A Seychelles where Everyone is a Winner: A Defining Moment

A Seychelles where Everyone is a Winner!

The presidential election in May this year will mark another milestone in the history of Seychelles. In many ways, it will be a victory for the fight we have led for a very long time. Our democracy has come of age. Although not perfect, at 20 years of age, it has reached maturity.

Among the first time voters will be those born after the return to multi-party politics in 1992. The circle will have finally closed. From this year’s presidential election, every year a new batch of 18 year-olds who have not lived a single day under the one-party dictatorship will be eligible to participate in choosing the country’s leaders.

This brings a sense of encouragement and anticipation to those of us who endured the oppression of the dictatorship. Those young voters need to know that it was not an easy fight. In fact, it is still ongoing and everyday we are overcoming fresh hurdles that are placed by the powers that be. But in the worst period, many people lost their lives, were imprisoned, tortured and exiled in the struggle for democracy. We have come a long way, and I believe the people of Seychelles are ready for another leap towards a better future.

After all these years, our people are looking forward to this democratic process with greater maturity. I know for sure that the tricks of past elections will fail this time round. Why? The voter no longer looks at himself/herself as an object with a price, but rather as a dignified citizen with the right to choose. The politician who believes he can buy a vote with a fridge, a cooker, some corrugated iron sheets or an empty promise should rethink his strategy.

I am encouraged because over the years our people have understood the meaning of empty promises, insults and serious propositions. At the last presidential election in 2006, the SNP talked about the reforms our country needed to undergo to eliminate the black market, revive our economy, and strengthen national development. Our opponents laughed at us, and instead got our people to believe that everything was just fine. They won. We lost.

But what happened then? Less than two years later, they starting talking about the IMF, a reform programme, a convertible currency, and so on. Our whole programme was suddenly hijacked and adopted as theirs. The only difference was that they had allowed the country to sink too low, and therefore, instead of being able to negotiate from a position of some strength, they could only give in to all the proposed measures that meant hardship for workers, poverty to the general population, and a bleak future to our youth.

The people know what happened. They have seen both sides of the coin. When the SNP speaks now, they know that we are not pulling a story from Enid Blyton or from another fairy-tale book. The people know that the SNP addresses real issues and that we are concerned about our country and its people.

Indeed we have to think of our country and its future. An election will give the people the choice. In peace, we will all be given a ballot paper. Each one of us will have to decide. At the end of the day when every vote is counted, the result will be the will of the people.

The SNP stands for all these noble principles. We believe in our people. We agree that our people deserve the best future. We believe that the prosperity of our land must be shared fairly. In short, with the SNP, every Seychellois wins.

May 2011 be a turning point in our history.