The need to change cap by 180 degrees |21 January 2021

Imagine Seychelles as a ship being navigated by its captain and manned by its crew heading into a depression, with forecasts of storms and cyclones on the horizon and no chance of fish being caught. Yet, if it changed course by 180 degrees there would be calmer waters and through hard work an abundant catch.

Over 5 articles we will look at this possibility of an alternative course, the subjects being:

(1)      DO NO HARM (Primum non nocere) AND STEAMING ALONG

(2)      TRUSTING THE AUTHORITIES

(3)      THE NEW WORLD ORDER

(4)      MONOPOLY

(5)      PLAN B AND THE GREEN ECONOMY

Part 1: Do no harm (primum non nocere) and steaming along

Doctors today rarely take the ‘primum non nocere’ (do no harm) oath which was to put patient’s interest first; this has since been replaced by the sales of pharmaceutical products being put at the forefront. A classic example are the dangers of opioids and tobacco being hidden for financial reasons; even to the extent where the opioid epidemic in the US is also responsible for 80% of all crimes.

A doctor’s inherent responsibility is to make an assessment of the risk/benefit when considering prescribing an opioid (pain killing drug) for a patient. Where there is no solid scientific evidence to show that dispensing methadone or oxycontinis an effective intervention, then other courses of action need to be considered. The only benefit of methadone here has been to reduce crime and create an empire, neither of which can be considered as benefits to the patient. Instead we have a reward system for those on illegal drugs, by supplying another opioid to treat an opioid! Finally creating a return gateway for illicit drugs as the enslaved addicts hit tolerance with the prescribed drug. A total waste of 72 million, which for example, could have been better utilised funding scholarships for our students. To find out the real cost of the programme just take the 72 million and divide it by the average number of clients over a day, you will get an astonishing figure, and certainly far more than the cost of a prison meal!

For tomorrow is their future and the future of Seychelles

This substance abuse group urgently needs to be taken out of the national economic equation. Instead implementing a policy of zero tolerance whereby all addicts are taken out to an outer island, temporarily accommodated under tarpaulins while studying for example sustainable alternative Creole architecture. Put into practice by building their own workshops and housing under instruction from construction lecturers, so in due course they all obtain a strong base and qualification in building skills. In addition these clients would be responsible for producing their own food. Of course, a resident doctor and dentist are essential for such a programme. Our younger generations, then seeing little or no reward for taking illicit drugs will think twice; for tomorrow is their future, and the future of Seychelles.

This pragmatic scientific approach needs to be also adopted when considering the Covid-19 pandemic. By all evidence available, this was just one of a family of biological weapons developed at The North Carolina Laboratories Fort Dietrich US Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and tested on soldiers. Further joint research with Dr Anthony Fauci and others was conducted at the Wuhan Laboratory. Subsequently an international enquiry into the outbreak has been demanded, only to be met with President Jinping’s response of: “That an enquiry cannot begin until the pandemic has subsided”. This is totally unacceptable, particularly as the virus mutates when threatened by a vaccine, added to which some reporters in China are saying that a new virus is planned and that the next one will be far worse. More recently on January 6, it was publically announced that WHO (World Health Organisation) had been denied entry (visa) into China to investigate the origins of the virus. Those having unfortunately taken the vaccine will be the worst off in such a scenario, as their natural immunity system will have been greatly weakened.

So why have we been so lucky here in the Seychelles with mostly only asymptomatic cases? This is due in part to the pro-active health policies and tracing that has been put in place; another part is down to our healthy island diet that includes spices, chilly, garlic and ginger. The greater part however, is most likely due to the sun, our abundant source of vitamin D and in particular the humidity. At an Indian clinic where Covid patients are treated, the medical staff do two steam inhalations per day, 10 respirations in through the nose and out through the mouth and vice-versa. And none have gone down with Covid. Indeed that is all our front line medical staff need to do and for anyone else to practice as a prevention measure, adding eucalyptus essential oil or cinnamon leaves if one so wishes. While it is clear that the vaccines have been rushed out with all the fake news and media hype claiming benefits, the medium and long term risks remain unknown and therefore no credible doctor would advocate it. For the

vaccines, lockdowns and economic collapse are intended ways to enslave all people. The current pandemic is the plague of corruption which puts the very sacredness of humanity at risk.

Both the virus and vaccine should be avoided like the plague. While dissimilar to the medieval plague, which was spread by rats and victims, this one is being spread solely by the highly mobile rat race.

The vaccines destined for treating Covid-19 are for ‘Emergency Use’, hence the signing of consent forms. The effects on foetuses are unknown and indeed the risks of the vaccines may be greater than the virus itself. Authorities worldwide are playing Russian roulette with the health of their Nations, having made policies based on marketing and misinformation, as opposed to the long-term scientific evidence required. Seychelles is one country that does not need the vaccine, in particular Sinopharm, that may only have 50% efficacy; it makes the whole procedure rather pointless and irresponsible, at a crucial time when resources need to be directed into developing alternative and viable enterprises in order to sustain our economy. Just like the methadone programme, this vaccination roll-out has been a political decision and not one based on best medical practice, and we will witness the virus mutating when faced with vaccines and then out-running the vaccine itself, and then what?

Health or wealth

We have perhaps a stark choice before us, between health and wealth. In order to generate foreign income the attraction would be to increase tourism and that alone regrettably could be our ‘monkey trap’. The parable of the hollowed out coconut which contains food, the monkey comes down out of the tree and grabs the food from inside the coconut, but as the monkey holds onto the reward it finds itself unable to get its hand clenched with food out of the coconut, and so ends up being clubbed to death. Yet, if it let go of the feed it would be able to escape. All of the Covid cases to date will have been imported, but here we run the risk of an outbreak, going from tracing a few dozen people, to hundreds and then mass testing and lockdowns. The only real way unfortunately is to close down our borders and learn to become reliant on our own endeavours and certainly not to hold out the international begging bowl; this gesture is so insensitive at a time when other countries and peoples are suffering.

So, given that people who take the vaccine will no longer be eligible to donate blood (circa 70% herd immunity) and considering that our immune system will be compromised, and yet more importantly, once in your body, the vaccine cannot be taken out, it behoves us to become nationally a non-vaccinated placebo group for the world. Demonstrating that we are certainly not only smart, for here we have the golden opportunity to calmly make our own judicious conclusions over a 2–3 year period about the risks/benefits of the vaccines from other countries; but also that we have wisely and humbly learnt from our own man-made disaster, methadone.

And if we really wanted to avoid imported cases of Covid and the subsequent lockdowns, then all we have to do is to close our borders, thereby stopping the irresponsible policy of encouraging visitors from high-risk countries such as France, Britain and Germany to come to Seychelles. It is high time we put our People first.

For whilst Seychelles is part of the current pandemic problem, we have the potential to be a big part of the solution.

© The old man of the mountain

Disclaimer :

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Seychelles NATION newspaper.