Seychelles Set To Become The Most Expensive Place on Earth

In the cross sectorial meetings with Five (5) ministers, Seychelles Chamber of Commerce (SCCI), Seychelles Hospitality Association (SHA), numerous Tourism leaders met in a crisis management situation to brief the PL government of the gravity and seriousness of the downturn in Seychelles, due to lack of direct flights, and the high cost of living.

Reduce The High Cost of Living

Paramount in the discussion was the need to reduce the cost of living in Seychelles which affect Tourists and Seychellois alike.

Seychellois spend more money each month to get less. They are caged, by PL, like an animal would be, locked in a a destructive system that sucks their life out of their body slowly, but surely. Each, VAT of 15% is ticked in addition to the purchase price, to anything, and every single Seychellois is in effect 15% more poor each year. In Praslin and La Digue, where VAT is double charged in cargo, inter island ferry service for goods transport, trucking services, these residents are 25%-30% more poor each year. For Tourists, these two islands become 25% more expensive then Mahe.

Stop The Life of The Rich and Famous

The private sector has called on the PL to take serious steps to reduce the cost of living. To initiate this, I wrote a letter in January 2014, to the SCCI and called ont their Councilors to resolve to make this a priority in 2014. So far, PL is sleeping on the job, afraid to lose revenue which it needs to pay for the luxury life of their ministers, and over spending. They need to pay for James Michel Formula One escapades in Abu Dhabi, Jean Paul Adam’s Diamond Class escapades to New York and all the shopping to buy those nice things just cannot find in failing Seychelles, under PL. The American Express cards are ringing up the balances which the people of Seychelles will have to pay.

Price of Fuel Collapses

In Thirty –days (30) the price of crude oil dropped from $106.00 per barrel on the international markets to $84.00 per barrel. At that point I wrote to Danny Faure who has become known as the only person working in PL at this point, and advise him of the matter and the need to make adjustments as the rest of the World. No reply.

Thirty- Days (30) later, the price dropped to an all time low of $74.00 per barrel and the price of fuel in Seychelles was rising. I wrote another letter, and a replied followed thank ing me for the input.

What we need is not thanks but leadership and action to have SEPEC come up with a full disclosure of its fuel stock, price, and subsequent intention to buy fuel, and the price it will pay on the next purchase. Consumers, Business , Tourist all want to know that fuel prices in Seychelles will drop as international bench mark prices drop. However, SEPEC, led by evasive and slippery ( some say greasy) Conrad Benoiton has given all indications that he has no intention on dropping the price of fuel in Seychelles. This will mean that a massive amount of money $25 Million to $30 Million will become a SEPEC windfall if consumption patterns in 2015 remain consistent with 2014.

SEPEC Steal Seychelles Chance To Recovery

What does this mean for all of Seychelles? It means that if SEPEC does not drop the price of fuel in Seychelles to correspond to international trends, wherein fuel is at 1980 prices, SEPEC will steal Seychelles opportunity for a recovery in 2015.

While other countries and competitors drop prices for airfare, excursions, game fishing, taxis, in Seychelles, our prices will go up, through the roof, and instead of making Seychelles more affordable, the PL will have made Seychelles more expensive in 2015 than in 2014, hence locking Seychelles into a noncompetitive bracket and implosion of the Tourism Industry, which employs near 40,000 people, will be under way.

This is what PL is brewing for us as they configure perhaps one of the worse Budgets ever…..out of touch, out of mind set to make Seychelles, the most expensive place on earth!

Gold Medal to PL- We will be No. 1 in 2015 for : “Most Expensive Place on Earth”

Sesel Pou Seselwa!

May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!