Heated debate marks public meeting on Assomption deal |26 February 2018
• ‘No grounds for referendum on the issue,’ says Ambassador Faure
The meeting in progress
A public meeting held on Saturday to clarify issues surrounding the proposed construction of military facilities by India on Assomption island turned out to be a rowdy affair as the audience felt unconvinced by the justifications given.
They even requested for a national referendum on the subject which the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Barry Faure has said is not an option at this stage.
The aim of the meeting, held at the International Conference Centre Seychelles (ICCS), was for the authorities to explain the reasons behind the agreement for India to build a military base on the island of Assomption, which are to improve maritime surveillance and boost the defence capabilities in the south west area of Mahé.
The meeting, which lasted for three hours, started with a presentation by the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF) led by Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Benoiton followed by questions and suggestions from the audience which were received by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change Didier Dogley, Ambassador Faure, Attorney General (AG) Frank Ally, SPDF Chief of Staff Colonel Michael Rosette.
The presentation showcased the maritime threats and challenges faced in this area among which are illegal fishing, drug trafficking, piracy and environment disasters.
The response mechanism needs and maritime benefits of the development, as well as the aim of the proposed facilities which include a jetty, an air field and basic repair and emergency facilities among others were also presented.
There was a disapproving stance from members of the audience as they felt that the reasons behind such an agreement (between India and Seychelles) for the project are not justified.
The audience felt very passionate about the subject as they reacted in a disrespectful and impertinent manner when they repeatedly interrupted those on the panel as they attempted to provide answers to the questions.
Outrageous laughter and yells of ‘lies’ echoed throughout the room as they frowned on the answers being given by the authorities but they clapped and supported fellow citizens who made strong points towards the request for a referendum on the issue.
“If you have such faith in this agreement, why not put it to the test and have a referendum to see if the Seychellois people agree to the development,” a citizen stated.
They inquired as to why the collaboration is with India and not another country or organisation and questioned the ability of Seychelles to monitor and control the military base of India once the latter has settled on the island.
They stated that this agreement is being “forced down the throat” of the Seychellois as we should have a say as to what happens on our own island.
Other members were also concerned about opening up our seas to illegal fishing as they remarked that India is among the biggest offenders of illegal fishing.
Some felt that piracy is no longer a threat to Seychelles so they refused to have any military base set up on the island.
Another issue raised during the meeting was if the agreement was another way of repaying a debt that Seychelles has with India.
And as this agreement is valid for 20 years, a concerned citizen asked whether Seychelles can afford to sustain and run the facilities if India does not renew the MoU when it expires.
SS Faure stated that there are not many grounds to have a referendum as it is now up to the National Assembly to vote on the proposal.
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal.
Regional meetings on the issue will be held in the first week of March starting with Praslin and La Digue on March 4, Anse Royale on March 5, Beau Vallon on March 7 while for the eastern and western regions the meetings will be held from March 10-11.
SS Faure also stated that there will be two visits to Assomption during this week where the members of the National Assembly will be invited along with representatives from India, SPDF, department of foreign affairs, AG and the other visit will be for the media.
A member of the audience was invited to take part but several refused stating it would be a waste of taxpayers’ money.
In an interview with the media after the meeting, SS Faure said the meeting was rather rowdy as it took some time to calm down the audience but nevertheless a success as their role is to give information and clarify any misconception about the project and the agreement which he feels was accomplished.
“The participants wanted a copy of the agreement and we explained that a document will be made available to the public although the signed agreement will not be accessible as we have signed the agreement with a friendly country whose constitution does not allow documents of national security in the public domain,” he said.
He said that this must be respected because if it is released in Seychelles then it will find its way to India and there are sensitive subjects in this agreement which he feels should not be made public for the sake of the country’s safety.
“A document has already been drafted containing most of the information of the agreement and the Citizens Engagement Platform (Ceps) was the first organisation to receive a copy and we expect to be sharing this document with those who will be visiting Assomption,” he said.
SS Faure said those who are requesting for a referendum do not reflect the majority of the population but all the points which were raised will be dealt with by the government.
“There’s a small group called ‘Assomption pour Seselwa’ who are pushing to have a referendum ... the constitution states that when such an agreement is signed the President has to answer to the National Assembly. For the foreign affairs this agreement should not be subject to a referendum as no lease has been passed on the island, Assomption is still Seychelles’ sovereignty. It only relates to the development of defence facilities to enhance maritime security for the country and the Blue Economy cannot exist without maritime security,” he said.
A member of the audience, Monique Hermitte, said this meeting created more confusion than clarifications and she is completely against this project as she feels we do not need a military base in Seychelles by a foreign country.
“Even if this is, according to Mr Faure, a gift from India, all the management will be handled by India. I am against this project as this is supposed to be a gift and it makes me wonder, how much does India truly loves Seychelles that it will simply give us a gift of this magnitude for free claiming to protect our seas when we already have a capable military force in place to develop an efficient coast guard unit to protect our islands and seas,” she asked.
Another member of the audience, Dereck Savy, said the meeting was very rowdy as those who are against the project are very strongly opinionated.
“There still remains confusion and unanswered questions as the presentation looks like it was mounted hastily for this meeting and it feels like they are hiding information from the public,” he said.
He said more people should have turned up for this meeting as it is our island which is being used and Seychellois should be more concerned about such events.