Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission – Hearing number 189 The church in the climate and shape of Seychelles before and after the coup |04 August 2021

Before 1977, religious studies was a major part of the school curriculum at all levels, being taught on a daily basis, while being an important way of identifying divine call to God's service or to the Christian life, or vocation as it is more commonly known.

It was Bishop French Chang-Him who made the statement before the Truth, Reconciliation and National Unity Commission (TRNUC) yesterday when giving evidence as a general witness.

The Anglican Bishop was talking about the climate and shape of Seychelles during the time of the coup, giving his general reflection on the situation prior to and after the coup d’Etat, in relation to the education and health systems, as well as the level of poverty.

He also talked about the relationship between the two political parties, the role of the church in the community, prior to and after the coup and the role of the church in politics.

Bishop Chang-Him also touched the subject of how the coup impacted on the role of the church and the community with respect to education, the support provided by the church to those targeted by the political system, and also the church relationship with the government which took power through the coup.

To begin with, Bishop Chang-Him requested a moment of silence in the memory of the late Doctor Maxime Ferrari, who, he said, had the greatest desire to see the conclusion of the work of the TRNUC, as well as for the deceased who have brought their contributions to the commission.

In his introduction, Bishop Chang-Him reminded the commission that even at the Seychelles College, religious studies was among the list of subjects for O-Levels.

This, he said, in a way proves that as a nation, we were deeply rooted in faith which was later ripped away from us.

He went over the whole education process at that time, from primary to secondary schools, precisely Seychelles College, Regina Mundi Convent, Secondary Modern School, Sainte Claire, along with the various vocational centres.

Regarding the health system before 1977, he explained that there were the Victoria hospital, as well as hospitals at Anse Royale, on Baie Ste Anne Praslin and Logan on La Digue which were payable, except for the third class which was free of charge.

The first class came with a private room, while the second class was in a ward for 50 cents per day.

Bishop Chang-Him explained that the medical services were the same for everyone, while it was only the comfort, including room and food that were different.

There was also the psychiatric hospital at Anse Royale and a leprosy hospital, or leper’s settlement on Curieuse Island.

In terms of poverty, Bishop Chang-Him noted that a false concept was being adopted to showcase Seychelles as the only poor country in the world at that time, while poverty existed everywhere in the world.

He made reference to the stories in the books of Charles Dickens to relate to the situation in Britain.

Bishop Chang-Him noted that even if most people in Seychelles were poor, it was not an issue since the country was abundantly blessed with food and it was impossible for anyone to go hungry.

He added that there was the culture of sharing, while the real meaning of poverty was in the term of not having cash.

He said there was also a welfare department which provided a small amount of money to those who applied, and again, in the culture of sharing, Bishop Chang-Him made reference to the Adam Moosa family who provided a weekly assistance to the needy.

As for the church, the bishop explained that it was not only about giving out money, but they also had orphanages and homes for the elderly.

He also talked about a fund set up by the Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus to assist children with their basic necessities for school.

Relation between the two political parties

Talking about the relation between the two political parties, Bishop Chang-Him began with the sociologic or familial situation of the two leaders, namely James Mancham (Democratic Party) and France Albert René (Seychelles People’s United Party), which he said is very important, especially the way they were brought up.

This, he said, influenced the way they steered their respective parties.

Mr Rene, he said, other than playing with poor children, was also poor, while Mr Mancham came from a rich family.

The latter, he said, has never experienced being hungry, or evicted from a property.

The different life situation has greatly influenced their political approach, explained Bishop Chang-Him who added that it was exactly that which caused the labouring class which was in majority to side with Mr Rene.

Roles of the church in the community before and after the coup d’Etat

In terms of the roles of the church in the community before and after the coup d’Etat, Bishop Chang-Him explained that prior to the coup, the role of the church was to educate the people by hosting most of the activities, including being in the forefront of the educational system.

He also added that the church played a major role in the road leading to the country’s independence, including the constitutional commission and independence celebrations themselves.

The church was also strongly involved in sports activities at district level.

In other words, the church was involved in everything that went on in the country by being on all the committees that existed at that time.

Following the coup, the church was regarded as the opposition, with l’Echo des Iles and the Anglican Church magazines being the only independent papers published.

Bishop Chang-Him also talked about when President Rene called and asked him to prevent Reverend Wavel Ramkalawan (now the head of State) from celebratingchurch services when it was the turn of the Anglican diocese’s to be aired live on the radio.

This, Mr René said, gave him (Reverend Ramkalawan) extra political mileage since he was already a member of the National Assembly at that time.

Abiding to such orders, Bishop Chang-Him said it was his way of protecting the life of Reverend Ramkalawan since it was during a very dangerous timeand anything could have happened to him.

Another turning point which Bishop Chang-Him spoke about was the National Youth Service (NYS). He said the church was not consulted before the decision was taken.

Bishop Chang-Him also talked about a secret survey conducted by himself and Father Hervé with students on whether they want to attend the NYS.He said 97 percent of them said they did not want to go.

As a travelling bishop, he also brought back a letter from London to Mr René from Mr Mancham who was asking permission to return to Seychelles.

The Anglican Church also formed the Friends of Prison association which visited prisons and engaged into pastoral activities with inmates.

He also talked about the visit of the Bishop of Canterbury to Seychelles in June 1993, when President René refused to meet with him, assigning the task to the minister for foreign affairs instead.

During that visit, a local journalist asked the archbishop if a clergyman can be actively involved in politics, to which he answered:“In England no”. The Bishop of Canterbury also explained that in the Anglican Communion, the different dioceses and provinces are independent.

He further added that if in the Indian Ocean province, and the Seychelles diocese the head of the church agrees, as the Archbishop and in England they do not have any objection.

As for the victims of the previous regime, Bishop Chang-Him said as members of the church they conducted pastoral visits to the local prisons, ministering and bringing their support.

He explained that while conducting those visits, they also came close with the perpetrators who confided in them.

Bishop Chang-Him said at this point he realised that as human beings, they showed weaknesses and remorse.

Regarding the TRNUC, Bishop Chang-Him said it is in the benefit of everyone, be it victims or perpetrators as the latter also need some peace of mind to move on with their lives.

He also urged all religious leaders to go closer towards the perpetrators and convince them to rid themselves of their burden which he said will be in the benefit of the country as a nation.

Roland Duval