Next week, Seychelles will be welcoming Princess Anne of Great Britain. The official visit will certainly be an occasion to highlight our ties with the UK, which are long-standing and have always been cordial.
Despite the historical fact of colonialism, which extended to our islands, Seychelles does not have any grievance with Great Britain. Unlike most other countries of the empire, our islands only came into existence as a colony, without any native population. And colonial rule was benign rather than oppressive. The claim has sometimes been made that Seychellois suffered under colonial rule, but there is no need to falsify history in this context.
What the visit of the Princess should highlight on the other hand is the role that Seychellois people have played in the British institutions, in particular in the defence forces. In comparison to its small size, Seychellois served in great numbers in the armed forces of Great Britain in the context of the two world wars, in other theatres and during the cold war. Only two weeks ago, we commemorated the sacrifice of Seychellois lives in the ceremony at Mont Fleuri.
The association worked both ways of course, because many young men and women (much fewer) went for service in the armed forces as a career opening. It was a way to see more of the world and find work opportunities that did not exist at home. But the work was not always well-paid, and today I want to take up the cause of one group, the men (unfortunately no women) who served in the Royal Forces Auxilliary (RFA) vessels, usually referred to as ‘tankers’.
This is not a new cause. I raised in the National Assembly recently in a motion calling for Government to pursue their case. This was supported by both sides of the House, so it is not a partisan cause.
There are about 115 ex-RFA sailors living in Seychelles today. They served in vessels which delivered supplies to the British Navy, in connection with the Suez crisis, the Korean War an in the Cold War peiod. These men were poorly paid compared to their British counterparts and they left without any gratuity or compensation. In fact, their service has never been recognised as that of other members of the armed forces has been. And although they did not carry arms or take part in fighting, they were an essential part of operations and their lives were often in danger.
The case has been raised for these personnel to be awarded some form of service recognition, by way of a pension or gratuity. Some former servicemen have been pursuing their cause through efforts of their own. Recently, the Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs accepted that there may be a case to be made for them.
I am raising this issue on the occasion of the visit of Princess Anne because it is a part of the relationship between our two countries, which certainly will be referred to during the visit. But I also think it is the right time for the Seychelles authorities to take up the matter through the proper channels. Many such issues have been settled in the past, and I believe it is a question of doing justice to those who served.
I hope the visit will also be an occasion to recognise and honour those who served to cement that special relationship between Great Britain and Seychelles – a relationship which endured not so much because of the work of politicians but of ordinary men and women like the ex-RFA sailors.
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