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Respecting the Seychellois

by Wavel Ramkalawan
Leader of the Opposition and the SNP

 

During the State of the Nation address, Mr. Michel made a vicious allegation at the SNP, declaring that we were xenophobic - meaning we hate foreigners. The accusation came because over a couple of months we have been speaking and writing about the huge palace being built on the site of the former US Tracking Station site. To make matters worse, we have also been pressing for proper compensation from the owner and others for the residents of La Misère who have been affected by serious water pollution, after 700 workers from the site used the river as their toilets.

Nobody knows exactly why Mr. Michel lashed out at the SNP with such aggressivity, but by doing so, he was basically trying to defend himself from his own actions. He knows that he has been giving away huge chunks of the country to the Arabs under the guise of development. His preference for foreigners over Seychellois is seen in most departments starting at State House itself. When we say so, it is not that we are being xenophobic, but rather we are stating a fact.

The reality is this. The customs and taxation departments are in the charge of Australians, the Irish look after the police force, The National Drugs Enforcement Agency and the Financial Investigation Unit, the Chief Justice is from Uganda and most judges are foreigners of various nationalities. These examples give us an indication of the bigger picture. It upsets Mr. Michel when we tell him what the reality is. But we have to do so. It is our responsibility.

In fact Mr. Michel also made the choice of sending his child to a British private school. From what we gather, his maids are from Thailand and the Philippines.

If all these are true, then we have a clearer picture as to why he made that ferocious attack. We understand his state of mind. But we also have to tell him that there are 85,000 Seychellois who need jobs and who have the qualifications to do the job that most of these foreigners are doing right now.

The SNP does not have any problems with foreigners. Many of our leaders and supporters have relatives living overseas, and some are even married to foreigners. The Seychellois, like other island people, are seen all over the world, and they have been warmly welcomed in those countries. We are after all a nation of immigrants ourselves. As a matter of fact, our immigration policy on the granting of citizenship to foreigners married to Seychellois is much more flexible and accommodating than the current one. We believe that foreigners married to Seychellois in a proven serious relationship should be granted nationality and the possibility of working to feed the family.

However, we feel that in the first place anyone coming to our islands must show respect for our people. In the job market, the Seychellois should be granted priority and no foreigner should be employed in a position where there is a qualified Seychellois. All foreigners should be law-abiding visitors and the state must not grant special privileges to them. If there should be special privileges, it is the Seychellois who should be granted such possibilities.

I just do not understand why the President should have thrown this indictment on us, apart from thinking that this was a good dirty political card that could divert everyone’s attention from his many failings and the monstrous building on the mountain. Our attention will not be diverted because what is happening up there is exactly what we do not want to see happen in our country.

People of Seychelles, the current regime is actually selling our land and turning us into beggars. If this is what the President calls ‘economic diplomacy’, for us it is more like ‘economic prostitution.’ We are concerned at how the state seems to be selling our assets and how the Seychellois is slowly becoming second-class citizens in his own land. The arrogance of some of these foreigners is simply too much to stomach. And too many foreigners are working without a proper GOP.

Seychelles is our land. We have to preserve it for future generations. This task has been given to us, and we are determined to fulfil it. We are but people who love our country and believe that Seychelles should remain for the Seychellois. Don’t all the foreigners feel the same way about their own country?

Source: Regar 3-5-10