LDS pays tribute to the late founding President Mancham |09 January 2017
The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Wavel Ramkalawan has, on behalf of his LDS (Linyon Demokratik Seselwa) team, sent his condolences to Lady Catherine Mancham and her family on the passing of Sir James Mancham early yesterday.
Mr Ramkalawan’s message reads:
“Seychelles says goodbye to a leader who helped shape our modern history. Mr James Mancham, known simply as ‘Jimmy’ to those with whom he interacted, will be respected as the man who led Seychelles through the important phases to full independence. Though history was distorted from time to time, for political reasons, to overshadow his significance, I personally want to acknowledge, as I have always done, the primordial role he played. I respect him as the first president of our republic, and I am sure that had he been given the chance to serve out his term of office, our country would have taken a different road where unity, peace and democracy would have been the norms.
“Honour and recognition need to be given to him. Given that the 5th of June was a dark day in the history of our country, and a week ago it was removed as a public holiday, and given that Mr Mancham led a campaign for National Reconciliation, I would like to propose that the ‘5th June Avenue’ be renamed ‘Sir James Mancham Avenue’ in his honour.
“On behalf of the LDS team in the National Assembly, I present my sincere condolences to Kate and the family.
“May his soul rest in peace.”