Patrick Pillay holds press conference amid LDS-Lalyans Seselwa coalition debacle |16 February 2018

‘Afif is not the leader of Lalyans Seselwa, I am’

Patrick Pillay, the leader of Lalyans Seselwa, reaffirmed his position as the party’s head during a press conference held a mere two hours after Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) held its own yesterday.

This follows a communiqué released the day prior announcing that Lalyans Seselwa is breaking off its alliance with the LDS coalition.

However the national executive committee of Lalyans Seselwa, through its secretary general Ahmed Afif, promptly replied that Mr Pillay’s decision to leave LDS was not ratified by the committee hence “Lalyans Seselwa will continue to remain an integral part of the LDS”.

In his press conference, Mr Pillay asserted that as the leader of Lalyans Seselwa he took it upon himself to remove the party from the coalition -- which also consists of the Seychelles National Party (SNP), the Seychelles Party for Social Justice and Democracy (SPSD) and Seychelles United Party (SUP). Philippe Boulle, independent candidate in the last presidential election, also forms part of the coalition.

“I have never heard of any instances where a secretary general of any party takes any decision of this type. It is the party leader that decides, and if the secretary general feels he wants to remain in LDS, he is in his own right to do so,” Mr Pillay told the media houses present.

“Mr Afif can stay in LDS if he wishes, but I as the leader of Lalyans Seselwa am confirming that we are not staying in the coalition.”

Aside from Mr Afif, several other members of Lalyans Seselwa also committed themselves as members of LDS including Terence Mondon, Clifford Andre, Wavel Woodcock and François Adelaide, who are all members of parliament.

“I consulted most people in my party when making the decision but not all of them, because some backstabbers need not be consulted,” he proclaimed undiplomatically.

Mr Pillay further claimed that a letter sent to him by LDS chairperson, Roger Mancienne, asked Mr Pillay to step away from the party if he was not willing to be part of their decision making process.

The letter reads: “You both have made statements without any consultation or coordination with us as other members, some of which have been at odds with the general consensus among us.”

“It is not a situation that is good for any organisation and our members and the general public is understandably confused.”

“[…] if you wish to be on your own and express your views independent of us, that’s fine. But you cannot be part of the LDS leadership and countering it at the same time,” the letter continues.

Mr Mancienne confirmed the existence of such a letter, which he insists was a private e-mail.

Whatever the letter might state, Mr Pillay felt that it was proof enough that LDS was leaving him on the sidelines.

“I believe that they have to remember that I was the one who helped the opposition gain their majority in the National Assembly. I am quite sure they would not have been able to achieve such a feat without my help; after all they have been trying to do so for years to no avail,” Mr Pillay stated.

The proposed Indian military base on the island of Assumption and the need for a presidential election at the earliest are only some of the points of contention which Mr Pillay confirmed exist between him and LDS.

When asked about the future of Lalyans Seselwa, Mr Pillay said that the support he has received from a great number of people is sign enough that his party will continue to remain strong.