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Optimism and worry as Seychelles readies for WTO


Victoria, Seychelles: The Indian Ocean archipelago of the Seychelles is pinning its hopes of economic recovery on its expected membership of the World Trade Organisation, but the impending move is also causing jitters for local businesses.

After 18 years of negotiations, the tourist destination — famed for its white sandy beaches and luxury hotels - is set to join the global trade body by the end of April 2014, said Cillia Mangroo, head of the finance ministry’s trade division.

For the authorities of the island nation, membership equals commercial security.

“Being a member of the WTO, for a small country like Seychelles, provides the opportunity to have a body that can defend their rights in case of a trade dispute with another country,” said Charles Morin, the islands’ chief negotiator.


Aside from pulling in tourists and honeymooners, the main export is canned tuna to the European Union. The EU is also the country’s main trading partner, taking 61 per cent of exports and the source of 30 per cent of imports.

The Seychelles also exports copra — coconut kernels that are ground down to extract oil — and furniture to Asia and Africa.

Ahead of joining the 159 member bloc, officials in Victoria has been busy signing bilateral agreements with Canada, Mauritius, Oman, Switzerland, and, more recently, the EU and Thailand. According to the WTO, the country has been particularly committed to cutting export subsidies to zero.

Worries for businesses

But not everyone in the small nation of just 90,000 inhabitants is convinced of the benefits of casting off trade barriers.

“Architects, engineers and lawyers are worried about the opening up of the market, because once the Seychelles becomes a member of the WTO, any business can come and invest in the country,” said Marco Francis, president of the country’s chamber of commerce.

There are fears too for the country’s poultry and pig farmers, already badly struggling since the authorities began to open the market, including allowing meat imports from Brazil.

“I fear that the country’s entry into the WTO will result in the end of such farming... and that could put the country’s food security at risk,” Francis added.

He said many livestock breeders have also closed shop because the Seychelles does not have the means to make “mass rearing such as Brazil and China.”

Francis hopes that a list of “protected” products will be reserved for key Seychelles companies, arguing Victoria should retain a monopoly on traditional fishing.

But the government will not budge, arguing that WTO accession is key to putting the economy back on track after skirting close to bankruptcy during the peak of the financial crisis.

AFP

Comments

  1. WTo is a very bad thing for a small economy.WTO is global governemnt that has decided to dicate trade laws on other Nations,forcing them to open their economy to others,that is make a nation economically dependent on others.It policies essentially retrist countires ot handle their own economies and direct their own trade.

    WTo acts as a Nation unto itself,weilding ledgislative,executive,and judicial power.It has the power ot impose ruling on member nations .A self-given authoritiy that WTo has not hesistat to use in the past.if a country disagree with the WTo, ruling ,tough luck,because it weild extreme authorit over matter of trade.

    A large amount of regulations were written by big coorporate entities that have seen been the great benfefactors of WTO.Through WTO, corporate jaggernauts can bend countires ot their will,on the ground of free tradeWhile every member country has one vote,No one has ever had the opportunity for any Nation to vote.(Dictatorship).Colonization dipossed people form the ancestral lands,WTO diposses nations from their economies.Soveriegn immunities become something of the past with WTO dictatorship.
    WTo has essentailly turn the world workfocre into a commodity.Invasion of expats will increase thus colonization and salvery in its modern form.

    WTo basically kills a country economy for one become dependent,it reduce a nation's sovereignty,it is good for big countires but a poison to small nations like ours.

    Does Michel the butcher an illiterate in economy and his gang of fools understnafd what WTo means,its consequences for our economy,it dictation that would destroy our nation power to take decision fits for them?
    probably Not,another suffering in the preparation by PP and its gang of crooks,ignorant of reality and how the modern world rotate.

    Seychellois business person should and must oppse the entering of Seychelles in WTO ,which is a global economic dictatorship,that would kill us.

    Say no to PP wto membership.For ielse it would means more Arbsmmore urssian,more dispossession .

    jeanne D'Arc

    ReplyDelete
  2. To understand the WTo Pp,you must first know what is supposed to be.WTo is supposed to facilitate trade which is a basic economic evaluation which is not a bad thing,but only or mostly for the rich countires or countires with higher economies on scale,meaning it is bad for mall and poor countires like african countires that open their market to global power in the hope for better trade but soon realize that their small/medium businesses desapear becuase they cannot compete with big ,financially power foreign busiensses.It contrain small nation exports;WTo will hurt and disable us from defending our interests.

    WTO has fialed to live up it promises for the last decades--look at African cotton industry----African producers thought with WTO they would finally be able to exploit and sell their products on the global market for a better profit---well WTO has turned Africna cotton industry back to the time of slavemaster.That is African are just cotton farmers (unlike back in the slave time they are paid a handful of peanuts but the biggest win and profitors are big foreign companies.

    Morevoer,Seychelles small economy with not a big exporters,does not need WTO to better its exports but deals between nations.We have been exporting Tuna for decades now and it is not WTO that would increase demand on global market but by devloping new products,etc...

    No to WTO,

    Jeanne D'Arc

    ReplyDelete
  3. REASONS WHY EYCHELLES,A SMALL ECONOMY,SHOULD NOT JOIN WTO.

    -WTO is fundamentally undemocratic:The policies of WTO impact all aspects of socieTY.

    -It will not amke us safer:The WTo want us to bleive that a world of free trade will promote global understnad and peace.On the contary,the domonation of International trade by rich countries for the benefits of their indivdual interess fuel anger, and resenment that make us less safe.To build real global security,we need International agreemnets that repect peopl^s right,to democracy,and trade system that promote global justice.


    WTO Tamper labor laws and Human rights:WTo put the right to profit over labor and Human rights.The WTo encourages "a race to the bottom"in wage by pitting workers against each other than promoting Interantional recognized labor standards.The WTO has ruled that it is illegal for a governemnt to ban a product base on the way it is producted ,such a with child labor.

    The WTo would privatize essential services:The WTo is seeking to pirvatized public services such as Education,health care ,energy and water.In other words the selling off of public assets such a radio,school(to run the profit rather than public good).

    _The WTo is killing people:The WTO's fierce defenceòf trade Related Intellectual property rights---patents.copyright,and tradeamrks.-----come at the expense of health and huamn lives.


    _The Wto is increasing inequality:Free trade is not working for the majority of the world.During therecent period of rapid growthin global trade and investment(1960-1998)inequally worsened both Internatinally and within countries.The UNITED NATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMM REPORTS--that the richest 20 percent of the owrld^s population consumed 86 percent of the world^s resources, while the poorest 80 percent consumed 14 percent.

    _WTO is increasing hunger:Farmers produce ebough food to feed everyone.Yet. because of corporate control of fodd distribution,as many as 800 million people worldwide suffer from chronic malnutrition.According to the Universal decalration of Huam rights--FOOD is a human right.

    -The WTO hurt poor,small countires in favor of rich nations:Wto supposedly operates on consensus basis,which equal decison making for all.In reality,many important decisions get made ina process poor countires^negociators are not even invited, to closed door meetings.

    The WTOunderminds local level decision-making and National soveriegnty:Local polices aimed at rewarding local companies who hired local residents,use domestic materials,or adopted sound environmental principles,are essentially ILLEGAl under the WTO.Developing countires/members are prohibited for creating local laws that developed countires once persued,such as protecting new,domestic industires until the can be interantionally competitive.

    -THERE ARE ALTERANTIVES TO WTO:Citizen Organizations have developed alterantives the corporate dominated sytem of interanitonal economic governance.Together nations can build the politcal pace that nurtures a democratic global economy ,that promote jobs,ensure that veryone is guaranteed his human rights to FOOD,water,education,healthcare,promotes freedom and security,and preserves our shared environment for future genrations.














    ReplyDelete
  4. Partilepep shows optimism---on wwhat is their optimism base?Are we a big export country like China,India,USa and so on that partilepep feels optimist?

    Check this--India member on the WTO,is struggle to and express concer on the WTO dictation to set permissible food subsidy limit norms.India with the second biggest world population cannot accept such a dictation ,it has a big population to feed.Their food security is more important than WTo dictation that rape soveriengty,national governemnt power and a Nation to freely dicide its faith.

    WTo for Seychelles would mean more Arb ,Russian,foeiregner invasion and that faster than what michel has crookdly been practice for the last decade.

    WTO does not provide equal treatment in trade but a predator that should be avoid.Being part of WTo is giving away our sovereignty,our independent...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michel opening his asch on military day,our soldier have to defend you already gave to arabs and foreigners liki ou manman.And your mouth in this picture look like who is sucking dick of camel.Pirates was swimming in our water under your noise could do nothing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Maybe those young soldier should overthrow youand sytem i will give them all support, then our childrens of tomorrow can have a better future
    and a more bright future.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I donot need them to do so,i have high proffesional on stand-by ready for action anytime,under any conmdition ,anywhere and that 7/7,24/24,365/365 awaiting the order for actions.No worry,no hurry they would invite themselves on Partilepep tables should those marons rob our votes in 2016 to keep themsleves on power.Some had so far read about apcalypse in the bible ,2016 it would become for real.Atheists in the partilepep would either converet or suicide when the experience it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Maybe Michel should also lay wreath somewhere for all those innocent desaspeared during the Coup.Frnacis Rachel cannot be consider a falling Soldier he was a thug that participate in robbing our freedom.Atta maybe ,but we donot know for sure if he was kill fighting or becuase of bad operation plaing by Partilepep super genrals like Michel.

    Maybe also Michel should ask CHief-of Staff to refund the Sr 6 million rupees he robbed from the military coffer in 2008.I saw him saluting our soldiers after robbing money given by tax payers' for the military.

    ReplyDelete
  9. If you notice the Nation produce a picture of bootylicious ALEXANDER with her soulier bout pointue to show us how sexy she is. Too late PL. Keep it for the tang.
    BTW he need a keffiyeh to put on this head just like mo-AHMED

    ReplyDelete
  10. .4.55
    As an independent nation ,military is needed.As a patriot i have lots of respect for those young Seychellois who opted to defence our country.

    Pp talks about modernizing our military.Good.However,i think that our military must not only be modernized but well-equipped with the best possible technology which is necessary for a small army.E.g Israel,Switzerland,Singapour etc.. small but well-equipped,trained,army.

    For instance,Our Coast Guard,due to the superficy of our EZZ,should have a max. four ships in which one can carry a( armed) helicopter.The army wings,could also be equipped with a least One unarmed Drone(there are afforable ones on the market,India,and so on).It advantages are--it uses less fuel,can stay inthe air up to 6 hours plus thus patrol could be intensified.No need to land to change crew for it is control on land.a nd so on.

    Patrol itself could be divdied into two category:Big ship for long hull patrol.e.g Aldabra ,outter island ,while ,small boats could conccentrate on patroling inner island zone--that is anything to undertake while the inner island it would come to the small patrol boats to deal with unless ,support are needed from big ship.Is allow better patroling and organization.



    Or infantry should be reduced ,a small one,with new technology,traning it,etc....

    Our Air force should at leas have a helicopter specious enough conduct special operations,etc....But also a plan.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yusuf shall we tell them? the stupid infidels do not understand, modernization of the army means UAE will take control of the army just like the Air Seychelles, the commanding officers will all be names like General Ahmed, Brigadier Abdhulla and Colonel Mohamed.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Donkey seychellois inherited European names,which indentify their culture,rootsreradtion etc.. nothing to do with Camels.Our Chirstian religon exists 500 years before Mohammad the fake prophet come to tells us that Jesus and all the other prohpets' teaching are wrong and his is right.Mohammad might fools stupid Arabs like himself not Indain whose Hindu religion exists 300oyears before christianity,nor to chrisitna,nor to Protestant,Nor to BUddist.YOu noted also that most Islam countires are Arbs and few in African especially North African.Not Asian,Not most Africna, Not S American NotSouth American,Not Peguin in the artic or Snwp bear in north pole.Islam in a sext for Arabs not other Nations.And not other Nations would change their roots ,religion ,tradition more civilize to go backward and convert into Mohammadists,which equates Terrirosm,Pedophil,archaic,primitives.retarded,Beast,.

    ReplyDelete

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