Opinion - Will former President Michel enjoy playing with the waves? |03 October 2016

To think that on October 16, 2016, James A. Michel would stop being President of the Republic of Seychelles and become a ‘former President’, makes me recall what I wrote in my little book, ‘Peace of Mind’ about the world of friendship –

“At a time that I was deposed as President
the ‘friends’ I thought would run away, run
away faster than expected.
Among those I thought would stay,
some still did run away and that naturally hurt.
But one thing for certain, those few who remained
were really friends.
It is said that in this life there is no ill-wind
that does not blow somebody good.
Perhaps the greatest good out of the Seychelles coup
for me was the ability to discern who were my friends
and who were friends of the ‘President’.
Unfortunately (perhaps I should say fortunately) most
people go through life without the opportunity of such traumatic revelations.”

Well, of course, President Michel will have his own special assessment as he goes through the process of one day being the Commander-in-Chief of the Nation, full of power engagements and appointments, to the next day feeling unbridled from State duties and responsibilities, and able to breathe ‘fresh air’ as just another citizen of the Republic.

Personally, I doubt whether a man who has been so active as James Michel could easily settle down and spend a full day at the beach playing with the waves until the sun sets over Silhouette.

So what would be my advise to him as he endeavours to unwind and to take life slowly?

I believe he should consider taking a cruise around the world in good company (which would include daughter Laeticia), and get away from day-to-day Seychelles politics. Even then, he could face solitude unless he felt he was positively engaged. Maybe, therefore, before he embarks on the cruise, he could accept the role of an Ambassador-at-Large of the Seychelles Blue Economy concept, with which he has been so much involved over the last few years.

As a matter of fact, ‘ASTROLABE – Revue du Club International des Grands Voyageurs’ published in its April 2016 issue an article entitled, “The world’s new economic frontier is the oceans.” The author of the article is none other than James Michel together with Maria Damanaki – the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries –

“………………… President James Michel of Seychelles opened the National Stakeholder Consultation Forum on the Blue Economy at the International Conference Centre this morning, saying the Blue Economy is not just a space for the creation of socio-economic opportunities but also a powerful means to further foster the nation’s unity, in all of its diversity, through its spin-offs, its activities and benefits.

‘The world’s new economic frontier is the ocean…. This dialogue on the Blue Economy is not just for one generation. It concerns us all. It concerns our parents and grandparents. It concerns our children. The sea has always been a source of livelihood for the Seychellois.

The Blue Economy, we are all convinced, can increase substantially the opportunities from it. The Blue Economy we are aiming for is about participation, the creation of new opportunities and social justice. Every Seychellois has a stake in it,’ said the President.

The President called for a more integrated fishing industry where the value chain is reinforced and where shore-based activities are developed with local participation. He welcomed the SAMPER development for the construction of a fishing quay, as an example of public-private partnership that also creates opportunities for local companies.

‘It is important that nothing is wasted from the sea, that the by-catch is fully utilised, that value addition is increased and that more Seychellois work on industrial tune vessels. The industry must be fully integrated to enable more sharing of the wealth by both local and foreign investors,’ he added.

President Michel said that the country’s first priority must be sustainability as the management of maritime safety spaces is so important, with Seychelles planning various initiatives to create new marine-protected areas and also to better manage stocks at the same time.

The President said that further investment is needed in the Blue Economy and called on Seychelles banks to play their part to make affordable credit readily available to Seychelles’ Blue Economy entrepreneurs. He noted that the Government has already invested heavily in creating new opportunities in fisheries and the related maritime sector activities.

‘We have created a new fishing port in Providence and, in so doing, we have offered opportunities for Seychellois fishermen to add value to their catch. We are now finalising a new phase for the development of Providence. We have also built a new fishing port on Ile du Port. We have created new opportunities for the involvement of Seychellois companies in semi-industrial and industrial fishing. We have strengthened the Maritime Training Centre through a partnership with Sri Lanka for the training of young people in this field.’

Mr Michel acknowledges that the Blue Economy also has many challenges ahead, such as the concerns about diminishing fish stocks, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) and piracy, which has been contained but still remains a menace on the high seas. He added that Seychellois exporters of swordfish face unfair barriers to the European market because of unjust phytosanitary regulations, which is one of the many challenges that the National Stakeholders Consultation Forum needs to address.

President Michel also paid tribute to the Seychellois fishermen who joined together in associations and brought better services to their respective communities, as well as the investments of their enterprises as well as the owners of the fishing vessels who, in spite of numerous challenges, have not hesitated to create a Seychelles fishing fleet, based on quality and sustainable fishing.

‘I also pay tribute to the Seychellois entrepreneur, who in spite of the difficulties in raising funds for their project, perseveres, knowing that our future depends on our ability to maximise the potential of our resources from the ocean in order to bring more benefits for us all.’

The two-day conference will encourage pragmatic approaches, identify possible conflicts and propose resolutions by promoting dialogue between the various stakeholders in key thematic fields pertaining to the Blue Economy. Those are primarily in: fisheries, aquaculture, marine biotechnology, sustainable marine resource exploitation and marine spatial planning as to find common ground and tangible ways in which the Blue Economy can benefit Seychelles.”

As he cruises around the world as our Ambassador-at-Large of the Blue Economy, James Alix Michel will discover new paths, new places, new friendship and new faces – all of which are part of the adventures of life. Finally, former President Michel would realise that while a king is honoured at home, a wise man is worshipped everywhere.

James R. Mancham