Seychelles election update – Live from Victoria / Mahe

ELECTIONS SEYCHELLES STYLE – IT TRULY IS ‘ANOTHER WORLD’

The slogan used by the Seychelles Tourist Board ‘Seychelles – Another World’ immediately sprung to mind when observing the elections on Saturday at the main island of Mahe, where this correspondent managed to visit about a dozen polling stations across the island and throughout the day, which were open from 07.00 hrs until 19.00 hrs, with voting compulsory for those above 18 years of age.

Had it not been for the election posters, on electricity poles, in front gardens and on large banners one could be fooled to think it was just ‘Another Day in Paradise’ and while it was a public holiday on the occasion, life on the island continued almost as normal, or so it appeared for the tourists, had it not been for the closure of banks and the less than usual Saturday traffic in and out of the capital Victoria.

Elections in Africa have in many countries become the bane of tourism, due to the tension between the ruling parties and the opposition, and are now wary to have a holiday in destinations with a ‘reputation’ for pre-election and post-election violence, as most recently seen in Uganda where a minute, and in terms of numbers almost insignificant number of people, spurred on by opposition (mis)-leaders – punt fully intended – took to the streets to the joy of international media vultures who were swift to portray our capital city as a war zone, dealing tourism a crushing blow in the process.

Yet, here in the Seychelles the people seem content, almost happy and as witnessed they patiently queued in long lines early in the morning to discharge their duty as citizens to elect their president. In fact, several couples were observed strolling hand in hand towards the polling stations to cast their votes in what must be one of the most unique ways to conduct elections, walking to the polls and back home in the warm sunshine of a Seychelles morning.

From many conversations with voters leaving the polling stations it was soon evident that the campaign had been peaceful too, no scuffles and no fire spitting rhetoric either, with the opposition almost perceived as running a lackluster campaign.

This surely is a lesson for Africa, seeing free and fair elections being organized in a fellow African country, and several SADC election observers freely admitted on condition of anonymity – there were not authorized to speak to the media – that they had not seen such a well organized and almost leisurely conduct of elections in many of the other African countries they had been to for the same purpose.

Election results will be in after midnight, and will be broadcast live on Seychelles TV, and going by the words of a staff of the hotel this correspondent spoke with before leaving for the ‘observer duty’ it will be ‘life goes on tomorrow as normal and if my candidate loses we will try again in 5 years time. But we will accept. There is no point in protesting because the elections will have a result and when that is clear we just move on. The Seychellois people are very peaceful by nature, we do not like to fight and politics is not worth fighting over like you do on the continent.’

Passengers on the flight as well as tourists in hotels, or met on the streets of Victoria, too spoke up when asked their opinion, with most of them however professing that apart from the elections posters they had no idea that Seychelles was holding elections while they were on holiday and adding ‘so what, we are here for a holiday and one does not even realize they are in election mode here’ while on in particular strenuously denied that Seychelles was even part of Africa – so much for Geography lessons made in America.

Wise words for many a politician to heed ahead of the next election campaign on the African continent, especially in those parts of Eastern Africa where some deluded individuals still seem to think they can capture government by violence. Not in the Seychelles for sure and no longer wanted at home either.

Watch this space tomorrow for election results and related updates.

Seychelles breaking news – Royal couple leaves for home

IT IS ‘BYE BYE SEYCHELLES’ FOR THE ROYAL COUPLE

Having been amongst the very first to accurately predict the Seychelles as the honeymoon destination of the recently married Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, aka Royal Couple aka Prince William and his it was satisfying to be in destination, when officials on the archipelago finally broke their long self imposed silence on the subject and confirmed that the honeymooners had left yesterday after spending 10 blissful days on North Island, arguably the highest rated honeymoon resort across the entire Seychelles and from here on the focus of many many more wishing to also spend their first married days where the Prince and Princess spent theirs.

It is understood that the Seychelles Coast Guard had thrown a secure cordon around the island, supported by Royal security officers, to ensure the paparazzi were kept a long distance away. The couple, as happened on their arrival, were flown by Zil Air helicopter from North Island to the International Airport on Mahe from where they took the long flight home to Britain and to start married life in earnest.

The Seychelles Tourist Board had remarkably lived up to their commitment to keep this under wraps until the Royals had departed for home, although amongst close observers it was an open secret for some time, with the repeated security checks of North Island probably the biggest hint one could unearth, although Royal security was thought to have done decoy recces to put the media on a wrong course.

For the archipelago this honeymoon is a priceless opportunity to gain a yet higher profile around the world, if this is at all possible, having catapulted the destination over the past years right to the top of the world’s ‘must visit’ destinations. Yet, a Royal honeymoon will like little else find their way into the glossy travel magazines, the wedding magazines and other media and remain there for a long time, giving the Seychelles free PR and exposure where other destinations are both struggling to worm their way into the media’s good books and having to pay for it.

The Royal couple were seen off at the Mahe International Airport by the Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs, the British High Commissions to the Seychelles, the Seychelles High Commissioner to the UK and notably the Seychelles Tourist Board Chief Executive Alain St. Ange, at which time the couple was presented with a Coco de Mer, which will undoubtedly remind them ever once in while to return to the archipelago for another holiday.

While obviously no official statement was available from the palace at this time it is understood from the same impeccable source which gave the first tip off to this correspondent, that the Royal couple was clearly very happy on North Island and enjoyed every moment of their time there, probably pointing to one or the other significant anniversary being spend again in the future in the Seychelles.

Happy Landings to the Royal couple back home and well done Seychelles for this media coup extraordinaire.

Uganda news update – No cause for alarm, tourists told

NO CAUSE FOR ALARM FOR TOURISTS

Officials in Kampala have confirmed that two more suspected Ebola cases were reported in as the measures of the Ministry of Health and WHO officials to contain the disease were intensified to prevent any further spread beyond the immediate areas where the present outbreak was found.Confirmation by the Uganda Virus Research Institute is now being sought after supplying them with samples while other samples were sent to the CDC in Atlanta as a matter of urgency.

Tourism officials have in the meantime calmed the waters by pointing out that tourists are not ordinarily travelling to the location of the outbreak and would now not be able to as containment measures were put in place to strictly control movement in and out of those isolated areas. They also pointed to the success story of dealing with a recently ‘imported’ outbreak of Yellow Fever and the last Ebola outbreak some years ago, where the swift and comprehensive reaction by the Ministry of Health and their WHO colleagues swiftly contained the disease and in fact produced hitherto never recorded high survival rates.

Visitors to Uganda should consult the UTB website at www.visituganda.com and take any normal precautions vis a vis recommended and required inoculations and malaria prevention. Enjoy your visit to the Pearl of Africa, to track our mountain gorillas or see the splendor of our national parks, the source of the River Nile and Lakes Victoria, Albert, Edward, George and Kyoga.