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!