SCCI rigged election 2010

OPEN LETTER TO DR V RAMADOSS

On the matter of your antics and corrupt efforts to remain chairman of the SCCI

In a bid to obtain some accolade in our society, you are turning the venerable institution of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry into an object of ridicule by your antics with your newspaper.

I make this statement not as one of the candidates in the upcoming elections for office bearer but as a long standing member predating your arrival in our country.

I wish to point out at the outset that, unlike you, I did not seek these nominations, nor have I contrived to register a hundred or so bogus or ghost “members” at the last minute and to obtain their proxy in order to vote for you and your minions. In a truly democratic society, this is tantamount to rigging an election because in effect this afternoon you alone will be voting for yourself to be the Chairman of the SCCI.

If you were a truly honest and bona fide businessman in a free market environment, who has made a success of his ventures after risking his own money, accolade would be bestowed upon you by your peers (the other members) in recognition not only of your success but also of your leadership qualities. This is what happens in a civilised environment of a corrupt-free society.

But you are not a bona fide businessman, neither are you honest. You owe whatever financial success not by risking your own capital, nor by legitimate business means. You have been part of and the beneficiary of corrupt practices by corrupt politicians in a corrupt political environment. Let’s face it you are a front man for a corrupt political class and you have no scruples.

You have built a gambling business through state patronage and in a government building which became government property through corrupt means during the one-party state. You alone could have a gambling license at the exclusion of everybody else. It is said, and generally believed by everyone that the proceeds of your gambling interests have been and continue to be used to finance the political activities of certain individuals and groups who have and continue to deliver patronage to you.

You “own” and manage the only printing presses capable of producing your newspaper, in a fraudulent and corrupt manner. It was previously state property, therefore, the people of Seychelles property. It was confiscated from the people and handed over to vested interest of the same political group to whom you are indebted.

Unlike you, I came into business at a very early age (1974), without any patronage in a free market and corrupt free environment. In those days you did not need patronage or access to political influence in order to set up a business and make a success of it. I became a member of the Chamber and rose to become its honorary secretary, a post I held until I was arrested, detained without charge or trial for nine months and driven into political exile, by the very political class to whom you are indebted. This was the very class who went on to decimate our successful free market system and instituted corrupt practices on a grand scale.

Today, having recognised the virtues of free market capitalism and as they try to whitewash their past history and image as a destructor of the free market in Seychelles, you are, my good friend, not only an embarrassment to them but also a constant reminder of their corrupt past which they are strenuously trying to put behind them.

Paul Chow

Source:Seychelles e-news

Seychelles Chamber of Commerce - Under Siege by Dr. V. Ramadoss

Seychelles Chamber of Commerce - Under Siege by Dr. V. Ramadoss

Account of SCCI meeting

Nearly 500 people gathered on Friday afternoon at the ex-Regina Mundi Convent Hall to attend the SCCI Annual General Meeting. There was an air of excitement in the air and little groups had formed all over the compound to discuss the most interesting AGM in the history of the SCCI. Some were calling for a stop to the Indian invasion, while others were pushing for a new executive committee comprising of Seychellois nationals only. Several people were passing out leaflets asking members to vote for certain candidates. There was a political overtone in the air and clearly there was a nationalistic feeling in the midst.

The much anticipated meeting which was to start at 2:30pm ended up starting at nearly 4:00pm due to the registration process which was somewhat slow and disorganized. Basically, every business who had the right to vote was made to register and given 3 pink ballot papers to be used in voting for a Chairman (1st ballot), Vice-Chairman and Treasurer (2nd ballot), and 12 Councillors (3rd ballot). Note that the ballot papers were void of any serial numbers and only carried an SCCI stamp.

SHOWDOWN & ARROGANCE

The stage was set for a showdown between members who were against Dr. Ramadoss as Chairman and those in favour of candidates Paul Chow and Louis D’Offay. Note that Dr. Ramadoss had hijacked the Chairmanship 2 years ago by arriving with over 100 proxies at the last minute, most of which came from Indian retailers throughout Mahé and Praslin.

The ousting of Albert Payet as the Chairman in 2009 was seen as a push by Ramadoss to control the SCCI and to portray a positive image for James Michel and his reform agenda. Others saw this as a nationalistic movement by the Indian community, many of whom had received citizenship courtesy of the lax Immigration policies of the SPPF Government.

Prior to the meeting, Dr. Ramadoss had this week placed full-page colour poster adverts of himself in the Rising Sun and the Nation newspaper, stating that he was a patriotic Seychellois who employed over 1200 people. On the reverse side of the poster, he had also listed the candidates he wanted members to vote for. See poster below:



Ramadoss advert to promote his candidacy for the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry



The list of people put forward by Ramadoss for the executive committee of the SCCI

The shameful act of advertising oneself for the post angered many SCCI members, as this type of arrogance had never been seen before in the history of the SCCI. Usually, the outgoing SCCI executive committee would present themselves at the AGM, the meeting would take place peacefully and a new executive committee would be elected by the members present.

But this was not to be the case this year. In his quest for power and in order to remain Chairman, Ramadoss had broken all the rules of engagement. Firstly, he amassed around 250 new members and ushered them in before the closing deadline for membership. Then he proceeded to pull the majority of the Indian community into his camp. Finally, he used his printing press to put out colour posters telling people to “Work for Dr. Ramadoss” and that he has “contributed more to the Tourism Industry than anyone else”. Speak about the arrogance of the man with no integrity!

THE RICHEST MAN IN SEYCHELLES

As history would have it, Ramadoss today is one of the richest naturalized Indian-Seychellois businessmen in Seychelles, having amassed a fortune through an exclusive casino business that does not pay any taxes to the Seychelles Government. In addition, Ramadoss somehow managed to get his hands on the Pirates Arms Restaurant (sold to him by state-owned insurance company SACOS), the casino “Amusement Centre” at the Ocean Gate Building, another casino above the Pirates Arms Hotel, another casino on La Digue named the “Fun House”, the People’s Supermarket and the entire building complex at Mont Fleuri, a bureau-de-change, the Coco D’Or hotel and restaurant at Beau Vallon, the largest printing press in the country (Printec), the ex-SMB water bottling plant, the ex-SMB Juice and Milk factories, the Destination Management/Tour Operator company called Select Travel which is headed by Freddy Kakaria and Conrad Benoiton who were both present to give support to Boss Ramadoss. Ramadoss also owns many more businesses, including the failed private hospital at Providence where he is a partner with Albert and Sarah Rene on Government land allocated to Emerald Holdings. Lest we forget, most of the Providence land in that area belongs to Emerald Holdings and Airtel and Intelvision are also based out there and pays rent to Emerald Holdings.

In summary, Ramadoss has amassed more businesses than anyone else in Seychelles in just a few short years. Not bad for a poor Indian doctor who landed in Seychelles a couple of decades ago in flip-flops to work as a doctor for the Seychelles Armed Forces! How this man amassed this large fortune in such a short period of time is beyond anyone’s comprehension. Today, Ramadoss wields more power than most local businessmen who have been working in Seychelles for decades and whose parents worked hard even before Independence. Ramadoss has many foreign Indian expatriates working for him, including his own brother who recently arrived to help him run the family business. Ramadoss is either the luckiest man in the world, or he has a money tree growing in his backyard, or he is indeed the new Seychelles Indian mafia. He is no longer a Doctor, but a multi-millionaire courtesy of Albert Rene, James Michel and the SPPF-Lepep party who today seems to be at his beck and call.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Now back to the SCCI meeting. Prior to the start of the meeting, Ms. Daniella Payet-Allis came through the door and announced that while she was holding the proxy of several members who had vested their confidence in her to vote because they could not attend the meeting, she had been told by some of the people registering the companies that she may not be in a position to vote. Mrs. Payet who was wearing a neck brace was clearly angry and despondent.

Finally, Dr. Ramadoss walked in with no less than 3 muscular bodyguards at his heels. The man has more bodyguards than President Michel and it makes one wonder why this man requires this level of security. Ramadoss then sat down at the head of the table and informed the crowd that the Secretary-General of SCCI Mrs. Nichole Gherardi-Tirant was not doing her job and was conspiring to bring him down and was against him. The crowd was shocked to hear such comments since Mrs. Gherardi-Tirant has been a faithful and professional Secretary General for well over a decade and had performed an admirable job despite all the difficulties that the SCCI has faced due to the SPPF tactics to undermine the Chamber.

Mrs. Tirant who was outside the room at that moment was informed that Ramadoss had insulted her and was obviously upset and decided not to come forward for the meeting. Since the Secretary-General has to be present in order for the meeting to start, there were rumbles throughout the hall and the crowd started getting restless.

A Mr. Anacoura stood up and told Dr. Ramadoss very bluntly that he should be ashamed for attacking Mrs. Tirant in public, especially when Mrs. Tirant played a crucial role on the SCCI team.

Several long-standing members and past councillors then took the opportunity with the microphone to accuse Ramadoss of deliberately bringing shame to the SCCI. Past councillors Gonsalves D’Offay, Paul Hodoul, Paul Chow (Honorary Consul for South Korea) and Joe Chung-Faye (Honorary Consul for Thailand) and a few others made it quite clear to Ramadoss that publishing posters prior to the AGM and insulting Mrs. Tirant were not acceptable and that he should apologise for his actions and step down as Chairman.

Mr. Louis D’Offay then took the floor and pointed out that despite the fact that he had been nominated legally with a seconder, his paperwork had somehow vanished into thin air and that he had been excluded from the ballot papers.

He called for the meeting to be postponed to another date and to a larger venue that could handle the 500 plus members. Some members echoed Mr. D’Offay’s call for postponement while proportionally-elected SPPF-Lepep MNA Clifford Andre was extremely vocal in favour of Ramadoss and called for the meeting to continue.

SPPF PARTY MEETING & RAMADOSS’ RENT-A-CROWD

Incidentally, the hall had no less than 4 SPPF-Lepep MNAs present, including Cascade’s Charles De Commarmond, Clifford Andre, Pointe Larue’s Jennifer Vel and Vicky Theresine, all sitting on the right side of the hall with many other SPPF-Lepep supporters clearly supporting Dr. Ramadoss through their actions.

Even former Minister Noelli Alexander was in attendance and was a Ramadoss proposed councillor candidate. Even ex-MNA Rubber-Boy Simon Gill joined in to defend Dr. Ramadoss! Surely Ramadoss’ money tree has many benefactors and no one wants to lose their monthly stipend!

The flustered Ramadoss then took the microphone and started screaming that this was a democratic country and that he was the Chairman and that the meeting would continue. He stated that this was a war against him and that he was a Seychellois. Clearly, the meeting had deteriorated and turned into a divisive political battle of 2 camps. The Red Ramadoss versus the Other members.

Showing her true professionalism and despite being falsely accused, Mrs. Tirant finally walked in and sat down next to the Treasurer Mr. Palani who incidentally is also an employee of Dr. Ramadoss. The Vice-Chairman Dolor Ernesta also took his seat and the meeting finally was called to order.

THE REAL AGM BEGINS

The minutes of the 2009 AGM was skimmed over and there were no matters arising. Ramadoss then proceeded with his Chairman’s report in his heavy Indian-English accent which few could understand. His report apparently had been written for him by Dolor Ernesta, another benefactor. Ironically, Ramadoss’ opening remark was to praise and to thank Mrs. Tirant for her hard work and devotion to the SCCI.

The highlight of his speech was that he had acquired land from the Government for a new building for the SCCI and the Government had already given him the land. He told the crowd that under his Chairmanship, he would build a beautiful building for the SCCI and no one else apart from him could accomplish such a feat. Little did Ramadoss know that most people in the crowd knew that Government had earmarked a parcel of land for LUNGOS and that the land had now been carved into two plots so that the SCCI would benefit and be able to build this long-awaited building. But the powerful Dr. Ramadoss stressed that without him, the Government of Seychelles would never have allocated this land to the SCCI. This is how important Ramadoss was portraying himself to be!

A RAMADOSS STATUE - ZOM LIB LOOK OUT

Ramadoss continued by stating that he was also going to erect a statue of the Lady of the Sea at the Seychelles Fishing Authority (Fishing Port) for the fishermen of Seychelles. The crowd was somehow puzzled as this had absolutely nothing to do with SCCI business. But one guesses that he was refreshing his campaign poster slogan that states “GIVING CONTRIBUTIONS”. That money-tree is still bearing fruit!

Ramadoss then closed the meeting by stating that he was donating SR 100,000 to the upcoming Economic Forum to be held in Seychelles in October 2010 since this was to be organized by the SCCI. He then wished everyone well and thanked his fellow executive committee members.

The meeting then proceeded with the presentation of the Accounts and the appointment of the auditor. Apart from a few minor queries, this segment of the meeting proceeded normally and without much fanfare.

VOTING

It was now time to elect the new council members, and Mrs. Tirant spelled out the voting procedures. It was agreed that apart from the nominations already on the list, that new nominations would be accepted from the floor for all positions.

First up was the vote for a new Chairman. Dr. Ramadoss declared that he agreed to stand for another year, while Paul Chow whose name was on the list declined to stand stating ironically that since he was not in a position to guarantee Government land for a new Chamber office building, that it was best for him to remove his nomination from the floor. Instead, he seconded a motion made by Mr. Bernard Elizabeth of SEPEC and nominated Mr. Louis D’Offay of l’Archipel Hotel Praslin and also the Chairman of the Seychelles Hospitality & Tourism Association (SHTA).

Mr. Louis D’Offay accepted to stand for the Chairman’s post and in his short speech, stated clearly that Dr. Ramadoss should not have published a poster because it was negative publicity and it cheapened the SCCI. He stated that the SCCI is a serious organization made up of all sectors of the economy, but that his opponent had turned it into a second Seychelles Retailers Association and that this was a dangerous precedent since it did not represent the real business community, especially the ever-important tourism industry.

D’Offay continued and took a swipe at Ramadoss’ slogan stating while Ramadoss had asked “the members of the SCCI to work for him (Ramadoss)”, he would if elected serve the business community and work for the members instead. Some of the crowd applauded D’Offay’s remarks. It was clear that there was a battle brewing between the arrogance of Ramadoss and the professionalism of Mr. D’Offay. Little did the crowd know at that time what a battle that would turn out to be.

PROXIES

It was now around 6:00pm. Many members who had other prior engagements started to leave and handed their already filled out ballot papers to friends who wanted to stay to watch the showdown. This was Ali versus Frasier or better yet, Tyson versus Hollyfield!

All members proceeded to the front in an orderly fashion to cast their votes for the Chairmanship. Many people observed that several Indian men made their way to the front with handful of ballot papers in their hands. These were supposed to be proxies, ballots that had been given by others who could not attend the meeting.

During the voting, Mr. Albert Geers of Sunset Beach Hotel and the Honorary Consul for Netherlands suddenly grabbed the microphone and stated that this election was not fair and should be postponed due to the fact that Mr. D’Offay’s name had not been on the ballot, and therefore the proxies would not have been aware that they could have voted for Mr. D’Offay. This argument was nullified when the ever-faithful Mrs. Tirant cleared the matter up stating that proxies had been vested in good faith by members who could not be present, and thus the members entrusted with the proxies were allowed to vote as they deemed fit. Little did Mrs. Tirant know that her comments would come back and bite her on her faithful behind!

THE COUNT

The voting for the Chairmanship was finally over and the voting box was emptied and the counting started in front of several witnesses while some of the crowd proceeded outside for a well-deserved snack and refreshment. It started to rain heavily outside… a bad omen indeed!

After some 25 minutes, and with a restless crowd waiting in anticipation, Mrs. Tirant finally took the microphone and informed the crowd that that there was a major problem with the votes. She told the crowd that there were some 465 total votes cast and counted but that only 413 companies had registered to vote. It was quite clear that somehow, there had been ballot stuffing and that illegal votes had been cast.

A very despondent crowd starting to hurl comments that the vote was rigged and that the meeting should be adjourned or postponed to a later date. In the Ramadoss corner, they called out that the vote was legal and that the meeting should continue as planned.

An angry Ramadoss then picked up the microphone and stated that there was nothing wrong with the vote since 600 ballot papers had been printed. One man pointed out to Ramadoss that the vote could not be legal if there were more votes than registered companies.

PERCY AHMAN TO THE RESCUE

In jumped Percy Ahman who is the Editor of the Rising Sun and an employee of Dr. Ramadoss. He declared that he was the one who had printed the ballot papers and that he had “destroyed” the disk after printing some 600 ballot papers. What disk he was referring to we will never know, since Percy Ahman is well known in Seychelles for working diligently for his Master of the day. These have included Regar and SNP, then Weekly with Bonnelame and Volcere, then his own rag The Independent which was funded by the good Doctor, and then after running in financial problems and suffering a heart ailment whereby Ramados paid for him to have an operation in India, Percy quickly found a new Master and is now the Editor of Ramadoss’ daily rag “The Rising Sun”.

Ahman’s argument was quickly discarded and the GM of ISPC and Honorary Consul for Belgium Xavier Heinen quickly jumped in and asked where the extra ballots had come from. Mr. Heinen made the point that the vote could not be considered legal and he called for a postponement of the meeting whereby proper procedures could be put in place.

Another person mentioned that in future elections, ballot papers should include serial numbers and should be printed by an independent company not linked to Ramadoss.

Mr. Albert Geers took the floor once again and stated that in the future, proxies should not be allowed and members should make a concerted effort to be present at the AGM since it was important to vote.

LET’S GO HOME

After much haggling, a very frustrated Mr. Louis D’Offay took the floor and told Dr. Ramadoss and the crowd that there was no use in continuing the meeting since it had turned out to be farce and that this could not be considered a credible election and AGM. He suggested that everyone should go home and that another meeting be set for the future. A large majority of the crowd took up Mr. D’Offay’s call and exited the hall in disgust! It was well past 7pm by then; a waste of nearly 5 hours.

LET US STAY AND WIN

Meanwhile, Ramadoss took the microphone and asked all his supporters to remain in the room. Seeing all his opponents leave, he could smell blood and victory since the members who had presumably voted for his opponent had left the hall.

After several minutes of arguments and uncertainty as to how the meeting should proceed, SPPF MNA Clifford Andre called for a resolution to state that the AGM should continue despite the discrepancy in the vote count. This MNA is obviously not au fait with the SCCI’s rules since it is illegal to vote on a resolution at the AGM if it has not been circulated to members 21 days in advance of the meeting. Nevertheless, the remaining Ramadoss faithful members voted for this illegal resolution and the meeting proceeded.

THE WINNER BY AN ILLEGAL LOW BLOW

Mrs. Tirant and her staff by then had worked on the discrepancies and had narrowed it down further. She then proceeded to declare Ramadoss as the new Chairman with some 290 plus votes versus 175 plus votes for Mr. D’Offay. The Ramadoss crowd was ecstatic and clapped and jumped up and down in glee to please their Master.

VOTE? WHAT VOTE?

The rest of the election was a farce since Ramadoss’ supporters were still around and the others had left the building. Dolor Ernesta was voted in as Vice-Chairman and Brijesh Jivan, another employee of Ramadoss was voted in as Treasurer. Eventually, all the councillor candidates proposed by Ramadoss on his poster were declared as winners of this sham of an election. Ramadoss was the new King of the SCCI.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR THE SCCI

In summary, it will only be a matter of time before the SCCI turns into the Seychelles Chamber of Ramadoss and followers, especially since the Indian community had rallied behind one of their own. It is obvious that Ramadoss wields more power than anyone else in Seychelles at the moment due to his deep pockets.

Meanwhile, many current members were promising to resign from the SCCI come Monday morning. Some stated that they will form a new association which would include legitimate, vetted businesses only. In addition, it would not be surprising if Mrs. Tirant does not resign from her post of Secretary-General. The abuse she has taken at the hands of Ramadoss would be hard for any professional to swallow.

As for the upcoming Economic Forum, it will turn out to be a disaster for Seychelles since the members elected could not organise a tea party for 5 year olds!

In summary, Ramadoss has won a shallow victory of sorts and now fully controls the SCCI along with his humble servants. The Indian doctor has set off a nationalistic movement last seen by Albert Rene when the latter produced a poster telling the Yankees to go home. This time, Ramadoss is telling the Seychellois to go home. The Indians have won!

President Michel who recently mentioned in his State of the Nation address that there is no room for xenophobia in Seychelles, could hardly see beyond the horizon that it is the Indian community and Indian businesses who have declared war on the Seychellois community.

Little did Rene and Michel know that they have created a monster in Ramadoss and that they now have a tiger by the tail. Our Seychellois passports that have been so cheaply gifted to Indian nationals are now coming back to bite us on our asses. The business and tax concessions given to Ramadoss so that he can provide ample cash to the SPPF coffers are now being used by Ramadoss to create his own nationalistic Indian party movement and to feed his own arrogant ego let alone his pockets.

Seychelles is on the precipice of a great disaster and whilst this SCCI power struggle has been but a small battle, it is nothing compared to the devastating war that lies ahead.

Contributed to STAR by an SCCI member who will resign on Monday

Source: STAR 4-11-10

Marco Francis resigns as SCCI chairman

24-February-2016
Mr Francis Marco Francis will resign as chairman of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry on February 26.
After serving three years at the head of the SCCI, Mr Francis handed his letter of resignation yesterday to Juliette Sicobo-Azais, the secretary general of SCCI.
Mr Francis was first elected as SCCI chairman in March 2013 for two years and he was re-elected for another two-year term in February 2015.
Speaking to Seychelles NATION, Mr Francis said the reason for his resignation is he wants to attend to his personal business and to help in a project he wishes to implement this year for his charitable organisation ‘The Better Life Foundation’.
In his letter Mr Francis notes that SCCI over the three years has been attentive, innovative and effective and that history will judge SCCI in its role and the contribution it has made and will continue to make towards the economic prosperity and stability of Seychelles.
He said it was a great privilege serving the business community and having been part of such a great organisation.
Mr Francis thanked the business community for supporting and believing in him and he thanked the government also for its support and willingness to listen to the voices from SCCI, enabling the vision of SCCI to come true and working together as partners for the betterment of Seychelles.
Thanks also went to SCCI staff for their loyalty and support.
Meanwhile Nadine Thelemaque, personal assistant to the secretary general, said that SCCI vice-chairman Dolor Ernesta will take over as chairman until the SCCI board of councillors decides on whether to have early election or to continue with running the SCCI as it is.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=248521

New SCCI chairman Nancy calls on business community to work closer

23-March-2016
Mr Nancy Wilson Nancy is the new Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman, succeeding Marco Francis who resigned from the post on Friday February 26, 2016.
Mr Nancy was elected for a two-year mandate – 2016-2018 – during the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) annual general meeting this week at the International Conference Centre of Seychelles.
The only candidate for the post, Mr Nancy got 84 votes in favour out of the total of 108 votes cast. Another 22 votes were not in his favour while two votes were blank.
During the meeting, outgoing chairman Francis was thanked for his outstanding leadership over the past three years and for this he received a standing ovation.
Mr Nancy thanked the members present for their trust and support and promised to continue building on the foundation which had been set by the former chairman and councillors.
He also asked for their support, saying that together SCCI can “step up” and move the agendas of the business community forward.
The new chairman has requested the business community to help each other in the spirit of success for all.
“The chamber will provide guidance for those who struggle along the way to ensure their success as our ultimate wish is for all members of SCCI to be successful in their business,” said Mr Nancy, who also stressed that the SCCI should do more to promote the membership drive.
The new chairman added that the SCCI council will continue the dialogue established between SCCI and the government and one of the major issues he said he will discuss with the government is how to work faster where communications and infrastructure are concerned in order to reduce the time to market new products.
Mr Nancy has encouraged businesses to be more innovative since there is a great need for more ‘Made in Seychelles’ products.
“The chamber should also encourage investments in promoting business development and aim to make it a reality during my mandate. My plan is to remove barriers that make it hard to compete, such as tax regime and regulatory systems, making it a win-win situation for all,” said Mr Nancy.
He pointed out that along with encouraging the production of ‘Made in Seychelles’ products, the government needs to put in place mechanisms to protect intellectual properties and streamline our patent system so that our innovations can move more quickly to market.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=248842

Letter to the Editor The true costs of living

25-November-2016
This letter is not intended as free publicity for Chez Deenu.
I heard during the debate on the cost-of-living motion on Wednesday that Chez Deenu was selling rice cheaper than at STC. I am not a connoisseur of rice, therefore I am unable to judge if the quality of the Chez Deenu rice is the same as the STC rice. Otherwise it is difficult for me to determine if the prices match or mismatch for same quality.
However, I will tell shoppers to buy the rice at Chez Deenu. That is if they prefer the type and quality at Chez Deenu. Their palates. Their pockets. Their expectations.
STC sells three types of rice starting from R8 something a kilo, to R16 something a kilo to over R20 something a kilo. I never buy the R20 something rice.
http://nation.sc/article.html?id=251930

SCCI chairman elected on Comesa Business Council board of directors

http://nation.sc/article.html?id=252016

Seychelles and Mauritius’ chambers of commerce strengthen existing ties

14-December-2016
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=252175

SCCI rewards best businesses for 2016 • Francis Victor best entrepreneur of the year

17-December-2016


Francis Victor, 36 years old, who heads the burger business Ton Pol Shacks, has been judged as the best entrepreneur of the year.

This was revealed during the annual Business Award ceremony organised by the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI).
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=252234

President Danny Faure’s State visit to Mauritius - SCCI meets Mauritian counterpart

30-October-2017

The Seychelles Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) through its chairman Oliver Bastienne paid a courtesy visit to their Mauritian counterpart, the Mauritius Chambers of Commerce & Industry (MCCI).
The visit was part of an arrangement programme as part of the State visit of President Danny Faure to Mauritius.
Mr Bastienne was hosted by the Vice-President of MCCI, Marday Venkatasamy, and the secretary general, Raju Jaddoo, at the headquarters of MCCI in Port-Louis.
The meeting has been described by Mr Bastienne as historic as the reformed chamber re-ignites its relationship with MCCI, forging a much more proactive and intense collaboration as both countries cement their partnership as announced in the joint press conference by both leaders of Mauritius and Seychelles at the Prime Minister’s office.
As part of the visit both chambers agreed to initiate the future relationship by signing an agreement of cooperation that focuses on 3 key components:
Realising the need to foster a spirit of better cooperation and coordination between the business community of both countries to identify key areas for enhancement of trade and economic development;
The setting up the Seychelles-Mauritius Joint Business Council in order to provide a platform which will be used as a forum for the promotion of business exchanges mainly related to trade in goods, in services between the two countries. It was agreed that the first meeting of the Joint Business Council will be held in Seychelles before the year end.
In view of the reform of SCCI, a platform for enhanced understanding and capacity development with MCCI where current operation structures, innovative ideas and arrangements are discussed with eventual synergies being discussed and implemented.
“Firstly I am completely impressed with the set up here and the manner of operations by MCCI. We can learn a lot and I am committed to strengthening the foundation laid out by previous visiting chairpersons of SCCI. However we need to move away from just signing agreements but implementing them and this is why both chambers felt the need to adopt a resolution to get things moving,”said Mr Bastienne.
In terms of the value of this collaboration, Mr Bastienne explained that “President Faure has highlighted on numerous occasions that the chamber is meant to represent the private sector on a national platform and we are honoured to be part of his delegation as current discussion with our counterpart MCCI depicts areas of collaboration through a dynamic and tangible relationship for the benefit of the country as a whole”.
The first action of this partnership will be the joint business council which SCCI will host before the year ends. Mauritian businesses will be invited to Seychelles to discuss B2B agreements that will enhance trade, reduce the cost of living while also discussing potential areas of partnership through the African Strategy adopted by Mauritius.
Exchange of ideas and practices with regard to the ease of doing business will also be an important component of this collaboration.
“This to me is critical as 80% of our business in Seychelles are Micro, Small & Medium. We need to explore opportunities for all but must assist the 80% to seize on opportunities and to make the business environment back home more thriving,” emphasised Mr Bastienne.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=256320

SCCI Business Award 2017 Alfred Fourcroy scoops up entrepreneur of the year award
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=256901

SCCI to elect new chairman before end of March
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=257427

Today in Seychelles added 2 new photos.
4 hrs ·
Friday 26 January 2018
Economy
Seychelles rupee depreciation
The regulation of the foreign exchange market in order to curb the depreciation of the Seychelles rupee is a contested topic. The intervention of the Central Bank, through the use of reserve monies is much awaited, as the price of the rupee fluctuates and importers are faced with a lack of stability in their business.
by C. Lucas
A narrative follows the exchange rate and the foreign exchange prices are the main characters in the story of buying forex for imports. The cost of living is the moral of the story. For example, the cost of importing a car can rocket from week to week in correlation with the rupee getting weaker against foreign currencies, the euro, the dollar and the pound. This stretches to all imports and all goods which we consume in Seychelles. The rupee is stranded in free-fall against them, which means that the cost of buying goods has increased simply based on the forex market. To this end, any efforts at putting money in people’s pockets, through schemes such as the 13th month salary, is rendered redundant as inflation, the price of goods, goes up.
What can be done?
The regulators could seek to bolster the rupee by tightening monetary policy and retaining more in reserve. This would make a significant difference for all involved, shielding importers from the flux of foreign exchange. When the Central Bank discusses reserves, one should be aware that by retaining rupees in correlation with the currencies pegged, and being able to make available foreign currency when there is high demand, or retain currency when supply is high.
This is a way of regulating the foreign currency against the rupee. However, with this mechanism in place, it is possible to collude and domestic trading can be manipulated in order to make forex buying and selling profitable. Whether this is being followed by Central Bank is a key question in understanding the decision not to bolster reserves further to protect the local currency. The message here is that this is not a new problem and that we have not been able to address it over all these years. So we can only assume that it will continue to slide at the same rate over the coming months and maybe years unless something is done to correct it. The options are as follows
(1) Use the CBS reserves to counter the trend but this is not sustainable and only a temporary measure
(2) Stimulate economic activity/growth
(3) Allow it to stablilise naturally by letting it continue to slide until the cost of living gets too high for people to spend (not recommend as it will impact heavily on trade and businesses)
The chosen path based on monetary policy and discussion by the Central Bank appears to be (2). It is now necessary to stimulate economic growth and to do so, we need to reduce taxes for businesses. In order that Government can reduce taxes, it will need to reduce its expenses. Unfortunately, so far there are no such signs. We keep seeing improved pay packages for civil servants, the creation of new departments and associations, payment of 13th month salary and now a major shortfall on reduction of PIT.
It is possible to also look at the trend of the SCR against other major currencies over the past year and even more interesting over the last several months (see graph). Although the slide against the USD continues to be linear, there has been a sharp drop against both Euro and GBP since the beginning of last year. Both the Euro and GBP have appreciated by almost 3 Rupees in a 12 month period.
At such depreciation rate, it will not only erode all Government’s effort to bring down the cost of living, it is impacting on businesses across most sectors except tourism whose main revenue source is in Euros. Traders on the other hand are experiencing a drop in sales whilst many businesses have to issue new quotations every week. There is also uncertainty in the market regarding to what extent will the Government allow the exchange rate of the SCR to fall

https://www.facebook.com/todayinsey/posts/1559993477371790

SCCI visits Praslin and La Digue businesses
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=257726

‎Daniel Cesar‎ to One Seychelles
6 hrs ·
SCCI New Chairman
SCCI elects new Chairman Oliver Bastienne ~ Congratulations!
Source:Today Newspaper (Photo)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1775155665881077&set=gm.847484965460813&type=3&theater

Comments
Paul B Chow I am told there were 140 proxies of new members in the hand of the outgoing chairman who was elected the new chairman? That was the same tactic used by Ramadoss to take over the organization.

Berty Stravens Even if true he won by 270 votes

Ricki Morin Paul B Chow What are the possibilities and legitimacy of creating another organisation of a similar nature as SCCI?

Paul B Chow I have proposed exactly that. The new SCCI would be more a federation of business associations. Its council would not be elected by indivdual members. it would constitute of delegates elected by the various sectors of businesses which the members form part. The mamnegment should be by a paid ceo reporting only to the council. The only election by the members would be of the Chairman who should usually be a promnent businessman of long standing. Whereas the Chairman chairs the council meetings he or she will have no say on the affairs of the chamber only the ceo with the approval of the council. I had proposed this structure when I became the Honorary Secretary in 1975 as the new tourism industry members refused to join on the ground that the SCCI was being controlled by the merchants. That was why I created the Seychelles Federation of Employers Association. But then I was jailed and deported.

Christoph C Savy Eski scci pe fer en bon travay ?

Ricki Morin Apparently not!

Johnny Rangasamy Praise god its one of ours .may the good lord help him in his dutys

Le Seychellois
1 hr ·
Oliver Bastienne is the new Chairperson of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).
Bastienne who has served as the Interim Chairperson for the past few months won 82.3% (344 votes) at yesterday's election for the new management committee.
His opponent Gafoor won 74 votes (17.7%).
Out of a total 515 ballot papers there were 96 unused, 1 spoilt and no blanks ballots.
https://www.facebook.com/LeSeychellois/photos/a.190167844380864.48522.189753581088957/1735825376481762/?type=3&theater

Today in Seychelles added 3 new photos.
7 hrs ·
Thursday 29 March 2018
SCCI
Oliver Bastienne voted chairperson
Oliver Bastienne, who was interim chairperson for about six months, is now officially chairperson of Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(SCCI) by a whopping 344 votes which represents 82.3 per cent of total votes. This was against last minute candidate Gafoor Yakub, who was nominated by the floor through businessman André Rassool. Mr. Yakub received 74 votes, representing 17.4 percent of total votes. There were 96 unused papers, and one spoilt ballot paper.
by S. Marivel
The announcement of the results of the election was met with cheers and claps all round by the business representatives who stuck it out until the end of the almost three-hour Annual General Meeting at the STC Conference room.
Mr. Yakub commented that it was “unfair” that his name was not printed on the ballot papers and that people who wished to vote for him had to write his name manually; however, councillor Iouana Pillay stated that he should have presented himself when he had the chance, “because we cannot tell into the future so you should have given your name,” she told him publicly.
She added that all members were aware that the election would take place before the end of March 2018.
https://www.facebook.com/todayinsey/posts/1625590900812047