About politicians and those in the drugs business

What is the link between LDS presidential candidate and drug lords? In the convention to approve LDS candidates for the election to the National Assembly, Wavel Ramkalawan, said that someone in the drugs trade came to him and told him he wants to get out of the business.According to Ramkalawan this is a good sign and shows hope for when he becomes president that things will improve and such problems can be addressed. That is so strange -why didn’t he just tell the man to stop the drugs business straightaway if he really wants to? Why did he need to come and talk to Mr. Ramkalawan about that? Above all this why does Mr. Ramkalawan not tell the authorities about this person if he knows for certain that he is in the drugs trade and as such is responsible for destroying the lives of many addicted young Seychellois?

It is clear that the drugs issue is a taboo for politicians from all the camps with Danny Faure concentrating on providing the addicts with methadone rather than being able to stop the traffickers. Even LDS has gone quiet on the methadone subject, since the programme touches some six thousand addicts, which constitutes in itself a very significant group of voters. There are many who believe that the Faure administration insists on the methadone programme specifically to keep control over this voter group. Danny Faure has denied this and even said in a press conference that such allegations hurt him. Yet those on the programme can access the Unemployment Relief Scheme and get as much as 7000 rupees a month if they are serious. This is more than what a person whose informal business has collapsed due to COVID 19 and does not have the necessary paperwork, can hope to get as social welfare benefit.

Despite the outcry from the public about the fact that everyone knows who is in the drugs trade, the Anti-Drugs and Narcotics Bureau does not seem to be able to make a single notable arrest and get a conviction of the big guns in the business. While this surely points to the inefficiency of the government in handling this, the fact that over the past four years the LDS led National Assembly has been relatively quiet on the topic raises a lot of questions!