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Independence Day message from One Seychelles president and executive committee |30 June 2020

‘Only once Seychelles finds unity can we begin as a nation to find strength and prosperity’

 

“On June 29, 1976, our islands moved to become an independent country. Nationhood came with the belief that every Seychellois, immaterial of their skin colour, political affiliation, class, sex, or religious belief, would remain fellow islanders with equal chances and respect.

“It did not take long for Seychellois to realise that division has been entrenched in many respects, with very few willing to engage in a frank discussion as to what has perpetuated the division, and how we can, as a nation, move to overcome it and to unite the country in a manner that has never been done before. 

“We at One Seychelles advocate strongly for a government of national unity, a term casually thrown about every election-time by other politicians but with very few grasping its power and importance. Nor are other politicians prepared to expand upon the term or give examples as to how they plan to implement it. 

“For us, the term firstly means bridging the political divide and forming a gender-balanced technocrat government, comprising skilled and qualified individuals from all ends of the political spectrum in Seychelles. Particularly in view of the economic turmoil Seychelles is currently facing, a technocrat-led government will allow the skilled officers assuming their portfolios to hit the ground running. They are best placed to put national interests above party political interests, and apply their expertise to their relevant ministries.

“A government of national unity also encapsulates the need to prioritise the concept of unity in all aspects of decision-making. Laws that are needlessly discriminatory in any respect shall be revised or revoked. Any abusive act towards another individual on account of his or her race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, religion or political persuasion shall be dealt with swiftly and severely through the appropriate legal channels. Discrepancies in class, such as members of the National Assembly receiving their generous pensions ten years before the average Seychellois would qualify, shall be immediately redressed. 

“Any aspiring leader must lead by example and ought not to be a hypocrite. Derogatory comments about another person’s race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion or political affiliation cannot be made in the same breath as other comments concerning national unity. 

“Only once Seychelles finds unity can we begin as a nation to find strength and prosperity.”

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