Message of SNP Leader Wavel Ramkalawan for New Year 2011: WELCOME THE NEW YEAR WITH HOPE

The New Year is a fresh start for all of us. It is a time of hope, when we look forward to advancing our goals in life. As the saying goes, each day is the start of the rest of our lives, and this must be especially true of the New Year. Let us truly look on it as the start of the future.

But before we set off on this new journey, I join with the people of Seychelles in looking back at the past year, to be thankful for what we have been able to achieve. For those who have enjoyed success in their endeavours, it is right that they should look back with satisfaction and pride. For those who have had a hard year, who have suffered loss and pain, let us take courage from what we have been through in the hope that it will give us new hope for a better year ahead. 

I express my sincere wishes to all the people of Seychelles that the year will bring health and strength for each one and the energy and courage to work for what we want to achieve. I hope that everyone will have the opportunities they seek for prosperity and happiness. I know we will all face new trials that will test us. But the start of the year is the right moment to determine that we will face what life brings and do our best to build happiness around us.

But I also want to express my wishes for our country itself. I hope we will see the year through in peace and stability, that we will achieve respect for all no matter what our differences, and that a spirit of unity will be amongst us. I hope that freedom and justice will prevail so that we can say that Seychelles is indeed our motherland, in which we know that we all have a place to share.

I express my best wishes for everyone in Seychelles to celebrate the New Year with their loved ones and families. Let us commend our lives and our preoccupations to God so that He will bless us and guide us through the year ahead.   

Christmas Message From SNP Leader Wavel Ramkalawan: A Time for Thanksgiving, Compassion and Reflection

Christmas is a time for celebration and for giving thanks for the good things with which we've been blessed during the year. I wish everyone in Seychelles a joyous Christmas with the hope that all will be able to share in celebration with the ones they love. Christmas is a time for family, and my wish is that everyone will be with their families to share gifts, wishes and a special meal. My special wishes to children and older people who need to have their families around them for this time.

Even if we have not been able to give or receive gifts bought from a shop, we can be grateful for life, health, freedom and peace, so many things which are easy to take for granted but which, as we know, many people in the world do not enjoy. As we celebrate, let us be determined to join together in making Seychelles a country where we can always enjoy these things. It is up to us, people of Seychelles, to make our country one which we can be proud of and in which we can be happy to live. We will achieve this only if we believe in working not only for ourselves but for the good of our country.

At the same time, I ask everyone to join with me in expressing solidarity and compassion with those who have faced a difficult year and whose celebrations may be shadowed by problems. These may be people who are destitute, who have difficulty making ends meet, who have to cope with ill-health or with personal and social problems.  Many people may not see much reason to celebrate.  I pay tribute to the generosity of many of you who have heeded the call of Christ to help neighbours in need. Let us continue to remember them as we join together in prayer on Christmas Day.

Christmas will also be a time of reflection for us, on the year that is gone by. We can take the opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved and where we may have fallen short of our goals or expectations. We remain thankful for what we have been able to do, in our occupations, in our relationships or in the service of our community and country while we renew our determination to continue working for the goals we have set ourselves. I express special wishes to those who will be working on Christmas Day, especially those in the police, security forces, health, emergency and essential services.

A joyous, peaceful and blessed Christmas to all.

SNP stands for Lower Taxes

Lower Taxes is a key policy of the SNP. Party Leader Wavel Ramkalawan has announced the party’s stance on taxes and made the main proposals in this policy during his reply to the Budget address last week.

The SNP wants to redress the trend for more and more taxes adopted by the SPPF/Parti Lepep, and brought to full force under the IMF-directed economic programme. Seychellois workers and families today are burdened by a range of taxes that bear hard on their purchasing power and standard of living. Reducing the tax burden is a key goal of social justice and economic revival.

The SNP has also taken a stance against the principle of a flat tax rate for all, which means that lower income families bear a heavier burden in proportion to their income.

The proposals which have been outlined by the SNP are:

• Removing personal income tax for persons earning the minimum salary. The SNP is in favour of a tax-free threshold of up to R5000 of salary per month, which will give lowest income families an immediate improvement in their disposable income.

• Establishing a graduated scale for tax rates, where salaries will be taxed at 0%, to 20%. The 20% rate will apply for income over R25, 000 per month. The tax rate will decrease for the great majority of workers and remain the same for people in the medium to high bracket.

• Making the first 20 hours of overtime per month tax-free.

• Removing tax on the first R10, 000 of gratuity or length of service payments

• Giving tax refunds for essential medical and educational expenses through the system of tax returns

To offset the tax reductions, the SNP has proposed a tax on foreign owned property which will contribute R80 million. These tax proposals will be part of the SNP manifesto for the Presidential election due in 2011.

Our Country... Our Future: We can do without insults in the Assembly

The National Assembly has just concluded another budget debate. I am very saddened at the level of debate that the ruling party members prefer to maintain year in, year out. Instead of addressing real issues that our country is facing, this year again they allowed themselves to be stuck in insults, personal attacks, lies and pure arrogance.

I will proudly say that the SNP team did this country justice by addressing the real issues of social ills, cost of living, the water problem and other relevant economic issues. They need to be commended because what they did went in the national interest. The SNP talked about issues which, if our country has the courage to tackle, will surely help it move forward.

On many occasions I have addressed the issue of the level of debate in the House. Whenever I do so, it is for no reason except to see how such an important institution in our democracy can play its full role in the country’s development. As one of the three main branches of government, it is our responsibility as representatives of the people, to bring forward their views, question government, and above all play the oversight role. In this task, there is no place for insults and arrogance.

As one member pointed out, in a budget debate, ideas are presented, discussed and looked at from different angles. Political parties will have their own views on different issues. At times they may converge, whereas at other times they will differ. But there is nothing wrong in agreeing to disagree. Unfortunately, too often, our friends on the other side fail to understand that parliament was set up in order to rid society of wars and deaths. You sometimes wonder whether they would not wish for a duel, with the winner carrying off the head of the opponent.

When we consider raising standards, we are also aspiring to greater political maturity and transparency. When ideas can be properly debated, our people will follow the arguments and feel part of the debate. When facts are well presented in a debate, the people feel empowered because they know what is happening, and they are placed in a better position to decide the direction they want to see their country move in. When debates are about ideas and strategies, the country comes out the winner. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go before this can happen.

This leads me once more to talk about the independent referee. As long as the referee is not independent and impartial, but has vested interest in what is happening, it will be difficult to raise standards. When the referee is also the coach and sometimes a player, because he knows the game strategy, we will not rise to greater heights. Our democracy needs to make that change immediately, and then we will see the difference that this will bring with it.

It is acceptable that in a parliament, there at times when you will have heated debates, especially when the topic is an important one. The budget is one of those occasions. Our deep passion for whatever issue cannot allow anyone to go off track into the realm of personal insults. This is where members must be guided by the independent referee and made to remain on track. An exciting football match ends with players shaking hands, exchanging jerseys and congratulating the officials. Why can this not happen in parliament as well?

Our country should always take priority over whatever personal problems we have with anyone. The National Assembly is the place to resolve national issues and not personal ones. I hope that next year we may start the National Assembly with a more civilised debate over ideas. I wish that the 2011 presidential election will not be an excuse for a further degradation of the level of debate. Politicians have to support their candidate and party, but surely we can do this by respecting our people and conducting ourselves in a way that will help edify everyone, instead of letting the institution down.

2011 BUDGET : Opposition Leader calls for social justice

The 2011 Budget will be the focus of attention in the next few days. Debate on it started in the National Assembly this morning with the address of Opposition Leader Wavel Ramkalawan.

The SNP does not accept the grand claims made by Vice-President Danny Faure that the Budget has “something for every Seychellois”. 

In overall terms, the 2010 Budget allocations for ministries and departments are only slightly more, an increase of R44 million, than the actual expenditure this year. This will barely keep up with increased costs and new demands, and will not permit ministries to meet the pressing needs which have accumulated.

The large ministries such as education and health, although they receive the largest share of allocations, will not be able to improve situations which are difficult such as lack of maintenance and materials. For many Government organisations and for the population in general, this Budget still bears the marks of austerity which characterises the IMF-led rescue package.

While James Michel and Danny Faure claim success for the economic reforms, the fruits still have to reach the people. If there is one difference, it is that Government is rich. The effect of economic reforms that people have felt so far is taxes and more taxes. For 2011, Government is envisaging R1 billion more than it anticipated for the 2009 Budget, an increase of 29% in two years.

The money is not going out to the population. The main goal of Government is to build up reserves to meet the targets of the IMF-supported programme.

In his reply, Opposition Leader Ramkalawan has described Seychelles as a country in which the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. He has called for a re-alignment of the tax system in favour of the lower income earners. He has proposed eliminating income for persons earning the minimum wage and a gradual scale of taxation from 5% to 20% instead of the flat rate of 15% paid by everyone. Mr. Ramkalawan has said that improving earnings for low to middle income earners is a matter of social justice. Higher earnings for a large section of our population will also be good for business since it will boost spending, he said.  He has likewise called for a comprehensive revision of the salary structure for the public service.

The Opposition Leader has called for more resolute action and more resources to address social ills which the country is facing today. Crime, drug use and social problems are undermining the foundations of our society and need concerted action, he said. These are problems that we cannot leave unattended.

Our Country... Our Future: We must be serious about our social ills

To start, I wish to congratulate the panel and all participants who took part in the live programme on the SBC on the occasion of World Aids Day. The educational value of the programme was excellent and the concerns expressed were genuine. Everyone involved cared about the subject and everyone had the desire to see a change in order to bring about a new approach within society in tackling the related social issues associated with HIV/AIDS.

I am concerned and worried about the trends that have taken root in our small country. Without more planning and resolute action, the future of our younger generations and the social fabric of our communities are in serious danger. We are confronted with many ills, and unless we act now, they will explode in our faces and the consequences will be too much for us as a small nation.

The graph showing the prevalence of Hepatitis C gives a clear picture of our predicament. The age of those affected reflect persons who are at their strongest, and therefore pillars of the working population. As one health worker told us, we have to multiply the figure by 10 in order to have a clearer picture of the real problem. Isn’t that frightening?

All the local social indicators are negative. Sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise, the number of intravenous drug users have gone up, alcohol related diseases keep escalating, and younger women are seen on our streets as sex workers. Teachers are finding it difficult to cope with their own students, let alone those who invade school premises to sort out their children’s problems.

Our society is going in the wrong direction and we should all be concerned.

The other side of all these problems is the economic troubles we might have to face as a country. The eventual cost to deal with all the illnesses caused by those social ills will be the greatest burden on our economy. The biggest concern however remains the quality of life we all aspire to as a society. The attitude of ‘this is not my problem’ has to stop, because it is indeed everyone’s problem.

Some may be living behind high walls, fully protected. However, eventually the problem will climb the wall and meet you wherever you are. With crime on the increase as well, everyone will be touched. Therefore NOW is the time for action.

We all agree that the main source of all these problems is drugs. From there, one thing leads to another. The approach so far has been too much a question of the police running after young people who are smoking a joint, and success has been defined as the number of people arrested. This approach is wrong and we need to start looking at other ways of doing things.

We have to be clear on what prison can and cannot do. Someone who is an addict does not need prison. He needs treatment. A mandatory prison sentence for helpless drug users does not resolve the issue. On the other hand, drug trafficking must be fought resolutely and efforts against drug use must be comprehensive.

Some people may say that giving clean needles to drug addicts is wrong and will promote the abuse of drugs. This is just one aspect of the whole treatment process that need to be comprehensive and all-encompassing. Let us therefore also look at programmes for counseling, detoxication, employment, rebuilding hope, medical treatment, and above all saving the life of a fellow human being.

I sincerely hope that more money is put in these programmes that will help tackle the concerns we are faced with. Too often millions are given to certain agencies which fail to bring solutions to problems, whereas those who really need the facilities are given crumbs. This needs to be changed if we really want to see an improvement.

As I mentioned earlier, all the agencies need to come together. Let it not be another talk-show, but an action-oriented programme that will indeed help this country move forward.

I am worried and concerned. I want to be part of the solution. We should all stand up and be part of the solution. Let us together save our country and future generations. 

The time to do that is now.