Opinion - Mancham’s Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation
WE have finally said goodbye to the year 2015 and after going through two rounds of presidential election, our small nation of less than 100,000 people remains politically more divided than ever before. The only consolation on today’s map of world news is that things do not appear to be much better in other parts of the world. A glance at the page which Seychelles NATION (issue Wednesday December 30, 2015) dedicates to world news contains nothing but distressful headlines.
Sir James in a recent meeting with H.E. Antonio Eanes, former President of Portugal
According to a BBC news release Belgian police have arrested two people suspected of planning attacks in Brussels on New Year’s eve.
Then there is the other headline to the effect that Israel’s former prime minister Ehud Olmert is to serve 18 months in jail for bribery.
From Pakistan the breaking news is not very heartwarming either: “A suspected suicide attack at the government office in north west Pakistan has killed at least 25 people.”
And what’s the news from Africa? In Burkina Faso about 20 soldiers have been arrested for plotting to free the leader of September’s coup d’état.
In Europe floods are threatening more misery with communities in the United Kingdom like Cambria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Yorkshire being swamped by rising waters and projecting an extremely gloomy picture on New Year’s eve.
Against the background of these grim news from several parts of the world, certain advertisements in our newspapers of December 30, 2015 appear to suggest that despite the electoral disappointment both sides of the divide are all eager to project their positive side of joie de vivre.
In a quarter page advertisement in the newspaper Today in Seychelles, the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort and Casino was advertising a New Year’s eve gala dinner at R950 per adult with price including one welcome drink, one glass of wine of your choice plus live entertainment with dancing by the New Sound band until 2am.
As for the Savoy Resort and Spa you could go there for a festive indulgence and enjoy a 90-minute mango Balinese massage (whatever this means) and private luxurious champagne all for the price of R1,500 per person.
If you wished to enjoy the west side of Mahé, the Avani Barbarons Resort and Spa had a special rate for local residents’ stay in a double room (room only at R6,610 net) and that included a New Year’s eve party and one welcome drink.
On December 31, the Boardwalk on Eden Island was inviting you to champagne promotion of Moët & Chandon in a party hosted by DJ Aubrey and J. Von. The cover charge is only R100.
Of course the ultimate countdown on New Year’s eve was being promoted by Katiolo discotheque which was organising a raffle for all ticket holders which could enable you to win R2,500. It also offered one free drink to the first 100 guests and discount on champagne all night.
Certainly these are far off days from the time of baka, kalou and lapire. Seychelles has now entered the era of French champagne, at least for those who can afford despite us finding it difficult to determine where all the money is coming from.
Naturally the temptation to pass judgement under two presidential elections was not absent although more and more people appear to be taking things more philosophically and with a sense of more intelligent psychological reflection. It was of course admitted that the ruling party went into the campaign with a sense of over confidence and that at times claimed victory even before the tug of war started. It would appear that the party failed to appreciate that the man who used to walk from home to work was grateful for the bicycle he had been given but that lasted for only three weeks until he found that his comrade Paul was riding a motorcycle. And as for Paul he was happy with the party’s generosity for just three weeks until he found comrade Peter driving a small car, and so the story carries on when one comrade is seen in a larger car and another comrade in a premium car. Human beings are never satisfied, the more they get, the more they wish and keeping up the demand is not an easy game to play however well funded the party could be.
Looking at the pages of newspapers also one could see the positive side that a lot of vacancies were being advertised for posts in the country. Printec Press Holding, Omega International Agents, Land Marine Limited, Seychelles Breweries, Seychelles Land Transport Agency, the Independent School, Spar Supermarket, Fregate Island, all advertising for posts requiring serious minded people who have got the qualifications and are ready to work and who are in good working conditions. It is rather a sad picture that we have to import personnel from Nepal and Sri Lanka to look after security because we do not trust each other. Obviously job availability is not in short supply in today’s Seychelles.
The price of fish is soaring on the local market and we still require no licence to go fishing. Sadly however since Oceana Fisheries was bought by the Russians, our Russian friends in Moscow seem to be enjoying most of our bourgeois at Caviar price at this time; not a good situation for our local consumer who must now settle for zob or varvara but good money for those engaged as fishermen and in the fishing industry. Obviously the gain of some always comes at the expense of others.
Politically at this time of reflection and cooling-off, there is considerable debate concerning the petition which the opposition parties have filed asking the court to declare that the election was null and void because of some alleged irregular counting by those in charge of the electoral process. Someone was heard to pose a question: In whose favour will the court rule in this case? Since we are not at all au fait with the varying legal contentions and counter contentions, the only reply we can venture is that the result would go according to the mindset of the judge or judges who are called upon to abjudicate on the matter.
In this instance we must remind ourselves of the famous case in the United States referred to as ‘George W. Bush versus Al Gore’. The results of the presidential election in Florida where the margin of victory had triggered a mandatory recount, litigation in select counties started additional recounts but this litigation ultimately reached the US Supreme Court. There the court was made of six judges of Democratic persuasions and six judges of Republican persuasions with the chairman of the judging panel – who was a Republican – having a casting vote. At the end of the trial all the Democratic judges voted for the side of Al Gore, but with the Republicans having a casting vote, the Supreme Court ended the recounts and effectively awarded Florida’s votes to George Bush and granting him victory. It was the fourth election in US history in which the eventual winner failed to win the plurality of popular votes. This was of course a contentious decision and latest studies reached conflicting opinions on who would have won the recount had it been allowed to proceed. However the American system stands for respect, for the structure of state and George W. Bush was sworn in as President of the US and remained the Commander in Chief of the nation for his full term of five years until the next election was due.
At the Gusi Peace Prize in Manila, Sir James imprints his commitment to peace against the background of the heart which stands for love and for La Paloma Blanca symbolising freedom and liberty
I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation to all those who have extended Christmas and New Year greetings to me, both locally and from overseas.
While I am not personally involved with the Facebook game, I do know that several positive greetings have been posted concerning my national reconciliation policy for Seychelles. However I am also aware that there are negative ones specially emanating from the club of “the double-face and the hypocrites”, who for reasons of either jealousy or personal ambition, make it a point to spend their time in disseminating misinformation and disinformation in order to promote confusion and disparagement among people of little brain and no vision.
Long before there was a talk of a presidential election, I published the book ‘SEYCHELLES – The saga of a small nation navigating the cross-currents of a big world’, in which I stated for all to read my personal conviction that in the circumstances of Seychelles of today, against the background of its past and current history, that I was convinced that James A. Michel was ‘the right man, in the right place, at the right time’. I arrived at this conviction against the background of three solid premises – (i) That the devil I know is better than the one I do not know (ii) That no one can deny that James A. Michel over the last few years has worked tirelessly to bring about very important changes in the social and business life of the country (iii) That he, at the moment, was the leader of the best-organised political organisation to maintain much-needed stability at this time of great partisan dislike.
Most of the comments I made in this respect were published in the Seychelles NATION and some other newspapers and were mostly read by the intellectual class who were disposed to face the reality of our situation. Unfortunately, very few of these points were brought to the attention of those members of our society who do little reading and rely for their ‘education’ mostly through the television and radio channels of the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Consequently, these points were not the subject of any debate during the presidential election campaign either on the radio or our television. Therefore, I was never given the opportunity to explain to the average voter my arguments, for which I still stand today, that James A. Michel is in our circumstances and in the interest of Seychelles, ‘the right man, in the right place, at the right time’.
In order to make sure that my viewpoint are not deliberately overlooked in future national debate, I believe that the time has come for me to actively create and promote ‘A founding President Mancham’s Foundation for the promotion of peace in the world’ – starting with the promotion of national reconciliation within Seychelles. I believe this initiative could constitute a good umbrella for Seychellois of goodwill, particularly the younger generation who aspire to bring about changes in the country in a peaceful way to find a springboard for a new political cohesion that will break down the divide of the hate atmosphere, which prevails today.
With President Michel committed to leaving behind a legacy which he should deserve, I think the initiative is most opportune. So far as I am personally concerned, when I think that Sir Anerood Jugnauth of Mauritius is active as Prime Minister of his country, although he is 86 years old, I believe I could be a good Patron of this new formation although I am 76 years old at this time.
Room for thoughts.
James R. Mancham
Source: Seychelles Nation/VIOAS
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