Open Letter to President James Michel of Seychelles by Paul Chow

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT JAMES ALIX MICHEL

Last night (22 February, 2010) the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), the state owned and funded broadcasting media, gave you 20 minutes of prime time television coverage just on your visit to the their establishment.  In your public statement relayed by SBC on the occasion, you praised the workers and staff for their good work and professionalism, and offered them more support in the future. You also exhorted the youth (the generation next) to take up a career in broadcasting. It is good when our leader publicly bestows recognition on the good work of those tasked with delivering an important service to our community, especially in the vital area of public information. As the saying goes, knowledge is power, and empowering the people to be able to make good decisions is the purpose of government in the era of the internet, a notion that you also alluded to last night. After listening to you last night, I could not help but issue this open letter to you, to point out a serious flaw in your slick image, bordering on high level hypocrisy and worse.  This is because you have signally failed in your duty not only to the staff of SBC but also to the people of Sey chelles when it comes to this organisation. More seriously, you have also in the process failed to keep faith with the oaths of office that you twice took when you assumed the presidency of our country.  This dereliction of constitutional duty in my view is worthy of impeachment. You may be wondering what on earth I am talking about, which won’t be surprising. As a point of reminder, you and I are two of a privileged few among the citizens of our country to have their hand  written signatures on the original document that became the Constitution of the Third Re public after being approved overwhelmingly by the people in a referendum on June 12th, 1993. We both arrived at this position (which the Irish judge Michael Riley called the “distinguished consti tutional commission”  ) through an open election process in 1992, which I and many of our citi zens then, would not characterise as fair principally because SBC, as well as other organs of state, were working entirely for your party. Ironically, SBC acquired its current name and legal status that very same year from the authority of your party alone (the one-party state) and constituted in such a way to be at the beck and call of your party. But that is water under the bridge or should be, except that in the document that we signed which became the fundamental law of the land, there is an obligation for the government and parliament“to within twelve months of the coming into force of this Constitution, bring the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation Act, 1992 into conformity with article 168.” Article 168, for its part reads: (1) The State shall ensure that all broadcasting media which it owns or controls or which receive a contribution from the public fund are so consti tuted and managed that they may operate independently of the State and of the political or other influence of other bodies, persons or political parties. (2) for the purposes of clause (1), the broadcasting media referred to in that clause shall, subject to this Constitution and any other law, afford opportuni ties and facilities for the presentation of divergent views.” It is now 17 years since the Constitution came into force and throughout that time it has been only you and your predecessor who have occupied the post of Head of State and Chief Executive.  You are now seven years into a second mandate as Head of State and Chief Executive of our country, and this vital constitutional provision has yet to be implemented.  It is your overriding and signal duty and responsibility to do so. That is why I find it hypocritical as well as insulting when you claim on the precinct of SBC yes­terday, that its management and Board, as currently constituted, are discharging their true respon­sibilities since both you and I agreed in 1993, that SBC’s legal status was not in conformity with the spirit and letter of the Constitution of the Third Republic which bore both our signatures Moreover, at the time of announcement of the appointment of Irish Judge Michael Riley to chair an independent inquiry into the incident of October 3, 2006 when the police fired tear gas and rub ber bullets at a small and peaceful demonstration, you also promised to fully and equivocally im plement his recommendations.  This year would be 3 years since Judge Riley delivered his report to you.  Just to remind you, among his recommendations are the following: Recommendation: - Since the provision in Schedule 7.2(5) of the Consti­tution was made following consideration of the issues by a distin guished Constitutional Commission and included in the text of the Con stitution the Inquiry recommends that the requirement contained in Schedule 7.2(5) be implemented forthwith. Recommendation: - A new system for selecting persons to serve on the Board of the SBC should be introduced. On a further note, in case it may have passed you by, under current law, the President (you) alone appoints all the members of the board of SBC, and worse you also appoint and has the authority to fire, the Managing Director of SBC (as well as any member of staff). I could see and feel  the em­barrassment of Mr Antoine Onezime on screen, as he showed you around. I consider Mr Onezime a professional broadcaster (equally esteemed are many members of his staff). Please cut him loose and allow us enjoy the benefit of his professionalism. He dearly wants to show respect to the rest of us just as he shows respect you, but unlike us, you literally hold his career in your hands under the existing SBC Act. Indeed, Judge Riley has recommended a way to create a truly independent board for the new SBC to appoint someone like Antoine Onezime, which you are obligated under the Constitution to create but has so far failed to do so.   On a final note, perhaps at this juncture I should remind you of the oaths that you took on assum ing office (and I was honoured and privileged to be there on the lawn of State House watching you taking them):  OATH OF ALLEGIANCE I James Alix Michel do swear/solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm/that I will be faith ful and bear true allegiance to the Constitution of Seychelles and that I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of Seychelles. SO HELP ME GOD PRESIDENTIAL OATH I James Alix Michel do swear/solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm/that I will faithfully and diligently perform my duties and discharge my functions in the office of President of Seychelles, that I will be faithful to the Republic of Seychelles, that I will uphold the Consti tution and the laws of Seychelles and that I will dedicate my abilities to the service and wel fare of the people of Seychelles without fear or favour, affection or ill will. SO HELP ME GOD. On the question of SBC you have so far failed to uphold the Constitution which bore both of our signatures. That is why I say that this dereliction of duty is worthy of impeachment because it is not just an oversight on your part. And I hope you take this criticism in the spirit it is written. Paul B Chow

Seychelles - La Misere Residents Drink Water with Human Excrement

James Michel & Parti Lepep Have Residents of La Misere Drink Human Excrement Water

The 20 foot containers leave the Seychelles International Airport runway with no Australian Customs bigots around to check the contents.  Buses full of Indians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans drive straight from the airport to the forested hills of La Misere; fast-track immigration procedures not a problem.  More containers leave Victoria Port and drive right through the Customs and Security Gates.  No Irish policemen to be found and no searches or bill-of-entries required.  The large overloaded trucks drive up to La Misere, destroying the roads and scattering cars, people and everything else on their way up the narrow La Louise and La Misere roads. No import permits required, no paperwork, no work permits, no tax and no duty levied. All courtesy of one President James Alix Michel and his corrupt PP Party.

Destination of containers: Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Palace which is under construction on the now scarred mountains of La Misere.  All 27 beautiful acres gifted away for ONE SEYCHELLES RUPEE (SCR 1) or TEN AMERICAN CENTS (US$ 0.10).  An abomination of a castle that has forever ruined the skyline of the once beautiful La Misere mountains is now under construction for the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Courtesy of one James Alix Michel and his corrupt PP Party.

Meanwhile, apart from the blasting and destruction of million-year old granite rocks and the sad annihilation of the endangered Seychelles White-Eye bird habitat, the La Misere water sources have recently been contaminated with human excrement from SEVEN HUNDRED (700) construction workers who are working on Khalifa's massive concrete monstrosity of a structure. No Gainful Occupancy Permit (GOP) paid, making these workers illegal.  The Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) has reported that the construction company doing the building works has no license and has not applied to do business in Seychelles.  Courtesy of James Alix Michel and his corrupt PP Party.

The residents of La Misere and the surrounding mountainside villages have had to endure nothing short of torture to have feces running out of water taps at their homes. A few months before, they had to put up with water contaminated with diesel fuel that had leaked when a fuel tank was damaged by the illegal construction.  State House, Ministry of Environment, SBC, the MNA for Grand Anse/La Misere and all of the other PP Party stalwarts buried their heads in the sand and ignored the cries of help from the residents of the area.  Farmers crops were wiped out, and residents had to haul water from elsewhere in order to bathe their children let alone cook their meals.  Only after the residents were faced with an ungodly, inhumane predicament such as human excrement in their taps and after hundreds of calls to state-owned SBC did the Station finally show up with a camera to film the evidence.  The SBC filmed excrement flowing through a bathroom sink of one poor resident, who will now have to re-pipe and replace all sanitaryware in her home. Some residents have been admitted to hospital with stomach pains and other ailments.  All courtesy of one culpable James Alix Michel and his corrupt PP Party… Mukesh Valabhji’s desalinated salty water is starting to taste pretty good at this point!

The La Misere construction site lacks sanitary living standards acceptable to accommodate 700 workers, let alone 5 workers. But then, the Sheikhs of United Arab Emirates (UAE) are used to enslaving their workers and getting them to work in inhumane conditions in the desert heat for little pay.  If you don’t like it, you are deported.  And here in our small Seychelles, all caution has been thrown out with the Arabic Al-Shamal wind.  Even the Government of Seychelles authorities were initially denied entry to the site. This in itself is preposterous and violates our sovereignty, let alone our laws. Any other site would have been issued with a Stop Works Order, pending a hearing and full 100% resolution of the matter of overflowing excrement and diesel in drinking and potable water. The site would have been swarming with workers from the Ministry of Environment and the Immigration Department.  But not this time around.  The Sheikh has been given immunity and laws have been changed to please the Abu Dhabi Kingdom Ruler.  Courtesy: who else but James Michel and his corrupt SPPF Party!

Sheikh Khalifa

The question remains to be answered is does this construction company even exist in Seychelles? Has it incorporated in Seychelles or did the workers just get off the Russian Antonov that flies in daily and go up to La Misere to work for Sheikh Khalifa?  The answers of course, just like the content of those 20-foot containers, lies with no other than James Alix Michel and his corrupt PP Party.

Meanwhile, global traveler Michel and Secretary of State Adam are nowhere to be found and hiding behind Minister DO-IT-ALL Joel Morgan and the ever-ineffective Environment Principal Secretary Dogley.  Not a time for photo-op or TV appearance now is it, Mr. President of all Seychellois?  We guess this gives new meaning to the saying that “when you are in the sh*ts, you really have no friends”! 

 Joel Morgan

So in steps Mr. Dogley from the Ministry of Environment to state that “they are dealing with the matter”. Which matter we are not sure, but we have to assume he is referring to the brown matter!  He has urged the non-licensed contractor to negotiate individually with the residents of La Misere to reach amicable monetary settlements.  I guess the “MATTER” has finally been taken seriously and someone is in deep doo-doo!  Reminds me of UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon sending “nice” letters to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-iL respectively to ask them to stop enriching uranium!

In the meantime, we certainly hope that the affected residents choose an excellent lawyer to file their class action lawsuit.  Incidentally, one Mr. France Albert Rene is available.  He may be willing to take the case since it smells of you know what, and he is retired and living off a small Seychelles pension and has told us so many times that he has “tres peu de sous”.  With his old slogans of “Sesel pou Seselwa”, I am sure that he can dust off his old white lawyer’s wig and get his state-paid bodyguards to drive him to the dilapidated Victoria court house.  Maybe in his twilight, the old man can put some order back in the Judiciary, a branch of Government that he single-handedly dismantled and brought into disrepute throughout his 33 years of reign over us poor Seychellois.  What a comeback that would be, and what a way to go out with a victory for the poor, hapless Seychellois people.

France Albert Rene

My recommended settlement would be at least the following for all members of the affected La Misere families. And lest we forget, “La Misere” ironically translates to “The Poor”:

1. UAE Passport and Emirati Citizenship - should not be difficult to win this as we sell our own Seychellois passports and dole out citizenship to anyone with a few dollars in their pockets

2. Free Medical for Life at UAE’s best hospitals and clinics - Seychelles health system is deplorable, so once again, this should be non-negotiable

3. Free First Class flights on Emirates Airlines and Etihad for life - since James Michel and his SPPF-PP entourage prefers those 2 airlines over our own Air Seychelles, this is simply a matter of following the leader.  Furthermore, First and Business Seats on Air Seychelles are reserved for the Renes, Savys, Adam and Corvina family members. So this is non-negotiable.

4. Lifetime disability payment of US$ 25,000 per month to each family member

5. A one-time settlement of US$ 5,000,000 each per family - Drop in the oil bucket if you ask me, so need to stand firm on this point

6. Free Evian Bottled Mineral Water for life - Might as well go for Evian because Dr. Ramados’ Aqua water is already tainted with that “brown matter”

7. A Gold Toilet for each house affected - This will simply serve as a reminder of what the poor La Misere residents had to endure

8. And finally, a house on 27 Acres of Free-Hold land in Abu Dhabi or Dubai; preferably on one of those man made islands with a view of the ocean.  With one condition however that the affected members will buy the plot for US$ 0.10 (Ten US American Cents).  This is simply to remind Sheikh Khalifa of his own guilt when compared to the generosity of our own ruling President Michel whose guilt is impossible to describe in this short article.

And if the supposedly great Attorney can wield his influence on the local Judges like he used to in the past, then by the power invested in this great Architect cum-Messiah cum-Attorney, I can see some new Seychellois-Emirati millionaires in the making.  Finally, the man would have created some new millionaires other than the SPPF-PP ones he created while in power.  And his journey would be truly complete and God might even find it in his good heart to offer redemption at the Pearly Gates.

Sadly for Seychelles, most Seychellois and foreigners alike have realized that the SPPF-PP Party led by James Michel, have taken the citizens of Seychelles to its lowest level ever.  After all, can one get any lower than drinking water mixed with excrement from 700 non-GOP, illegal workers?  Even the UAE Arabian desert camels have more dignity!

James Alix Michel

Now that some foreigners can do whatever they want in our small Seychelles and get away with breaking every law in the book, courtesy of one James Alix Michel and his corrupt PP Party, I guess it is time for Seychellois to be put to the test once and for all. The ballot papers will be printed in the near future, and we will all get the chance to give one man or one woman our vote of confidence.  Michel told us and I quote: “Judge me by my actions”.  I guess we will and the answer hopefully will hold water.  Clean water that is, and not the brown water he has been serving us since he came to power!

Contributed to STAR by Smart Alec

The Seychelles Column - By Christopher Gill

Seychelles Becoming a Colony under Michel Administration

When you look around and take note of who is running the Seychelles today, under the James Alix Michel Administration, it does not take long to come to the conclusion that Seychelles is fast becoming a colony once again.

Since assuming office, Michel has systematically compromised our sovereignty as a Nation, by displacing Seselwa Rasin (real Seychellois citizens) of their right to participate in the running of their government and by importing foreigners to do jobs Seselwa Rasin’s could do with ease.

This is not the first time SPPF has brought foreigners to our shores to brutalize and oppress our Seychellois people. The Irish, Australians and French today, join the parade of foreigners that have propped up SPUP, SPPF and now P.P.   It all started with Tanzanian troops after the bloody coup d’etat of June 5^th, 1977 and soon North Korean troops followed. The Tanzanians killed our people with bullets. These new generation foreign colonialist imported by Michel are now killing us at the purse strings, taking every cent from us let alone our opportunity to work. Seychellois suffer greatly today under Michel because he has failed to set the balance sheet of his government right in the first place and where as Minister of Finance for over a decade, he led Seychelles into bankruptcy and default of every loan imaginable.

En Moman Avek Prezidan (A Moment with the President) and Back to the Future

Every month, Mr. President sits on a winged leather seat chair with the SBC TV cameras and faces the People of Seychelles to give us his ideas on what he is doing to Seychelles. He makes appeals for us to “Koste” (come together) to more or less support him and keep him in power. Even the SBC reporters are starting to doubt him and they pose him questions he cannot answer forthrightly. 

Asked about the takeover of the prison by the army last week and the firing of the prison warden, he babbled on about Somali pirates and the fact that we will get foreign aid to assist us in rebuilding our prison system.  Soon we will have Irish prison wardens at the Montagne Posee prison guarding Somali pirates.  What a sham of a Presidency!

He blames the banks over high interest rates after reading about it in STAR Seychelles and forgets that Nouvobanq, Development Bank of Seychelles and the Savings Bank are all government-owned. He focuses on the future because he has nothing to offer us today, except more and more pain as he relegates Seychellois to their knees of colonial masters in key departments and offices.

Behind the presidential seat, a number of colonial-era governors and military attaches with feathers in plume hang on the wall, reminding us of the colonial era that Seychelles endured. Michel himself commissioned the paintings and had them hung on the walls of State House. We the People of Seychelles paid for this frivolous decoration of State House. How ironic that Michel with Rene took over the country in a bloody coup and told us that the reason was to remove the colonial lackeys from power! Shameful indeed and more lies that have caught up with this communist regime.

Today, it is all making sense and we now know why Michel kept the reminders of our colonial past hanging on the walls of State House and we footed the bill for his escapades with these cartoon characters memorialized in plastic art.

It would appear, little has changed with Mr. President James Michel at the helm.  We are ever more being run like a colony.

Let us look briefly, where he has taken us. Tomorrow, these foreign administrators employed by Mr. President will apply to become Citizens of Seychelles, along with their families.  They will make their way to the electoral roll as Seselwa Fabrike’s (made up Seychellois citizens), that will subjugate Seselwa Rasin (real Seychellois citizens) of their own inalienable rights in their own Country. They will become the nails in our coffin of third class citizens.

Mr. President will make his usual empty appeal for unity and peace and tranquillity, as he seals our fate and demise of a people and demise of our culture. As we and our children are forced to speak Creole in primary school, their hopes of being in charge of the Police, Financial Task Force, the Tax Office, Customs Office or even the Airport, will be foregone, because they will face foreign contract workers taking up all these important posts. As these contract workers come in gangs of Four (4) or Ten (10) at a time, hiring relatives and friends for a term in paradise, our people will be intimidated and brushed aside, because we remain polite, as our President ask us to. We suffer in “Unity” according to his will.

People of Seychelles, Seselwa Rasin of this potentially great country, we must draw a line.  Now, before it is too late.

Police Run By Irish Contract Workers

The Seychelles Police is run by Deputy Commissioner Neill Scully, a citizen of Ireland. Scully was imported to run NDEA drug task force. He was tasked with fighting the importation of drugs into Seychelles. Scully took over from Mr. Michael Fitzgerald who was a retired Commissioner of Police in Ireland. Fitzgerald worked as Deputy Commissioner for a period of six (6) months, before he just packed up and left without much notice. The press hardly covered the quick departure of Fitzgerald.

Scully referrers to our Commissioner of Police (Mr. Earnest Quatre) as a fine man.  Quatre seems to have been regulated to a symbolic figure in the force. Scully is reinforced with a number of other Irish officers including Mr. Liam Quinn. Before Fitzgerald, a Mr. Liam Coen was Deputy Commissioner.  However, he resigned and returned to Ireland after being found to have lied under oath to a Commission of Inquiry into the death of a father and son Abdul Rahim.  The enquiry was headed by Justice Fernando, a Sri Lankan Judge on the Court of Appeal, another one of our infamous Seselwa Fabrike.  Within the Police Force and those forced to leave by Michel are many capable Seselwa Rasin that could easily run the force, without the huge expenditures in salaries that are paid to the Irish, who by the way unemployed in their own country!

I have been told their salaries are SCR 124,000.00 per month each on average. If this is not correct, I ask that all the salaries and perks, which includes housing, fuel, cars, tickets to Europe, is made public. I will correct my presumption should the TRUTH be made public by the President himself or at least the Employment Minister.  Failing a full disclosure of salaries and perks, all Seselwa Rasin can reasonably assume that one Irishman is costing our country the tidy sum of SCR 124,000.00 per month, give or take a few thousands! 

What a travesty from a President who upon being bestowed power by former Albert Rene, vowed to work for the interests of all Seychellois.  Michel must have been referring to the “New imported Seychellois” which he prefers over his own countrymen!

Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Run by Irish Contract Workers

The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) is based at State House in President Michel’s office. It is headed by a team of Irishmen as well. If our country’s financial intelligence unit is controlled by foreigners, where is our dignity as a people?

Many Seychellois are highly capable and can do a better job than these bozo-import investigators that have brought great disrepute onto the good name of Seychelles, subjugating Seychellois to international indignation and contempt in the offshore business.

The Director of the FIU is another Irish named Mr. Declan Barber. Mr. Barber was responsible for freezing the funds of Dr. Georges Xiao’s company LXE Solar, totalling $8.5Million. Mr. Xiao, a US citizen, filed a case in New York District Court to retrieve the money transferred into his Barclay’s account in Seychelles. The Seychelles Government was accused of financial piracy over the matter, a claim which the Michel Administration had to deny in order to save face internationally. But the egg was already on our face, and the bozo circus show was already in play. The damage had already been done and is still being done today as the bad press spreads like a cancer to our offshore banking industry.  In the end, our Government had to “eat crow” as the old saying goes and return Mr. Xiao’s money and paid interest and other legal expenses as well.  Another one of Michel and the Irishmen failure!

Michel’s attempt to subjugate Seychelles to colonialism by masters from lands far away has backfired even on him. All this has taken place in his own office; or maybe I should refer to State House as the “Foreign Office”!

I have been advised that these Irish work on a commission basis. I ask the Michel Administration to disclose their salary arrangements. Make it public. Advise if they are paid a commission to ruin Seychelles reputation in the offshore financial sector. Advise if their pay includes housing, cars and fuel, let alone trips to visit the family back in Ireland. Surely there are capable Seychellois who can issue form letters to commercial banks asking for disclosure of information on a transaction entering the banking system.  It does not take a nuclear scientist to do so.  Possibly, even Michel could write such a letter!

Commissioner of Tax Office Run by Australian Contract Workers

Under Michel, even the collection of national revenue is now being driven by foreigners. The past head of the Revenue Authority was Steve Jardine, an Australian. He recently applied to become a citizen of Seychelles, and the SPPF of course granted him citizenship. He joins the list of Seselwa Fabrike’s that SPPF have created.

It is unacceptable, that a person should come to Seychelles as a contracted worker and then apply for citizenship of our Nation.  Meanwhile, Mr. Jardine is still enjoying the salary and perks of an expatriate worker.  Now would he stay in Seychelles if he earned a measly SCR 5,000 per month? Would he stay in Seychelles if Government did not provide him with housing, car and fuel allowances?

Nevertheless, after an unconfirmed rumour of a slight mishap with street ladies and of course the fact that he spent too many nights in Ramadoss’ casino, it is rumoured that Mr. Jardine was removed as Commissioner of Taxes. He may confirm or deny that allegation or claim the rumour to be true.

And here comes the Aussies to run our Tax Department

Soon after, Jardine was then replaced by Mr. Rene Nusse, another Australian citizen. While at least the Police have a figurehead Commissioner Quatre in place, the office of the Revenue Authority makes no fuss over the ham that Mr. Nusse is.

Under his orders most likely, they have posted Mr. Nusse picture at the top of their web site, wherein a Seselwa Rasin business can go to get a tax number.

Mr. Nusse is not a political figure. He is not the Minister of Finance, nor is he the President of the Republic. Why is his picture, used to represent a department of the Ministry of Finance, a ministry of the Government of Seychelles? Can any contract worker from overseas just walk into Seychelles, get to work on a contract, and place their face on a Seychelles Department that represents us as a People? How low can the Michel Administration go? Has this Administration no self-respect ? Does Michel have no boundaries when it comes to the dignity of the Seychellois People?

Where is your pride placed when you place an Australian on our website to collects all the revenue of the Nation?

To add insult to injury, Mr. Nusse imported his partner, as in love-partner, a Madame Thompson to the office. She has since been moved along as a consultant for the Minister of Finance. She has most likely replaced another foreign advisor there, Mr. Jean Maurice Parnet, another Mr. Michel Tretout import, to shore up a failing communist regime.

When Mr. Parnet realized he was helping a corrupt government, he too left, with many regrets for the assistance he provided such an infamous group. His last words to me on the eve of his departure was: “Mr. Gill, these people are too corrupt to be helped”.

These SPPF-PP’s have no dignity. They wreak shame upon the People of Seychelles. We have many, many qualified people who can do this paper pushing, systems management job at Tax and Finance.

If you need lessons on Adam Smith and the invisible hand running the economy and how that works, P.P., I can lend you a hand free of charge.  I will take no salary, no car, no fuel, no ticket on Air Seychelles.  As for you self professed, but unknowing, Fabian-communists-failures, you have all proven yourselves to be so over and over again!

From Australia to the French Connection – PUC Contract

We all cried in rage the day Phillip Morin, a highly qualified electrical-industrial engineer was ousted from PUC.  Mr. Morin loved his country, and he served his country faithfully as a damn good engineer for PUC.  Mr. Morin worked for peanuts, being paid under SCR 20,000.00 per month for a job that had no hours and one which was demanding. The Michel Government refused to invest in PUC, despite the call by Mr. Morin and others who understood the growing demands for more power and better water distribution facilities.

But Michel and his SPPF-P.P. smart-asses replaced this fine Seselwa Rasin professional with a group of French techno’s retired from Suez Group, a French energy production company.

This group of retirees has close ties to the former French Ambassador Michel Tretout. Mr. Tretout himself cut the deal to bring them into Seychelles with Michel’s support, to create work for PUC while he was still Ambassador. With work, the thinking went, money would flow, all that had to be done was pass the cost on to the consumer.  That is, the real Seychellois since all expatriate workers brought in by the President gets their utility bills paid for by the State.

It is unclear if Tretout had already obtained a Seychellois Passport, but speculation is rife that he has and the French press would like to know. If anyone can confirm this to me the free press in Paris and the Government of Mr. Sarkozy would be most grateful.  Already, we know that Mr. Tretout has interest in the Carrefour supermarket project now turned over to Casino Geant, and he even professed on SBC-TV in an interview prior to his departure that he would be back!

Meanwhile, the two year contract with these energy parasites at PUC is costing the Seychellois people some SCR 60 plus Million per annum or better yet, SCR 5 Million per month. Certainly a much larger sum than Mr. Morin’s measly SCR 20,000 per month salary. I might add, this is more money than the French ever earned as career engineers at Suez Group.

Now you know why your electricity rates are so high this year and will get higher next year. Michel cannot blame Ramkalawan or Volcere for that. Don’t blame me either. I have been carrying PUC on my back for years with unpaid easements now totalling over SCR 3 Million and counting as interest ticks.

As for poor Mr. Morin, he is now the Don Quixote of Seychelles, having been given a horse, a shield and a lance to go out and create windmills which would certainly destroy our pristine landscape forever.  Don’t forget, we already have the monstrosity going up at the ex-Tracking Station site, courtesy of a SCR 1 rupee gift of James Michel to his Arab friend. Another one of your legacy Michel, and a shameful one at that too!

To summarize the PUC debacle, we did not need French engineers to tell us that our generators have exceeded their life span Mr. President, and we certainly did not need desalination plants a la Mukesh Valabhji, another one of yours and Albert Rene’s failures.  Mr. Morin had told us that for 10 years already.  But you and your SPPF-P.P told Morin to keep them running, even though we were running our infrastructure to the graveyard. Now, you use French technos to run Seychellois into the grave with high electricity and water rates, with the French geeks running all the way to their banks with loads of our cash each month.

Shame on you Michel!

Judiciary a Sign of Failure by Michel

In the Judiciary, the Chief Justice is Ugandan. He is followed by an array of other Ugandans, Sri Lankans and so forth. Only Justice Renaud and now Justice Dodin are Seychellois. Mr. Brassel Adeline was made a magistrate recently, of course, after having been a keen SPPF-P.P. player for well over a decade!

It is unacceptable to me that a non-Seychellois Rasin should lead our Judiciary, a vital branch of Government for our Country. I understand that it is unacceptable to the Chief Justice himself that this so be the order of the day.

I salute his sensitivity and trust he will find a Seychellois replacement during his tenure. It is not hard with the precedence he has established with his pay scale.

Salaries are disproportionate in the Judiciary. Ex-pats are paid more than Seychellois. The Chief Justice, I understand has a contract of SCR 67,000.00 per month. This is unacceptable.  All Justices must be paid salaries that are commensurate with the post they occupy. Salaries of Justices must be increased, to meet expectations of Seselwa Rasin lawyers, to entice them to take up the challenge of the Courts. We have a shortage of applicants only when the pay is an insult to the prestige, education and ability of the applicant. If you pay peanuts, you will get monkey’s, P.P.

If Michel can pay a couple of French Techno’s SCR 124 Million for a 2-year contract at PUC, surely our Seselwa Judges can be paid more and we can allow the foreign judges to go home and serve their country as they always tell us they want to do.

Again, shame on your Michel for laying the luxurious red carpet for our foreign workers while relegating your own people to the coal pits of hell.  And you dare speak of a welfare state in your glorified presidential press meeting.  Just remember it is you who have created this welfare state for your people when we could be working hard and contributing towards the growth and success of our beloved Seychelles. Instead, your treat us like monkeys and feed us bananas while you treat your French, Australian, Irish and Arab friends to champagne and caviar.  Shame on you Michel for being a traitor to your own people.

Sesel Pou Seselwa Principle

If you come to Seychelles as a contracted worker, then you must leave Seychelles as an end of term contracted worker, unless your contract is renewed. Under no circumstance should a contracted worker be allowed to become a citizen of Seychelles, unless through marriage to a Seychellois citizen. In the case of marriage, I would urge that the marriage be ongoing for 10 years before an applicant is able to apply for citizenship and not five years as is the case today. We need to protect our Rasin men and women who become victims of foreigners who marry with the hidden agenda to be granted rights to stay in Seychelles, and then quickly file for a divorce once they have received the coveted passport and citizenship. Even Europe and the USA have tightened their citizenship requirements.  In Seychelles, the SPPF-P.P. plays the fiddle to allow foreigners to become citizens so that they can remain in power.  Once again Michel, let me remind you of Albert Rene’s slogan of the 1960’s.  “Sesel Pou Seselwa” (Seychelles is for Seychellois)!

A Final Message To Mr. President

We do not need all these foreigners mucking about and costing us grossly disproportionate salaries that do not go with what they deliver. Apart from high salaries come cars, fuel, houses, school fees, expense accounts and airline tickets to see loved ones in their homeland whenever they are homesick. When you import foreigners to do work Seychellois can do, you import arrogance, you import mistreatment of your own people, and you make the Seychellois Rasin feel that they are less desirable in your eyes, Mr. President.

I therefore ask the Michel Administration to disclose all salaries being paid to all the foreigners in our country, from Mr. Nusse and his girlfriend to all the Irish Liams in Seychelles. Advise all perks as well, including housing, cars, school fees, fuel, airline tickets and so forth. Let the People of Seychelles become fully aware of the real costs of these foreigners who are not better qualified than Seychellois to do those jobs. 

And Mr. Michel, in closing, let me remind you that we are a REPUBLIC and not a COLONY.  We the Seychellois people are not lackeys of any foreign masters, be it French, Arabs, Australians or Irish.  Lest you have forgotten, I wish to remind you that:

Seychelles is for Seychellois.

May God Bless Seychelles and All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

Christopher Gill