Mancham invited to join prestigious ‘Club de Madrid’

28-October-2013
Mancham to join the prestigious ‘Club de Madrid’Founding President of the Republic of Seychelles Sir James Mancham has accepted an invitation of the prestigious ‘Club de Madrid’ to become a member of the organisation and to take part in the next general assembly and annual conference which is to be held from December 7-9 at Coolum resort, close to the city of Brisbane, Australia.

‘Club de Madrid’ is a world leadership alliance comprising 92 former democratic heads of State and government.
In a letter dated Madrid October 15, 2013 to President Mancham, the President of the club - a former Prime Minister of The Netherlands, Wim Kok, states: “Members of the club unanimously agree that your own intense experiences in politics and government would greatly enrich our organisation and constitute an enormous contribution to the strengthening of democracy and democratic values worldwide. In this sense we will be honoured if you were to join us in Australia and become part of the organisation.”

After ten years of advocacy for a ‘democracy that delivers’, the ‘Club de Madrid’ has become the world’s largest forum of former presidents and prime ministers committed to share their experience in government and overcome the challenges of leading and decision-making in contemporary politics worldwide.

Up to now the ‘Club de Madrid’ has addressed a wide range of issues of global concern such as climate change and sustainable development, social cohesion, democracy and terrorism, the role of women in peace and security, as well as the subject of global governance. The Club de Madrid’s headquarters is in Madrid, Spain and run by its secretary general Carlos Westendorp who is the former Minister for Foreign Affairs under the government of Philip Gonzales of Spain.

Among those actively involved with the affairs of the Club de Madrid at this time is William J. Clinton, former President of the USA; Jennifer Mary Shipley, former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Oscar Arias, nobel peace prize winner and former President of Colombia; Jose Maria Aznar, former Prime Minister of Spain; Carl Biltd, former Prime Minister of Sweden; Joaquim Chissano, former President of Mozambique; Jean Chretien, former Prime Minister of Canada; Vincente Fox, former President of Mexico; Yasou Fukuda, former Prime Minister of Japan; Amine Gemayel, former President of Lebanon; Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union; Helmut Kohl, former chancellor of Germany; John Kufuor, former President of Ghana; Thabo Mbeki - former President of South Africa; Benjamin Mkapa, former President of Tanzania; Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Italy; Fidel V. Ramos, former President of Philippines; Mary Robinson, former Prime Minister of Ireland and Mario Soares, former President of Portugal. The four honorary members of the ‘Club de Madrid’ are Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the UN; Jimmy Carter, former President of the USA; Aung San Suu Kyi, opposition leader of Burma and Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission.

In a statement yesterday morning founding President Mancham said that the invitation to join this prestigious organisation must be considered as a tribute to the people of Seychelles particularly those who believe in democracy and the promotion of democratic values.

Mr Mancham said he was looking forward to actively take part and contribute towards the noble objectives of the body which, he said, must remain committed to global peace and to a more equitable world order.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=239569

https://www.google.co.uk/logos/doodles/2013/edith-heads-116th-birthday-5668600916475904.3-hp.jpg

The Prince and the Pauper (film) shown Monday - 28/10/13 1977 version{ The English version of the Man in the Iron Mask
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince_and_the_Pauper_(film)

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/The-Prince-and-the-Pauper-Mark-Twain/9780007420063?redirected=true&utm_medium=Shopping&utm_campaign=ShoppingUk&utm_source=UK&utm_content=The-Prince-and-the-Pauper

Policy review for the resettlement of the Chagos Island

19-August-2015
The Seychelles Chagossians position

After years of legal battles between the United Kingdom and the Chagossian people, the UK government is finally actively working on a feasibility study to resettle the Chagos islands.

The study was done by the KPMG group and the final version was presented to the British Government early 2015.

The KPMG group came to Seychelles in November 2014, for the opinions of the Seychellois Chagossian people.

We pointed out several points which are included in the study including; possible access to resources and employment possibility on Diego Garcia, the possibility to settle the un-inhabited half of Diego Garcia, commercialisation options of the islands, the role of the Chagossian people within the administrative management of the islands and decision making process, and the possible role of the Seychelles islands as a logistics hub.

The study looks at different resettlement options, including initial group sizes, infrastructure requirements in line with modern living expectations, access options to the islands and commercial options for employment of Chagossian that decides to resettle the islands.
The study is an extensive document and the Seychelles committee, after consultations with our legal support and the local Chagossian community, will come back with our further comments.

At this stage however, the Chagossian people welcome the study and the apparent serious commitment by the British government to carry through with the programme.

The Chagos islands had not been inhabited for over forty years and remains one of the last unspoilt Paradise on the Earth. The Chagossian people recognise that and we maintain that as potential direct custodians of the islands, we would be the right people to help protect the islands and its territories. Any development programme should take account of necessity to protect the environment of the territory.

A consultation process was initiated this week by the British Foreign Office, with deadline by October 27, 2015, to evaluate the real interest and number of Chagossians that would want to resettle the islands. The Seychelles Chagossian Committee will be distributing a questionnaire to the community in Seychelles. We will release radio announcements to this effect starting today. Once everyone has received a copy of the questionnaires, we will follow through with a general meeting on September 20 to explain the content of the questionnaires and to help the members in the community to fill in the forms.

Contributed

Seychelles Nation

Letter to the Editor
Resettlement of the Chagos islands:James Mancham not in a position to comment

Dear Editor,
We took note of Sir James Mancham’s comments in response to an article which appeared in The Guardian of 5 August 2015 entitled “Exiled Chagossians could be allowed to go return home under limited resettlement” - Sir James' article relegates all Chagossians to temporary migrant workers, with no indigenous history and even ignores the many who are full British citizens. We find his statements deplorable and offensive and find that they reflect his dismissive attitude towards the Chagossians and our struggle throughout the decades. The Seychelles Chagossian Committee has on several occasions in the past, requested meetings with Sir James Mancham, to tell his version of the Chagossian story, during his tenures as a senior politician in the Seychelles. He would have been privy to valuable information which may have helped our cause. Sir Mancham has always refused any sitting with the Chagossians.

A lot of effort has been expended over the years to clarify the Chagossians' status as the native people of the Chagos. While it is right that there was a portion of migrant workers from Seychelles and Mauritius, who settled, started families and remained on the islands for some generations prior to the deportation, there was also an indigenous group whose decedents had been on the islands since 1776, when a group of French colonialists set up a coconut and sugar cane plantations with slaves from Madagascar and Mozambique. When the British took over the islands in 1835, after the Napoleonic wars, one of them recorded that there was already a settled population on the islands.
It seems the three "important" corporations that Sir James Mancham worked for as a lawyer, as described in the article, were all related to the satellite tracking industry for the USAF. Activity of the sort was and remains one of the main functions of the US on Diego Garcia. He seems to have been, if not in favour of, then supportive of the endeavour purposed for Diego Garcia when it was appropriated by the military. We would assume it is for this reason that he could never meet with any of us or offer his advice then. It would have been a case of conflict of interest and his interest would have been to protect the US and the UK over the displaced Chagossian people.

We would have hoped that he has changed his position with regards to the Chagossians by now and see us not as coconut plantation workers of the 1970’s but as an evolved people.

As far as his tourism proposals are concerned, it is the Chagossian people that should be the prime beneficiaries of any future possibilities and to whether or not to open discussions with the British or the Seychelles government. If major hotels in Seychelles or Mauritius or anywhere else can hire professional management, so can the Chagossians hire professionals and / or decide on the best way forward. In short, Sir James Macham is not in a position to comment, nor do we take heed of any of his advice on any issue in relation to the Chagossian people.

Policy review for the resettlement of the Chagos Island, the Seychelles Chagossians position
After years of legal battles between the United Kingdom and the Chagossian people, the UK government is finally actively working on a feasibility study to resettle the Chagos islands. The study was done by the KPMG group and the final version was presented to the British Government in early 2015. The KPMG group came to Seychelles in November 2014 to gather the opinions of the Seychellois Chagossian people. We pointed out several points which are included in the study, including the possible access to resources and employment possibilities on Diego Garcia, the possibility of resettling the un-inhabited half of Diego Garcia, commercialization options of the islands, the role of the Chagossian people within the administrative management of the islands and decision making process, and the possible role of the Seychelles islands as a logistics hub.

The study looks at different resettlement options, including initial group sizes, infrastructure requirements in line with modern living expectations, access options to the islands and commercial options for employment of Chagossian that decides to resettle the islands.The study is an extensive document and the Seychelles committee, after consultations with our legal support and the local Chagossian community, will come back with further comments. At this stage however, the Chagossian people welcome the study and the apparent serious commitment by the British Government to carry through with the programme.

The Chagos islands have not been inhabited for over forty years and remains one of the last unspoilt Paradise on the Earth. The Chagossian people recognize that and we maintain that as potential direct custodians of the islands, we would be the right people to help protect the islands and its territories. Any development programme should take account the necessity to protect the environment of the territory.

A consultation process was initiated this week by the British foreign Office this week, with deadline by the 27 October 2015, to evaluate the real interest and number of Chagossians that would want to resettle the islands. The Seychelles Chagossian Committee will be distributing a questionnaire to the community in Seychelles. We will release radio announcements to this effect as of today, Wednesday, 19 August. Once everyone has received a copy of the questionnaire, we will follow through with a general meeting on 20 September to explain the content of the questionnaires and to help the members in the community fill in the forms.

Seychelles Chagossian Committee

Letter to the Editor - Free expression stops where defamation begins

18-September-2015
On Saturday, I will be leaving Seychelles on the way to New York to take part in a high-level debate focused mostly on the importance of education in the future of nations and indeed the entire world.

I will be leaving behind me an atmosphere of increasing partisan political tension as a presidential election is imminent and a National Assembly election is on the board.

As a declared ‘Apostle of National Reconciliation’, I wish to appeal to all contestants for public office to act and behave civilly and in a calm and matured manner throughout the campaign.

Of course, freedom of speech will be the order of the day but it must not be forgotten that freedom stops where defamation begins. Journalistic overkill of course advances the presumption of malice aforethought. Publishers must also act responsibly and remain aware that they are liable to pay damages to those disparaged and libeled and that they are certainly not absolved by publishing a disclaimer that “The views expressed are not necessarily the views of the newspaper.” They should therefore give second thoughts before publishing letters by those who are not prepared to give their name and prefer to hide behind such nomenclatures as “A concerned citizen” – “A proud lesbian” – “A man of justice” and “A true democrat”.

When I studied law at the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in London, one of my favourite subjects was the Law of Libel and Defamation. Surprisingly, throughout my discharge of public office, over the years, I have sued whenever unjustifiably and maliciously attacked. Many apologies have been published by such respected newspaper and magazine like The Spectator, The Observer and The Financial Times – with some of them settling out of court by publishing an acceptable apology and by paying “acceptable substantial damages”.

On the other hand, although being a prolific writer, on matters of national interest, and also a publisher of ‘Seychelles Weekly’, ‘Seychelles Review’ and ‘VIOAS’ (Voice of the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea) – I am proud to say that I have never been found liable to pay any damage or publish any apology for defaming a third party.

I am proud of my record in this respect, which includes the collection of over 25,000 rupees from my “learned friend”, F.A. René, who had alleged in a public broadcast at an election campaign, that I was personally responsible for a shortage of rice in the local market.



James R. Mancham

Seychelles Nation

Letter to the Editor - Another contribution to the ‘Are we rich or poor’ debate

24-February-2016

“The believers in life and the bounty of life…their coffers are never empty” (The Prophet by Khalil Gibran)
Indeed bookworms and lovers of Literature have appreciated the opinion piece from Sir James Mancham on the subject ‘Are we rich or are we poor’, which was followed by another opinion piece entitled ‘Food for thought for the Wannabe's of Seychelles’ by Rowny Vidot. As one myself, (a bookworm and lover of Literature), those two opinion pieces stimulated me to add something.
This takes me back to the recent past, during the presidential election campaign. I felt obliged and sad to read and take note of quite a few photos of shabby dwellings, in political papers, assuming it is really Seychelles! I would not dare to make any absurd comments regarding those photos themselves, as I would prefer not to be as contemptuous as the photographer, but henceforth every now and then when the subject of ‘Rich and Poor’ crops up, I stop short to ask myself as to why I have never been shown who dwell in such state and what contain such dwellings … meaning furniture wise.
I and others might have probably been shocked to note that in some of those same dwellings one can find expensive hi-fi sets, flat screens, expensive mobiles and other latest technology gadgets as well as ‘haut-de-gamme’ occupants. I live in a district where I witness such things (albeit I am left to see such dwellings as in those photos!) and such attitudes exist, more or less in all the districts in Seychelles. Here I commend Mr Vidot's point (g) of his article and I quote the last line only “Why? Because we are poor??? Or because we do not have our priorities right???”
Bill Gates says: “If you are born poor it is not your mistake, but if you die poor it is your mistake!”
On another level, many believe that on the other side of the ocean lie ‘Greener Pastures’. Mr Vidot has said a few things on that matter but I would make my point, in this illustrated paradox of life, taken from the book titled ‘You Can Win’ by famous author Shiv Khera (one of my favourites).

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=248520

Mancham leaves on different missions dealing with crisis of a world in turmoil

29-February-2016
• Calls for Seychelles people to show grandeur d’esprit

Seychelles’ founding President Sir James R. Mancham left Seychelles yesterday evening for New Mr ManchamDelhi, India where he has been invited to take part in a top-level dialogue styled the Raisina Dialogue being hosted in New Delhi by the prestigious Observer Research Foundation in association with India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

This dialogue is India’s flagship conference engaging with geo-politics and geo-economics. It is designed to explore and examine the prospects and opportunities for Asian Integration as well as Asia’s integration with the larger world. It is predicated on India’s vital role in the Indian Ocean region and how India along with its partners in the region and beyond can build a stable and prosperous world order.
The 2016 conclave will focus on Asia’s physical, economic, human and digital connectivity and will attempt to discover opportunities and challenges for the region to manage its common spaces as well as the global partnerships needed to develop common pathways in this century.

The inaugural dialogue will be hosted between March 1-3 this year and besides Sir James the inaugural panel consists of Sunjoh Joshi, Director Observer Research Foundation, India; Dr. S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, India; Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Minister for External Affairs, India; Hamid Karzai, former President, Afghanistan; Chandrika Badaranaika Kumaratunga, former President, Sri Lanka; Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; Ashok Malik, Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India.

Other VIPs taking part in the conference include Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr., Commander of the US Pacific Command; Jacob von Weizsacker, member of the European Parliament, Germany; Li Zhaoxing, former Foreign Minister, China; Hideaki Domichi, Senior Vice-President, Japan International Cooperation Agency; Dr Hung-mao Tien, President Institute for National Policy Research, Taiwan; Peter Tan, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore; Helga Zepp, head of Schiller Institute, Germany; Vyacheslav Nikonov, member of Duma, Russian Federation; Ding Guorong, Senior Vice-President, Silk Road Fund, China; and Shashi Tharoor, member of Parliament, India.
From Delhi, Sir James will fly to Hamburg, Germany to take part in the 9th World Future Council Annual Meeting which will be focusing on identifying policy solutions for a world of growing disorder and crisis. Sir James has for some time now been an Honorary Councillor of the World Future Council.

From Hamburg, he will be flying to Baku, Azerbaijan to attend the 4th Global Baku Forum which is being hosted by the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre of Azerbaijan in association with Le Club de Madrid which is an association of over 70 former Heads of State or Prime Ministers of democratic nations. The 4th Baku Forum focusing on a multipolar world will discuss the global challenges of today and what we need for tomorrow to tackle most pressing issues.

From Baku, founding President Mancham will fly to London where he will be a VIP guest at The Economist’s Sustainability Summit which will take place between March 15-16 and where he will join more than 200 global stakeholders – from government ministers to investors and next generation leaders – to shape the new sustainability dialogue.

This major event will explore the emerging global agenda of the anthropocene where environmental and social sustainability intersect with economic prosperity. It will highlight the key shifts in good policy and practice needed to bring about a sustainable future as well as those innovators who are helping to recreate the world.
Sir James is expected back in Seychelles on or about March 18.

In a statement issued yesterday before leaving for New Delhi, founding President Mancham said that the ongoing partisan tensions prevailing in Seychelles at this time is very much a reflection of a world in turmoil. “As we know most of the recent elections in supposedly democratic nations in Africa and elsewhere have been contested by the losing party.”

“Yes,” Mr Mancham said, “the world is in a state of turmoil. In the Pacific area China’s initiative in building of “islands” in the South China Sea has become a source of concern for neighbouring nations. The Australian policy vis-à-vis the boat people is seen by many nations as going against international human rights. Europe is facing a big crisis concerning the plight of illegal immigrants. The United Kingdom is asking its people to answer a question which could totally alter the standing of the UK on the world stage in future – Do we remain part of Europe or do we get out of it? The Middle East is of course in a mess. The images we see of Syrian cities are enough to make us realise the disastrous effect of civil war and other wars. In South America, the population is being menaced by mosquitoes in a manner never seen before, and indeed the stories which have come out of the campaign for the Presidential election in the US are frightening from many standpoints. It is therefore important that we in Seychelles stay cool and appreciate our blessings. For my part, I will continue on my mission to assert that while our country may be small that does not mean we are small people. Along this road we must therefore be able to look at our situation with a high sense of grandeur d’esprit and count the blessings which have come our way.”

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=248576

Today is a leap day ...

29-February-2016
What date is it today?
It’s February 29 and it is what we call a leap day.
Normally the month of February has 28 days, but every four years an extra day is added.
According to scientists, leap days are extra days added to the calendar to help synchronise it with Earth’s orbit around the sun and the actual passing of the seasons.
So why do we need these extra days?
The reason is that Earth takes approximately 365.25 days to orbit around the sun every year. It’s that .25 that creates the need for a leap year every four years.
According to an article on earthsky.com, during non-leap years or common years – like 2014 and 2015 – the calendar doesn’t take into account that extra quarter of a day actually required by the Earth to complete a single orbit around the sun. In essence, the calendar year, which is a human artifact, is faster than the actual solar year, or year as defined by our planet’s motion through space.
Over time and without correction, the calendar year would drift away from the solar year and the drift would add up quickly. For example, without correction the calendar year would be off by about 1 day after 4 years. It’d be off by about 25 days after 100 years. You can see that, if even more time were to pass without the leap year as a calendar correction, eventually July would be a winter month in the Northern Hemisphere.
The extra days are added in accordance with standards set forth by the Gregorian calendar system, which is widely used in many countries around the world.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar by creating the Gregorian calendar with the help of Christopher Clavius, a German mathematician and astronomer. The Gregorian calendar further stated that leap days should not be added in years ending in “00” unless that year is also divisible by 400. This additional correction was added to stabilise the calendar over a period of thousands of years and was necessary because solar years are actually slightly less than 365.25 days. In fact, a solar year occurs over a period of 365.2422 days.
Hence, according to the rules set forth in the Gregorian calendar leap years have occurred or will occur during the following years:
1600 1604 1608 1612 1616 1620 1624 1628 1632 1636 1640 1644 1648 1652 1656 1660 1664 1668 1672 1676 1680 1684 1688 1692 1696 1704 1708 1712 1716 1720 1724 1728 1732 1736 1740 1744 1748 1752 1756 1760 1764 1768 1772 1776 1780 1784 1788 1792 1796 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028 2032 2036 2040 2044 2048 2052 2056 2060 2064 2068 2072 2076 2080 2084 2088 2092 2096 2104 2108 2112 2116 2120 2124 2128 2132 2136 2140 2144 2148 2152.
Note that 2000 was a leap year because it is divisible 400, but that 1900 was not a leap year.

’Sustainability must become part of national policy,’ says Mancham

17-March-2016


Seychelles' founding President Sir James R. Mancham flew from Baku in Azerbaijan where he was Sir Jamesbusy last week debating on the political conditions of the world.
Sir James arrived in London last weekend to take part as a VIP guest at the Sustainability Summit organised by The Economist which took place on Tuesday and yesterday at the Banking Hall in the City of London on the theme of 'Adapt Or Die?’.
The Sustainability Summit 2016 looked at how short-term dominates the global mindset, with the need to achieve growth in the present often overshadowing critical preparations for our future.
However the call for transformational, systemic change is growing louder as is the demand for a world in which our people and planet form the bottom line of our economy. The question of course for the summit was to analyse the shift in both policy and practice to bring about a sustainable future.
This Sustainability Summit 2016 brought together a diverse cross-section of leading stakeholders from industry experts, to investors and policy-makers to next generation-thought-leaders.
This high level Summit was intended to provide a forum for candid discussions in an effort to progress and widen the sustainability dialogue.
In a world of seven billion people with a GWP of over US $70 trillion, social and environmental impacts are becoming ever more apparent. As economies and populations continue to surge, so too does the need for a bold framework to transform the path of global development from untenable and short-term-oriented to forward-looking and sustainable. But what will the new framework look like and what first steps can we take now, while the fate of our people and planet is still firmly in our hands, towards achieving a viable future?
Over the past few years, social and environmental sustainability has begun to creep up the list of national priorities for governments around the globe. This international panel of ministers highlighted key successes and challenges in implementing long-term, sustainable policies. What role does the public sector have to play in future proofing its society? Where can public, private and regional partnerships be utilised to further the sustainability agenda? What investments need to be made where, and by whom?
Dealing with the above situation today were five main speakers – Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor of The Economist; Miranda Johnson, Environment Correspondent of The Economist; Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, who is also Commissioner of the New Climate Economy; Per Bolund, Minister for Financial Markets and Deputy Minister for Finance of Sweden and Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources of Singapore.
Asked to comment on the objectives of the Summit, Sir James said obviously it was intended to lay the framework for global sustainable development. In this connection, it would be important for government to make sure that sustainability is incorporated into national policy.
There is certainly a great value at risk of inaction. The challenges of course will be for government to bring global civil society, and businesses along this journey.
Sir James is expected back in Seychelles tomorrow after attending a high-level forum in New Delhi, India; the Annual Meeting of the World Future Council in Hamburg; The Fourth Baku Forum in Azerbaijan and The Economist Summit in London.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=248770

Mancham invited to become ‘Membre du Comité d’Honneur’ of International Movement for Relations Between States and Religions

21-March-2016

Seychelles’ founding President Sir James R. Mancham has accepted the invitation of Dr Olivier Giscard d’Estaing to become a member of ‘Comité d’honneur du Mouvement International pour les relations Etats et Religions’.
In a letter dated in Neuilly sur Seine, France, on March 14, 2016, Monsieur Olivier Giscard d’Estaing states –
“……Je suis heureux de vous confirmer que notre Conseil d’Administration a décidé de vous inviter à devenir membre du comité d’honneur de notre association MIRER. Nous avons été impressionés par vos publications et par les valeurs que vous exprimez et que nous partageons. Ce sera donc un honneur et un encouragement pour nous d’établir une telle collaboration avec vous…….” (“I am happy to confirm that our Board of Administration has decided to invite you to become a member of the Committee of Honour of our association MIRER. We have been impressed by your valued writings and your views which we share. It will therefore be an honour and encouragement for us if we can establish such a collaboration with you”).
Olivier Giscard d’Estaing is of course the younger brother of France’s reputed former President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. Olivier himself is a former Member of the French Parliament and Founding Dean of INSEAD, France (Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires); an Honorary Chairman of the INSEAD Foundation; he is or has been a member of the board of Generali, IBM, Johnson, Société Internationale de Technologie (Chairman), CEDEP and advisor to the chairmen of Philips and Saint Gobain;
Within the not-for-profit area he is or has been Founding Dean and Director General of INSEAD, Chairman of the European League for Economic Cooperation (France), the ‘Jeune Chambre Economique’, the Business Association for the World Social Summit (BUSCO) and of COPAM (Comité pour un Parlement Mondial), Vice-Chairman of the European Movement (1978-1992), co-Founder of the Caux Round Table and Governor of the Atlantic Institute. He has served as a member of the French Parliament (1968-1973), of the North Atlantic Parliament (1969-1973) and a member of the ‘Conseil Economique et Social de France’ (1994-1999) and Mayor of Estaing (Aveyron).
Dr Olivier Giscard d'Estaing is the author of seven books and widely published in journals such as the ‘Revue Politique Parlementaire’ and the ‘Revue des Deux Mondes’.
INSEAD is headquartered in Fontainebleu outside Paris and has two established branches overseas – one in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and one in Singapore. In a recent article, The Financial Times referred to INSEAD as ‘the world’s top business school’.
In his acceptance letter to Monsieur Olivier Giscard d’Estaing, with whom Sir James has interacted at several international conferences over recent times (including those organised by the World Future Council), Sir James states that he feels delighted and honoured to have been invited to become a member of ‘comité d’honneur’ to such an important initiative as ‘Le Mouvement International pour les relations Etats et Religions’.
In a statement issued yesterday morning, Sir James states: “At the moment the world is facing a great need for reconciliation not only within nations but also between nations. In many cases, the declines of religions have seen the birth and growth of extremism. The Religions and the State must work together within the spirit of pluralism to stop the growth of this unfortunate phenomena. Personally, I have always held the view that religious leaders should not be tail-lights but the headlights of the reconciliation process which the world is in need. Against this reality, MIRER constitutes a commendable and important initiative which must be seriously considered and I do not think that there are many people as qualified as Monsieur Olivier Giscard d’Estaing to internationally spearhead this initiative. He can therefore be assured of my total support and utter dedication to the challenges ahead.”
“Ideas have the power to change the world. Change the way we think and we change the way the world works”, Sir James stated.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=248819

Seychellois must aim to become ‘hommes et femmes du monde’

30-March-2016
May I refer to the leading article in your issue of yesterday entitled « Les Seychelles ont beaucoup à dire et à offrir » concerning the courtesy call which the Secretary General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie paid on President James A. Michel at State House on Monday.
Following this courtesy call, the Secretary General is quoted as stating –
« Les Seychelles ont beaucoup à dire et à offrir. Pourquoi ? Vous êtes une jeune nation indépendante depuis 1976 et en très peu de temps, 40 ans, vous avez réussi à vous propulser à la face du monde, à vous établir dans le concert des nations. Vous avez un esprit audacieux, un esprit innovant, on voit que vos stratégies, vos investissements dans le capital humain et dans les politiques sociales méritent d’être suivis. Vous pouvez avoir ce leadership d’émulation pour la région, mais vous avez aussi de belles propositions à faire pour le reste du monde et dans tout l’espace de la francophonie. Dans tous les domaines imaginables, il y a des expertises que la francophonie met à disposition, c’est là, maintenant, qu’il faut profiter et qu’il faut saisir cette opportunité, » a dit la Secrétaire Générale de l‘OIF Michaël Jean.
A great statement indeed! Yes, little Seychelles has gone through a lot of experiences over the last 40 years. We have witnessed a coup d’état; an army mutiny; the establishment of a One-Party State which has ruled the country over 15 years, etc… – all these with various implications and consequences.
Of course, the experience which Seychelles has gone through must have made all of us wiser to the ways of this world. We must now look forward to the light on today’s and tomorrow’s horizon rather than remain anchored to the darkness of yesterday.
I therefore commend the Secretary General for her forward-looking diplomatic approach.
Yes, the Seychellois people has ‘un esprit audacieux et un esprit innovant.’That is why the Seychellois people must, in common accord, agree to work towards becoming and being seen as ‘hommes et femmes du monde.’ In this connection, La Francophonie certainly has an important role to play – not only in the sphere of ‘la haute couture’ et ‘la grande cuisine’ but also in the domain of ‘savoir faire, ‘savoir vivre’ et ‘la politesse quotidienne.’
Let us aim to be seen as being a civilized and cultivated people contented with our lot and friendly to all as we enjoy the ‘best air quality in the world’ among other obvious great blessings.

James R. Mancham

Seychelles Nation

Specially after Queen Elizabeth 90th Birthday - the thread we addressed late last night about the books Prince George was standing on to take the Royal historic photos and Sir James Mancham Opinion article - not to exclude Bing search window comporting as mad and erratic as everybody in that nation Seychelles.

We have noted that Sir James Mancham quoted Mr Christopher Gill - Trust he has not forgotten the mighty debacle of the Political party that was started - long before Mr Pat Pillay come on the stage.

Rightly said the many media on our stands for a 100,000 small nation - our bone of contention the manner these media work/go about with the Respective Right of those 25,000/30,000 and the important contribution in that nation building - the philosophy of poof and Homosexual is more important - hen in Africa and the Arab world, Latin America to curb the powers of Poof and homosexuals taking over - advocating their own brand of democracy, justice and civility they revert to killing and butchering.

We have a very major problems in that Small Nation - the values them so call interests group promote and pushes forward - the wanton lies, distortion and corrupted media practices.

Why are/is Seychelles media so scared to talk/write about those 25,000/30,000 exile/refugees. Probable their agenda and approach to promoting their cause and rights is not pooffig enough - they get excluded and marginalize. Yet the same bunch, grouping of poof they have acquired a new life, prosperous on the back of their hard work and sweat ongoing work and battle. The deviousness of their approach and politic.

Opinion - The amazing energy within our small nation
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=249174

An appreciation - ‘Aldabra once upon an island’

25-April-2016
On Thursday April 21, I felt very privileged to have been one of the guests invited to view the first screening in Seychelles of the 3D film on Aldabra entitled, Aldabra once upon an Island, at the newly-renovated Deepam’s Cinema, La Salle d’Oeuvres, in Victoria.
Certainly I do feel proud and happy to have been there in the light of the support and encouragement which I have given over recent times to Petr Keller, the producer of the film; Steve Lichtag, the director and Michael Havas, the scriptwriter.
This is certainly a film which will bring into international awareness the geographical position and dimension of the Seychelles archipelago, which now claims a maritime space as huge as and perhaps even larger than Germany (East and West together).
At this age of life, I would fall asleep one or two times when viewing a film which last for as long as 1 ½ hours – but that was not the case on Thursday evening, as my brain was kept in a state of alertness as I travelled through the wonderland and the wonderseas of the Aldabra Atoll. In a world full of turmoil and bad news, it was great to escape to the peaceful Aldabra to play with the tortoises and crabs and to swim with and among a great variety of sharks against the colourful background of coral reefs and fishes of all sizes.
Indeed such a film was overdue and congratulations to the Czech producers for their vision, for their entrepreneurship, for the hard work they put to produce this imaginative film about Aldabra. It is ironical to think that these gentlemen from a landlocked Nation would have come up with the idea for such a film before producers from more maritime-oriented nations like France, UK and USA – signs of a people with imagination, initiative and energy.
In the week that it was first shown in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, Aldabra once upon an Island was rated as the second-best film of the week, beaten only by the new James Bond film which had been released also that week. As a film critic put it – “The tortoises of Aldabra did not do that bad a job comparing their speed to that of the Jaguar vehicle which James Bond was using.”
I understand that normally an average film shown within the Czech Republic would justify some 5 or 6 weeks of screening. Aldabra once upon an Island hasnow been shown in the cinemas of the Czech Republic for over 17 weeks and the indication is that of more and more interest. You can imagine its international impact when it is released in the USA, China, India and other Nations.
This film certainly appeals not only to adults but also to children who are captivated by a production which has the element of entertainment very much in perspective and mind.
This point was of course made categorically clear from the outset by the producers. This is not a documentary film about Aldabra. Obviously those who expected the film to be revealing about the history of the Atolls would be left somewhat disappointed.
However, the Czech producers did speak about this being their first film about Aldabra. There is of course great materials for a second film which would tell the story of the fight to save Aldabra from being turned into a military base – the fight in which I was personally involved alongside such persons as the late great photographer, Tony Beamish, who wrote Aldabra Alone; his cousin Sir Tufton Beamish, MP, who made a lot of noises in the British Parliament and the late Lars-Eric Lindblad, the pioneer of eco-tourism in the world, when we fought with the support of conservationists in the United Kingdom and the USA, to save Aldabra from becoming a military base.
Unfortunately, where the birds and tortoises of Aldabra won – the inhabitants of Diego Garcia suffered as they were made to vacate their archipelago following the Anglo-American decision to build their military complex on Chagos. Here is a story of where “might is right” is prevailing over “right is might” – an interesting story to tell.

James R. Mancham

Mancham heads for Europe on peace-orientated missions

13-May-2016

Seychelles’ founding President Sir James R. Mancham will be leaving Seychelles next week on a mission that will take him to several cities in Europe, where he will be taking part in various peace-orientated forums.
In Hamburg, Germany, Sir James is scheduled to have discussions with Alexandra Wandel, director and vice-chair, the management board of the World Future Council (WFC) and Samia Kassid, senior project manager of the rights of children.
From Hamburg to Berlin, Germany, Sir James will be the guest of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) at a reception in his honour by Mark Donfried, founder and president of ICD, on the occasion of his receiving the Africa Peace Award 2016. Sir James has for some years acted as chairman of the African chapter of ICD.
Sir James will then head for Belgrade, Serbia, where he will take part in an international roundtable discussions dedicated to the Roma People, alongside Professor Federico Mayor, chairman of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace, who is better-known as director-general of Unesco from 1987 to 1999; Christopher Coker – Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and head of the Department of International Relations and Professor Negoslav Ostojic, executive director of the European Center for Peace and Development (ECPD).
From Belgrade to Sofia, Bulgaria, Sir James will be hosted by Maxime Behar, Seychelles honorary consul in Bulgaria, and meet with Bulgaria’s former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Solomon Passy, who is actually the founder and president of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=249403

Big Interview with James R Mancham KBE
“I wanted to see a country where we were all living in fraternal harmony when I entered into a coalition government with Mr F A René and in my view, the coalition period was the best period in the history of Seychelles politics since the birth of political parties.”
As the country celebrates 40 years of independence from Britain, TODAY meets with the country’s first President, James R Mancham. He talks about the visions he had for the country at Independence in 1976, his short-lived presidency and his role as a peace maker in a turbulent world.
R. Vidot
Q: The country is this week celebrating 40 years of independence from the United Kingdom. You probably had your visions for this country in 1976 but your presidency was short lived. What do you see today? Do you see a realisation of Mancham’s vision or do you think things could have been better under your leadership?
Yes, my vision was to create and promote a Seychelles which could proclaim itself not only to be ‘one of the most beautiful countries in the world but also one of the friendliest on the globe’. I wanted to see under our coconut trees young Seychellois playing the guitars and singing romantic songs. Sadly, after the coup, the young Seychellois were still under the coconut trees but instead of having a guitar they had an AK47. As a matter of fact, it is because I wanted to see a country where we were all living in fraternal harmony that I entered into a coalition Government with Mr F. A. René. In my view, the coalition period was the best period in the history of Seychelles politics since the birth of political parties. However, Mr René had his own personal ambitions and his own ideology.
This is now common history. I leave it to you to decide whether things would have been better under my leadership as opposed to the 15 years of One Party dictatorship which the country went through. One point however I wish to make clear is that whilst my presidency was short-lived, the people of Seychelles knew exactly who they were voting for when I became President because I had been the Chief Minister of the country for about 4 years and Prime Minister for about the same time; a long period enough to have known about all my strong points and all my weak points.
Q: You returned from exile in April 1992 and you immediately started preaching about National Reconciliation. Some of your detractors say that rather than negotiating for a true democracy in Seychelles you surrendered to the diktat of the ruling party. With hindsight, do you think you should have taken another approach?
When I returned to Seychelles on 12th April, 1992, I had to take a realistic view of the prevailing situation – first that the ruling Party had been recognised and was enjoying diplomatic relations with all the big powers, which had established missions here. I had to recognise that thousands of my supporters had left the country for life in exile.
In fact, during the Second Republic, the country had been ruled under a quasi-military structure, where the President called the tune and was seen as the man of decision and action. In fact, the whole scenario concerning the election to return the country to multi-party democracy was taking place on a field demarcated by Mr René with linesmen and referees appointed him by him under rules and regulations made by him through his One-Party State legislature.
After receiving Mr René’s invitation to return to the country to contribute towards the return of multi-party democracy, I sent Mr Paul Chow as my emissary to Seychelles to urge all opposition factions to join forces and fight for democracy. But the cunning Mr René, who had ruled for more than 15 years as a dictator in the One-Party State, was suddenly offering a substantial sum of money to any group in the country which would register itself as a political party. This was of course a classic example of divide in order to rule.
Suddenly we had some seven groupings within the opposition bloc and sadly too, Mr Wavel Ramkalawan and others who had supported the coup d’état, decided to create their own party and not follow my leadership.
Taking into account the high level of polarisation within the nation and the prevailing military characteristic of Mr René’s government and in order to avoid bloodshed and civil disorder, I thought it best to return within the spirit of ‘an apostle of national reconciliation.’ Had I adopted a contrary approach there could have been bloodshed and even more polarisation and maybe I would not be among you today.
Q: You have made public statements on a number of occasions calling Mr. James Michel the best person to rule this country. This has provoked the fury of many people who say you are out of touch with reality and helping to create an antiquated personality cult. What is your defence?
When Michel assumed the presidency of Seychelles in his own right, the country was more or less in a state of utter bankruptcy. Mr René left Michel sitting on the back of a tiger. The country was indebted to several millions of dollars. There was practically no reserve. Forex had become a big problem and Air Seychelles was on the verge of bankruptcy. Michel succeeded through hard work and good connections to solve all these problems. Of course, he had his past to deal with but as far as I can see, most of those who are challenging his leadership are ‘all birds of the same feather’ – they are mostly ‘fallen angels who are reminded of the Heaven they once shared and the privileges they once enjoyed.
I have never made the case that President Michel is an angel but that ‘the devil I know is better than the one I do not know’ and that ‘it would be stupid to seek for a cure which could ultimately prove far worse than the disease.’
In fact, some among the detractors have even had the impudence to infer that I have been a ‘traitor.’
Well, when Charles de Gaulle of France and Konrad Adenauer of Germany joined forces to put an end to the hatred which had characterised the relationship between France and Germany for decades, were they behaving like traitors – or as two great European statesmen?
The point is there are too many politicians today in our political circus. What we need is more statesmen. The preoccupation of a statesman is the next generation. The politician thinks only of getting power and staying in power and otherwise enjoying the benefits and privileges which power confers. The statesman on the other hand has a long term vision. He puts the national interest above partisan consideration. He does not believe in the policy of power at all cost. His ultimate desire is the transformation of a society and the emergence in our context, of a greater Seychelles and of a Seychellois people who is at peace with itself.
Finally, it has to be recognized that Michel today is the leader of the largest political cohesion within the nation, and that if we had the policy of ‘first passed the post election’, he would have been elected President with a most comfortable majority when he polled 51% of the votes.
The actual alliance in opposition are a grouping of political factions with the simple aim of removing Michel but without letting the nation know what their policy on various issues of controversial interests are. There are so many grey and confusing areas warning us of the danger, as I put it before of finding a cure which is worse than the disease.
Q.You have on more than one occasion chastised the main opposition SNP for its policies. Yet, the fact remains that the leader of the party single handedly took on the state apparatus and said “enough is enough”. It is argued that this was the beginning of the end of the one party state in Seychelles.
My friend, please do not cut the story short. SNP is not “a political animal” of recent creation. In the beginning we had the Parti Seselwa and afterwards the United Opposition all under the leadership of Mr Ramkalawan. If Mr Ramkalawan’s priority was to end the one party state in Seychelles, he should have provided me with his dedicated support when I returned to Seychelles in 1992 after 15 years in exile. But instead he accepted the offer of Mr René of a few hundred thousand rupees and created his own party thus dividing the resolve of those in opposition to get rid of Mr René’s leadership.
It must not be forgotten that 10 years ago in 2006 I allowed myself to jump on Mr Ramkalawan’s bandwagon when he was standing for election as President against James Michel. On one occasion, at a public rally I even put on his head the cherished Panama hat that I used to wear on special occasions. The time I spent campaigning for him gave me the opportunity to appreciate how hungry he was for power. I was therefore shocked but not surprised that after the election, he never once had the courtesy of inviting me to attend a meeting of his party’s governing body let alone to ask me to join his party. Obviously, the rational of his behaviour was if you bring Mancham in, he will take the party and run away with it.
Mr Ramakalwan capitalised on my soft power approach to changes. I was for a reconciliatory approach and he capitalised on a policy of “saboule and pil lo li which pleased the polarised elements within the opposition forces. In fact, we are failing to appreciate how much we have achieved through the reconciliatory approach. We succeeded to bring about the end of the National Youth Service. We succeeded to see the end of the SMB. We created a climate attractive to outside investors who had kept away during the one party rule. I believe today as I believed yesterday that it is reckless politics for Mr Ramkalawan and his close associates not to have given thoughts on how they would rule the country if after winning the election the SPPF party which has now changed its name to Parti Lepep would adopt a policy of “saboule” and “pil lo li” vis-à-vis them?
Q. Let’s go back in history. You were legitimately elected by the people of Seychelles in 1974 and therefore had a strong mandate from the people. You could have easily influenced the constitutional conferences in London in the 1970s to have your way. Yet, you agreed to share power with your opponent who went on to overthrow your government less than a year after independence in 1976. Don’t you think you made a tragic mistake?
The election which took place prior to independence revealed that whilst the DP which I led had a majority the country was deeply divided. My idea of going into a coalition government was to unite the people. It was a noble idea. In fact the 11 months I presided over after we became independent reflected the high level of fraternal harmony and created tremendous investors confidence in the future of the country.
Maybe I made tragic mistake in trusting Mr René but I do not think the idea of working together was a bad one at all. For one thing, I personally never wanted to be a President in the kingdom of controversies. The government which Mr René overthrew was not a Mancham’s government but also his government because he was at that time the Prime Minister. If there had been any disagreement in policy or otherwise Mr René should have resigned and let the people know what the grounds of his resignation was all about but Mr René played as good as gold and even dined with me on the eve of my departure for London and in fact saw me off at the airport.
At all time he must have been planning how to take the country by force as he could not get it through democratic elections.
There is a story in the bible about a certain Judas Iscariot. One of the 12 original disciples of Christ who is known for the kiss and betrayal of Jesus which set in motion the events that led to Jesus crucifixion. Of course, information was received after the coup concerning different conspiracies about getting me assassinated on the spot in Seychelles. It is understood that René had overruled this suggestion which would have made me a national hero and martyr.
Q: Tell me about the day of the coup d’etat. I know you were in London. How did you learn about it and what was your immediate reaction?
Yes, I was in London in a suite at the Savoy Hotel guest of Her Majesty’s Government for the Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II which coincided with the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
I was woken up in the early morning by a phone call from Mr Adnan Khashoggi, who was in Paris. He had received a call from the Captain of his yacht who was harboured in Seychelles and who after hearing firing shots and learning about the coup had decided to leave Port.
Of course, I could not believe what I heard – that Prime Minister F. A. René who had kissed me goodbye at the airport had carried a coup behind my back which had resulted into the killing of a few people. Of course, so far as the message on Radio Seychelles was read the story was put in a different way – “It was a group of angry people who had staged a coup d’état and then pleaded with Mr René to lead a new government”.
On the eve of the coup in London I had dined at a Chinese Restaurant – Mr Chow of Knightsbridge, with Mr Dennis Greenam who had been appointed as a political advisor by the Foreign Office and with whom I had consulted during the Constitutional conferences leading to Independence and who had visited the Seychelles several times before Independence. Other guests were Mr David Dale, Secretary of the Cabinet who was also in London, the late George Rassool, our High Commissioner and the late Edmond Camille, our Deputy High Commissioner.
Next morning I called Mr Greenam and his telephone was perpetually engaged. He never called me to discuss the situation. In fact the man who had been my political advisor and whom I had been socially engaged with for several months disappeared from my life abruptly and without any explanation and up to this day I have not heard from him or what he is doing. Could he have also been an advisor to Mr René? Was he a genuine public servant of Her Majesty’s Government or an intelligence agency? Up to now, I have never been able to get to the bottom of this question.
As for Mr Dale he turned up bright and clear early next morning passionately upset about the development in Seychelles and the next day he was to break contact on the advice of the Foreign Office. There was certainly a lot of confusing and perfidious behaviour around. I believe one can expect such a situation when your country has become a centre of geo-political interest.
Some three years ago Mr Andrew Stuart who had been the head of the Seychelles department at the Foreign Office at the time of our Independence and who was subsequently made Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Finland arrived here on a cruise ship and invited me to meet him for dinner. I was surprised when he met me he burst into tears saying, “Jimmy, we badly let you down”.
I have written in great details about the coup d’état and some of the reactions to it - for example about Pierre Trudeau of Canada, Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and Seewoosagur Ramgoolam of Mauritius who were insisting that I turned up at the opening of the Commonwealth gathering where I was due to make the return address to Prime Minister’s speech of welcome contrary to the views of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the British Government who believed that this would interfere with the arrangements for a successful celebration of Her Majesty’s Silver Jubilee to which many African dictators of that time had been invited. This and other perfidious stories can be read in my book, ‘Paradise Raped’ which was published in 1983.
Looking back to the time, I was perhaps sentimentally much impacted by the letter I received from Bishop Felix Paul, of the Roman Catholic Church in Seychelles.
“My dear Jimmy,” he wrote,
“I take this opportunity to send a few words of sympathy. I think I know how you feel after the coup you have passed through. I was indeed extremely sorry to see things going the way they were. It was a very hard luck for you after all you have done to lay the foundations for a happy and prosperous Seychelles. You had worked so hard and ceaselessly to put Seychelles on the map. No one indeed can laud themselves to have merited it better. Unfortunately you slept on your laurels too soon so others came in to reap your hard work. I feel I know your bitter disappointment.
May this sad event in your life be but a passing cloud. Ovid’s verse comes to my mind, when he was exiled by Augustus and abandoned by all his friends. “As long as you are happy, you will number lots of friends. If clouds cover the sky you will be alone. I am proud to say that such a verse does not apply to me. Come what may I remain your friend.”
Seychelles Radio has told us and rumours persist that you are thinking of raising mercenaries to come and help you take back the country. I doubt this could be true in your case. Knowing you as I do, I do not think that you would do such a thing, or even lend a hand to it. You have always been against bloodshed and how could you destroy what you have worked day and night constructing – our image of a peace-loving people? If ever the temptation comes, I beg you earnestly not to indulge in it. Please do not use force to dislodge those who sneaked in my force. He that uses the sword will perish by the sword. Try also to dissuade others who would be tempted to try and do things which you feel should not be done. Please continue to love and work wholeheartedly for the Seychelles and for its people who still remember you and love you.”
Well, Felix Paul was a friend and the leading religious leader in Seychelles. I gave serious thought to his advise and agreed that any attempt to regain power by force would have brought about much bloodshed in the country. This would have been a national disaster.
From an emotional but rational standpoint, I wish to recall some lines I wrote in ‘Peace of Mind’ about quality of friendship –
“And now my soul tell us about the world of friendship
At the time, that I was deposed as President
The “Friends” I thought would run away, ran away faster than expected
Among those I thought would stay, some still did run away
And that naturally hurt.
But one thing for certain, those few who remained were really friends.
It is said that in this life there is no ill-wind that does not blow somebody good.
Perhaps the greatest good out of the Seychelles coup for me was the ability to discern who were my friends and who were friends of ‘the President’”.
Unfortunately (perhaps I should say fortunately) most people go through life without the opportunity of such traumatic revelations.
Q: During the years of exile, did it ever occur to you that you would one day return to your homeland and live a peaceful live?
I have always been an eternal optimist. So, I have always believed that I would return to my homeland some day. Yes, I wanted to return to my homeland to live a peaceful life. That is why I am perturbed by the situation which is prevailing today of fraternal division and social tension.
My years in exile had provided me with a lot of time to reflect and to learn more and more about the world we live in. It gave me time to read at least 5 newspapers in a day. I also wanted to show Mr René that whilst he had taken over the Seychelles I was getting along fine in the world. What he and his dictatorship did with the country for 14 years is well remembered. It became evident that having got rid of me his objective was to bring about a revolution in Seychelles. That was time when he was being feted by Kim Il-Sung of North Korea. Can you imagine that here in Seychelles we had a contingents of soldiers from North Korea on our shores? We can now laugh about this but it is an historical truth.
Q. Tell me about the day you learnt that you would be returning home finally? How were you informed? What was your reaction?
I was in Washington D.C. where I had been invited to deliver an address at the Heritage Foundation when I received a phone call from my wife in London informing me that a fax had been received from Mr René in Seychelles, informing me that he had decided to return the country to multi-party democracy and that I would be welcome to return to contribute towards the restoration of multi-party democracy in the country.
Surprisingly the letter was in a very friendly tone. Here was the man who had overthrown me by force and made a lot of allegations against me, suddenly writing to me, “Dear Jim”, as if we were long time buddies who had just completed a game of marbles.
Well, I thought this was part of his diplomacy. Of course in one way, Mr René’s letter was not unexpected as Paul Chow and myself had been very active with the ‘Crusade for Restoration of Democracy in Seychelles’ by exposing internationally what he was up to internally.
Q. What is your current relationship with your former foe – former President René?
When Mr René was returning to Seychelles as a London qualified lawyer, it was the time when I was arriving in London to study law. At that time, Mr René was married to an English lady and both returned to Seychelles where Mr René established his legal practice. During that time, Mr René was an active member of the Seychelles Club and co-habited very openly with all the elites in the community who were privileged enough to be members of that exclusive Club. At that time, he paid little attention to the social problems existing within the nation. It appeared that as a lawyer, he was spending much more money than he was earning and therefore decided to leave the island for employment in the United Kingdom. I believe he found a position in the International Division of Barclays Bank – and his wife later revealed that he would depart for Moscow regularly to study Karl Marx socialist philosophy and to be educated in revolutionary politics and tactics.
But to me if Albert wanted to play socialist politics with other people’s wealth he was certainly very capitalistic when it came to his own wealth. Whilst publicly behaving like a revolutionary figure he was instinctively and privately a man with a capitalist taste and lifestyle. Behind the scene, he would enjoy the company of beautiful ladies whilst publicly he would accuse me of being an international playboy. He had certainly a taste for good food – out of season lobster, specially collected birds eggs and specially salted turtle meat from the islands. He enjoyed good quality whisky, quality wine and imported cigars from Cuba.
When you met him, he was always a charming and captivating character. His audacity in behaving as if the whole Seychelles belonged to him is of historical dimension. Perhaps like Mao, he was convinced that he had to create disorder in order to bring about his own idea of order.
He was a workaholic and a good dictatorial administrator during the dictatorship period.
I would like to produce a film about this great character who has definitely impacted politics in Seychelles as a white man who succeeded to make many of our black brothers believe he had been sent to liberate them when in fact there was no army with AK47 controlling their lives during colonial days.
I recalled very vividly the last time I met him on a man-to-man basis. I was on a flight from Seychelles to Singapore. Mr René and his family surrounded by security guards were occupying the front part of the plane. I was seated on the other two rows behind on a window seat with the aisle seat empty and had fallen asleep. Suddenly somebody was tapping on my shoulders. I woke up to find that it was President René. Pointing to the aisle seat, he said, “Can I sit there for a while so that we could talk a bit about ‘la belle époque’ – the days when we were all growing up in a blissful Seychelles in a friendly way, without the division of party politics?”
Nostalgy may not be what it used to be but I remember the days when Albert René and I shared a camping experience in Anse Major organized by Father Chang-Tave who complained the next day that Philibert had collected all the Pamplemous on the estate and got them sold at the Victoria Market, sharing the proceeds with Albert…….
Q. Having been appointed a COMESA sage and recently granted the African peace prize what role have you played in trying to bring peace to those African hotspots like the Sudan, Libya, Chad, etc?
Africa is a huge continent and we must certainly take a lot of time to learn and understand contemporary African politics and become aware of the history of the continent before independence. It is on the proposition of the Government of Seychelles that I have been twice unanimously elected by leaders of African leaders to be a member of the Committee of Elders of COMESA.
In that position, I have undertaken several serious missions to Africa – I represented the African Union at the request of its Secretary General at the Egyptian Presidential election following the overthrow of President Mubarak. I led a mediation mission to Kinshasa and Kigali where the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda were on the brink of war. I participated in a conference in Nairobi at the Kenyatta International Centre in order to bring about national unity which was threatened by the politics of tribalism and participated with top religious leaders in a conference in Abuja, Nigeria to promote a common religious approach towards solving conflicts in Nigeria and other African nations.
In brief, I have been more than active on the African continent although I have not got myself engaged with the problem of Sudan, Libya and Chad.
Q. In that international role of peacemaker that you now hold what do you think you can do/try to do to bring about some closure and healing to this nation still deeply divided in its pain after all these years?
Certainly it is important for us to work towards bringing closure to all the pain, prejudices and suffering which have taken place throughout the years since independence. The difficulty is how to achieve this in a volatile and polarised political atmosphere.
In South Africa, they did establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission but they made it clear from the start that this was going to proceed in a civilised and peaceful way with a prior commitment to all collaborators that there would be no recrimination against them but sadly here in Seychelles we are still operating within the framework of “Saboule” and “Pil lo li”. “Saboule” of course characterised the old primitive habit of neighbours throwing stones at each other’s house whenever there was a dispute. “Pil lo li” suggests that once I am going to get you on the ground I will stamp on your face. This is not a conducive approach to reconciliation and lasting peace. It is of course not as easy matter to put in place a truly democratic structure after more than 20 years of One Party rule.
Honestly speaking, the Peace Centre we are talking about will only materialized initially on the basis of non-interference in internal partisan politics. Otherwise it would be non-functional from day one. The initiative is one of the University of Seychelles conveyed to me by the Vice-Chancellor of the University whose Chancellor remains President Michel. By supporting the creation of the Centre, there is a clear indication that President Michel’s ultimate desire must be to find a closure for the traumas of the past and leave behind a noble legacy as a man of peace – but being a political animal, he has to navigate through the cross-currents of his own party’s politics.
His decision to move ‘Zonm Lib’ from the heart of Victoria and confined him to the garden of the party’s headquarters certainly required a lot of courage and bravado. He should be commended for such a bold action in the circumstances of our situation and not by the cry of “Nou pou pil lo ou”.
Q. Where do you see Seychelles in another 40 years from now?
Well, seriously speaking I believe political development within the next 2 years will certainly give an idea of where we will be in 40 years from now. If we are able to reconcile and to work on the basis of the Seychelles First philosophy we should be able to present to the world a successful Seychelles where it is a pleasure to live. I believe to attain this we should put an emphasis on ‘human contentment’ as opposed to mere economic progress. The underlying point of our national development philosophy should be that we develop only to the extent that the people of Seychelles can service the development. Otherwise, in 40 years time we will see a Seychelles full of hotels and resorts but mostly owned by overseas interest and mostly serviced by expatriates employees.
In consequence, most Seychellois would have become 2nd or 3rd class citizens in their own country and this naturally would not make for a stable situation. If we keep on quarrelling among ourselves and lose sight of the need to face the future as a united nation, our country will survive but just like many other banana republics are surviving greatly characterized by mediocrity.
There is also a big menace before us in relation to the drug problems. Are we going to be able to put a stop and bring to justice those who are responsible to the traumatic state of affairs which exist today with respect to the drug problems? As we face the challenges in our current situation, we now see the birth of the initiative to legalize marijuana. Maybe we would have reached the pinnacle of success when we would have a situation where more than half of our working force would spend most of their time lying on the beaches smoking cannabis from sunrise to sunset. Certainly, the decision to legalize cannabis in Colorado, USA, has sent confusing messages not only in the USA but across the world as to the whole drug equation.
Some two years ago in Tokyo, Japan, I told to a group of leaders of Pacific Island Nations to pray God Almighty that the only oil they ever discover is coconut oil because the day they discover the real stuff the islands would not be theirs anymore. Now consider the possibility of Seychelles sitting on a great deposit of the black gold. With a population of 90,000 people only we could overnight be all very rich with enough money to spend long holidays in the South of France or elsewhere but we could still envisage a scenario that when we return home we will find that it has been taken over by people from other land. Whilst we would be enjoying the champagne bubbles and perhaps overloading the capacity of our livers, the control of our nation could be slipping away from our grasp.
On a lighter note, I read the views of S. Hanks as published in ‘TODAY’ on Friday 12th June wherein she makes the point that we are living in a small world. Within her columns, she also quotes from a park theme song …
It’s a world of laughter
It’s a world of tears
It’s a world of hope and
A world of fears
There is so much that we share
That is time we are aware
It’s a small world after all.
Yes, it is a small world after all but it is a world in turmoil and in confusion. Democracy has brought about questionable circumstances. The British having just voted to get out of Europe certainly wake up to wonder whether they did the right thing after all. In Europe, Austria like many other nations, are plagued by a situation where the right and the left are equally balanced – and in the United States you have the frightening image of Donald Trump calling his opponent “the biggest liar in the world.”
Well, things are not as yet that bad here in Seychelles and we should appreciate the great blessings which have come our way as citizens of Seychelles as we think for the next 40 years.
Q. Apart from peace-making across the world, what does James Mancham do? I remember you were a poet. Do you still write?
When you ask me whether I still write I am bound to ask you whether you still read. Whilst, I have always cherished the saying that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you just have to look through the pages of ‘Who’s Who’ to realize that I have also become a workaholic. This is because I love what I am doing.
From the pages you will note that since I returned to Seychelles I have been active as the publisher of the ‘Seychelles Review’ magazine which has now been turned into the VIOAS (‘Voice of the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea’). During my 15 years in exile, I published ‘Paradise Raped’, ‘Island Splendour’, ‘Peace of Mind’ and ‘Adages of an Exile’. Before the coup, I had published ‘Reflections and Echoes from Seychelles’ and Christopher Lee of London had written a book about my period as Chief Minister and Prime Minister entitled ‘Seychelles Political Castaways’.
Since I returned to Seychelles, I have been responsible for the production of ‘Who’s Who in Seychelles’, ‘Seychelles Personalities of Yesterday’, ‘Seychelles Little Pages’, ‘Tel est mon destin, je fais mon chemin’, ‘War on America - seen from the Indian Ocean’, ‘Seychelles Global Citizen’ and ‘Seychelles – The saga of a small nation navigating the cross-currents of a big world’.
In 2003, I also co-edited a volume on ‘Peace in the 21st Century’ published in the USA, under the aegis of the Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Peace & Justice, Washington DC.
I have also contributed on a regular basis a lot of Opinion Pages on various matters of local contemporaneous interest.
In fact if you go through my biographical data you will note that over the last 20 years, each year I have participated as a keynote speaker in at least 10 major international conferences which have brought me an impressive number of recognitions, decorations and awards and provided me with the audacity, bravado and justification to style my autobiography ‘Seychelles Global Citizen’. Obviously, it is sometimes difficult to appreciate someone who thinks global in an environment which predominately thinks local.

Source Today Facebook

Mancham on ‘peace centre mission’ in Europe

05-July-2016

Seychelles’ founding President Sir James R. Mancham left over the weekend on a mission to Europe focused on the initiative taken by the University of Seychelles to create a ‘Sir James Mancham International Centre for Peace Studies and Diplomacy, Seychelles’.
In Paris, Sir James will be hosted by Monsieur Olivier Giscard d’Estaing, one of the co-founders of INSEAD, which is regarded as one of the world’s leading and largest education institutions with campuses in Europe (France), Asia (Singapore) and Middle East (Abu Dhabi). In the space of five decades, INSEAD has developed from an entrepreneurial venture to an internationally regarded institution. This year, INSEAD’s MBA programmes have been ranked No.1 Business School of the World by The Financial Times.
In Paris, Sir James is also scheduled to have a meeting with Ambassador Jean-Christophe Peaucelle, conseiller pour les affaires religieuses at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In Paris, Sir James will be helped by Seychelles’ Ambassador to the French Republic Bernard Shamlaye.
From Paris, Sir James will fly to Hamburg, Germany where he is expected to have follow up discussions with members of the Board of Directors of the World Future Council (WFC), who have expressed keen interest in an involvement with the University of Seychelles’ Peace Centre initiative.
The World Future Council is an independent body formally founded in Hamburg, Germany, on May 10, 2007. Its main objective is to speak on behalf of policy solutions that serve the interest of future generation. The WFC has special consultative status with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council.
From Hamburg to London, Sir James will have a working lunch with the secretary general of the Commonwealth, Baroness Patricia Scotland, PC QC, who took office as secretary general of the Commonwealth on April 1, 2016 – following her election at the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta. In London, Sir James will be assisted by Seychelles’ high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Marie-Pierre Lloyd.
Sir James is expected back in Seychelles on or about July 15.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=250082

Mancham in Paris – ‘Seychelles a small country that thinks tall’

07-July-2016


Forty years ago just two weeks after Seychelles became an independent nation, its founding President Sir James R. Mancham, Officier de la Légion d’Honneur, attended in Paris the July 14 French National Day celebration as the guest of honour of President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and his Prime Minister Jacques Chirac.
This year Sir James will not be attending the annual ceremonial occasion. Ironically however, he was this week made a member of the Cercle de l'Union Interalliée, which is considered to be one of France's most prestigious and exclusive private clubs which General de Gaulle referred to as “l'Ambassade de France à Paris”.
Situated in the upper fashionable Rue du Faubourg, Saint Honoré, in central Paris a few steps away from the Élysée Palace, the Club sits between the Japanese and the British embassy and is considered as one of Paris' best kept secrets with its own large lush gardens with flowers and forest trees totally unsuspected from the street entrance.
Ironically it was President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's own brother, Olivier Giscard d'Estaing, co-founder of INSEAD who introduced Sir James to this exclusive private club.
INSEAD is considered to be one of the world’s leading business schools and was listed by the Financial Times this year to be the No.1 school for international business studies ahead of Harvard University in the USA.
At the present the INSEAD school has three campuses – one in Fontainebleau, France, one in Singapore and a third one in Abu Dhabi , UAE.
On Tuesday this week, in the company of Olivier Giscard d'Estaing, Sir James met a selected number of the executive board of the school which included Peter Zemsky, the deputy Dean; Hans H. Wahl, director of social entrepreneurship initiative and Christine Hirzel, global head of boards and external relations at their exclusive and highly modern campus in Fontainebleau to discuss a possible win-win collaboration between the University of Seychelles’ School of Business Studies and INSEAD.
Sir James told his host that Seychelles is a small country which thinks tall and that as INSEAD was active in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Seychelles could constitute an important hub for its educational activities and social entrepreneurship agenda particularly for the continent of Africa.
“Africa needs more entrepreneurs and less politicians and generals,” Sir James said.
The parties agreed to further follow up on this possibility.
Earlier this week, Sir James made a presentation to Ambassador Jean Christophe Peaucell, conseiller pour les affaires religieuses at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the University of Seychelles’ International Centre for Peace Studies and Diplomacy which has been named after him.
He said that considering France's special relationship with Seychelles and other nations of the western Indian Ocean, he felt it was appropriate for him to make a first briefing of this new development to the French authorities.
Sir James left Paris yesterday for Hamburg where he is scheduled to meet members of the board of directors of the World Future Council (WFC), following which he will be visiting London for a business lunch with the secretary general of the Commonwealth Baroness Patricia Scotland, PC, QC – all to do with the Peace Centre project.
He said he was overwhelmed and very encouraged on the overall reaction of many international institutions who are, in principle, supportive of the University of Seychelles launching of a ‘Sir James Mancham International Centre for Peace Studies and Diplomacy’.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=250116

The quest for democracy as we approach the National Assembly election

01-August-2016
In his letter which you published this morning (Saturday July 30, 2016), Mr Regis Francourt states that ‘no one has monopoly on democracy’.
Mr Francourt was questioning the basis of certain allegations disparaging his integrity and putting into question his honesty. These issues are matters which fall within the realm of the law of defamation and can be the basis of judicial action.
As we move towards the National Assembly election which is due on September 8, 9 and 10, 2016 – I am wondering what democracy means to Mr Francourt, as well as to most of the registered voters, who over recent years have thought that democracy is an ideal form of government.
Have recent developments in different parts of the world reflected the justification that democracy is indeed the ideal form of a government for most nations in the world?
Criticism of democracy are not new – and it often had ethical, as well as political overtones. The great writings of philosopher Plato, especially his Republic, contain some of the most penetrating criticism of democracy ever written and they provide an excellent framework for understanding the current problems of democracy.
I have tried to deal with this controversial issue in my book, SEYCHELLES – The saga of a small nation navigating the cross-currents of a big world. This is what Plato stated:
Democracy encourages mediocre leadership because leaders in a democracy must constantly court the favour of the people to stay in power. In democratic systems, the premium for successful leadership will be put on popularity with the masses rather than on wisdom and training. And the most popular leaders will be those most like ordinary citizens, that is, those who are not outstanding. Also in democracy, leaders must pander to the wishes of the electorate rather than do what they think is right. If they do not satisfy the wishes of the people, they will not be returned to office. As a consequence of these features, democratic leaders are tempted to focus on short-term goals at the expense of the long-term needs of society. What happens ten or twenty years down the road will not affect the next election, which must be their primary concern. The difficulty of getting leaders to deal forthrightly with long-term policies is no accident of democratic politics, according to Plato; indeed, it is built into the system. They cannot afford to choose policies that have long-term benefits but cause short-term pains. For similar reasons, he argued, in democratic societies leaders would be more inclined to give things to the people than to ask something of them in the form of sacrifices, a consequence being that democracies have an inbuilt tendency to spend more than they take in, by giving people what they want in the present and letting the costs be paid by future generations who have no present vote.
Plato also thought that democratic citizens would be more taken up by the “images” or “appearances” of things – rather than their true substance, such that democratic political debate over time would become more superficial and focus less on substance issues. What we would call image politics would come to dominate the electoral process, with more emphasis on how leaders looked and spoke rather than on what they said.
Plato had no inkling, of course, about modern media and the extremes to which these predictions would be taken. But he was well aware that a society which focused on images rather than issues was easy prey to manipulation by those more interested in winning arguments and manipulating beliefs than finding the truth – a society in which the electoral process could be dominated by media, consultants, advertising agents, public relations experts and availability of money.
This questioning of democracy and its quality certainly provide much food for thoughts by leaders who, all too often, extolled the virtues of democracy without themselves always acting democratically.
It goes without saying that the concept of ‘one man one vote’ is becoming more and more questionable. At the moment, a man who lives, say on Farquhar Island, who has never left the shores of the island, and who has never been educated as to what ‘democracy’ is all about, is given a vote which is equal to that of a doctor, a lawyer or a teacher. It is similar to a situation of handing over a revolver to a child without first teaching him how to use it. He ends up shooting himself.
The way democracy is being played at this time in the USA and in Europe is somewhat troublesome. It is doubtful whether the Chinese who has achieved an impressive level of progress through the politics of ‘Central Command’, will ever adopt a Western-type democracy. Obviously, they would go along the road of ‘who pays the piper calls the tune’, and continue with the policy of accumulation of wealth and become the richest Nation in the world.
As Seychelles navigates through the cross currents of geo-politics and with a high level of electorate ignorance – it will be too much to expect the prevalence of an idealist democratic standard as seven political parties compete to get seats in the National Assembly.
We must therefore consider ourselves lucky to have achieved the democratic level, which we are now enjoying, after more than 15 years of One Party dictatorship. But, to consolidate this achievement, it will be important for the elected President to have behind him a Party which commands a working majority in the National Assembly. This must be the concern of all those interested in seeing internal stability and the continuity of growth.

Sir James R. Mancham, KBE
Founding President of the Republic of Seychelles

A nostalgic and humorous view of the National Assembly election

02-August-2016
Oh, how I wish I was still 30,
And taking part in the September National Assembly Election,
Walking up the narrow lane of Mont Buxton,
Facing Mont Signal,
I would knock on the door of every voter,
Shake their hands warmly,
Give them a little kiss,
Have a little joke,
And sing with them a little song,
“Vote manman, vote papa, vote piti,”
“Vote pour lape, progre e prosperite.”
“Vote pour Msye James Richard Mancham.”

How encouraging it was to be felt so welcomed,
Of course there were few members of the opposition,
Who would send their dogs after you,
And others who will send their young child to tell you,
“Manman i dir mwan dir ou ki ozordi in al biro granmaten,”
“OK mon piti,”
“Dir manman ki Msye Mancham in pase e i a vwar li en lot zour,”
“Wi Msye, mon ava dir li,”
“I dan lakwizin pe prepar nou pti dezennen.”

Those were the days my friends,
Of early democratic elections in Seychelles,
E kan eleksyon ti’n fini, mon ti touzour ganny mazorite,
Ozordi en group bann gran boug e gran madanm pe rod zot vot,
Fer sir konpatriot ki ou vot avek ou leker ek ou konsyans,
Ki ou vot pour prezervasyon lape, progre ek stabilite,
Dan nou pti pei Sesel ki nou tou nou kontan.

James R. Mancham

CHAGOSSIANS BEING TAKEN FOR A RIDE? PART I

ARTICLE PARU DANS LE MAURICIEN | 3 AOÛT, 2016 - 15:00 | PAR LINDSEY COLLEN
In the 27 June 2016 Appeal in the most recent Olivier Bancoult case in the British Courts, one of the judges, Lady Hale, in a dissenting judgment, bravely exposes the “justifications for empire” relied upon by the British Government and by British Courts over Chagos. Succinctly she says, quoting others, that the very justification is, in fact, in the case of Chagos, “how best to appropriate colonial possessions for the benefit of the imperial power” (p. 73). This is what Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth recently called the “might is right justification”.
What this means is that, in the final analysis, the British State will argue any old thing – as a State – and will decide any old thing – as Courts – so long as it is for the benefit of appropriating possessions for the imperial power. In this case, appropriating Chagos for Britain.
What this, in turn, means is that the only way to win against this kind of imperial might is obviously by political struggle. A court case can be used as part of a political strategy, and this way contribute to victory in a political struggle. But, through court cases alone, Olivier Bancoult will never bring victory, but only humiliating defeat. Lady Hale is quite right to point to the deep “justification for empire” behind all other rationale within the entire British State apparatus.
And that is why LALIT is criticizing the legalistic Olivier Bancoult strategy. He has allowed Chagossians to be taken for a royal ride by the British State for 18 years. And he still is.
The only way to win against an imperialist state like Britain is by gathering together as much political clout as possible and, this way, forcing Britain to back off. The only kind of power that an empire will bow down to is political power: and this is where the power of the people comes in. All and any gains in political rights, throughout history, are won through political mobilization of people, organized people. And the way to win this confrontation with the UK and USA is by aiming to gather on our side, on the side of the high moral ground, as much people-power as possible. This is LALIT’s strategy, and it works.
Because LALIT gathered together a wide coalition of forces in 2003-4 around the international “Peace Flotilla initiative” to go to Chagos, the British State’s lawyers went on-and-on for an hour in 2008, while arguing against Bancoult in Court, railing against LALIT and against the Peace Flotilla landing on Chagos. This is why the British Foreign Office blamed LALIT for Britain’s draconian brand-new “Orders-in-Council”, a decree banishing Chagossians once again. And this is why the Courts, though finding LALIT was not the cause, found LALIT’s political action indeed prompted the Executive to go ahead with a new banishing Order. We did force them to take action, by our planned actions. This is why the judgments, in October, 2008 and in 2016, mention LALIT by name. LALIT’s political action prompted the British State to act, and to act in ways that weaken its position. Being reduced to recourse to an Order-in-Council in the 21st Century to banish people is indeed ludicrous. But, weakened or not, in the short run, Britain’s banishing order, its continued possession of Chagos, and its continued illegal sub-letting, have all held.
The British empire holds on, but in a politically weakened position.
Britain has been further weakened by the UNCLOS case, and by its 2015 judgements. This politically important case brought by the Ramgoolam Government would never have been possible either, had LALIT not kept the Chagos issue open on the political agenda. Now, after the 2015 victory of the State of Mauritius, and the key Minority Judgment saying sovereignty is Mauritian, Britain’s position is further weakened. Britain can now legally do nothing concerning Chagos, not even renew the 50-year lease, without consulting Mauritius.
What exactly were the political forces we in LALIT managed to bring together for our past actions? And how do we propose that today these forces are brought together once again, in order to force defeat upon the UK-USA? Even as we gather together these forces, during the very process, we already weaken the British colonialists. Here are the political forces we aim, again, to bring together:
1. The totality of the people of Mauritius (leaving aside, say, Jean-Claude de l’Estrac) including all Chagossians, because our shared country was fragmented by an imperialist plot.
2. All working people and all thinking people in Britain, because the British State is the appropriator of the stolen goods, the Chagos Islands, a crime committed behind the backs of the British people.
3. All working people and thinking people in the USA, because the USA was the premeditated receiver of part of the stolen goods, Diego Garcia, so that it could go ahead and set up a secretly plotted military base there. This, too, behind the backs of the American people.
4. All the people in the world who are against continued colonization, especially those organized in associations, political parties, unions, or other independent organizations.
5. All the States in the world that are, as States, against continued colonization.
6. All the people in the world who are against militarism, and foreign military “forward bases” in other countries – again especially those organized for action.
7. All the people in the world who are against mass forced removals of people, like that suffered by the Chagossians between 1963 and 1973; and who are in favour of the right to return (not the further suffering of being “resettled” by a colonial power in its interests).
8. All the people in the world who are against nuclear materials being stocked on other peoples’ land, and who hate seeing an atoll of the beauty of Diego Garcia being subjected to the environmental ruin that a military base, nuclear at that, perpetrates.
9. All States who signed up to Pelindaba Treaty for a Nuclear Arms Free Africa.
10. All the people in the world who are against the use of other peoples’ land for torturing and rendering prisoners, as the USA used Diego Garcia.
11. All the people in the world, including in the USA and UK, who believe that the Iraq war and the war on Afghanistan were illegal wars, a position strengthened by the recent Chilcot Report, and who therefore oppose the use of Diego Garcia for the US to bombard people, killing indiscriminately and without even the pretence of a just cause, or any cause at all, for war – all causes having been shown to have been inventions.
12. All women in the world who stand in solidarity with the women of Chagos and the LALIT women who, from the 1970s and especially in 1981, stood up and fought for the freeing of Diego Garcia, at the cost of being beaten up by Riot police and then being hauled before the Courts, and who have continued the struggle until today.
How do we do this? To bring all these forces together? To build such a massive coalition of progressive forces?
We do it by a clear program.
We stand for the following 3-point program:
1. The closing down of the Diego Garcia military base. It is the root cause of all the suffering and harm done. This involves an environmental clean-up as well.
2. The complete decolonization by Britain of the whole of Mauritius, including Chagos, which includes Diego Garcia, and thus the re-unification of the territory of Mauritius. This involves the right of return for all Chagossians, heads held high, whenever they want to return, should they want to return. This involves free movement for all Mauritians. This also involves compensation for unpaid rent, which Britain can, in turn, recover from its illegal sub-tenant, the USA.
3. The right to return, free from continued colonization, and as Mauritians, for all Chagossians. This involves proper reparations from the UK and USA for the unspeakable harm suffered by all those so cruelly deported.
This is the way to victory. Part II will outline the path in strategic and tactical terms. A good program is only as good as the strategy, and principled tactics, that guide it.
Judgements in Court Cases can never over-ride the policy decisions of an Empire. (Bancoult’s attempts to enter the US Courts have been stymied at the very outset by this imperative.) And it is surely reasonable that a democratically elected Parliament ought not to be over-ridden by appointed judges, Lords and Ladies to boot. However, it is a sign of the justification of empire being “how best to appropriate colonial possessions for the benefit of the imperial power” that the Court’s decision of 2000 was trumped, not by Pariament, but by Queen’s Orders-in-Council, totally undemocratic decrees.
27 July 2016

A Propos de l'Au

http://www.lemauricien.com/article/chagossians-being-taken-ride-part-i

Letter to the Editor - Food for thought

06-August-2016
With the National Assembly election scheduled for September 8, 9 and 10, 2016 – it is normal to expect a certain level of agitation within the community as candidates call upon voters in order to get their votes.
In this climate, there is a temptation for newspapers affiliated to political parties to become more and more aggressive and write articles which could, at the end of the day, make them liable to pay substantial damages to those they have offended and defamed.
On August 3, 2016, TODAY In Seychelles published an article ‘A lesson in democracy’ by Nichole Tirant, who was critical of the fact that I had published in Seychelles NATION an Opinion piece which queried the quality of governance which democratic elections were delivering to nations all over the world.
I, of course, recognised the right of Nichole Tirant to criticise my opinion concerning ‘one man one vote democracy’ – but was there a need for such slurs and vitriolics as reflected by the use of such words about me – ‘self-styled statesman’, ‘our purveyor of peace’, ‘our international peacemaker’, ‘our own home-grown philosopher’, ‘our champion of democracy’ and ‘our teacher of democracy’?
These words considered together, reveal a high level of individual hostility and dislike and suggest a certain level of malice aforethought, calculated to lower my good standing in the eyes of the Seychelles community and to turn me into a subject of ridicule and or contempt in the eyes of right-thinking members of our society.
Certainly, I am not the one to be blamed for Nichole Tirant’s bitterness and anger about our society today – and I am certainly also not the only person in the world at the moment questioning the quality of governance which ‘one man one vote democracy’ is delivering in nations today.
I was surprised that TODAY In Seychelles published such a defamatory article about me considering the fact that only a few weeks ago, the newspaper had published an extensive and exclusive interview with me by its Editor, Russel Vidot, who saw eye-to-eye with me on several issues of contemporary interest.
This morning, of course, I have realised that Mr Vidot, who is a widely respected journalist of moderate views, has recently resigned as Chief Editor of the paper and that Nichole Tirant is now back at the helm. I think this lady is legally qualified enough to know that not only the Writer but also the Editor, the Publisher and the Printer of defamatory articles are liable to pay damages to those they have defamed. Please take note.

James R. Mancham

Through the mists of history … Happy Birthday First President James Mancham

11-August-2016


This photograph was taken on August 11, 1976 forty years ago, when our First President James Mancham celebrated his 37th birthday. Today, he will blow out seventy-seven candles.
Well, here’s to you, Sir – Happy Birthday!!

Compiled by Tony Mathiot

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=250576

Comment - We Greeted him at Reef Hotel and 2/3 day later left Seychelles for Exile to Austria.

Seychelles President Suffers Stroke

http://freeseychellesnow.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/seychelles-president-suffers-stroke.html

Comment - A few day ago We addressed of the scaffolding on 8/8/16, for His responsibilities and connections, if it can be reasonably worked out they are linked with the stroke and hospitalization - in our place would use the media to really mess them up/expose them - nation, responsible cannot go on causing death, carnage using/applying  that satanic mechanism  and their  their bloody excuse and explanation - so call expert views . We have posted picture.

Opinion - A rare appreciation of health services available for a nation of fewer than 100,000 people

23-August-2016
Over recent times, there have been many articles in the media targeting the health services which is available in Seychelles today. I did not personally give much thought to the subject myself, until some days ago when I found myself asked by my doctors to spend two nights at the Seychelles Hospital to undergo multiple tests following my suffering of a small stroke. I personally do not like hospitals and I have always tried to keep a thousand miles away from doctors. The first day I was told that I would first need to have a CT-Scan to confirm that I had in fact had a stroke and then to determine how much I had been affected as result of it.

As I lay on the bed, I recalled the day (December 7, 1970) that my brother Mickey Mancham drove himself to the Seychelles Hospital after he had hurt his head when he fell from his scooter and hurt himself against a rock on the St. Louis road. At the hospital, he was admitted and asked to spend a night under observation. The doctor on duty asked a nurse to administer some sedatives so that he could sleep. The next morning when I visited him, I found that he had lost consciousness and a few hours later he was pronounced dead.

He was unfortunate in that at this time the Seychelles Hospital did not have a CT-Scan because today the first thing a doctor would organise for a patient with head injury would be a CT-Scan. Well that was almost 46 years ago and it is true that at that time, the CT-Scan may not have been invented, but even now, it is quite a costly equipment to have.

Here in Seychelles, we are blessed today to have not only an up-to-date CT-Scan, which is a blessing when you think we have a population below 100,000 people. In fact, beside the CT-Scan, we also enjoy the privilege of an MRI and other sophisticated health equipment in service at the hospital. All these of course thanks to the generosity of the benevolent Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler of the United Arab Emirates.

At the end of my two days’ stay at the Seychelles Hospital, the doctors prescribed a list of tablets which I had to take to improve my health conditions. I asked my ADC, Mr. Bernard Racombo, to go and buy these medications only to be told by him “Sir, as a Seychellois citizen you are entitled to these medicines free of charge”.

In fact, during my two days’ stay, I realised that the hospital was extremely well equipped with qualified specialists attending to our needs.
We have a heart surgeon, specialist physicians, neurologist specialists, oncologist specialists, orthopaedic specialists, specialist nephrologists, specialist paediatricians, specialist dermatologists, specialist gynaecologists, physiotherapist specialists, speech therapists specialists, occupational health therapy specialists and specialist dieticians among others.

I could not imagine that anywhere in the world we could find a community of fewer than 100,000 inhabitants privileged to have so many specialists at their doorstep.

And we must not overlook the good services being provided by our committed nursing staff, most of whom could get better remunerations if they were working in the tourism sector.

In Seychelles we have the main Seychelles Hospital at Mont Fleuri, the Anse Royale Hospital, the Baie Ste Anne Praslin Hospital (now about to to be modernised) and the Logan Hospital on La Digue (also in the process of modernisation) and a collection of district clinics namely the Beau Vallon, Glacis, English River, Mont Fleuri, Les Mamelles, Corgat Estate, Anse Aux Pins, Anse Royale, Takamaka, Baie Lazare, Anse Boileau, Beolière, La Misère and Grand Anse Praslin clinics – all for a population of fewer than 100,000 people.

Now, besides the public sector, for those who would wish to have private attention and pay for it, there are today an increasing number of private clinics – Dr. Haresh Jivan, Dr. Maurice Albert, Dr. Sethu Chetty, the gastro-intestinal clinic of Dr. Murthy, the modern Panafricare clinic of the reputed surgeon Dr Miodrag Todorovic, and others offering a whole range of services and facilities from general practitioners to eye specialists and dental surgeons as well as non-traditional alternative medicines.

And of course we should not forget that besides the pharmacy of the Seychelles Hospital, we have today a selection of modern pharmacies and chemists – Behram, Lai Lam, Central Point, D’Offay, Life Care and Medix pharmacies among several others.

Besides this there is a collection of ‘Bonnonm Dibwa’ and self-acclaimed herbalists proclaiming to be experts in herbs and alternative medicines.

Well, I leave it to you dear readers to determine whether it is a blessing or a curse for a community of fewer than 100,000 people to have so many services on their doorstep and a lot of it free of charge.

Of course, I apologise to have overlooked the therapists and counsellors now needed to treat an increasing number of drug addicts and alcoholics.

All these burdens including public health of course fall either directly or indirectly on the shoulders of the Health Minister. Bearing in mind that almost every day there is breaking news about some dramatic accidents, be it on our roads or on the seas, I have sympathy with the minister and her secretariat for what she has to attend to in order to satisfactorily meet public expectation in the political climate of today.
Room for thoughts.

James R. Mancham

Royal artist to paint Sir James Mancham portrait

17-September-2016


The Royal painter Fiona Graham-Mackay whose portrait of poet Sir Andrew Motion has been selected for the BP Award Exhibition at the National Gallery Portrait Gallery in London this summer and which is about to go on show at the National Gallery in Edinburgh has just written to Seychelles founding President James R. Mancham, saying that she would love to do a portrait of him as soon as possible.
Fiona is one of Britain’s foremost portrait painters. Her painting of the poet Sir Andrew Motion was chosen by an international judging panel for the National Portrait Gallery out of 2,557 entries from 80 countries.
It will eventually hang in place of honour at the famous English public school, Radley College where Motion was a student.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Fiona is also one of Britain’s foremost landscape painters with her work covering idyllic river and wildlife scenes in Britain to edgy landscapes and individuals in Pakistan and the Taliban country along the Afghan borders.
She is one of the most sought after teachers on paintings in Italy courses with followers coming from all over the world including New York, London, Pretoria and Paris to be taught by her in Venice, Sicily, Florence, Saragano and Montefalco.
Fiona now runs teaching workshops for all levels of painters – beginners to stars – at her studio in East Sussex, England.
Her first painting of the Royal Family was Prince Michael of Kent the President of the Little Ships Association commemorating the Dunkirk Rescue vessels during World War II. The Eccentric Club has asked Fiona to paint their patron Prince Philip.
Fiona is of course married to Christopher Lee who authored the book, Political Castaways that was published in Great Britain in 1976 by Elm Tree Books Limited before Seychelles independence. This book was described as a story of the Seychelles – their history, people, natural resources and uncertain progress into the modern political arena. It is also the story of James Mancham’s determination that his islands will not disappear behind neon hotel signs, Soviet submarines bases and the indifference of our 20th century.
Christopher Lee, recently Gomes Lecturer and Quarter centenary Fellow in Contemporary History at Emmanuel College Cambridge where he wrote the award winning BBC history of Britain, This Sceptred Isle.
Christopher has just been commissioned by the BBC to write a play on the 1936 Abdication of King Edward VIII that will be aired in December 2016.
He wrote Political Castaways at a time when he was also the BBC Defence Correspondent before becoming the BBC anchorman in Moscow during the Cold War.
In an e-mail to Mr Mancham on Tuesday September 13, 2016, Christopher Lee states –
“My dear James,
I am so concerned to hear of your “mild stroke”. How could this be? You are the one person who personifies to me the ideal - the one man I know who reflects Eden, even to the extent of overcoming its serpents.
I read your article in the Nation. So very true that you inspired the notion of reconciliation after your 15 years in exile.
Also, your concept of the need for reconciliation spreads far beyond the islands.
I have sent a copy of your Nation comment to John Dickie who you may remember as the Diplomatic Editor of the Daily Mail and who Sir Alec Douglas-Home described as a true gentleman of the Press at a time when the Press had few gentlemen.
When I attend UN and NATO meetings on world crises I mix with representatives of places like Yemen, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and the sub-Saharan states and hear them talking about co-operation knowing that not one of them really understands how to bring this about. We also have to accept that the traditional guarantors of reconciliation ‒ for example, the USA & the UK ‒ no longer have the power to help.
Even more reason why men like you James have to be heard to talk quiet logic and express experience in world forums. So take the statins! We need your voice!”
Questioned yesterday morning of how he felt concerning the kind words about him – Mr Mancham said he could only echo what Longfellow wrote in the Psalm of Life –
“Lives of great men all remind us,
We can make our lives sublime and departing, leave behind, Footprints on the sands of time.”

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=251065

Letter to the Editor - Mancham’s sayings more relevant than ever

21-September-2016
The National Assembly election is over and we have before us a nation which appears to be equally divided.
I have been thinking on the subject of how we should move forward and I acknowledge that it is not an easy task, but yesterday I accidentally came across a book on the sayings of Sir James R. Mancham which was edited by Andy Pothin in 2002.
I believe the sayings of Sir James are relevant in many respects if we are really and truly searching for lasting reconciliation.
I would like to quote some of the sayings of our Founding President in this respect.
“From the first day of my return to Seychelles, I openly, publicly and unequivocally declared that I had returned as the Apostle of National Reconciliation.” DP Congress – March 1995, Seychelles Review – April 1995
“Today we can take comfort in the knowledge that things have been able to evolve to get us where we are without us having been engaged in civil strife or loss of life. Personally I am a man of peace and I am proud of this.” Seychelles Review – May/June 1995
“A party may have a majority and be able to rule but that does not mean the ability to consolidate social harmony and ensure internal happiness and stability.” Seychelles Review – May/June 1995
“Confrontational politics result in the creation and perpetuation of what I call ‘Political Tribalism’ – a situation where scarce talent and resources, instead of uniting for the common good and interest, are wasted in the creation of division and the promotion, at times, of artificial issues.” Seychelles Review – May/June 1995
“National Reconciliation is above all a healing process which is based on a genuine desire to promote more internal harmony and less social tension so that the overall national interest takes priority over partisan consideration.” Seychelles Review – May/June 1995
“In the pursuit of national reconciliation, some things are better forgotten than said. Silence sometimes becomes golden. It is however, recognised that there is no action without a reaction and that deeds speak louder than words. But above all, one must make it a point to avoid rubbing salt in old wounds.” Seychelles Review – May/June 1995
“For one thing, I only represent a part of the political equation of this country, and reconciliation cannot be a one way process if it is to be of a lasting nature.”Grand Coalition and Government of National Unity, Seychelles Review –November 1995
“National Reconciliation should not be regarded as an end in itself. It is rather a base from which to start. There is a tide in the affairs of a country which rises only on rare occasions. The importance is for the Leadership within a Nation to know when this tide is up and to seize it.” Grand Coalition and Government of National Unity, Seychelles Review –November 1995
“Unless we set the example of responsible behaviour, there will be great difficulties and problems when those who are mere politicians take over. I believe that as Leaders, we should not promote or perpetuate a situation which cries out: “Après nous le deluge”....” Grand Coalition and Government of National Unity, Seychelles Review –November 1995
“If you look at the world today, you will find that there are more conflicts within States than between States. Since there has always been strong support by Government and rulers for the concept of non-interference in the internal affairs of a country, then the only way left to establish internal stability, respect, peace and order is through the route of National Reconciliation.” Press Conference on National Reconciliation, Seychelles Review – May 1996
“We shall make the best of the 21st century if we learn the lessons of this one, in which political changes have left us with a world in transition. Transition is not easy but it is much harder for those countries moving from a command economy to free enterprise.” Message for National Day, Seychelles Review – June 1996
“Democratic freedom has its responsibilities. It solves problems but unbridled, it can also create others. An effective rule of law is vital. The truth is that order requires both justice and moral and social authority. We have to strengthen the institutions – the family, the courts, the National Assembly and the government in a way that they are not only accepted but also appreciated and respected.” Message for National Day, Seychelles Review – June 1996
“We have to recognise that the people’s role in a democracy does not end when they cast their votes. They have to live up to and apply the standards and values which are the characteristics and foundation of democracy.” Message for National Day, Seychelles Review – June 1996
“The paramount factor for success remains the quality of our people. How hard do we work? How much savings do we make? How powerful is our commitment to education and self-improvement, social discipline and our desire to do better for our families?” Message for National Day, Seychelles Review – June 1996
“If we want peace and prosperity, we must strive for national unity but there can be no unity without going through the process of National Reconciliation. It is the only way before us – but it cannot be a one-way road or a cul de sac.” Message for National Day, Seychelles Review – June 1996
“Winning the peace is of course another ball game because if you seek for lasting peace, truth must take over from propaganda and manipulation. Through our policy of National Reconciliation, I believe our Nation is going through a “healing process” which will enable the people eventually to think more as a Seychellois than as an SPPF or DP supporter.” Seychelles Review – September 1996
“I want to call for a partnership which comes more from the heart and less from political manoeuvring. I call for a Seychelles of greater fraternal harmony, more dialogue and social contacts among the players on the national stage. Let us sincerely and honestly collaborate to ensure that our common resources, our experience and goodwill work in harmony with the national interest.” Budget reply December 1996, Seychelles Review – Dec 1996/Jan 1997
“Paradise cannot be divided against itself. God did not give us this most beautiful of all countries for us to behave like cats and dogs conditioned by a “blue and red” politics which has lost relevance in the world today. Today we must live on our own resources, not on polemics or slogans. Today, we must face the truth and not be manipulators of divisive propaganda.” DP Convention November 1996, Seychelles Review – Dec 1996/Jan 1997
“The process of National Reconciliation is an attempt to bring forth as high a level of national cohesion as possible so that, united as a people, we can seek what is best for the nation and not just what is best for the Party. It is obvious that political division has deprived us with the opportunity of reaching a higher plateau of national grandeur and prestige. We can therefore either continue to swim in the lake of mediocrity or seek to swim in a lake with a larger and better vista.” In the search for Grandeur and Unity, Seychelles Review – May 1997
“The politics of National Reconciliation carries with it a reservoir of goodwill – but goodwill tends to evaporate in an atmosphere where there is no reciprocity.” In the search for Grandeur and Unity, Seychelles Review – May 1997
“A ‘first past the post victory’ of the Democratic Party will not be worthwhile from a national standpoint if such a victory is achieved in a climate of perpetual hatred, bitterness, division and retributions.” The political Chess Game, Seychelles Review – Oct/Dec 1997
“After the result of the last general election was announced, I said that the Democratic Party has lost a battle not the war. I do not think that everybody quite understood the sort of war I was fighting and intended to continue fighting for. It was not a war based on physical violence or aggressive confrontation or the conquest of power at any cost. It was a war motivated by a sense of noble enlightenment with the view of achieving a fundamental transformation in our society and in the way our people behave and think.” Seychelles Review – Jan/Mar 1998
“Whoever wins the election, new approaches and new initiatives will be necessary if stability is to be consolidated, bygones to become bygones and the Seychellois is to enter the next Millennium as a united Nation.” Seychelles Review – Jan/Mar 1998
“The glory I am seeking would not come today or tomorrow but in years to come; when I emphasised that for me the achievement of National Reconciliation would be more important than the role of the President itself.” Seychelles Review – April 1998
“At the moment we think of ourselves, then about our political party and our country comes in the third place. So long as we continue to think in this order of priority – the Seychelles will remain divided and we will dwell in the abyss of more problems, more difficulties and more confrontations. Today we have no choice. The time has come to think of ‘Seychelles first’.” Launching of the first initiative – 17 June, 2000
“In a human world we will surely find difference of opinion which tends to divide us, but we must have sufficient vision to ensure that the things which unite us prevail.” DP Gala 2002
“Of course ‘paradise’ being a domain associated more with God than the devil, must be a friendly place where everybody is made welcome and feels at home. Greed must be left to a minimum and reconciliation must defeat confrontation. Tolerance must be the order of the day, Sex must remain a private affair and men and women of goodwill must be allowed to acknowledge the greatness of God under whatever name they choose to call him but this being a democratic society, everybody must also recognise and respect the value of the prevailing Christian faith which has been embraced by the majority of our people.” Seychelles Review – Feb 1997
“No island is an island by itself. It will always be part of the Globe. Let us therefore never neglect any island for if we do so, we would be neglecting a vital part of the Globe.” The Federation of Island Nations for World Peace (FINWP) New York – Jan 2001, Seychelles Review – Feb 2001
“No country is too small if it is surrounded by the sea.” The Federation of Island Nations For World Peace (FINWP) New York – Jan 2001, Seychelles Review – Feb 2001
“In Seychelles we have a society which constitutes a living laboratory of successful multi-racial living which, in a world plagued by tribalism, communalism and racism is no mean achievement.” The Federation of Island Nations for World Peace (FINWP) New York – Jan 2001, Seychelles Review – Feb 2001
“In this world of rapid changes and conflicts towards an unknown future; in this world which has become a global village with men having the ability to ignite it into flame; in this world divided by those who have too much and those who have far too little, where lies the future of humanity if those of us who are categorised as leaders fail to attend to the urgent task of peace on earth and goodwill among fellowmen? ‘Serving the Nation Serving the World’ Interreligious and International Federation For world Peace (IIFWP) New York - May 2001, Seychelles Review – June 2001
“Machines were invented to be in the service of men. Today men have become slaves of machines - and what is even sadder is that many of us are living like machines – duly programmed to show little feelings and emotions to the ongoing turmoil before us. However no gun can destroy the voice of the poet of truth and reflection as he calls for peace and reconciliation. ‘Serving the Nation Serving the World’ Interreligious and International Federation For world Peace (IIFWP) New York - May 2001, Seychelles Review – June 2001
“The task before us is not going to be an easy one because there is still around us too many gutter politicians, who it would appear, have a vested interest in the politics of hate and division preferring to see the people fighting among themselves rather than be united by a common vision of what is right and what is wrong what is true and what is false. You who today represent the new and upcoming generation and whose future is involved must tell to these people that enough is enough.” My ultimate effort for beloved Seychelles – April 2002
“It is somewhat unwise to dwell for too long within the realm of bygone memories for the urge of today finds little satisfaction in yesterday’s souvenir.” Adages of an exile – December 1991
“Trumps tower in New York is a magnificent symbol of man’s achievements on earth - but the green creepers which have been planted to adorn its tall walls, remain a perpetual reminder of Nature’s great force and of God’s overriding power.” Adages of an exile – December 1991

I have been so impressed by the book ‘The sayings of James R. Mancham’ that I have decided to translate it in French.

Genevieve Morel
Bel Ombre

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=251110

The danger of Facebook democracy

24-November-2016




Over recent times I have been giving much thought to the influence which Facebook has played in the modification of public opinion with respect to different aspects of governance and/or the profile of personalities as the Facebook political chess game is being played. For example, somebody who actively plays Facebook can easily destroy the reputation of others who make it a point not to get involved in the Facebook game.
The reputation of a respected personality in society can be destroyed on Facebook without the victim even knowing about it if he is one who shuns and avoids the Facebook game. There is a well recognised legal jargon to the effect that what is not denied is deemed admitted.

http://nation.sc/article.html?id=251910

Opinion U.A.E. flag should fly high in the Seychelles sky

28-November-2016


On Thursday November 24, 2016, the Seychelles NATION published a front-page article entitled, ‘Seychelles and Abu Dhabi to boost and consolidate ties,’ and depicted a photo of President Danny Faure in discussions with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The article which enlightened people in Seychelles must have welcomed and appreciated concerns the working visit of President Faure to Abu Dhabi following an invitation from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan – Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) Armed Forces. At this meeting, the two parties reviewed the existing bilateral relations between the two countries and exchanged views on strengthening and consolidating these relations for the mutual benefit of both the people of Seychelles and the people of the United Arab Emirates.

http://nation.sc/article.html?id=251967