National Day address-Let us avoid gutter politics, says President |22 June 2009

He made the appeal on Thursday in his National Day address at Stad Linite saying we have to conduct politics in a responsible manner and avoid creating divisions.

“I appeal today to all the leaders of our country. Let us come together and denounce the practice of gutter politics. Let us together rally this blessed people,” he said.

Mr Michel said the conduct of politics in our country was a subject he could not avoid adding we all know how gutter politics is dividing us.
In a democracy it is right that people should express their views and to have an opinion,” he said.

“It is right that we should take part in the political discourse. This is what democracy is all about. But we have to act responsibly and with respect for state institutions. We need to conduct politics in a different way in our country.”

Nowadays everybody wants to do politics in Seychelles yet it is an art, a skill and a vocation and those who dedicate themselves to politics should be prepared to set aside their personal agenda, he said. They should be prepared to put their people and their country before self, conducting politics with responsibility, sincerity and honesty.

He said people are tired of politics that is conducted by the roadside, of the intrusion of politics in everything and of certain taxi drivers who constantly run down their country with tourists and local clients.

“We are tired of certain fishermen who mix politics with the sale of fish in the market and of certain irresponsible journalists who write whatever they please knowing full well that what they write is not true,” President Michel said.

“Seychellois are tired of certain merchants who continually hike the prices of their goods claiming they are from previous stock and blaming their exorbitant prices on politics,” he said.
 
“Gutter politics in the workplace, in the waiting rooms of clinics and at bus stations about the misfortunes of people will not take us far,” he added.

“In this new course that we have embarked on, only unity and our patriotic duty will lead us to progress and prosperity. Our Seychelles is too fragile, too small for us to do as we please. Our Seychelles is too precious to succumb to the destruction of division,” President Michel said.

He said in good times, we need to come together and provide encouragement and in bad times, we have to come together and work together to find solutions.

“We are in a new era. We have embarked on a new course. The people of Seychelles are following this new course,” he said.