Breathing new life into Roche Caiman
With a population of 3,406, Roche Caiman on the eastern coast of Mahe is a district that has traditionally supported the ruling party, ever since it welcomed its first inhabitants in the early 1990s. Roche Caiman was the first district to spring up after dredging work had been undertaken, giving birth to a large reclaimed land estate living in flats on Mahe.
The concept of such estates was so new at the time, that the close proximity which neighbours found themselves to each other, prompted an ill-advised opposition politician to call the said houses ‘lakaz lapen’ or rabbit hutches – an insult that is still remembered to this day and that has largely contributed to many an inhabitant’s allegiance to the SPPF (ruling party) at the time.
However, as the years wore on, the fiercely SPPF district has also witnessed government’s mis-management of the country’s resources, and as their respective households grew so did their disenchantment with their actual situation.
It was therefore no surprise that during the 2016 legislative elections, the once staunchly SPPF/Parti Lepep/US district began showing signs of a change of allegiance -when out of the 1972 ballots cast, Audrey Vidot only managed to clinch 982 votes, while her opponent, LDS candidate Janie de l’Etourdie came in with an amazing 720 and Marcus Fanny from Seychelles Patriotic Movement (SPM) was not a threat to either women with a mere 12 votes. Figures that a few years back would have been unheard of. It is worth noting that the LDS count saw a good two hundred plus contribution coming in from the seven month old political sensation of the time- the Lalyans Seselwa party which joined forces with SNP and SPSJD to form Linyon Demokratik Sesel. Janie brought her own popularity and the handful of supporters from Phillippe Boulle, from whose entou-rage she herself hailed.
Despite losing the first past the post-race, Janie was able to be ushered into the National Assembly through the proportional representation quota allocated to her party LDS. This put Roche Caiman in the enviable position of having two parliamentarians serving its constituents. However, on the ground the district now finds itself in the same position it was in 2016 – if not worse.
The great divide between Eden Village or ‘Kosovo’ as the inhabitants call the upper Roche Caiman, which was built later and the lower part of the district known as Roche Caiman1 is glaringly obvious. Despite a new block of flats being erected where there was once a basketball court for young-sters to enjoy, there hasn’t been much development in that area. Kosovo is now notorious for the wrong reasons and has generally been neglected by their representatives in the National Assem-bly.
Armed with ample information of the plight of the inhabitants from both sides of the bridge, Ralph Volcere, the One Seychelles candidate for Roche Caiman, said one of the reasons he decided to stand in that district is to tackle its weaknesses head on.
“While out campaigning for my original aim to participate in the presidential elections, I met many residents who have expressed their disappointment with their current representatives in the National Assembly, whom they say have not only failed to bring up their plight in parliament but are still to make much needed improvements to the district,” said Volcere.
Word around Roche Caiman is that between the MNAs of the recently dissolved National Assembly, they have either been silent about pertinent issues or literally sleeping on the job!
In fact, the previously independent candidate who has now joined forces with One Seychelles, said that he believes he is the man the district needs to propel it into the future. Everyone in the country knows that Volcere is very vocal when it comes to expressing his views, as well as when he is lobbying for a cause!
“I will be fighting for the people of Roche Caiman, and my fighting on their behalf will eventually bring about change that will also be beneficial for the country as a whole,” he added.
Still flying the legalization of cannabis flag, Volcere also revealed that among others his platform included education, as well as dealing with the rampant drug addiction issue that is so apparent in society at the moment.
“Of all the students we send to school for 12 years these days, around 70% leave school with an unacceptable level of education, which means that they cannot contribute efficiently to the country’s economy,” he stated.
Upon passing muster and gaining Roche Caiman voters’ confidence, it must be noted that Volcere will be facing multiple challenges in that district which include overcrowded houses, difficulty to access land bank plots and lack of recreational activities and facilities available to residents.
Given his flair with words and no nonsense attitude, with this renewed thirst for tangible and reliable change, Volcere is definitely the breath of fresh air Roche Caiman badly needs.
