Assembly approves motion calling for temporary ban on applications for Seychellois nationality |21 June 2019
The National Assembly has approved a motion forwarded by Honourable Florry Larue calling for government to impose a temporary moratorium on all applications for Seychellois nationality until the national exercise to revise the citizenship laws, announced by government earlier this year, is completed.
The motion was approved by 16 votes in favour and none against during the last sitting held on Wednesday.
During her intervention, Honourable Larue pointed out that the laws pertaining to citizenship are unclear as there are conflicting interpretations of the relevant laws.
She further argued that the moratorium is necessary to make the citizenship laws clearer under Section 4,5 and 6 of the Constitution.
Going through the statistics, Honourable Larue pointed out that 1283 persons have been granted Seychellois nationality over the past 10 years, and that once they are granted nationality, they can become a presidential candidate fairly easily.
She made reference to an announcement made by Minister MyriamTelemaque, who is responsible for Employment, Immigration and Civil Status, before the assembly in which she stated that the propositions and amendments to citizenship laws would be tabled before the assembly by June but the assembly has still not received any amendments.
She defended the motion putting forward several statistics and loopholes in the existing laws and called for more transparency.
Honourable John Hoareau, the member for Beau Vallon, seconded the motion and also spoke at length about statistics issued and whether they are valid and reliable.
Honourable Hoareau was clear to state that he is not against having foreigners in Seychelles but that the process should me equitable for all applicants and more transparent.
Honourable Jean-François Ferrari expressed similar sentiments as the two members before him.
It is important to note that none of the members from United Seychelles intervened on the motion.
Similarly, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Wavel Ramkalawan, supported the motion and stated that the government needs to prioritise and exercise to determine how many Seychellois are living abroad.
“Everywhere you go these days, you come across Seychellois. Is it not important for us to know how many of us are there abroad? I think it is important for us to have a moratorium, exactly, so that the debate starts as soon as possible,” Honourable Ramkalawan noted.
In concluding the debate on the motion, Honourable Larue expressed her dissatisfaction with the fact that none of the US members intervened on the motion.
“The fact that you didn’t participate in the debate, you did not contribute on a topic that is important to us all. As a small country, citizenship affects our dynamism and social fabric. When my colleagues deem is not enough to bring their contribution, it is disappointing,” Honourable Larue pointed out.