Opinion - ‘I am tired of a divided government,’ says the Speaker |06 October 2016
This interesting statement comes from the 54th Speaker of the House of Representatives in the United States Honorable Paul Ryan. Attributing ‘divided’ government as a cause of so much division, he added further and I quote, “I’m tired of divided government. It doesn’t work very well. We’re just at loggerheads. We’ve gotten some good things done. But the big things — poverty, the debt crisis, the economy, health care — these things are stuck in divided government.” These remarks should lead us to ponder what is about to happen in Seychelles, even as some leaders promise to work for unity and so on.
Elected on October 29, 2015, Speaker Ryan of the Republican Party or the GOP, received 236 votes against Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, of the Democratic Party, who received 184 votes, this from members present.
And so what? It has nothing to do with the Seychelles after all? By the way I recently heard that line somewhere, and permitting me to think back, it was on October 4, 2016 within our own ‘House’ the Seychelles National Assembly following remarks made by a representative from the Parti Lepep, when comparing our Constitution to that of others around the world, then mentioning the United States of America. And so what again?
It seems to me that an opposition so hell bent on achieving will say anything and compare us to everyone in the world, when and if it suits them. And when it doesn’t, stepping away from all comparisons to make another argument in an attempt to justify themselves, and keep matters confused. By the way did I hear a member of that coalition say that President Michel was a traitor to the Seychelles Constitution?
If today we have a speaker in such an august house as the House of Representatives, the people’s house, in the United States of America, lamenting a divided government, (we know that Obama controls the White House and the Republicans since 2011 controls the House of Representatives, and since 2015, the Senate), and wishing for the day when one party can dominate all, Ryan’s party, then I wonder if this registers whatsoever with us, voters in the Seychelles? I think the answer is yes it does as I note quite clearly the strategy of the coalition of opposition parties, which at this time as they continue to work together, have pieced 4 seats more in our ‘house’ and wanting much, much more. For they as well aspire to what Speaker Ryan aspires to.
For the record, Speaker Ryan as well said that he stands ready to work with any executive that wins the US November presidential election, be it Mr D Trump, Mrs H. Clinton, and I will add Mr G. Johnson, or Ms J. Stein, even though the last two are long shots. This last bit as well we in Seychelles need to understand and take to heart.
Noting that Seychelles has achieved much up until September 27, 2016, I as well feel that yes indeed we need a dominant party to work at all levels on our behalf, for indeed even as one side of our house was apparently rejecting comparisons, the Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance reported, this on October 4, 2016, that Seychelles continues to improve rising another two spots to number four in all of Africa! I wonder on whose watch this happened under? For the record after October 16 the governing party at State House will continue to work very hard for all Seychellois. It’s not after all about any indexes but it is about doing what’s right for all people no matter how hard our own house pulls in the opposite direction. Lamentations, lamentations, lamentations.
Raymond St Ange
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this opinion piece do not necessarily represent the views of the Seychelles NATION newspaper.