What’s with the silence?

Events of the past week have indeed reinforced local skeptics’ views that we have a Government that is bent on hiding the truth from the general public. Or should I say is determine to stop the truth from getting out. 

It’s been only four weeks since the New Year but the Government is already facing a number of scandals including the death of the unborn child of Seychelles Weekly Editor, Ralph Volcere at the Seychelles Hospital which underlines the crisis in the country’s health sector. Then there has been confirmation of a Tunisian fugitive walking free in Seychelles, showing that our country as an African Union member and an International member of the Interpol organization is still willing to betray member countries. Also in the wake of the Union Estate corruption investigation, comes the revelation of the controversial sale of state land by former Minister, Dolor Ernesta which further highlighted the high level corruption going on in Seychelles.

However, on all the above issues the Government is remaining tight lipped. It has been clear over the years that the strategy applied by this Administration over similar issues in recent years is to say nothing at all until the stories eventually die out. This is, because the Government thinks the Seychellois public forgets easily and moves on with life fast.

The only hope left for the Seychellois public is for the opposition press to keep the story alive by reminding their readers of it week after week. In the past a degree of success has been achieved by applying this strategy.       

Managing public information is something the Seychellois authorities are still grappling with. Exposing sensitive information remains an important strategy in the eventual opening up of state institutions.    

Silence may be golden, but for how long can one keep silent, when knowing too well that keeping silent often says you have something to hide. But most importantly the truth always comes out.

Make a make this year

A new year offers an opportunity for a fresh start for you and your family.

My hope is that every Seychellois can enjoy a 2013 that is peaceful and fulfilling in terms of the attainment of personal goals as well as the goals of organisations – community, social, educational, cultural and artistic, faith based, civil society, labour, co-operative and businesses both small and large – in which citizens participate in and contribute to.

Given the realities we experienced in 2012, 2013 is promising to be indeed another challenging year. I hope that collectively we have the courage and decency to take our elected leaders to task in the months ahead so that they address the issues that arose in 2012 along with all of the other baggage from prior years.

We have heard enough promises and we have complained for long enough in silence. Now is the time to make your voice heard and of course count. 

2013, like 2012, will see ongoing citizen dissatisfaction with their quality of life. Issues such as roads, drainage, flooding, poor conditions at our schools and health care facilities, the absence of adequate, quality community facilities and the continuing rise in violence and crime will continue to be part of our lives. So what are you going to do about it?

Let us reject the complacency of saying that things cannot change. Let us instead re-imagine our future and start thinking outside the box. Learn about your rights, write protest letters to your representatives and start boycotting activities, products or venues that you are dissatisfied with. Only then will you as a citizen will be taken serious. Only then will the rules of the game change fundamentally for you and your family.

Selective media kept out of debate

This week marked Human Rights Day. The United Nations, for that occasion clearly stated that “everyone has the right to be heard and to shape the decisions that affect their lives and communities.”

The UN statement underlined the statement I made in my last week’s editorial aptly entitled “Inclusion and accessibility are two of the fundamental rights.”

This week I want to further highlight the hypocrisy of our Government. I want to know why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveniently chose to invite only selected media to cover the main national event marking this day. Once again it shows the attitude of the Michel Administration towards a particular section of our society, although the Government professed to be one ‘representing the entire nation.’ Clearly by choosing to engage only with X but keeping Y a distance away is not at all representing everyone’s interest.

Although the message of Minister of Foreign Affairs for that occasion said: “Every Seychellois has the right to have their voices heard, and to have a say in the decision making process which shapes their lives and their communities” it is clear that we still have a long way to go.

I will remain an activist of media access to official information. I am in favour of getting the opportunity to ask the question I feel I need to ask, rather than reproducing edited public relation materials emailed to LSH office by Government paid spin doctors.

I believe that engaging with every media helps to transform our society. LSH as a legally registered business wants the equal chance to offer its readership the chance to be a part of public discourse and to provide a platform for them to help influence the decisions that shape their communities. 

When Minister Adam said: “wherever possible, the government engages in consultation at all levels to facilitate the participation of all segments of our society,” what does that means? Does it means that the voices of any media house that do not report in favour of the Government will never be heard, be included in the nation building process or get the equal opportunity to flourish?

As we publish the last edition of LSH for 2012, I wish to commend Minister Adam’s wishes that we should embark “on a journey to foster to a culture of tolerance, acceptance, and non-discrimination for all.” LSH and the rest of the Opposition have been saying so for the past 19 years.

This country is far too small to think that some people’s opinions do not matter or that we can get by without them.  

Inclusion and accessibility are two of the fundamental rights

“Removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all” was the theme of this year’s International Day for Persons with Disabilities. An aptly chosen theme that gives us all an ideal opportunity to reexamine the situation around us.

To be honest, it was the Minister of Social Affairs, Community Development, Vincent Meriton’s message last Sunday night that got me thinking, if only politicians were more sincere in their words.

The Minister’s message said this was “an opportunity for our population to focus on what each and every one of us can do, in the work that we do and in the community where we live to remove all types of barriers in our society.”

Do we have barriers in Seychelles? Certainly not against women or people based on their gender, religious belief or ethnicity. But for sure political exclusion is rampant in this small nation state.

The biggest barrier people who support the Opposition face is the attitude of the Government – “I pa avek nou.” The second barrier is the way the political power has created the political divide between its red camp and anyone else who doesn’t fit the colour profile.

We know that one should not be excluded from national dialogue and everybody should respect the views of each other. Yet the ruling Parti Lepep during the last 35 years has find a way to limit political competition; alienate the Opposition and stop them from participating fully in mainstream society.

Just like Minister Meriton’s call for all barriers limiting the disabled people to fully develop their potentials, the very ministry he heads - Community Development, has been the corner stone in segregating the Seychellois community based on their political colour and affiliation.  

For years, housing, land, jobs, scholarships have all been offered to people not based on their merits but their political allegiance to the ruling party. The political divide is stopping our people from gaining control of their lives and an equal chance to participate actively in their communities by providing support they have the abilities to. 

The Minister recognizes that inclusion and accessibility are two fundamental rights.  It is therefore, the right of those who choose to disagree with the Government to do so without being seen as ungrateful, unpatriotic and be denied the chance to be treated as equal.