Opinion-Time to summon our proven resilience |18 February 2008

Despite our overall good life, we have occasionally come across events like the 1981 mercenary attacks or 1982 mutiny that hit tourism and brought economic downturns that made some people say it was all over for Seychelles.

As we did when the 1990s Gulf War consequences again plagued our economy, we rose out of our share of the global difficulties and the pessimists who predicted doom are today seen driving big cars to their comfortable homes.

After the 1980s crises, this country’s Gross Domestic Product was below $3,000 but it has risen to its present $8,000 which nobody mentions now.

Contrary to what some may have us believe, our difficulties are to do with the increase in the world prices of oil and not the recent readjustment of our rupee. Prices of all commodities are skyrocketing everywhere in the world, even in neighbouring and many European countries where there has been no realignment of the local currencies.

These global trends have today presented us with yet another challenge, but if we join together and summon our time-proven resilience without making cheap politics out of the difficult situation we and the rest of the world find ourselves in, we can come out shining and even stronger.

So let us be united as a nation, resist discouragement and ride on prevailing economic storms to the greater heights we are used to.