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Monday, June 13, 2016

Seychelles Blows Into Street Protests!



This Saturday, while Mr. James Michel ( contested President) was making his way to open the National Agricultural Fair on La Digue and spend the day with some prize cows, prize goats and prize eggplants, the Seychelles opposition spilled into the streets of Victoria with placards, signs, flags, calling for Free and Fair elections.

I Told You So!
I have been making a solemn appeal to James Michel and his Le Pep party to pave a serious path for dialogue and negotiate with the opposition, putting emotions aside, and nostalgia of who they were to him at one point in time. The Opposition leaders are changing in form daily. The attitude and perception is changing daily. Michel has taken his opponents personally, and it has shown his intellectual shortcomings, in dealing with them. Instead of dialogue, he has offered the back of his shoulders to his once friends and staunch party stalwarts who make up the leadership of the Seychelles Opposition today.

More Protests Ahead

Patrick Pillay a former minister and ambassador of the James Michel government has promised more protests until the Michel Administration is brought down. This is no laughing matter, and the threat is serious. The Seychelles Opposition maintains a full monopoly on social media. They are organized better then ever, in each district, each zone. Placards are detailed with professionalism, and mobilization is but a simple post" Protest Victoria, 10::00am Saturday" is enough to send the country into protest panic.


Such protests are now easy to do for the Opposition building up against the James Michel government. He has taken peace and tranquility in paradise for granted, and thought the conditions were always on his terms alone.


For example: 
in January 2015, he said in the Mauritian press:" there is no Opposition in Seychelles against me, I will win the next elections easily".  This statement showed how out of touch James Michel was and is today, he cannot claim a legitimate win in the last elections, which is marred in election fraud. In fact, he is luck his party stalwarts are not filling the jails, thanks to a sympathetic Chief Justice who found Ramkalawan's actions in the election to be more repugnant then James Michel's supporters actions.  That is all subjective at this point. What is objective, is the reality that protests will get larger and larger, and strategies around protests will get more and more sophisticated going beyond a walk around town with placards.

Dialogue Or Disorder

The options are straight forward enough. Michel must engage the opposition in dialogue or he shall face national disorder. If he chooses dialogue, he will be able to retain a semblance on the surface of legitimacy. If he refuses to dialogue, disorder will ensue, and with that, his own legitimacy. Which hangs on a mere thread at this time, as a leader yet alone as a President, will snap.

No Turning Back

Once the Opposition is on the streets, there is no turning back for the Nation. James Michel has made a fatal blunder by taking his politics too personally. He has felt betrayed by William Herminie, Simon Testa, Ahmed Afif, Patrick Pillay,  Daniella Payet, betrayed by his old friend Ramkalawan,and a plethora of ex SPPF who have abandoned Michel. People come and go Mr. Michel, that's politics. You should not take it personally. When you do, you scare others from supporting who may, if you had a decent agenda, which you do not. In the end, your approach then becomes the seed that will implode your party. No one wants to support an acidic leader in this day and age of individual empowerment, transparency. People support leaders who will tolerate them, embellish their lives, make things better for them.
   Seychelles Under CIA Plan
In fact, the latest fad is to oppose acidic dictators if you have not noticed. If you have not noticed, instead of bury your nose in poorly written books on fish, lift your head, look around you, bear witness to what is happening around the world. Another hint: it's all a CIA plan......if you dialogued enough, you would have learnt something.....in time.

Sesel Pou Seselwa!

May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Christopher Gill time from you to emerge from behind that computer and join this movement that is blowing the winds of change

George Morgan said...

Yes come,give us a hand

Anonymous said...

Well said Gill. Michel better call for a meeting with the leaders of the Opposition if he wants the country to move ahead. He is on his last leg, has played his last card (with sidekick CJ Mathilda as dealer), and unless a positive dialog happens, he may be dead before the year ends from the pressure or a coup from the enraged public who now outnumbers his own PL supporters. Today the Opposition is in the streets, tomorrow they might just storm State House and even the guards might turn the guns on him. Remember Saddam Hussein or Ghadaffi? The end is near for Parti Lepep and their stupidity and unless someone other than Michel comes up with a plan, I cannot see them lasting through Christmas. As in a poker game, one needs to know when to throw the cards in (fold as Kenny Rogers said), or when to hold them. The time has come to get out while you can. The other option is suicide, or being taken out by force. The people have had enough and the end is near.

Anonymous said...

Anything is possible. What is important is that each side present a team for dialogue to move the agenda from this dangerous position, to one of diplomacy, tolerance, focused on what is right for our country and people.
Now that we aare looking at Two straight years of elections, it will take its toll on the national finance, individual finance, and Seychelles image as a destination.
I confirm already, advance bookings for hotels are down.
Discounts for rooms are now at alarming levels.
House prices on Eden island are dropping by 40% in private sales. They will persist to devalue, shattering investment climate for FDI.
We must think, act, responsibly, irrespective of party affiliation.

Sesel Pou Seselwa!

Christopher Gill

Anonymous said...

Mr Gill, I don't know how much more Michel & his clique are going to prolong the inevitable. The longer he postpones the inevitable the more bitter it will get for him and for all Seselwa. I know Michel & PP have drove themselves into a very difficult corner indeed. He should have extended the invitation for dialogue back in December when the election results were announced.

We are where we are now, its better late than never. We have to start thinking out of the box. I hope there are some serious background talks going on between the 2 parties as I write this blog. Mr Gill, I hope you are the catalyst to bring sense to all concerned.

Good Luck

Anonymous said...

The strategy of Buffon-ing the opposition is not working. It has now metamorphose into potentially multiple heads, multiple parties, united under one party, now functioning like a vaccine to a virus to borrow from the medical field.
Financing David Pierre, making him an ambassador, financing Martin Aglae who was David's gardener at one point, is simply unacceptable to even the mentally retarded in the country.
Financing Mancham, keeping him engaged, hiring his Son at Foriegn Affairs, taking in Belle, others is not enough for Michel.
He needs to change fundamentally how the country runs, create a win win approach before it is too late for him.
If a win win approach was promoted, no one would care who is President, who is in the National Assembly.
This is what Michel time and again fails to understand.

Anonymous said...

Another party being formed- Breaking News"

Anonymous said...

Another diversion.

Anonymous said...

It is written that“to everything there is a season,and time to every purpose under the heaven“.There is a timr to weep,a time zo mourn,a time to ast awaystones.There is a time to build up and a time to speak up“Then,zhere is,a time to embrace,a time for peace,and a time to heal.There is a time to reconciliate.~~This is the time~~The right time.This is zhe right time to unite against hate and division.It is the time to purge hatred from our hearts and minds,the time to break zhe chains of fear zhat shackle and cripple minds and hearts The moment of truth has arrived.Can pl save zhemselves from us?
It seems,Michel lives ,an echo chamber,he is self~delusional.He convinces himself zhat he has,popular support.He has so far convinced hinself zhat by reshuffling his cabinets and appointing hs buddies to top posts,believes zhat he can save the day by making a few grand standing promises of democratization,reorganization,and reconciliation.
Michel oblivion is,under assault from growing political rifts..The only way for him to weather the storm would be through goodwill and dialogue.He must understand that he has little room to manoevre......and negociation might be his only saving grace
It is time listen to the voice and will of the people,else the people shall liberate themselves.The specter of the awesome army of Seychellois marching for freedom,chanting for democracy and human dignity could not be ignoredby pl.....faling to do so,Michel and ilks would have to be toppled,run away to dictstors safe haven in Saudi Arabia or die.
All things are doomed to an ignominious downfall.Few thugs have ever left office with dignity,honor,respect and zhe adulation of their people....They left all in shame,disgrace andinfamy..it seems,Michel has learned nothing from.recent history .He has not learned from Ghadafi,Ben Ali,Saddam Hussein.....he might end up zhe same way.

Anonymous said...

2/3 of the country opposes the Le Pep.
They are a minority party.
The LDS must simply develop a keen strategy toughest out the vote and focus on the counter voter fraud practice of Le pep.
They must also call on the CJ to resign since she is no longer qualified to lead the courts in any election petition.

Anonymous said...

As PL encourages independent candidates and new parties, LDS must simply encourage other top brass in PL to leave save their dignity and preserve their self respect as people and as Seychellois. They must simply be re born. Disassociate them with an oligarchy.

Anonymous said...

Right,opposition must entice pl mederates to join them.As to the fictional parties pl are are created their effects are null.Unlike Pierre,pl cannot afford to lease them supporters ,for pl itself struggling.

Anonymous said...

You remember when Madagascar were going through their crisis ! Their leaders came to Seychelles to mediate. Maybe JAM & RAM should head to Fregate Island for some negotiations. I am sure Mr Gill will kindlly travel from Praslin to Fregate in order to chair such a meeting. Do it for Seychelles if you believe in 'Mon Kontan Sesel'

Anonymous said...

Something must be done to diffuse this situation. The economy is going. Into tatters over night. Look at the inbound flights. Looks at the hotel rooms. Look at the empty taxis. Look at the empty tourist buses. Wake up fellows.

Anonymous said...

Remember the DP logo before Mancham went looney:

Peace

Progress

Prosperity.......for our people

Anonymous said...

Ronny Govinden is no lawyer. He proved this beyond doubt when he opposed the stay od execution of the motion to strike off Ramkalawan. It is time Govinden was REMOVED.


Anonymous said...

It would prevent a bye election.

Anonymous said...

The LDS is linking their Facebook pages with international press like CNN, BBC, AFP, to allow the world to instantly follow the protests each week.

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