Letter to the Editor - ‘The Voice of the Nation’ |19 September 2017

“For Seychelles advocacy on National Unity, there is no question mark. The proof is in the pudding. Seychelles advocacy here I AM, all embodied in the Spirit to rise and prosper”. 2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV ‘If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land’.

We, the people of Seychelles, were born free Seychellois under this Divine Creole Sky. We have embraced History as per our spiced Creole cuisine and today, we see ourselves in the Cohabitation kitchen, with mixed political ingredients and a dish to set for an elected chef.

Change is imperative and we as ‘voters’ – let us stand for who we are – the core ingredient and main catalyst for real change in establishing the ‘New Seychelles’. My people, the power to change is in our electorate hands and the power to conserve our freedom rest in our devoted palm. Why give your freedom away, when you already know the hardship of living in a cage? In our fight for a democratic platform where Seychelles stands first before self, we must NEVER leave a man behind, regardless of his standing in our society; he bears credentials to our existence and humanity. A man must do what a man must do! We elected a president in December 2015. But many, disgruntled with the election's outcome, have been justly criticising, scoffing off and condemning Mr James Michel; and others are calling for his impeachment, sigh! The FIU & NDEA dilemmas are proof enough for the mismanagement of public funds from the BIG Seychelles House and we now stand witness to the outcome of the debates to bring to justice the corrupted minds and architects.

If the country is to be free from corruption, drugs, victimisation, dishonesty, untruthfulness, hypocrisy, immoral and deceitful practices, we must bring in the spirit of righteousness, justice, morality, ethical behaviour and practices, integrity and even question times as being groomed by the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) of the 6th Cohort of the leading opposition National Assembly, the Legislative arm of our Government.

Never before have our public accounts been so exposed to the eyes of our Nation, while we continue to pay our social and tax commitments for the benefits of a few! There is a resounding echo across our country to ‘bring back the monies’ for the benefit of our Seychellois people. In my opinion, such fault-finding neither represents the highest and best of our nation's political tradition, nor do help solve the problems we are challenged with. I do not support ideologies that promote hatred for the president. As Seychellois, we have the right to disagree with the past and even current political proposals and agendas and with actions and policies that came or come out of the Executive arm of our Government.

But to unfairly condemn President Danny Faure for trying to do the job he is incumbent to do, I believe is wide off the mark, and not in the best interest of the country. Yet, the people are still trying to assess as to where he stands on our political grounds in this phenomenal cohabitation period! The Bible says we are to pray for our leaders (I Timothy 2:1-3) — i.e. their families and administrations, and particularly in this cohabitation period, for all our political leaders. We need to unite in a firm support of democracy and continue to fight for transparency, good governance and accountability as well as respect for our leaders. Let us pray that God will heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14), for as long as hatred, contempt for authority, and evil-doing continue to divide and weaken us, destroying the spirit of National Unity we have long craved for, we will have little peace and security — and I don't believe the Almighty GOD will continue to bless and/or prosper us…

I have been entrusted with the power to see that our future is commendable, doing so without actually being the President, and this in itself is an amazing gift from the Almighty One. But, being able to speak for my people’s behalf, to act as ‘the Voice of our Nation’, without having been elected yet – is a remarkable exploit…. He leads, I serve! On the one side of our Cohabitation platform, I hear the phrase ‘the people’, over and over again to drum up support for political parties, candidates and laws. It’s even written into our Constitution. We continue to preside over ‘the people’, the very same people who voted for us and our cabinet. Yet, the icing is what my people have been ingesting in the past; we have heard that from the leading political contingents, and obviously the cake has been shared among those who did not have the ability to see into the Seychellois people’s household. The ‘Voice of the Nation’, the voice of ONE people – is now demanding justice and an equal share of our country’s dividends in a manner which is inclusive for all.

Today, as we ride on the Cohabitation train to our next destination, we are seeing crucial divisions which are hindering not only solutions to our tribulations, but unveiling problems the average Seychellois never thought or knew they had. Our inhabitants attest that though integrated help does not merely reach ‘the people’ – the politicians win every time! And even if they lose, they will still fight for ‘the people’. Hitherto, we gaze at our Cohabitation train’s ticket and wonder – when will the Seychellois people win, when? And what’s best for the politician is this: when approached for comment(s), ‘the people’ evaporates into foggy groups of individuals with their own hopes, fears and needs. I have been down that channel, and who among them could adequately provide comment(s) on behalf of the people?

I stand strong as a ‘National Unity Advocate’, and I stand firm as a ‘Voice for the Nation’, for in years to come, you could be sitting in this chair! This is what my Country has offered me and offers to the people… All you have to do is be prepared to work hard and strive for the betterment of a more prosperous nation.

Jacob Terence Madeleine, ACSI

Writer, National Unity Advocate

Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Seychelles NATION newspaper