The Seychellois work force is facing big challenges in modern Seychelles. The country is the richest country per capita in Africa and has abandoned rank and file of the least economically developed countries, middle developed countries and joined ranks with First World Nations as a " Advanced Developed Nation".
Advanced Developed Nation
Per capita income exceeds $18,000.00 per year, it is nearing $ 20,000.00 per annum within the year or following year. This flag of success is daunting, but not all Seychellois are part of the success equation. The government led by left leaning SPPF promulgated a heavy social welfare package for over 20 years, socializing medicine and Healthcare, free elderly care to all, regardless of actual need, free education, pampering pupils with free lap tops, many were used for games, free bus passes, many were used for frolics, to get to booze bashes on the beaches frequented by international tourists. As in all socialist utopia, abuse has surfaced in all sectors, to the point it is now straining national growth, and capital expenditure projects and the Seychelles success story is now being challenged.
Enter Le Pep
Name change Le Pep under James Michel curried the abuse stewed over 12 more years, to garner political support, insure survival, and keep the public eye off him. Now the social welfare has gone in over drive, after Danny Faure has inherited Michel' s social welfare legacy of entitlement without the productivity and seriousness needed to run a Nation - State enforced by Rene and Mancham in the past.
Chaos looms on the horizon, unless President Faure can reel in the social welfare abuse, initially implemented to curtail historical abuse, which now has now become its own system of abuse on ourselves.
Twelve Months Work One Month Holiday
Workers in Seychelles enjoy an incredible 30 days paid annual holiday for each 12 months of work. In Japan workers get 5 days off per year. In USA, workers get 7 days per year. In Socialist France, 21 days and that has destroyed productivity in this fledging European state that once was a world contender in productivity.
13 th Month Salary Disaster!
Recently, the National Assembly passed the 13 th month salary, giving workers another entitlement for another 30 days pay without work productivity. This ridiculous measure has cause the private sector to loose trust and confidence in the opposition and the ruling party alike. The measure warns IMF, is reckless costing Seychelles 3% of her annualized Gross Domestic Product ( GDP). Ministry of Employment Minister Wallace Cosgrow could not have inherited a bigger headache. The country's work force is binge drinking on beaches and partying all year, leading to slow depreciation of the Seychelles Rupee and inflation Spurs caused by flex in Demand Curve for booze,
other soft items Indian merchants peddle. Without any price control in place, Indian merchants are making a killing at the expense of the Seychelles economy, many reinvesting in mother India. Foreign investors are weary of the labor laws and unreliable work force, hence pulling potential FDI which is 25% of the annual national budget. Without FDI, the Seychelles success story will be reversed.
64000 Seychellois Travel
Seychelles with a population of 87,000 people, has 64000 travelers per year on out bound flights. The numbers are staggering, but also alarming. When combined with the 12 month annual leave, 13th month salary, Seychellois will binge travel over seas, draining banks of hard earned dollars and euros, causing further rupee depreciation, further inflation, and reduce the national reserves. The Governor of the Central Banks' wishful and reckless logic that people should save their 13 month salary has fallen on death ears. Why should you save the 13th month salary if you did not earn it? Her logic defies reason.
Seychellois are known to be aggressive shoppers when over seas. Governor Abel stayed silent when she should have been sounding the economic fire alarm for the Nation, as the National Assembly plant ether seeds to destroy our monetary and fiscal policies. Now the commercial bankers want her head because she has allowed the seeds to be sown that will derail the sound monetary policy up until now.
Add Insult To Injury
To add insults injury to this rapidly darkening picture, Seychelles has 17 public holidays which workers are paid double.17 plus 17 equals 34 paid days. Nuts. To top up the welfare orgy to stay in power, or seek power as the case may so apply, we have 30 days paid sick leave. No one works on Monday expect foreign workers, 25% of the labor force. How can you justify a 13th month salary with all this sick leave?
From Success of Africa To Failed State
The reserves are dropping. We have no plan for food security when USA bombs North Korea or Syria next month and the Indian Ocean shipping lanes are blockaded.
Unless President Danny Faure musters the courage to change the course of this ship of state, Africa's success story in the Indian Ocean is heading towards a financial disaster. This........we cannot accept, ever!
My advise: chart your own fiscally serious course Mr. President, do not follow Michel or Ramkalawan. This will allow you to place the monetary policy back on track. You will earn the RESPECT of all Seychellois!
Sesel Pou Seselwa!
May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!
The Le Pep government, led by President Faure has signed into law, legislation to revoke, bin June 5, 1977, as Liberation Day. The bill passed the National Assembly on April 12, 2017, and was signed by Faure immediately, April 13, 2017. No hesitation.
An Era Ends!
The new law, shall make June 5th, just another manic working day for everyone. There will be no over boozing, over eating, no beach party, no glorious explanation why A had to kill B. Everyone will simply get to work. It's about time!
President Faure has taken a bold defining step forward. He has done the right thing, and it has embolden our small nation, where we all know each other, and perhaps after 200 years, most of us are related to each other some how. The Nation and all Seychellois, appreciate this great historical gesture towards unity, and the obvious correction of a historical faux pas. The move plants the seeds for a Statesman in the making for President Danny Faure, who just returned from a official state visit in Kenya.
If only Wavel Ramkalawann was big enough to fit these size shoes, we would all start moving forward as a country, instead of trying to jump political hurdles like dwarfs in a big world. I remain the eternal optimist, try to think BIG at times Ramkalawan, try.
Michel Leftist, Left footed, on The Run
The out going President of Le Pep James Michel has remained defiant for his role in the coup etat. He has vowed to step aside as party leader. He has stepped aside as national leader, with Four and a half years remaining on a half baked mandate.
His Jj spirit foundation, is under investigation by the National Assembly for improper use of public resources, improper allocation of corporate social responsibility tax, and a plethora of other discrepancies. Many in the opposition are calling for charges to filed.
Michel was known to be an ultra paranoid leader. He took quickly to conspiracy theories, at night when his mind wonders , one of his concubines said, he was obsessed with who was to get him. He implored the FIU, NDEA to bug phones, of anyone, without warrants. He disliked vehemently cartoons of him, at one point sent a group of four thugs to Anse La Blague with a vicious message: " stop the cartoons .....or else.......we take you for swim late at night". The cartoons of course did not stop. The Nation ridiculed Michel, in the market it became common place to call him funny names and make comments on his mal -administration, his follies, screw ups, blunders, which came so often, I can say, it became a challenge to keep up with the President who wants us to plant fish, who bankrupted Seychelles, who thought Somalia mercenaries were taking over the country when the first hostage was taken, he even thought I was an enemy of the state at one point, sending 100 soldiers to my house, in the end.......when the whole country was moving away from June 5 th, 1977.....bozo himself was defending it, and expressing not a single regret.....not a single regret.
Jail TMF!
Without remorse, all I can say is the movement in the opposition and Le Pep to jail TMF is probably justified. After all, without even an ounce of fake remorse like Ferrari misted for you-tube, how can you ever Reconcile, in the era of Unity? Where will the Michel political enigma fit in? No amount of money can buy one common sense or intelligence.
Congratulations President Faure!
To leave on a positive note, in spite of James Michel stubbornness, born out of lack of adequate education obviously,it is appropriate at this historical juncture, to congratulate President Danny Faure, for doing the absolutely right thing to foster national unity and national reconciliation: Congratulations Mr. President! Congratulations to all who have fought to end June 5 th all these years. I remember the first article I wrote on this subject, I thought James Michel would have had me killed for pissing on his guerrilla insurgent fantasies! Well, JJ, it's over, your B.S. had its beginning and now it has its end!
The Pen Is Mightier Then The Sword......if you know how to use it!
Sesel Pou Seselwa!
May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!
Reports are surfacing of the presence of a spy for Iran in Seychelles.
The spy is is disclosed by security personnel candidly, has close links to the Le Pep ruling party and the former president of Seychelles, Mr. James Alix Michel.
The spy portfolio includes collecting information on the UAE royal family while they are in Seychelles, a favorite rest and recreation destination for them as well as many other royals from the Middle East.
Iran is a long standing rival of the UAE government which maintains close ties with the Seychelles and the USA.
Last year, a Iranian fishing vessel was seized in Seychelles waters, carrying over 100 kilo of heroin. The cargo was worth over $ 128 Million at street value. It is uncommon for such vessels to venture into Seychelles waters, but the spy had previous knowledge of the incident, it is reported.
The Seychelles Weekly, once the paper that advocated foreign direct investment, a international airport, the foreign policy of " friends to all enemy to none" has pasted a full page advertisement for the country to " Say No To Grand Police Development".
Save The Mud Turtle
The key argument Weekly cites is the need to save the yellow bellied and black mud turtles. These little fresh water creatures were introduced into Seychelles and are common around the world. If the project goes through Weekly, along with Ministry of Environment can insure that the population of these turtles actually increases, by committing the developer to increase its population, spread them around Mahe and every where the Editor lives, so he can feel comfortable with the project,slated to bring in over $1 Billion in foreign direct investment, which Seychelles needs to increase the salary base of Seychellois and increase our quality of life. Projects of this magnitude help the country, compress employers to raise salaries for serious and qualified Seychellois.
Focus On The Right Issue
What Weekly should be focusing on is getting Government of Seychelles commitment to engage the developer, make commitments to empower Seychellois in the project, ensure our truckers have work, our excavator operators get contracts, our rock blasters blast, our small contractors can bring in Indian workers to work the project, so they make a good living off the project.
At the development stage ask government to insure development impact contributions are made to up grade roads, airport, bus services. Insure housing for staff are contracted out across the economic base to insure Seychellois have an interest in the project succeeding. A 320 room hotel will require near 1000 staff housing, numerous buses for transfers, a host of other services which our people can participate in a meaningful manner. We are no longer any ones " BOY" so when a serious project comes along, let's welcome it with a different eye, a eye that will insure Seychellois benefit, not get cast aside and we are left with nothing but a granite rock to sit on and cry over why we are in such a mess, then drink ourselves in self pity when Mauritians lock the deals, we are left to fight over crumbs and start referring back to June 5 th, 1977 when we have nothing else to say, when we know too well the culprits of the mis deeds today are more Catholic then the Pope.
Smarten Up!
Sesel Pou Seselwa!
