Peacemaking versus peacekeeping (2) |30 March 2015

Over the last 10 years Sir James R. Mancham, founding President of the Republic of Seychelles has been making it his mission to advocate that more money be spent on peacemaking (education and human resource development) as opposed to peacekeeping (defence budget, military equipment and acquisition of nuclear capacity) as a road to a more balanced world order.

On Saturday March 28 Sir James received an e-mail and the accompanying photo from Phil Keeler of Florida, who was the first manager of the Pan-American base US Air Force Tracking Station operations in Seychelles in the mid 60s during the Cold War period. The photo carries the following caption: “Could this really be true? It looks as though President Obama is preparing to mount your photo in his office”.

No doubt, Sir James’ peacemaking efforts are gathering international impact and more momentum at this troublesome time in world history. Or is the photo a hoax on the part of some war-minded Republican fanatic who believes that at the moment President Obama is more intent towards peacemaking rather than peacekeeping?

In a statement from his Glacis-sur-Mer office yesterday Mr Mancham said he personally doubts the authenticity of the photo.

“Maybe it is an April Fool’s Day initiative but the point remains that there is no such thing as bad publicity when it comes to a good cause.”

Meanwhile United Kingdom historian Christopher Lee, RD MA FRSA, who authored  ‘Seychelles’ political castaways’ prior to Seychelles’ Independence in 1976 when he was the BBC’s defence correspondent who is best known for writing the BBC Radio documentary series ‘The Sceptered Isle’ which was read by the late Annamassey and directed by Pete Atkin and who is the quarter century fellow in contemporary history and lecturer in Emmanuel College of the University of Cambridge, has posted on Amazon.com the following comments on Sir James’ recent book ‘SEYCHELLES – The saga of a small nation navigating though the cross-currents of a big world’.

“James Mancham has become a consistent feature of world political, diplomatic and institutional gatherings since he became the first president of Seychelles in the 1970s. In United Nations, world and regional forums Mancham’s thoughts and reflections are recognised as important contributions to sensitive global issues. It is good moment to ask how a man from a small nation scattered across not many more than 90 islands and sand cays in the Indian Ocean who held public office for such a relatively short time has achieved international status normally reserved for leaders of much bigger and important nations.

The answer is in the story of how all the instincts of human spirit and uncomplicated logic have been tested during the post-World War and post-Cold War ambitions of much larger interests who lost sight of the importance of what is right and what is wrong in the way international ambitions disregard what is sometimes best for mankind. If that sounds idealistic, then it may sit easily in the further autobiography of James Mancham. Mancham the international personality and political figure is also Mancham the poet. Poets dream beyond their own ambitions.

This is evident in this book that brings us the history of his period at an international level as well as his personal perceptions as a man who regarded famously the world as his village and taught many a world leader the wisdom of that thought. Also the secret of Mancham’s attraction and understanding of the triumphs as well as the weaknesses of half a century of those testing institutions and ambitions is there for all to see in the sub-title of this work, ‘Global Citizen’. Few can achieve that accolade. Mancham is among its finest examples.”