Families and friends bid farewell to political activist Rufned Jumeau

Families and friends bid farewell to political activist Rufned Jumeau



17-February-2019

Families and friends gathered at the Good Shepherd’s church, Mont Fleuri, yesterday to pay their last respects at the funeral service of Rufned Jumeau, considered as one among Seychelles’ first politicians.

Rufned Jumeau, who was going to celebrate his 92nd birthday next month, died from old age and medical complications on Thursday, February 7, 2019 at his residence at La Gogue. He was born on March 15, 1927. Mr Jumeau, son of Andreix and Imonique Jumeau, came from a family of 12 siblings.  

Mr Jumeau was among one of the founding members of the Seychelles Islanders United Party (SIUP) in 1963 which later changed to Seychelles People’s United Party (SPUP).  The SIUP started in England. He was also a central committee member of SPUP from 1964 to 1974 and also served as its treasurer.

It is said that since the birth of SPUP newspaper ‘The People’ in August 1964, Mr Jumeau played an active role as editor and did his best to project his party’s policies, principles and achievements to the Seychellois public and to the outside world.  

With Seychelles and the Seychellois people at heart, he was also among organisers of the first march for the rights of the working class in ‘The march for the cost of rice to be sold at 50 cents per kilo’ (lamars diri 50 sou) from Anse Aux Pins to Victoria during the colonial era.

In her testimony, Mr Jumeau’s niece and godchild Collina Jumeau, described her uncle, known as ‘Peper’ among the family circle, as being frank, vocally outspoken in the principles he believed in and was also quite a mysterious character. He always greeted everyone with a scary frown amid his kindness and cared for his family and helped others in financial need.

Mr Jumeau always gave the recipient a word of advice through a brief lecture about how to become financially independent.

On his part the elected member in the National Assembly for the Mont Fleuri district, Jean-François Ferrari, who thanked the family for allowing him to take the pulpit, said Mr Jumeau was a passionate politician with a vision for justice and prosperity for the people of Seychelles to live in an independent country.  

He noted that sadly his contributions for what the country is enjoying today, has gone unrecognised.

Mr Ferrari said he hoped history will correct itself and Mr Jumeau is given the due respect and recognition for his contributions made towards the country’s prosperity.

Mr Jumeau, who was also a businessman, was the first legislative member elected in November 11, 1970, to represent the Mont Fleuri district, along with Michael Green.

Mr Jumeau is remembered for his retail business shop at Beaufond Lane in Mont Fleuri and in the earlier days he ventured in the music business with his own band ‘The Wheelers’.

In his sermon, Deacon Louis Agathine reminded the congregation that we should stand strong and stay independent and to shy away from hypocrisy.

He said that we should do like Jesus Christ and be frank to say yes if it is yes and no if it is no.

Mr Jumeau leaves behind his wife, Françoise, children, grand and great grandchildren, brothers and a sister among other family members.

He was buried at the Mont Fleuri cemetery.
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=262326

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We have been spending some time thinking of Mr Rufned Jumeau, given we had posted his obituary above that of Mrs Nazareth from Zanzibar, the Family, reading the linking issues/topics of Mr Rufned Jumeau and Mr Harry Payet, to discover he was born in Zanzibar - before Judge EJ Stiven arrive in Seychelles as an exile the Zanzibar Revolution I used to spend time at my Uncle Levy Ah Wan cobbler shop and Mr Desire Ah Time , the Police Station across and ~Archbishop Makarios and the old Adventist Church , the office of Union Lighter age and Maitre Loiseau office next door , among others Mr Adam they used to spend hours debating and discussing politic, the impression they left on my person and Mr Finley Roselie. Later after Judge EJ Stiven had arrived in Seychelles by then I had been to East Africa studied at the Company school and the Catholic College, had made the acquaintance of Mr Albert Rene, Mr Loiseau and Mr Guy Sion and others in Uganda. The Faure Family -the political issues which occurred in Seychelles and Judge Stiven was responsible for some of the Justice/Court issues. Nobody had ever said that he was born in Zanzibar - what a discovery and very important - had Lady Thatcher and his government known this, the Masonic /'Establishment and the White House of President Bush and later the Mitterrand. That SIROP program important role in changing Zanzibar and to some degree Tanzania - Lord Oxford never hinted or mentioned that Mr Harry Payet had been born in Zanzibar or the last Sultan or the Nazareth Family and other Zanzibari we have known over the years. For that matter neither Sir James Mancham and all his politicians and those form SPUP we had known . Certainly nobody from President Nyerere or those in Zanzibar at the time of writing that SIROP program, nobody from his highness the Agha Khan community - this discovery will make President Saddam Hussein very mad from his resting place . those who had judge we had no rights to involve the Arab/Muslim in our Indian ocean then situation/.issues that SIROP program and our community in exile in Britain then.

Today in Seychelles is with Michael Adrienne.
June 15, 2016 ·
History

Harry Hockaday Payet

Seychelles’ First Forgotten Prominent Orator

By Julien Durup - A student of history

Harry Payet was born in 1925, in Zanzibar of Seychellois parents and died at Praslin in 1997. His second given name, “Hockaday” meaning the second Tuesday after Easter, is derived from an ecclesiastical festival styled Hokeday or Hocktide. That feast ceased to be observed after the Reformation.

It is a rare given name, presumably the first one in the Seychelles, perhaps it was because he was born on the second Tuesday after Easter.

Harry Payet served with the British armed forces in North Africa and later in the Civil Service in the Seychelles. He was the first to demand that free speech was a right for all Seychellois and also the first to form a political party that feared the colonial authorities and the big landowners in the Seychelles. He created, with F V Julienne and Guy Fontaine “Seychelles People’s Convention Party” the first Political party in Seychelles; he also formed his second party the “Seychelles Archipelago Action Group”. Later, he formed the “Seychelles Islands United Party” (SIUP) with Rifned Jumeau. As Secretary General of SIUP, Harry Payet made an eloquent speech on 28 April 1963 at Gordon Square.

He was the Seychelles’ first natural persuasive orator, sadly now forgotten, presumably, because of his unique cultivated eloquence that was envied by most of the early Seychellois politicians.

In January 1958, when he applied for permission to hold a public meeting on Gordon Square, he was told that no permission was required. However, he was warned to be in conformity with the law, and the meeting was arranged for the 26th January of the same year. His first political meeting (which was in fact the first political public meeting in the Seychelles), started at 4.58 pm and finished at 6 pm, it attracted over a thousand people. Harry Payet used his articulacy gift to inflame the poor, and condemned in violent terms their .oppressors. According to the police the following influential people were the main supporters of Harry Payet: Charles Evariste Collet, R A Mullery, Captain Harvey-Brain, Alexandre Deltel, R Murray, Sir Michael Nethersole and a few rich Indian merchants. The Seychelles authorities and Collet thought that Harry Payet’s speech might stir violence.

On 11 February 1958, Collet was at the Government House with Governor Thorpe. He told Thorpe that he was not a supporter of Harry Payet. However, (he indirectly supported Harry Payet’s views) he warned Thorpe that the destitution will cause unrest if things continue as such.

Collet who was at the first public meeting of Harry Payet, told Thorpe that before he arrived at the scene there was a whispering campaign to the effect that he was a “Black protestant” from the North of Ireland sent here to wage a campaign against the Catholic Church and that he was removed from St Lucia because irate Catholics had burnt down Government House.. Harry Payet’s movement later pushed Collet and Arthur Savy jnr. to form the “Seychelles Progressive Association” a political group that took part in the election on Praslin.

The principal details of Harry Payet’s speech were:

The return of the Seychelles to France; Emigration to East Africa; the health situation; the police; the hardship of the poor. agriculture; grant in aid; and the British elite officers. He denounced the government as absolutism; and said that all members of the Council were “yes men” who depended on favours from the government. He went on to say that if his grievances were not met he and his ex-servicemen would enforce change by bloodshed.

Prior to making a maiden speech at Gordon Square the Police Special Branch managed to get a draft copy of his long speech. The police was alarmed by his subversive approach and with pressure from the Executive Members, the big landowners and expatriates; they prepared a case of sedition against him. The file was sent to André Sauzier (the good catholic), the newly appointed Attorney General who was pressured to proceed with the case.

After studying the case Sauzier was swift, to point out his neutrality. He reminded Governor Thorpe that the responsibility of a prosecution is his and will remain so. In other words the Governor and Executive Council could not intervene and pressured him to file a case. He explained further about the weakness of the case which would not stand in the Court of law. Even though the police had produced a draft copy of the speech, they did not have whole speech that Payet made. Without that he could not be able to proceed with the case of treason.

The Executive wanted Payet to be deported to Zanzibar and they indirectly put pressure on Payet’s supporters. One of them was Maurice Adam later acted like Judas Iscariot and betrayed Payet. The episode of Adam could well be made into a film! Adam was formerly an election agent for Harry Savy at Praslin. Later, while being a strong supporter of Payet, he secretly betrayed the latter and requested a meeting with Mr Francis Dereck Jackeway, the then Secretary to the Government. He told the Private Secretary that he had something very important to say about Harry Payet. When he met Jackeway on Friday 7 February 1958, he apologised for being rather shabbily dressed. He told Jackeway that he had spent his childhood in France and was a member of the Slavocracy whatever his appearance. His parents were large landowners, but he had been cheated out of his share and wasted much of his substances for the past 20 years trying to obtain his rights. At age of twenty one he had to chose between French and British citizenship; he choose British and he received no reward for doing so. He told Jakeway that Harry Savy had approached him in order to stop Payet speaking for a second time, and that according to the poor at Praslin Harry Savy was “the Governor’s biggest yes-man”. According to Adam, Payet was a stooge supported by Collet. Jakeway reminded Adam that Seychelles was a free country and he could not stop Payet from speaking.

The next day Jakeway met Harry Savy at the Seychelles Club. Harry Savy told him that Adam was a ne’er-do-well whom no one could help much and who lived more or less on charity, [he was touni (a poor man)]; and was twice fired from the Government service. According to Harry Savy, Adam came to see him before Harry Payet’s first speech telling him to use his influence to get him (Adam) a Government job and preferably one for Harry Payet.

Harry Payet who wanted the return of the Seychelles to France, questioned the legality of the last Capitulation. He wrote many letters to England and met John Profumo at the Tobruk Club. In one of his petitions he concluded the famous slogan “Seychelles for Seychellois” this was later adopted by Guy Sinon of SPUP. He was also the first Seychellois politician who made a public speech in French, he also wanted the French language to be the medium of teaching in school instead of English. In one of his memorable speeches he ended with the following words: «Vive nos vieux Français, Vive nos vieux frères maristes, Vive la France , Vive de Gaulle. Et trois cheers (à la santé) pour de Gaulle».

Later, his attachment to France and his admiration for General de Gaulle cost him dearly. The French Consul at Mahé provided a car for the Police to spy on him; after they were making arrangement with the British authorities to send him with two other Seychellois wrongly labelled as agitators, to join the French Foreign Legion. Later, Sir James Mancham the first President of Seychelles, more or less suffered the same fate during the planning of the Coup d’état for being a strong supporter of General de Gaulle.

Harry Payet was the only political figure ever jailed during the colonial times, for tearing up a picture of Queen Elizabeth II in public in Gordon Square. He became a member of Seychelles People’s United Party (SPUP), when his party, the “Seychelles Islands United Party” was replaced by SPUP under the leadership of Mr France Albert René. In the General Election of 1967, he stood as an SPUP candidate for West Mahé against Chamery Chetty of SDP. In 1969 he was also a candidate in the Victoria District Elections, where he stood in the St Louis constituency, against Clément Confait.

He later left the SPUP to join the Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) of Mr James R Mancham and after that he “revient aux bercail”, returned again to the fold of SPUP. His last job was as a court interpreter and was much liked by Chief Justice Seaton. He retired to Praslin where he became a representative of the Seychelles National Party (SNP). If the report of Police Special Branch of Seychelles is correct, Harry Payet also changed his spiritual loyalty in 1962 when he was baptised as a Jehovah Witness by Robert McLuckie. He could have been then the first one to be baptised in the Seychelles!

Ref:
1. Harry Payet’s file FCO 114/1351; and files CO 1036/462; CO 1036/557; CO 1036/708, National Archives Kew London
2. Mancham Sir James R.: Seychelles Personalities of Yesterday: 2006, p 94.
3. Mancham, Sir James R. Seychelles 2009, p 100-119 Seychelles-France Relations.
4. McAteer William: To Be a Nation: 2008, Chapter 16.
5. St Ange Alain and Georges Bernard ? Seychelles in search of democracy 2005.

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

1. Harry Hockaday Payet
2. From the above we can see that “The Seychelles Archipelago
Action Group” had branches at Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.
3. SIUP’s emblem
4. Rifned Jumeau, President of SIUP

https://www.facebook.com/todayinsey/posts/historyharry-hockaday-payetseychelles-first-forgotten-prominent-oratorby-julien-/1015812758456534/

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