Elections are upon us again. I, for one, am looking forward to them. In the life of a politician, elections are the time frame in which we work. It is true that we must not look on elections as the only thing which determines what we do, but they mark the important steps by which we assess what we are doing.
The SNP has always insisted on the ballot as the cornerstone of our democracy. Looking at the events in the Arab world today, we are reminded again of the importance of timely and fair elections. Such things as are happening in Egypt could also happen in Seychelles. We must not think that they are out of the question. When people are frustrated and their system does not allow free choices, they will take to the streets.
These events also remind us of the value of a responsible opposition. In our history, we have seen that political parties do not always live up to their pledges. Mr. René and Mr. Michel had publicly and solemnly sworn to respect the will of the people, and they were part of the Government, when they staged the coup d’etat.
The events remind us also is that it is always the people who are the principal actors in politics. Sooner or later, it comes down to what the people want. They may suffer, even suffer in silence, for many years but eventually they will say enough is enough and make their voices heard.
Many people are worried about what will happen later in Egypt and the other countries facing popular uprisings. There is the danger that they will turn to more autocratic regimes which will deny freedom even more than the ones that exist today. But what we have to remember is that it is the regimes that exist today that have brought their countries to the present situation. It is they who had the responsibility to avoid all the chaos, by allowing freedom of expression, the right to participate, and by allowing the will of the people to be translated into practice.
In Seychelles, we must look to the will of the people. In the coming elections, they will have another opportunity to choose their leaders. People must know that they hold in their hands the key to what happens in the country later. It is no use complaining and grumbling if you do not then take the opportunity to set things right.
This of course calls for elections to be free and fair. Manipulated elections only give a false reflection of the people’s will. Only a couple years ago, Mubarak was elected with a large majority, but look what is happening today!
So, I hope the people of Seychelles will see the coming elections for what they mean in our democracy. It should not be an opportunity to get some money out of a political party that wants your vote. It is an opportunity to make democracy work, and to decide your future.
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