Unlocking the deadlock

In an article in Seychelles Nation dated Aug 14 2010, an observer as the author preferred to call him/herself, asks wether or not we are trying to make legal history this regarding to the compensation claim towards Ascon in connection with the water pollution incident at La Misere where a source of drinking water was contaminated by excrements from the poorly secured and managed construction site belonging to the now rather hated Sheik Khalifa of the UAE.

The observant observer drew parallels to various pollution incidents that have taken place in recent history where he clearly, but indirectly states that the claim of the affected residents is way too much and recommends them to accept pretty much whatever they are offered by being ‘reasonable’, this amongst other reasons to not further affect the already damaged relation to the UAE. In other words the author wants the embarrassing case to disappear ASAP so that the PL’s popularity can be worked on again prior to the coming election which so far nobody officially knows when is to be held apart from that it is due within 2011.

The La Misère pollution incident was the drop that made the bucket flow over and has proved to be a major headache for James Michel and his proven bad administration. So bad is his administration that they have not only allowed a rich foreign leader of a foreign state to purchase a major piece of land for the price of a chewing gum, but also allowed the same person to operate in our territory as if it was his own, this by giving full tax and duty exemption on imported products, exemptions on work permits for his labourers and last, but not least permission to build a navy base on reclaimed land that was originally intended for domestic purposes like housing, industry etc. Now that the bucket has flowed over, the PL government is so desperate to avoid further spillage that an anonymous ‘observer’ has been given the privilege to post ‘his/her’ views in our national newspaper. Not as a letter to the PL friendly and appointed editor, but an article like any other piece of news. The observer asks if we are about to make legal history, but the same observer has failed to observe that his article has just made political history in Seychelles.

Never before in the history of our country have protests like those at La Misère in the past weeks achieved so much and the voice of the people been heard all the way to the deepest corridors of State House. The last time anything similar happened, there was bloodshed, ref the October 3rd incident where batins and rubber bullets were used against the public who wanted their voices heard. This time there was also full military and police alert, but no bloodshed although the protesters were more in number and were fighting for more than something as simple as a radio station. They were however also protesting to have their voices heard.

The protests have been a clear victory for the people demonstrating, but also for the entire Seychellois people as a whole. The residents of La Misere have shaked the stable foundations of the SPUP/SPPF/PL that are now full of cracks and so much that the leaders have had trouble explaining themselves to the public, ref Joel Morgan’s sweating and uncontrolled gesticulations in froint of an angry crowd last week. Had the sweat from his forehead been non saline it could have surely replaced the polluted water source that over six months after the incident is still classified as polluted and not safe to drink.

The president on his side, has after almost 6 months finally taken the case seriously and started making heads roll starting with the chief of PUC who last week was relieved from all his duties with immediate effect. While the nation waits to see who’s head will roll next, diplomacy at the highest level is working frantically to save the ‘good relation’ with the UAE, a relation that has been well pampered by James Michel and made his personal baby, not one that has been desired by the people. Sworn supporters of the PL say that we need UAE to fly passengers to Seychelles, this coming from supporters of a party that has been approving the reduction of flights by our own airline and instead sent one of its planes to freight military personell and sheep to/from the Falklands in the South Atlantic.

The La Misere incident has become such a burden for the president that he now is surely trying his best to get the entire case settled in court, preferably one in Seychelles where the judges are all eating out his hands and following every command like well trained dogs to their master. There is however one catch as whichever way the case ends, the president will end up with eggs in his face:
- If the court decides that the people are entitled to their demanded compensation, Ascon will have to cough up(although that is likely to happen) and Michel will have to go see his master Khalifa with his hat in his hand.

- If the people lose, James Michel and the PL will lose votes and popularity in addition to having to lilve with the embarrassment. Oh yes, and Khalifa will be known as KaKalifa during his visits to his newly acquainted playground at La Misere where he may endulge in forbidden passions not endulgable in his home country merely 5 hours flight away.

So either way James Michel is what is commonly known as ‘screwed’ or in milder terms, stuck between desert rock and a hard place, a very hard place. The coming months prior to the election may prove to be the most interesting ones prior to any election since our independence in 1976. This one may well prove to be a new election where we regain our independence, only this time a different type of independence: independence from the SPUP/SPPF/PL. This of course if the new opposition plays their cards right as the existing opposition is merely another unit of the PL, namely the SNPL.

Patrick X