SEYCHELLES REALITY

After our article last week and a picture showing Honorable Ramkalawan wearing a hat that was allegedly given to a member of his family as a gift, many people have called this newspaper to ask where they can buy the hat. After some research we discovered that the hat an “Akubra” can only be bought in Australia. This is where former President Rene bought the hat for his employees working at the sheep farm in Australia. The hat has been made famous in Seychelles by Honorable Wavel Ramkalawan who has been wearing the hat to the select committee for the outer islands visits to the islands. The company that manufacture the hat have contacted this newspaper after reading our article to inform us that they are prepared to pay Ramkalawan advertising fees if he is prepared to wear the hat at least once a month during the National Assembly sessions. We are of the view that the Honorable Gentleman should take up the offer and the revenue could be used to pay his sister and brother for the inh...

Doctor Maxime Ferrari has participated in a video interview with the political programme “Annou Koze Sesel”. The Honorable Flory Larue was the anchorwoman and it was posted on YouTube on Sunday 26th March. The whole country is still talking about what the good doctor had to say. But, a closer analysis of the interview will reveal that Ferrari did his utmost to downplay his role in what took place in Seychelles after the infamous coup d’état until his exit in 1984.   Whilst Flory tried to get Ferrari to accept that their actions on the 5th of June was treasonous – Maxime Ferrari tried to wriggle out of it by blaming President James Mancham. It stands to reason that if they were not happy in the coalition government - they (SPUP) could have pulled out and let the people know what was going on. Maxime Ferrari spoke of some documents in the Archive in the UK. These documents don’t exist, Maxime was lying to cover his actions of June 5th and what took place subsequently, until he...

The National Assembly will be closed for business next week because of a vacation to Aldabra by the honorable members. Many people have called this newspaper to complain about this situation. They are saying that the first thing this National Assembly did was to amend the law to lower the pension age for former ministers and MNAs. They are looking after themselves and their friends first and foremost. This was well before the 13th month salary (bill) was presented for the approval of the National Assembly. In fact, if it was not for this newspaper the 13th month salary would still be a long way away. It was pressure from The Independent newspaper that forced its enactment late last year. The LDS tried to get the bill delayed with the possibility of a complete retraction. They were under tremendous pressure from their benefactors in the business community. In the end pressure coming from this newspaper and “people’s power” won the day, there was nothing LDS or PL could do to stop th...

In supporting changes to the law aimed at making the offshore less transparent and an easier place to hide dirty money, the LDS appears to be trying to turn the Seychelles into a jurisdiction of financial secrecy where criminals can bank with impunity. It is intentionally supporting changes in legislation for the primary benefit of a small number of offshore insiders and their overseas clients. In so doing, they are placing Seychelles at risk of mistrust and sanction by the international community. At the economic level, they are heightening the risk of loss of international banking services to businesses and ordinary people alike. At the domestic level, they are making it more difficult and even impossible to confiscate the banked monies of drug-trafficking kingpins, many of whom sponsored LDS for the last two National Elections. Most ordinary people and even many MNAs don’t understand the underlying motivation behind the amendments. It seems that the LDS has been misled into suppor...

This is the question we should be asking ourselves, having served this government in key areas for twenty odd years - Ahmed Afif must know a hell of lot what went on during all these years that he was a major player in this government. However, he is keeping quiet and his silence over many issues is definitely not in the best interest of this country. This newspaper has been following and observing Ahmed Afif since his election to the National Assembly. We believe that it is now time to expose Ahmed Afif for the liar that he is, in his demarche to front the agendas of his associates just like he did when he was in Government. We are publishing a letter to show that Afif lied when he said in the Assembly that he had no association with any offshore company. It is also alleged that Ahmed Afif was party to the negotiations of the contract between government and the Irish. There are strong indications that Afif might have also signed on behalf of the State. Ahmed Afif has stayed s...

We gave this picture to our body language specialist aka Ed to give us his expert opinion on the people in the photograph. There are five people in total in the picture; a lady and four men all wearing different colour t-shirts. The lady is wearing a white baseball cap, earring and a necklace; she is dark skinned. However, there is very little that our expert can tell us about the lady as the rest of her person is not in view. The guy in white cap, dark glasses and dark blue t-shirt are indicative of things to hide; many skeletons in the closet, so to speak. The chap in the yellow polo-shirt is a Tiger Woods impersonator; the kind that goes to church every Sunday with the family and gives generously to the church collection so as to escape the horror of the afterlife.        The two males with their backs to the camera and hands in their pockets are very bad news to whoever decides to do business with these two fellows. They are good at putting...

It is a known fact that when you have an un-elected official as the head of elected members you are heading for trouble.  This is exactly the problem with a “Cohabitation through Collusion” National Assembly led by a person trying to hide his ownership of a bullet-proof BMW.  Will such a person be able to make a public declaration of assets? We all expect to see the ‘plastik’ manhood carrier duck, dive, bobbing and weaving his way out of the fiasco of his own making – the attempt to please two masters at the same time!  Whilst trying to present a semblance of fighting for democracy in Seychelles, he is busy trying to keep democracy on a tight leash in the National Assembly. The strategy is a short-term one as the constituents from various districts are beginning to realise that their dreams of the better and brighter future are being pegged on the ambitions of a single man. A case in point is the current attempt for victimisation resolution. Discussions on the iss...

Last week on Tuesday 7th March the National Assembly debated on a motion on drugs brought forward by Honorable Bernard Georges the National Assembly representative for the district of Les Mamelles. This is the motion as it appeared on the order paper: Lasanble Nasyonal I demann Governman pou met an plas en Task Force ki enkli reprezantan Gouverman, Lasanble Nasyonal, distrik, paran e dimoun konsernen pou: 1. Pas anrevi sityasyon drog dan sesel 2. Etidye mezir ki nou e lezot pei in pran pou atak problem drog 3. Resevwar propozisyon sorti kot sitwayen e Lorganizasyon konsernen lo mezir pou konbat sa fleo 4. Elabor en plan d-aksyon konpreansiv anvi redwir e elimin problem drog sesel Our translation: The National Assembly is appealing to the Government for the establishment of a Task Force to include representatives from Government, National Assembly, parents and concerned citizens to: 1. review the drug issue in Seychelles 2. study the methods by which we and other countr...