F E a R L E S S in D I G N I

SR 20 OCTOBER 2020 I Vol. 7 I No 40 10 F E A R L E S S in D I G N I T Y est... 1964 resident Danny Faure will write a new chapter in cess in Social, Education, Health, Housing, Employment, PSeychelles politics as he takes bold and historical Youth, Fisheries, Agricultural and the Financial sectors. steps to form a National Unity Government- and with In general, he shall bring back prosperity for the people the participation of not just Politicians, but Profession - and country- affected by COVID-19- presently affect - als, representatives from the Civil Societies, Churches- ing 40 million people in the world and deaths have sur - he shall work to bring back the economy, and improve passed one million. on the delivery of the policies responsible for the suc - rezidan Danny Faure pe al ekrir en nouvo sapit dan Lasante, Lakaz, Lanplwa, Lazenes, Lapes, Lagrikiltir e Ppolitik Sesel letan i pou met an plas e diriz en Gou - Finans. vernman Linite Nasyonal- avek partisipasyon pa zis An zeneral, Prezidan pour reanmenn prosperite pour Politisyen, me bann Profesyonnel Seselwa, reprezan - nou pep e nou pei- afekte par KOVID-19- i annan tan Sosyete Sivil, Legliz eks- pour zot travay ansanm e ozordi 40 milyon ka lenfeksyon dan lemonn e ka lanmor reanmenn lekonomi e amelyor lo rezilta bann polisi in desot en milyon. pour garanti plis sikse dan sekter Sosyal, Ledikasyon, P2 The silent majority t is clear by now what the out - during the difficult time. their families, especially the sin - comes of the forthcoming Running-mate Afif asked why gle-parent households. Here we Ielections will be. take away from employers their have a comprehensive cradle- There is a silent majority that will right to make workers redundant. to-the-grave welfare system. make the big difference. For the That is capitalist speak for “hire Women are empowered. The time being they will continue not and fire”. system gives them and their to talk openly. Until they reach The silent majority took note. families a lot of protection. They the polling booth. In one of their motorcades, one are equal partners with the men It is clear to LDS supporters that could count 200 vehicles. There in development. they are running out of steam, could have been more, or even Willy, who does odd driving jobs after being the first off the start - twice that number. But there are does not see things that way. He ing block. What was to be a thousands of vehicles in Sey - blames others for his non- sprint has turned into a five-year chelles. The owners of these achievements in life. marathon. The fervor almost other vehicles are the majority. Lindy is a teacher. gone; enthusiasm given way to There are around 5,000 heroin Seychelles is a matriarchal soci - huge policy U-turns. Their Face - addicts. They have compelled ety, meaning women take the book warriors becoming desper - Ramkalawan to speak in favour lead in running the households, ate. See their comments about of the methadone treatment, putting bread on the table and the slapping Barry Faure re - which cost just R 5 daily per pa - raising their children. Too many ceived from Ramkalawan. tient. However, Ramkalawan is homes have absent fathers. Men LDS’ leader Ramkalawan is the yet to say publicly that he has easily leave the households, one now changing. A quiet politi - abandoned the cold turkey treat - leaving the women alone to bring cal observer commented that he ment. up the children. This is a huge so - “is now presenting himself as the The majority of drug addicts cial problem in our country. junior United Seychelles party,” want a more dignified treatment, Come election time, the women promising to keep the same poli - instead of the cold turkey. vote for the future of their chil - cies and programmes his sup - Then there are the big lorries and dren. porters have been told to fight pickup trucks adorned with LDS The women are, surely, part of against. flags. At the wheels are the bois - the silent majority. Lindy rarely Individuals whipped by LDS until terous men, and next to the men responds to Willy’s pestering. the very recent past, are now are the ladies, cowering, as if in It is said that the elderly, with being welcomed with open arms constant fear of the change their ample time to spare and spend - in the Opposition. Some individu - male partners are crying for. ing most of the time at home, do als can run as fast as they can, Lindy lives in her own home. Her watch but they cannot hide from the partner Willy, who has a vehicle, SBC television. Therefore, they people. The majority of people lives in her home. She is con - must have heard when Jean are shocked. stantly harassed by Willy. Francois Ferrari of LDS ques - The silent majority is a big chunk “If you vote for these people, I will tioned their need for carers when of voters. In the private sector leave you,” Willy, an LDS activist, they were already on their way to alone they represent thousands keeps threatening Lindy. the grave. This is despicable. of workers. They know very well The elderly are part of the silent that Ramkalawan and the LDS “These people” are United Sey - majority. MNAs did not raise their hands to chelles. COVID-19 has taken over the show support when a new 2020 In social-democratic countries world. It is anxious time for the budget was presented to guar - like Seychelles, where there are workers and their families. Will antee their salaries for months huge investments in the social they stick with what has worked after COVID19 forced the eco - sectors, women tend to side with for them so far, or risk their future nomic downturn as from April. the political parties that look for the unknown? They watched and heard that it after them and their children Not a lot of the workers are talk - was Ahmed Afif who questioned better. Seychelles is an example ing, yet they are part of the silent amendments to labour laws that to the world. The State shares majority. would give protection to workers the burden of the women and (Contributed) P3 TALK TO AL JAZEERA resident Danny Faure has expressed full confi - Pdence of winning the twin elections Saturday. Interviewed by AL JAZEERA Television (network) he was asked about what promises to be a fiercely contested election. President Faure replied: “I am confident that I will win the election…” He said he believes the Sey - chellois population is satisfied with his governance over the past 4 years, especially the de - cisive action taken since the in place to save the lives of our for instance, our archipelago outbreak of the COVID-19 pan - citizens.” recorded a 45-million-dollar demic in March. President Faure said that a surplus. week later, he addressed the President Faure said that it has The President said Seychelles is nation, making clear that his 2 taken 50 years to bring tourism a democracy and he upholds priorities were to protect jobs to what it is presently, with the the Constitution- the Supreme and protect lives. necessary hotels and other in - Law of the Land. President Faure noted that six frastructure. He added that the investors, both local and for - eign need support, after having invested so much in tourism in - frastructure. Seychelles an example of racial harmony, others should emu- late “Some Seychellois have bor - rowed heavily from the banking system and as President, my duty is to ensure that we do not have a financial crisis that will affect the system. It is not a question of diversification to months later, such objectives have results within a year or The main focus of the AL have been largely met. Over two, but to protect the invest - JAZEERA interview was Presi - 16,000 people in different eco - ments, while also looking at dent Faure’s handling on the nomic entities are receiving other areas of economic activ - global COVID-19 pandemic. salary assistance, due to deci - ity.” The President said his immedi - sive action taken then. President Faure noted that ate response on March 14, was President Faure told AL Seychelles has the highest to draw a line between his re - JAZEERA that on April 7, he Gross Domestic Product- GDP- sponsibilities as Head of State brought in a revised budget. in Africa, the first member of and those of the public health He also noted that until the the African Union- AU- to hold team dealing with the growing pandemic hit Seychelles, like a such a ranking. pandemic. “I saw to it that all tsunami, Seychelles had been necessary measures were put doing extremely well. In 2019, (Cont...p4) P4 (Cont...p3) dent Faure said, once elected UN: African Union -AU; South - he intends to put in place a Na - ern Africa Development - Com - Questioned about a Poverty tional Unity Government, which munity – SADC and is Index, claiming that 40 percent is his new platform. respected in the international of Seychelles’ population is liv - He explained that in a depar - arena. ing below the poverty line, ture from traditional politics, his President Faure also remarked President Faure said the statis - Vice-Presidential running that exactly 250 years after tics date back to 2013. He said mate- Maurice Loustau- the 1st settlement of our is - that this looked only at salaries. Lalanne- is not a card bearer of lands, Seychelles is a mosaic of President Faure said a lot of any political party.

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