SPPF and SNP Conspire To Take Millions of The People’s Money

By: Christopher Gill

Mouvman Seselwa Rasin - Leadership Committee

SPPF and SNP Conspire To Take Millions of The People’s Money

October 2008

The Constitutional Emoluments Bill, et al of 2008 came before the National Assembly in late 2008 and the SNP was up and down State House meeting with SPPF to conspire the biggest rip off of the People of Seychelles ever, since the signing of the Constitution of the Third Republic in 1993. 

We never knew the whole story, but we have come to know what took place when the Constitutional Emoluments Act of 2008 as amended meant for the People of Seychelles. SPPF/PP and SNP conspired to pass the Bill in the National Assembly and they conspired to keep the details a secret from the People of Seychelles. 

The “Deal With The Devil” Signed, Sealed, Delivered By SBC

With the control of SBC, the SPPF barely released the information of unprecedented 38% increase in salary that they brokered with SNP in a legislative conspiracy, but they went silent on a first time ever life pension program for politicians. 

The People were outraged by the 38% salary increases and this preoccupied everyone’s mind until the 29% PUC electricity tariff increases came along later. No one knew about the extent of the understood the extent of the new pensions the SPPF and SNP voted themselves, on the eve of the country declaring national bankruptcy.

Under the new Act, a politician can now get a 70% pension for the rest of his life. Hence, the opposition has been turned into a “pensioned opposition”, the ruling party, turned into a “pensioned party” with full pensions for life like the Civil Service, but civil servants get much, much, less on retirement for an entire life’s work and sacrifice. 

No wonder none of these rascals really work for Seychelles, they have a life insurance for poor performance, voted for- themselves, and the People of

Seychelles have to pay for years to come, in spite of them doing a grossly bad job serving us and serving country.

“Sesel Pou Seselwa” Means Truth, Accountability, Transparency, Reality

The numbers are startling. The pension violates the “Sesel Pou Seselwa” principles of honest and transparent, and accountable government to the People.

In this article, we expose the rascals, all of them, SPPF and SNP alike. We shed light in darkness so no mushroom grows on our foreheads, be it SPPF/PP mushroom or an SNP mushroom. Truth, accountability , transparency applies to all and all alike.

In the next election, People of Seychelles need to throw them all out and send them back to the farm to increase agricultural industry contribution to our GDP. 

These salaries need to be reduced by 30% and pensions need to be cancelled out right. Politicians are not civil servants and are never entitled to a pension, unless it is a Head of State who serves all. 

Politicians are partisan and advance a particular political agenda for a time. Hence why the State should not be required to pension them out for life. They already receive a gratuity for end of term service that is substantial enough. 

One Person-Two or Three Ministries

One scam SPPF has perfected is the multiple salary scam. One person can run a number of constitutional offices and ministries be paid a salary and be pensioned out on retirement. It is unclear if the policy is to have the individual choose a salary or choose a pension, nor is it clear if a person can occupy more than one constitutional post. It seems they can and it appears multiple salaries, are part of the SPPF/PP game.

Example, take James Michel. He is the President of the Republic and Minister of Defence, Legal Affairs, Information and Tourism. He is entitled to the salary of President, but is also paid for each ministry he heads all for work done in one day.

If his cabinet makes each heading a different ministry, as it appears, then he takes a ministerial salary for each and pension for each. Hence, Michel as a person, will take 70% salary-pension for each heading, if his government sanctions it. His retirement package will then be: Scr 26,600.00 (Office of President) +Scr. 19,600.00 (Ministry of Defence) +Scr. 19,600.00 (Ministry of Legal Affairs) + Scr. 19,600.00 ( Ministry of Information) + Scr. 19,600.00 for (Ministry of Tourism). Adjusted total is: Scr 105,000.00. If Michel the lives for 40 years, his pension will be cost the people of Seychelles: Scr.50,400,000.00.

He is the big winner in this deal, which SNP signed off on side by side with SPPF/PP.

Bye, Bye Belmont!

Now, recently, Mr. Joseph Belmont announced his retirement from his political career. The Constitutional Emoluments Act et al, over cushions Belmont’s premature departure. Belmont has been part of the JJ Spirit Team that bankrupted Seychelles, but he is pensioned out for his failures and bad decisions or indecisions that led to our country becoming bankrupted officially. Instead of punishing failure, to discourage future failure, the Constitutional Emoluments Act rewards failure today, to encourage ongoing failure in the future.

As Vice President, his salary was Scr. 35,000.00 per month. As a retiree, Belmont will take home every month, for the rest of his life in part, Scr. 24,500.00 per month. Per year, Scr. 294,000.00. If he lives for 40 years, Scr. 11,760,000.00 for being the Vice President that lend a hand in bankrupting Seychelles, the same year, they voted for this salary-pension guarantee for life. 

Now, Belmont was also Minister of Administration and Minister of Tourism, Two(2) separate ministerial headings. As such, he may and could well be entitled to pensions for each heading, based on a 70% of total salary of Scr. 28,000.00 for each or pensioned out at Scr. 19,600.00 for Ministry of Tourism and Scr. 19,600.00 for Ministry of Administration. Total with Vice President pension could possibly be: Scr. 63,700.00 for the rest of his life. If he lives for 40 years more, Scr. 30,576,000.00 will be paid to Belmont as pension, unless he disqualifies for a ministerial heading, which is unlikely.

Minister Marie Pierre Lloyd

Ex – Minister Lloyd had a short spout as Minister. Towards the end of her run which was cut short, the Ministry of Health had collapsed, they do not even pay their PUC electricity bills these days. The irony of this situation, is that we will now pay Minister Lloyd a pension for a job badly done. She is a one term minister and entitled to 40% of salary as a pension. She will receive a pension of Scr. About Scr. 11,200.00 for the rest of her life. Per annum we will pay her now, Scr. 134,400.00 for doing nothing all year, just breath ie, inhale and exhale. If she lives for 40 years, her term of failure at the Ministry of Health will now cost us the People of Seychelles another Scr.5,376,000.00, over and above the cost of a failing Ministry of Health. Her payout is more frugal than the LO and LGB, see below.

Leader of Opposition and Leader of Government Business Salary & Pensions

In the National Assembly, where this legislative conspiracy between SPPF and SNP took place and SBC helped fool us all by nodding their heads like the extinct Dodo birds, the Two (2) leaders from opposite sides come out as big winners in their own right. 

With a pension in place for life, politicians no longer become answerable to the voters. They can send us all to hell, they believe, don’t answer phones, ignore emails, block chats on Facebook, do not reply to written letters. 

Now, you know why the SNP stop opposing the SPPF/PP, aside from the occasional copy and paste of articles from Star or Weekly.

Previously the Leader of Government Business (Marie-Lise Potter, SPPF/PP)and Leader of Opposition (Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan, SNP) were paid each Scr. 19,000.00 base pay excluding gratuities, allowances and other perks. They increased their salaries to Scr. 28,000.00, an increment of Scr. 9,000.00 per month, on the eve of Seychelles being declared a bankrupt state. Their pension for the rest of their lives is 70% of their salary or 19,600.00, more then their past salary of Scr. 19,000.00 before the 38% increase. 

Per annum, on pension for the rest of their lives, both Mrs. Marie Lise Potter and Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan will each earn Scr. 235,000.00. 

If both Mrs. Marie –Lise Potter and Mr. Wavel Ramkalawan live for 40 years, which is highly likely, they will each cost the People of Seychelles Scr. 9,408,000.00 for doing nothing, ever again, just breathe, inhale, exhale. 

Collectively, they both will cost us: Scr. 18,816,000.00, for doing nothing, ever again for the People of Seychelles, just breath, inhale, exhale. 

People of Seychelles, SPPF/PP and SNP have taken us for fools!!!!!!

The Members of the National Assembly (MNA’s)

MNA’s that do Three(3) terms in the National Assembly are entitled to 70% of their salary as pension for the rest of their lives. Past salary was Scr. 8,000.00 per month. The new salary is Scr.14,000.00 per month, increase of 6,000.00. On pension for Three (3) terms, the pension payout per month will be Scr. 9,800.00. 

In 12 months after they leave the National Assembly, each MNA will cost the People of Seychelles, Scr. 117,600.00. If all 34 MNA’s make it to Three (3) terms and retire, it will cost per annum: Scr. 3,998,400.00. If they live for 40 years, than that will cost us Scr. 159,936,000.00 for them to remain on pension and do nothing, ever again, except breath, inhale, exhale.

Adding Scr. 159,936,000.00 MNA pensions to the pensions of the Two (2) Leaders in the National Assembly will give us: Scr. 178,752,000.00 just for National Assembly pensions, excluding the Mr. Speaker guy, His Excellency, The Right, Honourable Dr. Patrick Hermine.

If you add his Scr.34,000.00 per month package excluding allowances, gratuity, perks, at 70% it is Scr. 23,800.00 per month pension, or Scr.285,600.00 per annum. 

Over 40 years, His Excellency The Right Honourable, Dr. Patrick Hermine, pension will cost us Scr. 11,424,000.00. In total, Scr.190,176,000.00, excluding the pensions of past MNA’s to serve in the National Assembly. Over time, the pensions will wipe out progress for the Nation, unless revoked by legislation. 

SPPF/PP and SNP, voted themselves a golden parachute for life.

Shame, Shame, Shame, Shame on all who raised their hands!

Now the People of Seychelles, know, why, neither party listens to them.

Now, the People of Seychelles know, why, they are so frustrated with inaction and there is never enough money for anything, but yet, we are suppose to be rich.

Now, the People of Seychelles need to wake up to the biggest political scam in our history in cash- money terms.

People of Seychelles, when these politicians have sat in their big leather chairs Communist China gave them, we thought they were sleeping and their hair and beards were getting white as time passed. We were right! 

But what we did not realize, while we worried about our future as a people, their future was already guaranteed, in the greatest legislative conspiracy of Seychelles history, and they could careless if their hair and beards were getting white. They even fell asleep in their chairs.

I have this to say to SPPF and SNP: “Sesel Pou Seselwa”....and Seselwa pou deal ek zot pareye zot inn deal ek Seselwa!

May God Bless All Freedom Loving Seychellois!