The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures…

…Ancient Communist saying!

No sooner that the Seychelles Freedom Party (SFP) was registered, and I gave a press conference calling for an all out BOYCOTT of the national Assembly elections, joining officially along with NDP and SNP. Immediately, the Election Commission registered another political party called Seychelles Popular Democratic Party, headed by Mr. David Pierre, ex SNP who turned in his membership to his party on national television. Mr. Pierre, was the Deputy Secretary General of the SNP.

David Pierre - SNP 2010 Conference addressing delegates on the issues of election, money and vote buying.  How ironic!

David Pierre

Correspondingly, the SPDP leader has announced, through SBC help, that he and his party will be participating in the upcoming elections for the National Assembly. They will field candidates, they will seek legislative office, and they will have a vote for the leader of the opposition.

This position is completely contradictory of the common unifying platform of the Seychelles opposition. Mr. Pierre has not met with anyone in the opposition prior to deciding if he will field candidates. I am personally uncertain if he even read the Commonwealth Report on the recommendations that have been made to level the playing field for Eighteen (18) years.

Allegations of Backing By Ruling Party

Immediately, as the party was registered, numerous allegations surfaced on the internet that the ruling party was financing Mr. David Pierre’s party.

These allegations have not been denied by Mr. Pierre, until now. However, there are reports that he has been seen making numerous trips and visits to Danny Faure’s office. Mr. Faure is the Vice President of Seychelles and high ranking PL official. What would a future opposition party leader be doing roaming even close to Danny Faure’s office, all by himself? Could this be true?

Danny Faure - Confused as usual

Desperate Times Indeed

The call for BOYCOTT of National Assembly elections is a unifying platform of all elements of the Seychelles opposition community. In spite of all our shortcomings, and all issues internally that we grapple with, we have been able to come up with a common stance and common purpose, that unifies all Seychelles opposition.

That is, a BOYCOTT of these elections is critical at this time, because the promises of democracy and freedom made by F.A. Rene in November 1991, after Eighteen (18) years, have not been kept by PL and James Michel. It is arguable that we have backed tracked to one party state in the last Six (6)  months faster then in the last Sixteen (16) years.

A Boycott exposes the promise broken by the SPPF and PL to implement democracy with corresponding freedoms made in 1991.

A Boycott exposes what the Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) in their Commonwealth Reports note, that is, we have numerous one party state laws in place that prohibit a full transition to democracy.

Basically, though we live in 2011 in life terms, but in terms of progress in democracy and freedom, we are still back in November 1991.

The Democracy Tree Without Roots

This means the democratic tree if you will, that Mr. F. A. Rene told us he was planting in November of 1991, has not taken root after Eighteen (18) years.

Albert Rene

Occasionally when it is exposed that the tree is really a dead tree, the next course of action, is to prop a few plastic oranges on the tree, to make the world believe, we have tree that is alive and well rooted. With the plastic oranges on the tree the communists can say that the tree is fine, it even bears fruit occasionally. You can even water the tree with sea water, it will thrive in appearance.

People of Seychelles, we are entering an era of plastic fruits in the opposition. As the opposition is shammed, like elections, and everything else around us, the world will see it for themselves, and we will not have to work to expose the sham, the entire tree without roots, will become a plastic tree that looks so beautiful, and lively, but it has not grown an inch in real terms since November 1991 nor has it borne any real fruit except for plastic fruits placed on the tree deliberately.

Do Not Lose Hope In Humanity

These tactics are expected of communists. They use them all over the world. In some communist countries, they fake debates, others will fake projects to give the people hope, many fake economic results to fake their success, when in fact it is all grand failure.

Faking an opposition is part of the communists effort to fake our realities. It is used to give cover and mask to their illegitimate democracies the world over.

The common thread in all communist societies is that faking it is never enough and they are sooner rather then later, exposed to the entire world, not just the central committee!

As they fake all the way, we must be united, act as one, for a common good cause that is greater then all of our sums divided.

Seselwa Unite!

Sesel Pou Seselwa!

May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois! 

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Seychelles Communists Hack CAA Powers

 

When the constitution of the 3^rd Republic was being drafted, it was the expressed intent of the framers to allow for the creation of a Constitutional Appointments Authority (CAA). The appointments authority was an idea that was taking most modern democracies, that needed to have constitutional appointments to enforce democracy that must clearly, and conclusively be beyond partisan politics.

 Jeremy Bonnelame - Head of CAA

CONSTITUTIONAL APPOINTMENTS AUTHORITY Article 139 prior to  6^th Amendment provided:

1. There shall be a Constitutional Appointments Authority which shall perform the functions conferred upon it by this Constitution and any other law.
2. Subject to this Constitution, the Constitutional Appointments Authority shall not, in the performance of its function, be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority.

The 6^th Amendment passed by the Communist led National Assembly, July 11^th, 2011, along with the single SNP vote from Jane Carpin, hacked the independence of the CAA as highlighted by this Article, with amendments that made the appointments of the CAA subservient to the office of the President of Seychelles, in the case of the Elections Commissions.

CAA Appoints Seven(7) President Names Five (5)

The first gross violation of the independence of the CAA is the appointment process of the Elections Commission, under the new Amendment. Under this scheme, the whole recommendation of the Commonwealth Observers, SADC, and our call for an independent election commission to replace a single electoral commissioner , has literally been tossed into a bin, to make a mockery of the seriousness of the recommendations.

The whole effort, seemingly pulls the wool over everyone’s eyes, and renders the principle of independent appointments to make democracy functional, farcical. The CAA has become subservient to partisan politics thus tainting its appointments and rendering them not independent.

Under the new process, and hacked powers of the CAA, the CAA appoints Seven (7) persons to the Commission. Then the CAA must submit the names to the President of the Republic, in this case, James Michel, a habitual presidential candidate. The President, then selects Five (5) persons to his choosing. This means he overrides Two(2) CAA recommendations, and the CAA selections become subservient to the President of the Republic. This is nothing short of an outrage.

Michel - First the Coup D'etat, now the Constitution

The matter must be highlighted, and rectified with an additional constitutional amendment. Failing to do that, we will be setting a precedence for the PL to follow in the future with appointments of judges, and other constitutional posts. The independence of that key branch of government will be eroded permanently to our detriment as a country.

Seychelles today, in practice has run backwards into the One Party state. We have a executive office, that is imposing his autocratic will upon the electorate. This autocratic will has its roots in a totalitarian culture, born out of the coup of June 5^th 1977.

While we have no time to look to the past, we cannot move forward as a Nation, without due reflection, on where exactly this totalitarian tendency comes from and raises its head, when the going gets tough.

It is for this totalitarian will that Seychelles is BANKRUPT and we face moral decay in our society. Nothing else is to blame, because nothing else exist in Seychelles.

Autocracy Over Dialogue

Communists are use to dictating terms and conditions to participation in business, social life, and political life. In our short history since the announcement of multi party democracy by Rene in 1991, we have been dictated to. Only one instance, did the opposition unite as a solid force to say “NO”. This was the BOYCOTT of the first constitution which was rammed down our throats by the communists.

Communists do not understand how to dialogue. They prize politeness towards them, over communication of solid ideas to them. They call you “sauvage” if you do not bow and cow tow to them and their bad ideas. As a consequence, our country fails year after year.  

Time To Boycott With One Voice

The opposition of Seychelles, must be strong and determined to unite with one voice to face down this scourge of communism and autocracy that has taken grip of Seychelles, under the Michel Administration.

The time is now, we must say “NO” again like we did in 1992 when they dished out a one party state constitution and told us to take it or leave it.

It is a time to put party self interest aside, individual self interest on the shelf and stand up for your country and say “NO” to James Michel and his autocracy.

We must say we do not accept the hacking of the powers of the CAA. It is undemocratic and it is another step to take Seychelles back to the one party state.

The Rush and Panic Is On

By closing the Assembly under highly dubious circumstances, and the cases rest before a Constitutional Court with judges on holiday, the Communists are burning up the clock to National Assembly elections, while their communist candidates follow the IOG flame around the districts, and use beer and burgers funded by the business community of Seychelles, to campaign.

We should not be in a rush to meet a Communist deadline, which they set, and they rig to sham another election.

What the opposition should be doing now, is dialogue, and work towards a unifying platform to BOYCOTT this sham process, which is in play already.

Once you fall into the trap of a communist timeline, you fail. Why? Because they rig the process and rig the rules, and sham the outcome to their favor.   They execute on their timeline.

The Boycott of 1992, showed us all that we can derail the communists game plan. We can break their nerve, and we can bend their knees to the people, and not the other way around.

When we asked for a level playing field, and international observers made the same call, we did not mean that the communists should take over the field all by themselves, by hook and crook.

From the allege buying of SNP MNA’s, to the missing ballot boxes that were alleged to have gone to State House, before National House, now the dissolution of a National Assembly, the co-conspiracy of the courts to sit on constitutional rights and human rights, and now the overt hacking of CAA independence, it looks like by hook or by crook, we are heading back to where we came from: One Party State!

If One Party State you want, One Party State you get!

Boycott the National Assembly Elections!

Seselwa Unite!

Sesel Pou Seselwa!

May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!