“Powerful truth. Our reality in Seychelles today. “. We are YOUTHS, not IDIOTS

The Seychelles Independent Newspaper
Guy Desaubin · 3h ·
“Powerful truth. Our reality in Seychelles today. “. We are YOUTHS, not IDIOTS
Dear Editor,
On behalf of every Seychellois youth, I want to inform the LDS leadership that I will not fall into their trap- to believe they care for me. Mr President can talk for hours, read the dictionary, search for the sweetest yet craftiest words, and make as many rosy prom- ises as possible, but I refuse to become a victim. A victim of manipulation, a victim of so many false promises, so many lies- finally, a victim of the most incompetent and ruthless lead- ership I’ve known. Before this admin- istration came to power, my family thrived. I had a happy childhood. Today, I am a twenty-year-old who sees how my single mother struggles to feed us. I am still a student and, therefore, a dependent of a hardwork- ing mother who earns less than SR10,000 monthly after tax. She tried doing two jobs but had to stop be- cause my minor siblings needed her at home. My father left the house and couldn't care less about our troubles; he rarely contributed. The last time I saw him help my family was when he purchased school uniforms for my brother and sister.
While this may be fine for the govern- ment or the President, my parents constantly argued and fought over the difficulties we faced at home after LDS came to office. When their prob- lems started, my dad stayed out late; then he stopped coming.
My mother will get paid by the 24th, and by the end of the same month, she will have already run out of money. She pays electricity and water bills, buys the essential food we need, and pays the house loan. She pays two loans, the other one taken when my dad was still around, and now she is burdened with that loan. My school al- lowance helps my siblings to eat at school. The money left on my mother’s salary pays for transporta- tion to take her to work. When her bus card ran out of money, my grand- mother helped her. My grandparents live on their social security pensions. By the beginning of the next month, we struggle to eat and do anything else until the next pay cheque. It is how people live in this country- from pay cheque to pay cheque. I am a youth who cannot join friends in paid activities. We stay at home and let life go by.
Like me, many, if not most, of the Seychellois youth see their parents struggle to make ends meet at home. We see their tears. Does Wavel Ramka- lawan know what it is like to see your mother cry because she cannot give her children the life they deserve? I don’t think he does because he enjoys a privileged life. The politicians are re- sponsible for the issues that mothers like mine face daily. They collect from the poor to feed the rich. I am writing this letter with the contrib- ution of my school friends in the same predicament at home.
Wealthy politicians cannot fathom the pain we feel in our hearts to see our parents struggle; the words politicians speak are as sharp as blades. They cut deep, and when I listen to the Pres- ident’s press conferences, I sometimes see a blunt blade that cuts deep. When he insults workers, he also insults my mother. When he says he cannot run the country with cleaners, he insults my grandmother, who was once a cleaner and whose pension today helps my mother look after us. So,no,Idonotwanttoseeanyof them speak to the youth as if they were role models. You have no com- passion for others. You have no inter- est in building a Seychelles for the youth to inherit. You care about your pockets. What is inside your pocket will give your children and grandchil- dren the best life now and in future. I cannot stop any of you from going on television to pretend to care about us, but I can choose not to listen to you. I switched off the television on Thurs- day, and so did my friends. We do not care about what you have to say. Your actions do not match your words. I may be too young, but you have al- ways used your mouth to get what you want. It is how you became Pres- ident—using your mouth to give a false perception that you were a Mr. Know-It-All.
I will vote for the first time in 2025, and I will vote against you.
I look forward to doing it; it would be a pleasure. If you had an ounce of de- cency in your body, you would resign, dissolve the National Assembly and call for general elections.
Madam, thank you for publishing my letter.
Regards,
K. Finesse