New MAYOR for Victoria - CONGRATULATIONS Mr David Andre!!

President Faure presents New Mayor of Victoria with letter of appointment

Wed, 04 January 2017

27  25  2
President Danny Faure presented the new Mayor of Victoria, Mr David Andre with his official letter of appointment at State House this afternoon, in the presence of the Designated Minister who is also Minister for Local Government, Mrs Macsuzy Mondon and the Members of National Assembly for districts surrounding Victoria.

Mayor Andre’s appointment, comes following his unanimous nomination by Members of the National Assembly of the eight districts that surrounds Victoria comprising of; Roche Caiman, Les Mamelles, Plaisance, Mont Fleuri, Mont Buxton, Bel Air, English River and St Louis made to the Ministry of Local Government which then received the final endorsement of the President.

President Faure congratulated Mr Andre on his appointment and wished him the very best in his new endeavour whilst also pledging the governments full support as he takes on the task as Mayor of Victoria.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Minister Mondon, affirmed that the election of Mayor will take place in 2018 along with the election of district councils however in the interim it is important that work continues hence the appointment of a new Mayor.

Mr Andre expressed how honoured he is to be the first male Mayor of Victoria and that he is looking forward to the new task ahead, in working with all relevant parties to make Victoria a more vibrant, welcoming and people centred town.

Mr Andre replaces Mrs Jacqueline Moustache-Belle whom was appointed Mayor of Victoria in March 2012 prior to her appointment as Chief Protocol and Presidential Affairs in the office of the President in October 2016.

Mr Andre’s appointment takes effect immediately.
http://www.statehouse.gov.sc/news.php?news_id=3252




Everyday we get Facebook posting we ought to be good christian - good christian is not about putting up with crap and dishonest individuals , allowing others to rip you off and walking all over your back, the LDS their accusation of SPPF/SPUP and PL giving jobs to the chum and party supporters is not going to sort that Seychelles - those of us aware of the real problematic - the black man who wait for your banana to be ready for harvesting he come first and in front of you cut down the banana - his respond when challenge gros Poisson and grand zoizo is doing it - I also have a right. But he get arrested because he is poor and uneducated, lacks the ability to communicate/express his person. Talking of bananas our grand parents were cultivators of large banana plantation and many varieties - the reminder of former Minister Philippe Jumeau of the Banana trader advice to my person - when I decided to acquire the Lancome and Guy Laroche agency in Seychelles back in 1973 the shop in Pirate Arms - ( By the way Mr Mayor - we have only 16 days before the Obama leaves the white House and his buzz I ought to visit Seychelles before he leaves Office try, en devour to understand what we have posted in public, this is not just any random posting)The Obama Team have been covering you lot for the past 8 years - you may never know the why because you intellect is not that able enough .

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15871729_10154793973944484_5734434853312324481_n.jpg?oh=1b2d20230cf6086ef2600bedd370dc2d&oe=5923C131

New mayor of Seychelles' capital wants a more vibrant Victoria

Victoria, Seychelles | January 4, 2017, Wednesday @ 15:59 in National » GENERAL | By: Patsy Athanase | Views: 2540
New mayor of Seychelles' capital wants a more vibrant Victoria
David Andre was presented with his official document today by President Danny Faure at State House. (Louis Toussaint, Seychelles News Agency)
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(Seychelles News Agency) - The new Mayor of Victoria said on Wednesday he hopes to make the capital more welcoming and vibrant.
David Andre was presented with his official document by President Danny Faure at State House.
- See more at: http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/6551/New+mayor+of+Seychelles'+capital+wants+a+more+vibrant+Victoria#sthash.JNQPfC5Q.dpuf

LOCAL GOVERNMENT SEYCHELLES STYLE

The Ubiquitous Mayor of Victoria

Ms Marie-Antoinette Alexis, Mayor of VictoriaTHE word ubiquitous is an adjective which means existing everywhere. Since the beginning of the year the mayor of Victoria, Ms Antoinette Alexis, has become ubiquitous. She has been seen everywhere, it seems, and in official cocktail circuits except in Victoria. Her latest appearance was at Beau Vallon district where she signed a twinning agreement with some innocuous town in Mauritius.

http://www.seychellesweekly.com/april_11_2008/page4.html

Ongoing exhibition on Russia
Russian Minister for Environment due to visit Seychelles in April


The Russian Minister for Environment, Mr Leonid Bochin is scheduled to visit Seychelles in April 2002 in further efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries, especially in environmental conservation pursuits.

The Mayor of Victoria, Mrs Florence Benstrong, made the announcement on Wednesday, when an exhibition intended to highlight various aspects about Russia opened at the National Library.

Recalling that she held talks with the minister during her September 2001 visit to Moscow, Mrs Benstrong noted that their discussions at the time centred on the protection of islands and marine parks.
http://www.seychelles.net/seynat/archives/401401201.html

office of the Mayor
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan032172.pdf



In 2005, the then mayor of Victoria, Mrs Florence Benstrong and the Indian high commissioner to Seychelles Mr Arun Kumar Goel, had the honour of laying the foundation stone for the construction of the temple tower Rajagopuram.
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=244784

Victoria mayor back from African local government meetings

23-November-2004
The meetings, held from November 7 to 9 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, gathered representatives from English, French and Portuguese-speaking African countries.
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=208957

the former Mayor of Victoria, Florence Benstrong;
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=216936

Kenya, Seychelles in Trade Pact

Nairobi — The mayors of Nairobi and Victoria, the capital city of Seychelles, have signed an agreement that will pave way for increased trade between their two cities.

Nairobi mayor Dick Wathika and his Victoria counterpart, Mrs Florence Benstrong acknowledged that despite the proximity of the two cities, trade between the capitals is limited.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200704231427.html

Mayor of Victoria
http://www.seychellesnewsagency.com/search_news?thequery=Mayor+of+Victoria&

Hi All. Many people have been calling to ask how the Mayor of Victoria is appointed. This of course, after it was announced from State House that Mr. David André had been elected Mayor of Victoria. Many saw it as a presidential appointment and even commended Mr. Faure.
Well this is how it is done presently. The MNAs of the following districts, St. Louis, Bel Air, Mr. Buxton, English River, Mr. Fleuri, Plaisance, Mamelles and Roche Caiman are the ones who elect the Mayor. These districts are considered as Victoria.
Once they elect the Mayor, the President then confirms their decision and gives the letter of appointment.
In 2018, anyone wishing to become the Mayor of Victoria will have to present his nomination and stand for election. So in 2018, the residents of the 8 districts will elect the Mayor of Victoria.
In the meantime, I congratulate Mr. David André as the new Mayor of Victoria and I wish him courage and wisdom in his new responsibilities. May Victoria regain its joie de vivre.

https://www.google.it/maps/place/Victoria,+Seychelles/@-4.6150903,55.4497201,16z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x22e028547ac91869:0x62e3e07e7e6c3cde!8m2!3d-4.619143!4d55.4513149

http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/google_map_Victoria.htm

http://www.afdec-cartographie.fr/images/tourisme/plans_ville/T2_06_Victoria_Neos.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ba/b7/68/bab768387449bf328abf33bc0157359e.jpg

Opinion - Mayor David Andre could put a smile on Victoria’s baby face

07-January-2017
Yes President Danny Faure’s appointment of Mr David Andre as the new Mayor of Victoria – with the support of members of the National Assembly (from both sides of the House) representing districts surrounding Victoria – is another bold step in the right direction. And none appears more ready to prove this to be so than Mr Andre himself who lost no time to point out that if he has any claim to national recognition, it is as an ‘artist’ and not as a ‘politician’.
Two things I have always liked with David Andre. First he has always retained his big smile although often surrounded by sour faced people and secondly his love for music and songs.
After the Seychelles coup in June 1977, the late Robert Caillé, then Editor of Paris Vogue, published an interview with me which was entitled ‘The Singing Philosophy’. I said that on the road of life I discovered that there is a song for each and every occasion and that it did not matter how well or how badly one sings because when one is singing, one has no time for envy, jealousy and or evil conspiracy. One is left to one’s own memories and to one’s dreams of what one is seeking. Well, I do believe that David Andre somehow shares this philosophy.
However, if Victoria, our little capital is to come out with a ‘big smile’, David’s lovely music and inspiring songs would not be sufficient. There are several items which he should consider to put on his agenda for priority consideration. May I be allowed to suggest a few:
(i) He should aim at making Victoria the cleanest and most hygienic Port/City on this side of the Equator;
(ii) Of what remains of the green parts of Victoria, he should ensure that more beautiful flowers are added and perhaps a few more Flamboyant Trees are grown. Far too difficult to think about growing again the huge Sandragon Trees which once adorned central Victoria near the old Taxi Stand;
(iii) He will have to call for the best advice to solve our ever-increasing traffic problems;
(iv) In the spirit of reconciliation and with the accord of President Faure – consideration should promptly be given to change the name of ‘Avenue 5 juin’ into maybe ‘Rue de la Reconciliation Nationale’, and of course ‘Rue de La Revolution’ should take back its historical name of ‘La Rue Royale – for who wants to be thinking of ‘La Rue de La Revolution’ when the revolution has failed and when peace and reconciliation is on the agenda.
I have special credit to my name for wishing to discuss matters of and concerning Victoria. I was born in Victoria, grew up in Victoria, played hide and seek in the streets of Victoria and then later on when Legislative Council election was established, I served many years in the office of the Elected Member for Victoria and the Outlying Islands.
In 1947, Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Seychelles after whom we named the Victoria Market, introduced Local Government in Seychelles – with Mahé, Praslin and La Digue partitioned into several District Councils – one of which was the Victoria District Council, then referred to as the VDC.
My father, Richard Mancham, became an elected member of that Council for the Central Ward of Victoria. I remember as a young 11-year-old accompanying two popular Victoria characters (Monsieur Lucien Mathiot and Monsieur Eugene Marie), parading down the streets of Belonie and Mont Buxton, ringing large school bells and displaying huge cardboards with inscription – ‘Voter pour Monsieur Richard Mancham’, while singing aloud ‘Annou voter manman, annou voter papa, annou voter piti, annou voter pour Monsieur Richard Mancham, ‘Voter manman, voter papa, voter piti, annou voter pour Monsieur Richard Mancham’.
It is to be noted that following the introduction of ‘one man one vote' and the emergence of party politics against a background of popular politics, Mr F.A. Rene and myself with the support of our respective party, decided to do away with elected District Councils. Just imagine a scenario of the elected member of District Council of Beau Vallon clashing with the politics of the elected member of the National Assembly which covers this district? There again, party politics could once again destroy any harmony achieved by the politics of national reconciliation.
It is for this reason that I recently stated that I was against the idea of resuscitating Local Government election. Well, the ruling Party and the Opposition appear to wish otherwise and I understand that Local Government elections will be held in year 2018. This is democracy but history will tell whether I was right or wrong. Truly speaking with only 18months in office as Mayor before an election is due is an encouragement to short-term and not long-term solutions.
Today Victoria can also claim to be an active Centre of Interfaith Movements in the Western Indian Ocean region. When I was growing up, we had the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Olivier Maradan Street, we had the St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral and the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Royal Street. But over recent times, we have seen burgeoning different branches of the Christian faith alongside the Hindu Temple, the Islamic Mosque and the Baha’i Church. The Mayor of the Town would be expected to maintain cordial relations with all leaders of these religious organisations.
There is an important role which the Mayor of Victoria can play in the life of the Nation. He must ensure that Victoria is always projected as a friendly capital to the outside world. Many VIPs would wish to pay a courtesy call on him, particularly as the President of the Republic, the Vice-President and ministers would often be far too occupied with the day to day running of the government to have much time for ceremonies.
The Mayor of Victoria should be encouraged to get the VIPs to become endeared with Seychelles and would wish to present to them a friendly memento to commemorate their visit. The coco-de-mer has become too expensive to be handed out to all VIPs. Those few available must be left to be given as memento by the President or Vice-President. So what should the Mayor do? There are two propositions which are not costly – (i) An approach to either the Chinese or Indian government for a quantity of gold-plated keys which would be gifted as the Golden Key of Victoria and (ii) And if the visitor is also to be made an Honorary Citizen of Victoria, it would be appropriate for the Mayor to present him with a well-designed parchment which he could frame and display in his office. The point is there are a lot of rich people with a lot of money in the banks but with nothing hanging on their office walls, like the one I have been displaying over the years since 1965 which reads –
“Greetings,
Be it hereby known that James Richard Mancham as on this 18 day of August 1965 been made an Honorary Citizen of New Orleans International City.
Founded 1718 A.D. by the French explorer Bienville… A city of old world tradition and new world enterprise… Famed to its charm, beauty and hospitality… One of America’s most progressive communities… A great world port and the centre of a vast and growing imperial empire…
Signed
Victor H. Schiro
Mayor”.
You see David, you have exciting times ahead and I do hope you will provide me with the opportunity of an early courtesy call. I welcome your appointment as an artist to the position of Mayor of Victoria. In the same spirit, I have welcomed the designation of another artist Mr Patrick Victor as an Honorary Doctor of the University of Seychelles. But what about the artist Mickey Mancham? Should his memory be allowed to fade in the mists of the past? Although he died in 1970 at the age of 26, a great majority of the people of Seychelles still cherish his memory. Among his great songs stands ‘Tou le zour dan lari bazar’, which very much evoke a certain spirit and character of that part of Victoria and then ‘Annou viv konman frer…pa neseser ki nou lager’, testifying his vision for unity and national reconciliation. Cannot we find a little place somewhere to commemorate the memory of this beloved son of our shores whose songs are still popular with most Seychellois?

James R. Mancham

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=252467