Letter to the Editor - Security in Seychelles |17 November 2017

Recent unpleasant happenings relating to security in Seychelles, both for local residents and the tourists, are very serious, needing consideration both by the government and the society.

Tourism is our bread and butter and deterioration of the security conditions is going to affect this industry with serious consequences and before the stage comes when the visitors to our shores shy away and the hotels remain unoccupied, we must wake up and take all possible remedial measures.

One of the many remedial measures could be that our defence forces could be utilised to create not only security but instill the feeling of security among the residents as well as the tourists, restoring confidence which is already shaken.

Regular patrolling by army personnel will not only provide security but a sense of satisfaction among the residents and the tourists.

This will also be economic utilisation of the resources and satisfaction to the defence personnel that during peace time they are actively contributing for the development of our beautiful country.

Placement of uniform personnel on every school premises will be enough to control the indiscipline among the younger generation who form the future of the country, and save on resources spending on security companies.

Regular patrolling by defence personnel in the areas in particular during nights and at the beaches is bound to control thefts and burglaries.

The parents not giving enough attention are failing in their duties in moulding their children into responsible law abiding citizens. Shaping of young minds during formative stages should not be left to the teachers only but the parents must realise their responsibility equally. The recent incident at the Mont Fleuri School where family relatives of a student took part in insulting Sir Kevin Monthy and resorting to physically harming the teacher is a pathetic state of mindset. On top of that, a police officer who is supposed to be the custodian of law and order also taking part with the parents in insulting the teacher is all the more serious. This needs not only the students to be disciplined but their parents and guardians also need to be impressed to behave responsibly. The society should not only deplore it but condemn it. The social pressure of immediate neighbours is bound to have remedial effect on the parents and guardians. Regular pressure has to be put through media for improving the mindset of those involved and well wishers of such persons. One of the ways to discourage such happenings is to publicise the photographs with names of such persons who involve themselves in such irresponsible behaviour. A suitable legislation may have to be brought in if this avenue is to be considered. It is high time that the students are moulded to become responsible citizens.

If we examine the root cause behind such behaviour to a large extent is drugs. The drug addicts need to be treated and in order to utilise the resources efficiently they could be put on a separate island and physically forced to do some constructive work like agriculture, carpentry or similar activities. The aim should be to make them responsible citizens so that they could be re-integrated into the main stream of society. Again it calls for a suitable legislation.

Often traffic light jumping is experienced and this needs to be controlled through education and by forceful execution, through putting cameras on the traffic signals and the defaulters be punished exemplarily with very high fines. The culprits should be further punished through a point deduction system on the driving licence which could eventually lead to suspension of the licence after a certain number of points have been deducted.

Abiding by the law has to be cultivated and slackness in this field is also likely to create mindset for further crimes. There is immediate need to get the cases to logical conclusion and since we do not have enough magistrates Honorary Cadres could be created for petty crimes by designating important members of society as Honorary Magistrates to dispose of the cases promptly. “Justice delayed is justice denied” and in order to control it, this is one of the possible ways which was followed by the British in India with favourable results. Every case -- small or big -- should have a time limit for logical conclusion not only in small courts but in the Supreme Court as well. Often postponement through seeking adjournment is experienced and once the time limit is fixed, the unnecessary adjournment would be avoided.

Regular practice of Yoga in the school will not only make the youngsters more disciplined but improve their memory. Such programmes could be introduced and the Ministry of Education should give consideration to this proposal.

SBC can play an important role by sensitising the public on following law and regular debates be organised and relayed by inviting citizens to participate. Such debates are being organised by Times TV on various issues on Indian Channel.

The security lapse is a very serious matter and critical for our country and before the situation goes out of hand, it calls for all possible remedial measures to be taken. No country can progress unless its citizens work hard and contribute to the development of the nation. Let’s all join hands to cultivate discipline and shape our children into responsible citizens.

The local newspapers should initiate regular debates for the public and seek their concerns and thoughts on the issue. The involvement of public is important in the issue of creating consciousness towards security.

Surya Khanna

Jeo Jyoti Foundation, Seychelles

Disclaimer:

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