Interview with former Irish PM FitzGerald-“I’m very impressed and optimistic for the future” |09 June 2007
Following are the questions raised by the local media and the responses Dr FitzGerald gave:
Dr FitzGerald: I’m very impressed by what’s being done and I’d be very optimistic in the future. You had problems inherited from the past, which was the case when I began as Prime Minister, but you are tackling them skillfully, thoughtfully and cautiously.
As you dispose of the problems, you have great potential.
We had bigger debts than you had and it took several years to sort that out.
Seychelles is well known as a tourist destination. In my own country when you mention Seychelles people say, ‘Oh, what a place for a holiday.’ The fact that you have this reputation of the best holiday place outside of Europe and as you extend your hotels and air services here, you will experience growth, which I’d say will be even faster than you are planning on. Fisheries is also doing well.
And in the long run, the future of financial services looks good.
Question: What would you say about efforts being made to improve communication?
Dr FitzGerald: There is no doubt high quality work is being done, miles and miles away because of the communications network. You need better links, perhaps but as you develop your education system more qualified people will become available to do the work.
In the long run that will be necessary, but in the medium run, it has to be tourism.
Question: How do you find our planning in tourism?
Dr FitzGerald: Your planning in tourism is very good. I have been in many African countries but I’ve been enormously impressed by your planning in tourism. The energy and enthusiasm of the people is also very impressive.
Question: You showed particular interest in some of the graphs presented at today’s session of the National Economic Planning Council. Any particular reason for that?
Dr FitzGerald: My first career was in air travel and before the World Tourism Conference was established I was asked to draw up an agenda for it and I attended a number of key meetings, so air travel is the area in which I earned my expertise before I joined politics. Since then I’ve been very much involved in Education as a chancellor in the university. I don’t have a lot of expertise in the fisheries area, which is important for Seychelles.
So any ideas I may have are in travel, tourism and education areas.
Question: Who are some of the people from Ireland that President James Michel said are here contributing to the economic programme?
Dr FitzGerald: There are a number of Irish people working in a number of areas, some of whom are in public services back home. Irish people like to help in the same way as I did. We started off as missionaries and now as experts.
We can offer our help. We are not a vast country with big interests to pursue. We are a small country like you and we are very happy to help so I am happy to hear there are some Irish people here.
Question: You did yourself try to improve Ireland’s economy by reducing public spending. Is the situation then similar to the situation here now?
Dr FitzGerald: I found that the previous government had high debts and high borrowing rates. I had to work on that and I did the best I could to stay within the budget by cutting down on unnecessary expenditure.
Question: Do you think the measures being implemented here will work?
Dr FitzGerald: I think they know what they are doing. Your problems are solved by growth. Our problem was that there was very little growth in those years. There was recession in Europe and in the world. Here you have a growing world economy and your economy has the capacity to expand. You have to take certain measures and some things have to be done, but it is less difficult in a period of growth than in a period of stagnation.
I think you’ll come out at the far end in very good shape.