Letter to the Editor |15 September 2016

What the “preliminary findings” of the observer missions would have been if the ruling party had won the election?

Sir James R. Mancham should be commended for his incisive opinion piece on “The international observer groups”. He poses some very pertinent questions such as whether elections in places like “France, Russia, the UK and the USA come under the scrutiny of observer missions from overseas”. He also asks – wryly – why “only four ladies could now serve in the National Assembly as opposed to fourteen” previously.

Could it be that the “white man’s burden” has been delegated to the black man under the guise of democratic scrutiny? Secondly, is the number of female parliamentarians, ministers or CEOs, for that matter, a realistic indicator of the extent and maturity of democracy in any given country?  Do we vote for the merits and proven capabilities of a person (male or female) as opposed to “positive discrimination”, at the risk of subsequently wallowing in a mire of mediocrity? And what did the African Union hope to achieve by dispatching a wholly female observer group to the Seychelles National Assembly elections – if not a dubious badge of honour?

The international observer missions to the National Assembly election have heaped praise on Seychelles for the manner in which the election was conducted and for its outcome. It was “free, fair, credible and transparent”, they concluded. A “credit to the people of Seychelles and the consolidation of the democratic process in the country”, they stated – notwithstanding the caveat that there are “several aspects of the electoral process which could be improved upon”.

No doubt, their words of congratulations albeit patronising, especially coming from those whose countries have yet to conclusively make the leap into democracy, and notwithstanding the farcical and ludicrous recommendations of the African Union observers (including interference in due process of law), will be music to the ears of those who have, time and again, vehemently denounced the results of past elections.

One can only wonder what the “preliminary findings” of the observer missions would have been if the ruling party had won the election. Would they have been as effusive in their observations? Would they have complimented the people of Seychelles in the manner in which they exercised their “democratic right in a fair, transparent and credible process”?

Last but not least, one of their recommendations that ballot boxes in future be translucent borders on the idiotic. Does a black ballot box, under the constant scrutiny of a police officer, guarantee to a lesser extent the inviolability of the confidentiality and privacy of one’s vote than does a translucent ballot box?

Ask the British – the purveyors of democracy. They should know. Their ballot boxes for the “Brexit” referendum were BLACK.

André J. Mondon

Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this letter do not necessarily represent the views of the Seychelles NATION newspaper.