ONE SEYCHELLES’ LA DIGUE & PRASLIN CANDIDATES REVEALED
While other political parties have disseminated the full lists of their candidates for the upcoming legislative election in a piecemeal, chaotic manner, with some parties even re-arranging and swapping their candidates from time to time, ONE SEYCHELLES has preferred to play their cards close to their chest.
With their members hitting the campaign trail on a daily basis, many members of the public have already worked out who the Party’s candidates are for the various districts around Mahe, Praslin and La Digue.
ONE SEYCHELLES has reportedly been overcome with words of support for many of their chosen candidates, despite not having confirmed their selections to the public, with many people and organizations coming forward to volunteer their time and assistance in their upcoming campaign efforts.
“We prefer to do things correctly,” said a representative of ONE SEYCHELLES, “social media has been flooded with a confusion of faces by both the LDS and US camps, as well as by some independent candidates who have courageously tossed their hats into the ring for the upcoming Legislative election. Our hard-working members would get lost in a sea of faces if we were to follow in the footsteps of other parties, with no one able to appreciate what prompted each member to come forward, and to appreciate what each candidate has to offer the electorate.”
“While other Parties can afford to ambush the electorate with a flood of candidates,” said the Party representative, “because they take it for granted that people vote for the party and not for the person, ONE SEYCHELLES refuses to take that risk. The last elections revealed that prominent party leaders were unable to win their districts, indicating that voters are beginning to vote (or not vote) for the individual on the ballot paper, and not the political party they represent. Our candidates are already familiar faces in their designated districts, and are already receiving overwhelming and positive support from the voters. We chose each candidate for a reason, and we want the reasons for our choices to become clear to the public. Each candidate has so much to offer, and we want them to be presented in such a manner that affords them maximum visibility, because they deserve it.”
The ONE SEYCHELLES political party officially announced their three candidates for Grand Anse Praslin, Baie Ste Anne Praslin and for the Inner Islands (La Digue) on Friday (21st August) at Chez Marston, La Digue. This announcement was made in the presence of party activists and members of the press (duly masked and social-distanced), as well as some curious passers-by. Mr. Peter Sinon, the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Party, emphasized that each Parliamentary candidate must always be mindful of the fact that they, if elected, would be there to serve the electorate. He added that they must not seek to follow in the muddy footsteps of past MNAs, most of whom only reportedly visit the districts they represent when elections are called, or alternatively who only wave from their car window to the residents as they drive past. Sinon stressed the grave importance of acting as the needed voice in the National Assembly of those who have been traditionally oppressed, silenced, ignored or marginalized. He further stated that elected representatives would see to it that the exorbitant end of term gratuity and outrageous end of year bonus historically claimed by MNAs are immediately reduced to become more in line with what the average Government worker would receive. He added that the allowances earned by MNAs for sitting on Parliamentary Committees should be cut as well since the work being carried out ought to form part of the mandate of these MNAs; unnecessary “bonuses” and “frills” such as these for extremely well-paid public servants who are elected into office and who took it upon themselves to set up the said Committees are a heavy burden to be borne by tax-payers. Alain St.Ange proudly took to the stage to announce the three candidates, stating that these three individuals are upstanding citizens, and notable and commendable pillars within their communities. He added that he personally walked the districts with them for months and saw how much support they already had from the residents, and appreciated for himself how much these individuals had to offer their communities in return. He stated that these three candidates were motivated, committed, capable, honest, and had the needed integrity and passion to serve competently as an MNA. The ONE SEYCHELLES Candidates, hailing from both sides of the Country’s political divide, for the National Assembly 2020 Elections are:
-INNER ISLANDS, INCLUDING LA DIGUE –MS ELNA ETIENNE
Ms Elna Etienne is the beating heart of La Digue. A Diguois through and through, she is beloved and respected by everyone. She is widely recognized for her involvement in the Church, as well as her hard work and years of experience within the education field and within the tourism industry. She is an intelligent, shrewd and successful business owner, having started up her own tourism establishment on La Digue in 2015 –she has been managing the family-run enterprise till today. She knows most Diguois by name, and is warmly welcomed and greeted by everyone she meets.
BAIE ST. ANNE –MR DEAN PADAYACHI
Mr Dean Padayachi is unquestioningly the pillar of his community. He is a technician, qualified and skilled within the realms of technology and commerce. He is young, energetic, altruistic, kind and compassionate, spearheading countless campaign drives and projects to alleviate poverty and to assist victims of domestic violence, more often than not at his own expense. He is recognized widely throughout his community as being the go-to person if someone needs help and does not know where to turn. He embodies the very essence of what it means to be selfless, and we know that he will carry this unique quality into Parliament, where he can utilize his platform to more effectively help all those who have been oppressed, marginalized, ignored and silenced by Government for years. He can, and will, make a difference.
GRAND ANSE, PRASLIN–MR YVON ESTHER
Mr Yvon Esther is an unstoppable force in Grand Anse, Praslin. Everyone knows Mr Esther as being someone who would drop everything to hear their concerns, and who would bend over backwards to help someone in need. He is an honest, humble, seasoned and experienced business-owner, appreciating the value of sacrifice and years of hard work. His tireless dedication and commitment to his district and to his island home are recognized by all. If he encounters a problem, he will not rest until it is resolved. He is particularly concerned by the issues of climate change and how coastal erosion is affecting Praslin, the abysmal road conditions Island-wide, the rampant poverty on the Island being sidelined by Government, and the hindrances put in place by Government to stifle local business-owners. ONE SEYCHELLES members expressed their excitement and unanimous approval of the above selections, who are a marked difference from the general caliber of MNAs our Country has grown accustomed to witnessing. Alain St. Ange expressed his pride that his Party’s selections comprise good, honest and capable people with whom the electorate can relate, noting that our Parliament could only be strengthened in the best possible way if assets such as these three individuals were elected to serve the public. The three Parliamentary candidates expressed that they were humbled by the overwhelming support being received by both their Party members and the wider electorate already, and that they were privileged and honored to champion the rights of Seychellois, and to become the needed voice for their respective districts, which have been woefully neglected for years, in the National Assembly. ONE SEYCHELLES iterates that the choice in October 2020, which is ultimately for the citizens of Seychelles to make, is essentially: more of the same by the reds, “radical change” by the greens, or real change by ONE SEYCHELLES. They emphasize that mere change takes faith, while real change takes courage –It takes a voter to stand up to do what is right, and not what is easy. If enough people go against the grain and vote for real change, they will have it.
All eyes are now eagerly turning to the Mahe candidates, whose nominations shall be made public soon.
