the naturalisation of this individual as a Seychellois, under the following grounds:
1. Entry into Seychelles in 2001 is not in itself grounds to qualify for Citizenship as applicant came to Seychelles under GOP;
2. During the time since 2001, the applicant has been in and out of Seychelles, and has not been permanently in Seychelles for over Five (5) years employed under GOP as a registered nurse; mutual exchange of obligations under contract can continue under contract and Citizenship should not be granted.
3. The Applicant is also married to another Filipino national working in Seychelles for SMB in the past, and that in itself, will negate any familial connections with Seychelles for one generation.
4. The special circumstance which qualifies the Applicant for Citizenship is cited as :”I am a resident of Seychelles. I have been a registered nurse providing service with devotion”. Providing service with devotion is required under contract and profession as a Nurse. This will not be qualify for Citizenship.

For these reasons the application for Citizenship must be denied.
Sincerely,
Christopher C. Gill

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Who Is Running The Show?

Who Is Putting On A Show?

This week was a real mess in Seychelles. The IMF was in town and they met with the Ministry of Finance, The Central Bank and the STB and SHTA.
I attended these meetings with IMF and it was obvious to me, that they were grappling with the Seychelles situation and needed some concrete figures to get an accurate picture where Seychelles stood under the Economic Reform program.
It seems every time the IMF comes to Seychelles, the figures are not quite ready and Ministry of Finance is behind on the numbers, specifically, the National Tourism yield.
If all industries are down, where does the unprecedented “success” come from that PP paints for us on SBC?

Michel Doing Door To Door
While the IMF delegation was in Seychelles for two (2) weeks, and trying to figure out what is happening here, President James Michel was on an excursion to Praslin then La Digue to assess the mess his administration has created in Five (5) short years for these islands.
Praslin and La Digue, once the pillar of the Seychelles Tourism Industry has hit the economic doldrums.
Business revenue is down, even the ferry operator is complaining and threatening to cut service because of lack of demand and a prejudicial tax on fuel that affects Interisland Ferry run by Captain William Rose and Cat Cocos, owned by Joe Albert.
It is unclear if Praslin Express has special concessions or special angles to cheap fuel. You never know.

The La Digue Door
On La Digue, Michel visited a few SPUP homes along with SBC reporters in hand and sat down and listened to the people explain the mess he has created after 5 years. It is a mess.
One may want to give Michel credit for his ability to face his own failures. However, there is one caveat: he walks with more armed men then France Albert Rene ever did. That in and of itself, tells you a lot of the Presidency of James Alix Michel.

As you see him on SBC sitting in a plastic chair listening to old ladies and shaking his head and folding his legs like a gentleman, next to the old lady is a number of men with UZI- automatics underneath their shirts, ready to unleash a death wish to any one that says the word: BANKRUPT or FAILURE or Traitor To The People, or perhaps Regional Governor to President Khalifa !

Same Problems Different Day
The problems are the same, but the day different: 1. failing neglected health care system; 2. crime on the rise, when it could have been on the decline; 3. Tourism arrivals up for Eden Island but down for the country; 4. cost of living up because of being corruption up; 5.everyone has resorted to handicraft businesses to stifle the impact of unemployment, but because there are no tourists, the handicrafts stock pile, and Michel encourages Seychellois to continue to do handicrafts as if we are a senile people. Of course, he is proud that we are all dehusking coconuts and painting fish made of local wood after Five (5) years of his failed experiment of JJ Spirit and STRATEZI 2017 ( double GDP in 10 years).

Anse Etoile, Rochon and So On
Michel then did a SBC door to door footage in Anse Etoile, then Rochon. Anse Etoile, is the seat Mr. Ramkalawan holds in the National Assembly.

As Ramkalawan spends Thursday’s on Praslin, where people there have not read or have a clue about his scams, he tries to promote his campaign on easy turf. Michel hopes to find the neglected residents of Anse Etoile as easy prey. He will be in for a surprise.

“Sesel Pou Seselwa” is alive and well in Anse Etoile
At Rochon MSR has registered a number of members and they have placed proudly their black star and SESEL POU SESELWA stickers on their gates and Michel was ordered to back track by his Principal Secretary Lise Bastienne in a panic with Ministry of Finance personnel in hand to assess the financial costs of a Rochons loss of support base.
Presidents of Republics do door to door media footage props only when panic sets in their brains and heart.
A successful President would not have to resort to door to door campaigning if his economic programs had been successful. He would know with certainty, how his people were doing. The confidence of success would resonate into the hearts and minds of the People. However, under James Michel, there is no confidence of any success. It has been Five (5) years of crisis and hell for the People of Seychelles.

Danny Faure Running Seychelles
As Michel does the door to door show to try to save himself, it is Danny Faure who is running the country, not James Michel. It appears Michel has resorted to running a show with Jean Paul Adam as producer via Black berry to give the impression Michel is in charge.
Day by day, it looks more like Vice President Danny Faure is in charge of Seychelles. Vice President Danny Faure comes from the Rene camp and has proven to be a highly effective administrator when compared to President James Michel. He has had few kind words for Michel’s running of the country into BANKRUPTCY.
James Michel BANKRUPTED Seychelles, on a loan spending spree between 2004- 2008.
At one point it has been asserted that he did not even read the Lehman Brothers Bonds before he signed them and committing Seychelles BANKRUPTCY.
Danny Faure was tasked with cleaning up the mess Michel created. This included sending Afif his sidekick to meet with bondholders, negotiating a hair cut, negotiating with the IMF, Paris Club, World Bank and negotiating extended time for repayment of our $870 Million in default.
This figure, accumulated by James Michel, was reduced, by Danny Faure to $500 Million. A credit to Faure for Seychelles, in spite of Michel’s signatures of worth perhaps $370 Million or so.

Comrade Faure To Washington
Faure even wet his communist legs in Washington DC and met with the IMF and World Bank. When begging was in order, he begged. When forgiveness for communist past was on order, he delivered. When a commitment to fiscal responsibility was called for, Danny Faure promised in communist style, “lie until they release the ropes around your neck”.
On the home front, NGO’s have been battling for years to release tax provisions for tax deductions for contributions to drug rehabilitation centres.
After Michel failed to move for years on this issue, Danny Faure moved in and saved the day for drug rehabilitation centres and other NGO’s coping with the collapse of Seychelles.
This was announced last week at the Diocese of the Catholic Church Victoria, on the occasion of a dinner in honour of the Bishop Denis Wiehe on his birthday and the opening of a seminar room at Centre D’Aceuille Drug Rehabilitation Centre.

Faure Beats Up On SNP MNA’s In Assembly
The highlight of Danny Faure’s week came this week in the National Assembly, as he presented a Supplementary Budget of Scr 77 Million, to spend all the money scooped up this year from excess taxes to the business community.
Faure’s strategy was to squeeze the business community this year to pay for next years elections. He has been successful and he even got SNP to raise their hands.
When the SNP complained of misuse of funds in government, Faure rode the SNP like a jockey on a race horse. He said: “I agree, there has been abuse of government funds, and it is for this reason I have appointed auditors and controllers to the Army, Hospital, and other sectors of government”.
SNP were left without a word or thought and actually voted for a Supplementary Budget to spend the extra money in spite of Seychelles still being unable to service it’s debts domestically or externally.
Faure had undressed the SNP Opposition and taken it on a ride around the track, as usual these days.
SNP went willingly as usual, with their heads buried in the sands of Beau Vallon, again, keeping their promise, to sleep on the job for Five (5) years.

Steadfast as Failure Attempts To Seize The Day!

SESEL POU SESELWA!
May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

                             A Trojan Horse Enters Seychelles

This week Joel Morgan Minister of Home Affairs unveiled the foundational plaque for a new Coast Guard Base and military installation that will be financed by UAE totaling $50 Million. The project will be built in 10 months by TROJAN, a construction company from the UAE.

Mr. James Mancham, former President has tipped in his two cents as a Public Relations Specialist to give credit to the move in a letter to the Nation this week referring to UAE as Seychelles big Brother in time of need. The UAE and Sheik Khalifa I believe, is nothing more than a Trojan Horse in our midst.

We need to take Mancham’s actions with a grain of salt and ignore him. Whatever he does, he does for himself, in my opinion. There is always an unmentioned agenda behind Mancham’s public antics.

PP is handing the country over to a powerful country UAE ,that has  extra- territorial visions in the region of the Indian Ocean.

What Trojan Horse?

The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War, as told by Virgil’s Latin epic poem, The Aeneid. It was the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and take control. The Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of 30 Greek men inside. The Greeks pretended to sail away and the Trojans then pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy, thinking they had out fought and out smarted the Greeks.

At night, the Greeks stepped out of the wooden horse, opened the gates of Troy , and allowed the rest of the Greek army , which has sailed back under the cover of darkness, into the City. The Greeks destroyed Troy and ended a the war decisively with its Trojan Horse.

Virgil’s famous line comes from the lesson: “Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes” (I fear Greeks even those bearing gifts)

Seychelles Needs a Military Base VS. Pirates In Amirates  Not Mahe

The fallacy of this military base issue is simple enough. The front lines against piracy is not Mahe. It is the Amirates and Aladabra Group. That is where a serious military installation is needed if the real reason is to fight piracy.

However, I believe that the piracy menace is the front line message the people are being fed to accept the project. There is a hidden agenda in the belly of this horse.

What Is In The Horse?

The real reason for UAE funding the $50 Million project is to protect Sheik Khalifa and PP as Khalifa makes Seychelles, a more permanent base for himself.

He has bought beachfront at Barbaron. He has mountain side property and villa compound overlooking France Albert Rene’s home at Petit Anse, and he is just about finished building his La Misere eyesore, with tax free materials exceeding $280 Million I have been informed. That money if collected, could free up half of Seychelles external debt.

No small sum left uncollected.

“An International Base”

The reference to “International Base” to house soldiers from all countries is a farce in itself. The base will house Sheik Khalifa’s army to protect him when he is in Seychelles. The mosque on the base as evidenced in the design plans show just that, since in the Seychelles Coast Guard, there are few if any Muslims.

No other international force has played any role in designing or contributing to the base. Where is the EU on this. Where is the UK? Where is the USA?

When Sheik Khalifa is in Seychelles, he will need at least 1000 men to protect him. He will need another 1000 housekeepers and handlers.

On two shifts, that will be 500 men per shift. Hence the rational behind a Mosque, since Sheik Khalifa will import Islamic soldiers, and would not dare be protected by Christian soldiers.

The Crosses are Offensive Like The Coco De Mer

I have been advised that even the crosses on Trois Freres mountain is offensive to the man similarly as our great Coco De Mer seal upon entry that Immigration stamped passports with. The reasons differ. One is the nut is too sexy. The other reason, being the crosses obstruct his northern view of Mecca for prayer.

The great Coco De Mer seal has been removed as a stamp by Michel, and I understand discussions of removing the crosses somehow , on trios Freres are under way so Sheik Khalifa can have free air access in prayer to Mecca.

PP can sell out our patrimony to Sheik Khalifa. PP can discuss removing crosses from mountain tops and relocating churches from town to country, as it has relocated a Coast Guard Base.

All that will only unite all the People of Seychelles under one banner:

Sesel Pou Seselwa!

May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

Photo News

SHEIKH KALIFA'S MONSTROSITY

LOOMS ON THE SEYCHELLES SKYLINE

The palace of controversies which looks more like a hospital building or block of flats is now almost ready to 'welcome' its most unwanted guest! Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the tail wagging the dog of James Michel's government. In exchange for several hectares of prime property all over Mahe, the Sheikh is playing the bogus philantropist (lessons learnt from Ramadoss) by gifting a diagnostic center, building a few houses and a coastguard base for his own protection. James Michel and his government have sold the country to numerous foreigners as they fight for their own political survival. Accountability is looming with elections next year...

Seychelles Comedy - State House Anytime Now

("A political satire based on actual events as portrayed through the state controlled media")

Water woes but the party goes on!

This presidency is working at a frantic pace. D-Day is fast approaching and maximum points need to be scored to impress the electorate. The wells have run dry and most of the infrastructure crumbles. But it’s full speed ahead with the economic diplomacy as we need to get out of the hole fast and furious.

BAWI: A very good morning Sir. Liz & I have convened a mini-cabinet meeting this morning as we have a major crisis on hand. There is not enough water to go around (let alone all this shitwater from La Misere) and we have a serious case of dehydration on our hands.

Mr. President: Good morning Bawi man! We need to keep everyone on their toes. I’m lucky to live close to Val Riche where my pool benefits from cool mountain spring water. So what do we have here? My usual dream team. I note that Danny has extended his stay abroad with the supplementary budget. The opposition seems to be gathering momentum and need to be kept in check.

Lizzy: Oh well your image is still high in the opinion polls. The greens have delivered a petition which I have binned. Gappy is doing a fine job at stalling the Mouvement. Srdjana and her team are on the offensive for all the high profile media events to finish off this year in style.

BAWI: Okey dokey! Let’s get to work. We have a packed agenda on the education, business, housing, piracy and of course travel front Bwana. Let’s get through the mundane stuff… The dust has finally settled at STB and we are making progress on Perseverance where the Sheik’s Trojan is galloping to the finish.

The usual suspects convene to thrash out ideas and contemplate collective decision making…

Du Gas: Sir, I have been taking a back seat for the past few years as I was swimming in all the projects we have to complete. I am finally seeing the light at the end of the Perseverance tunnel with His Highness’ blessing. The ghost town is now coming alive and I hope the souls do not die of thirst. JoMo is now juggling too many eggs and PUC has crashed on his face.

JenPa: Sir these problems keep haunting us. How come our super electronics engineer cannot get the Ansopin bridge fixed? We need to make sure that we do not take the Princess down south. But I am confident that, given our shared history and all that Seychelles has to offer, the Princess will have a truly memorable trip.

Mr. President: Well, we’ll make sure that there is an abundant supply of bottled water at her every beck and call or do you think a bowser will be more appropriate? We still control SBC so we will make sure that all is shown in a positive light. I gather that several people including Ramka and the La Misere folks have requested an audience with her.

JoMo: Not to worry my good Sir. I can tackle those rowdy boys and shut them up. It seems that the arrest warrant on the base case has yielded nothing. But I can always revert to the remote controlled detonation fix that I proposed when I was sitting on the Parti Seselwa committee. This party will never lead Sir!

BAWI: Oh no JoMo. Contain yourself. We are a democracy now and we cannot revert to subversive tactics. We need to beat them with brains and we have plenty flying around in this mini cabinet. You have your navy base toy to play with and keep you out of such mischief.

Mr. President: OK boys. I note that we have added some gloss on our education with MySuzy working her magic. Teachers have now been elevated to their right status. We now have a spanking new school at Au Cap and soon another at Perseverance. This was my aspiration during my pre-coup d’état teaching days.

JenPa: Sir Air Seychelles has finally caught up with Emirates and you can now enjoy the comforts of the lie-flat seats. So no more excuses avoiding out national carrier. We can now actively promote all our Seychelles brands. I cannot wait to be up in the air again to frequent the star studded corridors of economic powerhouses and royalty.

JoMo: Indeed! Royalty seems to be falling from the skies. Swazi Queen Mother Indlovukazi was quite impressed with her long overdue visit – it was a fitting occasion to get Marie Pierre out of the closet. Rey Juan Carlos cannot wait to set foot on our shores and JenPa has now pulled Annie out of the bag. He is working on several other monarchs to adopt Seychelles as a happy home just like our good Sheik has done.

BAWI: Well JoMo leave the diplo stuff to the gifted. You need to focus back on home affairs – especially this water crisis! You have a member of our local sovereigns who has proposed to help you beef up our fight against piracy. Manman will put together her goose-stepping battalion of volunteers to help you operate the secret navy base. A new veteran force in the making!

Mr. President: Oh I just love those queen mothers! They have so much wisdom. Natalie will work on developing close ties with our Swazi brothers and sisters to ensure that we share our experience in the field of caring for our little treasures. In fact, she is off to Malaysia for the First Ladies summit. ‘A Child Today, A Leader Tomorrow’- she will have plenty to share from her first hand experiences.

Lizzy: Yeah, and I handle the more adult stuff!

BAWI: Bwana I had bro Danny on the line from Washington and he reported that the Seychelles has made another first as we have raised the hope of the small island states with our successful macro-economic reforms. The Seychelles Case is the model to emulate at the Small States forum. Talk about macro for the micro states! Another first for Seychelles under your wise leadership my good Sir!

JenPa: This is the year of the milestones my comrades. There is more to come over the next few months. Ambassador Mo and I are burning the midnight oil in the diplo quarters. Enough to make de Quincy turn in his tomb…

JoMo: I have never seen such achievement since my time in office. This year has been a bumper one for this administration. We have a new drive since the introduction of new ministerial blood in this cabinet. A new sense of purpose has engulfed us. Your wise empowerment agenda is paying dividends Sir.

Mr. President: Youth empowerment is the key JoMo. Youthful faces in key positions shows that we are forward thinking as a party and we are ready to gamble and take risks. In this day and age, old flab is out. Freshness is the key. Why do you think I am surrounded by this team of youthful pretenders?

BAWI: That’s because you are young at heart Bwana. You are of the same mould as ‘Per Fondater’ with a ‘leker pti baba’ – a heart for every Seychellois. You are the undisputed man of the people.

JenPa: You will go down in history as the best leader we have known Sir. You have carried on in Mancham’s footsteps after a brief hiatus as second fiddle in the one party era. At least you managed to consolidate our social gains before selling off to the rich and famous. Your vision is exemplary and you are our longest serving politician who has dedicated his entire life for the protection of ‘nou ban aki'.

BAWI: Indeed, we embarked on a whole ‘prosesus’ of metamorphosis. Look at us; we are a microcosm of this progress – from communism to capitalism or some might say from rags to riches. We have the 4x4 brothers that hail from Cuba shouldering you on either side together with Mrs. Potty taking care of business at Ile du Port. Our Speaker keeps everything in check with his eastern bloc upbringing.

JenPa: Yeah and lest we forget, we have also added a champion swimmer, star footballer and a black belt karateka to the mix. We all hail from different backgrounds but are united in the cause for social justice.

Mr. President: It seems that our team of young experts from the Equator Institute have hit the snooze button. They need a wakeup call as they promised to come up with solutions to our pressing problems at least every ten days. What is going on there? We did launch this new initiative with all the fanfare...

JoMo: OK. I’m out of here as there is a new consignment coming in from the desert that I need to attend to. Hasta la Vista comrades!

The Swazi Queen Mother came calling to absolve the sins on the ’81 mercenary attack while the Malo arms deal link to genocide is surfacing. The move to silence the dissenting voices of the new ‘Sesel Pou Seselwa’ bandwagon has paid off for now. It is best to ride into the sunset with a weak opposition…

Seychelles Cartoon

The best lesson the Cuban trained bureaucrats in James Michel's government could learn from the dear leader

Che Guevara & Fidel Castro - Heroes of Seychelles' James Michel & Albert Rene

COWARDS AND BUTCHERS FROM SEYCHELLES!

Every now and then, we have to remind our fellow Seychellois that the heroes of Albert Rene and James Michel were actually murderers of their own people.  Simply put, these so-called heroes were just MAD murderers with no conscience who killed anyone who dared oppose them.  When we look closer to the shores of Seychelles, we remind you all of the Butcher from Uganda - Idi Amin, and of course, our own local butchers.

The June 5th 1977 Coup D'Etat Team of Murderers and Cowards - with James Michel (left holding Kalashnikov) & Albert Rene (centre) as their leaders.

James Michel - The biggest coward of them all pretending to be Saint Michel

The Mastermind behind it all - Albert Rene 

Che Guevara; Guerrilla Doofus and Murdering Coward

By Humberto Fontova

 10/9/2010

Forty three years ago this week, Ernesto "Che" Guevara got a major dose of his own medicine. Without trial he was declared a murderer, stood against a wall and shot. Historically speaking, justice has rarely been better served. If the saying "What goes around comes around" ever fit, it's here.


"When you saw the beaming look on Che's face as the victims were tied to the stake and blasted apart by the firing squad," said a former Cuban political prisoner Roberto Martin-Perez, to your humble servant here, "you saw there was something seriously, seriously wrong with Che Guevara." As commander of the La Cabana execution yard, Che often shattered the skull of the condemned man (or boy) by firing the coup de grace himself. When other duties tore him away from his beloved execution yard, he consoled himself by viewing the slaughter. Che's second-story office in Havana’s La Cabana prison had a section of wall torn out so he could watch his darling firing-squads at work.


Even as a youth, Ernesto Guevara's writings revealed a serious mental illness. "My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood. Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any vencido that falls in my hands!” This passage is from Ernesto Guevara's famous Motorcycle Diaries, though Robert Redford somehow overlooked it while directing his heart-warming movie.
The Spanish word vencido, by the way, translates into "defeated" or "surrendered."And indeed, "the "acrid odor of gunpowder and blood" very, very rarely reached Guevara's nostrils from anything properly describable as combat. It mostly came from the close-range murders of defenseless men (and boys.) Carlos Machado was 15 years old in 1963 when the bullets from the firing squad shattered his body. His twin brother and father collapsed beside Carlos from the same volley. All had resisted Castro and Che's theft of their humble family farm, all refused blindfolds and all died sneering at their Communist murderers, as did thousands of their valiant countrymen. "Viva Cuba Libre! Viva Cristo Rey! Abajo Comunismo!" "The defiant yells would make the walls of La Cabana prison tremble," wrote eyewitness to the slaughter, Armando Valladares.
The one genuine accomplishment in Che Guevara's life was the mass-murder of defenseless men and boys. Under his own gun dozens died. Under his orders thousands crumpled. At everything else Che Guevara failed abysmally, even comically.


During his Bolivian "guerrilla" campaign, Che split his forces whereupon they got hopelessly lost and bumbled around, half-starved, half-clothed and half-shod, without any contact with each other for 6 months before being wiped out. They didn't even have WWII vintage walkie-talkies to communicate and seemed incapable of applying a compass reading to a map. They spent much of the time walking in circles and were usually within a mile of each other. During this blundering they often engaged in ferocious firefights against each other.
"You hate to laugh at anything associated with Che, who murdered so many defenseless men and boys," says Felix Rodriguez, the Cuban-American CIA officer who played a key role in tracking him down in Bolivia. "But when it comes to Che as "guerrilla" you simply can't help but guffaw."
Che's genocidal fantasies included a continental reign of Stalinism. And to achieve this ideal he craved, "millions of atomic victims" - most of them Americans. "The U.S. is the great enemy of mankind!" raved Ernesto Che Guevara in 1961. "Against those hyenas there is no option but extermination. We will bring the war to the imperialist enemies' very home, to his places of work and recreation. The imperialist enemy must feel like a hunted animal wherever he moves. Thus we'll destroy him! We must keep our hatred against them [the U.S.] alive and fan it to paroxysms!"

This was Che's prescription for America almost half a century before Osama bin Laden, and Al-Zarqawi and Faisal Shahzad appeared on our radar screens. Compared to Che Guevara, Ahmadinejad sounds like the Dalai Lama.
So for many, the questions remains: how did such an incurable doofus, sadist and epic idiot attain such iconic status?

The answer is that this psychotic and thoroughly unimposing vagrant named Ernesto Guevara de la Serna y Lynch had the magnificent fortune of linking up with modern history's top press agent, Fidel Castro, who -- from the New York Times' Herbert Matthews in 1957, through CBS' Ed Murrow in 1959 to CBS' Dan Rather, to ABC's Barbara Walters, to most recently, the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg -- always had American reporters anxiously scurrying to his every beck and call and eating out of his hand like trained pigeons.

Had Ernesto Guevara not linked up with Raul and Fidel Castro in Mexico city that fateful summer of 1955 -- had he not linked up with a Cuban exile named Nico Lopez in Guatemala the year before who later introduced him to Raul and Fidel Castro in Mexico City -- everything points to Ernesto continuing his life of a traveling hobo, panhandling, mooching off women, staying in flophouses and scribbling unreadable poetry.



Che's image is particularly ubiquitous on college campuses. But in the wrong places. He belongs in the marketing, PR and advertising departments. His lessons and history are fascinating and valuable, but only in light of P.T. Barnum. One born every minute, Mr. Barnum? If only you'd lived to see the Che phenomenon. Actually, ten are born every second.


His pathetic whimpering while dropping his fully-loaded weapons as two Bolivian soldiers approached him on Oct. 8 1967 ("Don't shoot!" I'm Che!" I'm worth more to you alive than dead!") proves that this cowardly, murdering swine was unfit to carry his victims' slop buckets.


BELOW YOU WILL FIND PICTURES AND A STARK REMINDER OF SOME OF THE VICTIMS OF ALBERT RENE AND JAMES MICHEL'S REIGN OF TERROR:









Damndra Eulentin (left) - murdered by Michel's State House Killers



Gerard Hoarau - assassinated in London by the Rene Government


TO QUOTE WINSTON CHURCHILL - WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER!

EYEWITNESS NEWS

Interesting events within the Roman Catholic Church

(Letter from Father John Gappy circulating on the internet)

Dear Friends,
As September comes to an end my actual university semester also ends, and it closes on a high note: I have completed language requirements for my actual Licentiate in Theology degree and also passed my final comprehensive exams with an A- grade, which is the second best, as A is the highest mark.
I had to follow Latin classes for 2 semesters as part of the ecclesiastical degree since I did only Greek and Hebrew at the seminary. Do not worry, no, I will not be celebrating Latin masses when I come back home….I will make use of my studies to go further with the process of doing theology within our Creole context.

Now, I am aware that strong rumors are going around….I am not surprised for 2 main reasons:
1/ It is our nature to project onto others what in fact are our own issues…
 2/ Our own Diocese is keeping silent about my situation. 

Therefore, I have decided to come out with a few facts and will let you draw out your own conclusions. This is a long email…bear with me…and be patient enough to read correctly right up to the end.

1. End of 2005: Resignation from Diocesan Administration
When I resigned from the Bishop's admin I mentioned clearly in my letter that I did not want to go abroad for whatever reason because my mother was elderly, alone, and not well (and she died!). Just about a week later Mgr gave me the EAPI brochure....so....I ‘obeyed’ and left for Manila.

2. April 2008: Administrative problems with my EAPI degree
The first degree I started was partially completed in 2008, with only thesis needed. I moved to another course since there was an administrative problem with my MA degree at EAPI.
Having studied in France I only had a church degree. This was not accepted by the university linked with EAPI. So, I moved to a church degree course which began in June 2008, in a different section of the same university.
3. June 2008: Mgr Denis Wiehe agrees to my new course at Loyola School of Theology
Mgr Wiehe came to Manila in June 2008, met with EAPI director and myself, agreed for me to begin the church degree at LST. I have an official email where he clearly states his agreement for my actual Licenciate in Theology with the option for a doctorate all open…. The Licentiate needs around 3 years to complete, and I am right on target since June 2011 will be 3 years since I began this course and I expect to finish this degree by then.

4. 31st December 2008: Mgr Wiehe changes his mind about my studies.
I got a shock when Mgr bluntly told me that he will not allow me to continue beyond March 2010. The reasons he gave me were bogus, he even contradicted himself, and never allowed me to speak out!

5. January 2009: One-Way Ticket to Manila.
I was given a one way ticket and this is why I cannot come back home as I did before…. I assure you that Christmas 2009 and New Year’s day 2010 were really painful ones for me. I spent them in complete loneliness!! In a certain way, this experience has made me stronger.

6. March 2010: Mgr maintained his decision not to extend my studies
I prefer not to go into details about this event but I had enough of these games being played with my life. I took things into my hands and decided against Mgr’s ultimatum to stop everything and return..empty handed!

7. April 2010: Cancellation of Money transfer.
Becoming responsible of myself also meant that I finance my studies without the Diocese’s help. So, I cancelled the monthly transfer and since then I have not taken ONE CENT from the Diocese of Port Victoria. Even the yearly international medical insurance has stopped…. I will come back to money issues at the end.

8. April – May 2010: Fighting time
When I referred to his official email of 2008 Mgr Wiehe panicked, promised to support me if he mentioned it before…up to now nothing has been done. Mgr did not trust the information I was giving him so I put him in email contact with the Dean of L.S.T. After several emails, where the Dean’s assessment came out to be the exact info I gave Mgr, Mgr gave in and told me to decide how long I need to complete my Licentiate. I then requested we make a calm discernment instead of reacting without solid reasons….no news up to now.

Friends, these are facts, and perhaps now you understand why there is a silence about my situation. I have decided to break it now.
Now, with my EAPI studies on pause I had to move out of this Institute and find another place to stay. So, since May 2010 I am renting a bed-sitter in a building close to the parish church I help. Most of the residents here are students and professors. Yes, the “impossible” has happened, I cook!!!...LOL….

Last issue: Money
1/ The Diocese and myself
I want you to know that all through my 12 years of ministry in Seychelles I NEVER went on holidays….Each priest receives a free ticket to any destination every 3 years…and of course each one will be buying tickets above $1000….multiply by 4 and you see how much I saved the diocese from spending during that time.
So, I truly hope that people will stop blaming me for wasting church money…
Look around and they will see worse than that. At the same time, I will be using my training to help our church. Who said I was not coming back? That’s a lie!

2/ The way I am financing my studies
I do “freelance ministry”…. I help the Our Lady of Pentecost parish with masses, Baptisms, blessing of places, confessions etc…. I do the same for several schools around here…. I have parishioners texting me for family gatherings (masses)…. I give retreats…specially to Miriam College. I have a contract of nine 3-days retreats for BA graduating students till end of December. Have done 6 already, three more.
By accepting more requests than before I am able to support myself and pay for my studies…..again, do tell people who blame me about money to shut up.

3/ Sale of my property at Petit Paris
I have sold my property, and this was a decision I took a long time ago. As a diocesan priest I am entitled to possess any kind of property and this is my civil right. Now, I have my personal plans what I will do with my money when I come back…and I pray that people leave me alone about this as it is my private life. Lies are going round that I have transferred all my money to Manila….I am really amazed how people can invent such things. If banks were open to the public I would ask for my accounts to be published!!!
Not one cent has moved out of my Seychelles bank account!
Even if I were to transfer money…it is MY MONEY and no one should be bothered about this.

I hope you are still with me at this point of my email….

Please pray with me as I grieve the loss of a dear cousin, Rita Gappy. Her funeral will be on Thursday. Rita was one of these rare women who trusted in me and would not be deterred by any rumor once she had heard my side of the story. She was therefore a source of strength for me…and I already miss her.

I thank you also for being by my side as true friends and may this email enlighten you about my situation. Rest assured that all the pain I have gone through have turned me into a stronger man and priest.
I am happy sharing myself through my priesthood and I thank God for blessings He sends each day upon me. It is surely divine providence that I am able to support myself by exercising my ministry and finding happiness and joy in doing so.

Have a blessed day,
Lanmitye,


Fr. John Gappy.

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

TRIBUTE TO SNP

The SNP held their convention last week, the 3rd in 12 months. SBC was there on hand and provided them with ample radio coverage, ample TV coverage, and the leader, Wavel Ramkalawan, was interviewed and gave a soft melancholy call to the public, advising them that the SNP is now ready to take control of Government and run the country after 17 years in opposition.
He was not serious of course.

The Motions in the Ocean
Mr. Ramkalawan said that the SNP had passed Two (2) motions, one was to send a petition to the President, at State House; the second motion was to ask the Attorney General to draft a new Public Orders Act.

What kind of Opposition sends petitions to the President? That is utterly a total joke. If a lead opposition party wants things done, it uses its strength to negotiate. It does not send petitions. Pathetic.
Secondly, why does SNP not draft the new Public Orders Act and table before the National Assembly? They had 17 years to do that.
Their actions resemble total ineptitude, bordering on the ridiculous leaning on the elementary.

Did The Departing Members Know?
Many members of SNP have told me they attended the Convention because it was their last convention to symbolically bid a farewell to the leader Wavel Ramkalawan.
I have referred to Mr. Ramkalawan as a millionaire- priest, referencing his departure from caring for his flock the last Five (5) years, to now caring for himself.

The evidence speaks for itself:
1. 38% salary increase, while the people suffered under IMF administration;
2. 70% of salary Pension for life in conspiracy with SPPF which SBC hid from the Public;
3. Ramkalawan complains about not having land for an office, but could build a multi level villa for himself;
4. taking money from foreign interests like SIVA, Eden Island Khalifa likely, and others, and remaining silent while these interest take Seychelles patrimony, ( example Eden Island has 10,000 potential new citizens);
5. remaining defensive on Bernard Georges’ representation of Sheik Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nayan and those dubious land sales in violation of the State Lands and Rivers Act;
6. remaining silent on Pauline Ferrari taking employment with State House as a Vice Consul in Paris;
7. remaing silent on mis use of party funds- what will he do in power; I believe this man who deeply lacks integrity in my opinion, will do what SPPF does: PILLAGE;
8.in that time Vivian Soundy departed and was put under threat if she spoke out on the abuse of funds; I am told she was even threatened with loss of life if she spoke, typical tactic of a bully;
9. Alain St. Ange departed, another Treasurer, and has been castigated by the same leader;
10. the pension Ramkalawan voted himself in conspiracy with SPPF will give him and Marie Lise Potter (PL Leader of Government Business) Scr. 12 Million each, if they retired today, over a period of 40 years.

They will each take about Scr. 34,000.00 per month, for the rest of their lives, unless we cancel this law, and send them breaking macadam together.
All they have to do is breath in and exhale, while the People of Seychelles suffer from their scandalous legislative conspiracy, they will collect this money at our expense if we do nothing.

Left Arm Pushing Right Arm Up To Vote
As the motions were voted the SNP delegates, who I have been told by Mancienne are not very smart, used their left arm, to raise their right arms and they voted in what appeared to look like a state of manic depression.
They have good reason to be depressed. Their leader has failed all Seychellois and he has failed all of them collectively.
But he chooses to stay, while younger potential leaders like Prea, Pierre and Henri are kept on the back burner, and their talents are wasted.

No Call For Unity in Opposition
If a leader can be given a mandate to destroy a party, the delegates of the SNP convention did just that last week.
There was no call for a united opposition. Not even a discussion. This is contrary to even Wavel Ramkalawan’s word to me last year, and his promise that he would work in that direction, setting a February 2010 deadline for himself.

A Word From Mandela Ramkalawan
Nelson Mandela said to throw a punch and be effective, all fingers must fold to form a fist. Mandela said this in reference to bring all factions on board no matter what the differences are to defeat a common enemy. Failing that, we will not throw a punch and we will suffer defeat and pain.

If Mandela is right, SNP is heading for defeat and it would have voted for the defeat itself, at its convention that had a fair amount of empty chairs.
When that happens SNP, do not blame MSR…..because, we told you so.
People of Seychelles, unite as one fist to destroy SPPF once and for all to set all Seychellois free….unite under MSR!
SNP has wasted our time, now they intend to waste our money for 40 years.
In spite of that, I encourage Mr. Ramkalawan to join MSR. But water seeps it ‘s own level, so be prepared to follow, for you have shown us you are no leader of the People. You are only a priest –millionaire, whose wealth has been gained off the plight and suffering of a people.

Sesel Pou Seselwa!
May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

Seychelles Cartoon

Seychelles Comedy - State House Anytime Now

("A political satire based on actual events as portrayed through the state controlled media")

Travels and tribulations!

 There has been an infestation of the travel bug lately and the whole team has gone on a hunting spree. From New York to Moscow to Swaziland, Danny Boy is enjoying his new VP status while JenPa also joins in the mile high club and toasts the embassies. Money is no object. The President is coasting and is in the driving seat for the illusive Mo Ibrahim coveted prize

BAWI: Good Morning dear Bwana! Our shitwater dilemma is now history. Superman Pinocchio has dealt the final solution and everyone will settle for 250k. His Highness will gladly send his ambulance plane and have all victims treated at the Sheik Khalifa Medical facility in Abu Dhabi should the symptoms persist.

Mr. President: I am glad that this is now over Bawi. It has been the worst nightmare of this presidency. But we have shown resilience and managed to remove the s...t out of the water.

Lizzy: Hello my Men! The two high-powered ministers are here to recount on their adventures.

Enter JoMo the superego elf man and the diplogenius JenPa, master cocktail circuit toaster…

JenPa: Good morning my good Sir! I have some fine news from New York! My address at the general assembly was very well received. I performed as if I was on my swimming podium. My resume is already shining bright. Not bad for a couple of breaststrokes and some butterfly stunts heh?

Mr. President: Ah New York! Big city of dreams! Lizzy wants to do the catwalks there one day. I will have to take her to the Big Apple so that we can both make the Forbes list someday.

JoMo: Hasta pronto Senor! Nothing beats Spain and the bullfights! This is where I got my inspiration for the final take it or leave it settlement for the La Misere whiners. Those unhappy can see me in court. We had to cut our losses as we have lost the district and the risk of contaminating other districts was high.

BAWI: Yeh! Those Senoritas can take any bull by the horns. Lizzy & I have just appointed one to wrestle The Saint to the ground at STB. We now have our woman on the inside and she will put her cabin crew skills to good use and serve sangrias and tortillas to the tourism trade.

Mr. President: She has all the KKK elements and it is the best way for us to satisfy our MDG Plus targets as we empower more ladies around us. My own entourage needs to be beefed up. Even JP now has a stunning number as press attaché at MOFA. You did a great job toasting our Comrade Hu and dear brother leader Gadhaffi – both exemplary visionaries.

JenPa: Sir! New York was a clear example of us shinning through. Danny Boy was acting presidential in your absence and I had to keep reminding him that you are still the boss. He could not fathom how he could sell his Cubanomics in NYC. He did swing the door wide open for business at our forum but no one signed up because Ronny gave an interview at the UN radio to say that we are sinking!

BAWI: Oh well! That’s what you get for sleeping too long on the job. My poor bro is working tirelessly to justify his new title of VP and ADB chairman. He has set up his own 4x4 Foundation in Swaziland and sung our praises at the childhood conference in Moscow. He touched down a few days ago and is off again. He might beat you to the Mo Ibrahim prize next year Bwana!

JoMo: Yeah! He even lauded Mugabe for the clarity of vision during his tenure which contributed to the continued growth of COMESA. With such a mentor I can see our economy surging to new heights. You guys fit perfectly into the picture. It’s high time you deal with the real issues at home.

Mr. President: Boys, we need to ensure that we have a distinguished delegation to meet our dear Princess Anne. This is the biggest coup orchestrated by JP. We need to lay the red carpet all over and I will finally get to test drive the Rolls Royce that Gaines-Cooper gifted to me. I might get a knighthood as the Chancellor of UniSey.

BAWI: We will include this Cooper man at the state dinner as he has a lot to gain. He would love to meet the Princess to discuss his problems with the UK Tax Department and his residency status in Seychelles. I have already been briefed by Dr. Woff Sir. Now that he is a bachelor boy again taking care of the Pomeranian, he has all the time in the world to plan the grand opening of UniSey. He has ordered all the gowns and has already sent the invites out.

JenPa: UniSey is the brainchild of the President and it will be his moment of glory. No other president has achieved such milestones. As the draughtsman of the revolution, he has changed the course of our history and is now basking in the glory of tenacious leadership. His legacy reads like a tome. And I am proud to be a lieutenant by his side.

JoMo: Sir, as Minister of the Environment, I will make sure that the Princess has a safe landing on Aldabra. Mo & JP from MOFA can play the fiddle by the pantheon at Vallee de Mai. She should also get a sneak peek at the carbon neutral Cousin. Sustainable tourism at work…

Mr. President: Perfect agenda. This will give her a good glimpse of the Seychelles brand. I will personally invite her to join us or send her daughter to party with us at the carnival.

JoMo: Sir, don’t forget that you and Bawi still have to chart the way forward for this famous brand. You promised a five year master plan for this new motor of the economy. With all the red tape curtailed & private sector in the driving seat, we are indeed going from rags to riches.

BAWI: We have laid down the pointers. As chairman of STB, with the invaluable assistance of the new deputy CEO, we will take this vital industry to new heights. We have workable solutions to propel our country as a world class model. Let the Seychelles brand infuse our thinking as we celebrate our 40 years of tourism next year. Let’s unleash the potential.

JenPa: Sir, I am still bewildered at how ‘The Saint’ managed to twist your arm on the Ile Aurore and Victoria waterfront projects. Shame that the deal with the South Africans and Omanis did not materialize. Du Gas really took us on a ride this time… But you have turned it around brilliantly. You will surely go down as the most visionary Minister of Tourism. Hail to the chief!

BAWI: Sir we now have to make sure that it is genuine Seychellois that benefit from these projects. We cannot alienate our voters anymore by allowing the naturalized Du Gas buddies of Siva & Rama away where near these projects. We will have another revolution on our hands.

Mr. President: Well depending on what is on our next begging list for the Sheik, I might have to surrender a portion. We have no other choice. The Sesel Pou Seselwa movement is gathering pace and we need to consolidate ‘nou ban aki’.

JoMo: Sir, I have drawn up my wish list. We need to ensure that all our roads get a new coating from the airport to La Misere and Barbarons so that his highness can ride in comfort. A new surface is also needed on Praslin if we are to win back this island at the next elections.

Mr. President: OK, I will let Danny handle all the dealings from now on. We have pushed for a supplementary budget to see us through this year with multiple trips overseas. We are in for a landslide next year as I ride on the carnival wave and we throw a massive party for the ‘zwe dezil’. Not to worry my boys. We have everything under control.

BAWI: His highness has delivered on his Perseverance promise and we have a new district in the bag. We will soon open the new diagnostic centre and the state of the art coast guard base. Our people will soon forget the shitwater nightmare and all the mishaps of the one rupee land deals, monstrous palace on the hill and drain on our water and electricity supply. Long live the Sheik, long live diplomatic immunity!

JenPa: Sir, we need to have a ‘tète à tète’ to discuss your forthcoming economic summit meeting in Brussels. We will finally make it to the EU capital with the supplementary budget. Time to pry open the doors of the European movers and shakers. OMG, I can’t believe that Christmas is round the corner…

The nomadic team contemplates more travels and the signing of new deals to prop up this presidency as it prepares to do battle on the ‘judge me by my multiple actions’ banner. With the foreign contingent under the wings, a third tenure of promises is assured…