What is it consultation or collusion?
When Sir James Mancham returned home after 15 years of forced exile, he preached the message of National Reconciliation. He was right for the good of the country, although not everything said right is triggered by the right motive. At the time, his critics coming straight from Arpent Vert asked the question of whether he was really searching for National Reconciliation or rather personal reconciliation between himself and Albert Rene, the man who ousted him from power and the President of Seychelles then. They were also right, because a few years later Mr. Mancham was able to reconcile himself with all his personal properties, which were wrongfully taken away from him after the Coup d’état and also those of his ancestors.
Nothing is new under the sun, so says the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. We are living in a world of repetition and what happened yesterday will surely happen again in the future, albeit in another form. So in the context of Seychelles’ politics today, is history repeating itself? How long will the broad mass continue to be trodden upon by a few who believe they are smart? Heaven knows!
After the 2015 Presidential Election, Arpent Vert was home to a group of very bitter politicians. They did all in their power to destabilize the whole country, if they did not have their way. They believed that their candidate Wavel Ramkalawan should have won the presidency, based on results of the first round of the Election. But it was not to be. He was beaten fair and square by James Alix Michel in the second round. Then came the National Assembly Elections in 2016, which LDS won by 15 to 10. So now the country is in a situation of cohabitation. Parti Lepep controls the government, whilst LDS has the majority in the National Assembly.
But from what has been observed lately, is it really consultation taking place because of the cohabitation, or it is collusion? It is said that nowadays, there is consultation before any decision is taken? Isn’t it the other way around, whereby decisions are taken based on agreement reached through collusion? Which is which of the two? This is a debate in itself and one that all Seychellois would be well advised to engage themselves into.
What stands out clearly though; is that presently there is a group of very happy politicians sitting in their offices either at Arpent Vert or ‘Lakaz Seselwa’. All those angry lines on the forehead of Wavel Ramkalawan, for which he was famously known in 2015, have disappeared. (Tou bann pli in sorti lo son fron). Roger Mancienne is known to be a cool guy, though not as democratic in his outlook as he wants everyone to believe. But now he appears even cooler than a cucumber when he comes on SBC television for an interview. Bernard Georges also carries the wide smile of a happy man. The joy of Pat Pillay is even bordering madness. One week he goes into the heart of Victoria to call for the resignation of President Danny Faure. The week after during a Presidential visit at Anse Boileau, the district where he is the elected member, Pillay declared just how marvellous a President Danny Faure really was indeed.
So what is the cause for the jubilation of those once bitter politicians from the Opposition? What is keeping them all so sweet? It is a question for which most Seychellois would like to get an answer. Whatever it is, those politicians should at least have the decency to share some of the lollipop with those out there who are waiting to be alleviated from poverty. What about those fishermen and boat owners who are screaming because the costs for doing business has gone up and nobody is interested to fight for them? They should not forget the stevedores who were dragged into a war, but abandoned half way through the first battle by their so called leader.
If consultation is the order of the day, then someone should also consult on their behalf. Being a known consultant “par excellence” in matters of interest to him, this should not prove to be a difficult task for Wavel Ramkalawan.
Independent
Nothing is new under the sun, so says the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. We are living in a world of repetition and what happened yesterday will surely happen again in the future, albeit in another form. So in the context of Seychelles’ politics today, is history repeating itself? How long will the broad mass continue to be trodden upon by a few who believe they are smart? Heaven knows!
After the 2015 Presidential Election, Arpent Vert was home to a group of very bitter politicians. They did all in their power to destabilize the whole country, if they did not have their way. They believed that their candidate Wavel Ramkalawan should have won the presidency, based on results of the first round of the Election. But it was not to be. He was beaten fair and square by James Alix Michel in the second round. Then came the National Assembly Elections in 2016, which LDS won by 15 to 10. So now the country is in a situation of cohabitation. Parti Lepep controls the government, whilst LDS has the majority in the National Assembly.
But from what has been observed lately, is it really consultation taking place because of the cohabitation, or it is collusion? It is said that nowadays, there is consultation before any decision is taken? Isn’t it the other way around, whereby decisions are taken based on agreement reached through collusion? Which is which of the two? This is a debate in itself and one that all Seychellois would be well advised to engage themselves into.
What stands out clearly though; is that presently there is a group of very happy politicians sitting in their offices either at Arpent Vert or ‘Lakaz Seselwa’. All those angry lines on the forehead of Wavel Ramkalawan, for which he was famously known in 2015, have disappeared. (Tou bann pli in sorti lo son fron). Roger Mancienne is known to be a cool guy, though not as democratic in his outlook as he wants everyone to believe. But now he appears even cooler than a cucumber when he comes on SBC television for an interview. Bernard Georges also carries the wide smile of a happy man. The joy of Pat Pillay is even bordering madness. One week he goes into the heart of Victoria to call for the resignation of President Danny Faure. The week after during a Presidential visit at Anse Boileau, the district where he is the elected member, Pillay declared just how marvellous a President Danny Faure really was indeed.
So what is the cause for the jubilation of those once bitter politicians from the Opposition? What is keeping them all so sweet? It is a question for which most Seychellois would like to get an answer. Whatever it is, those politicians should at least have the decency to share some of the lollipop with those out there who are waiting to be alleviated from poverty. What about those fishermen and boat owners who are screaming because the costs for doing business has gone up and nobody is interested to fight for them? They should not forget the stevedores who were dragged into a war, but abandoned half way through the first battle by their so called leader.
If consultation is the order of the day, then someone should also consult on their behalf. Being a known consultant “par excellence” in matters of interest to him, this should not prove to be a difficult task for Wavel Ramkalawan.
Independent
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