Exclusive interview with President Danny Faure |20 October 2016

‘I expect the opposition-dominated National Assembly to rise to the occasion and approve names of the ministers’

A firm believer in hard work, Danny Faure never dreamt of being the president of Seychelles.

Two days after his inauguration as the country’s fourth president, he accepted to Seychelles NATION’s request for an interview and we bring you his answers to our questions.

Seychelles NATION: Did you ever think you would one day become the President of Seychelles?

President Danny Faure: I never dreamt of becoming the President of Seychelles. My dream was to go into politics and take on a role to serve the people of Seychelles. But in 2010, when I became vice-president, I sensed the former president was preparing me for the job. But it was never my dream to be the president of Seychelles.

Seychelles NATION: What will be your leadership style?

President Danny Faure: I believe in certain principles which I have shared with other people. I have been brought up to do good things to others and I firmly believe in it. Those principles include justice, fairness, equality in opportunity, and social justice. I think we need to redistribute the country’s wealth. Wealth has been created in the country but it should be distributed more evenly to make sure that the people who are currently living in poverty enjoy a better life.

I also believe in the delegation of duties. For me one person cannot do all the work alone. I believe in team work and team spirit. I also believe in giving people space to work when he/she knows her guidelines and I don’t intervene. I have always had this approach everywhere I have worked. I held the education portfolio for eight years and I worked well with everyone regardless of their political affiliation or their religious belief. I put forward the guidelines and then let the person follow. If there is a problem along the way, we will get into trouble. I like to lead teams on major reforms. For example, I had the chance to bring about a major reform in education. Many people did not realise that with the defunct of the National Youth Service, we had the largest number of employers leaving the government service. But I handled it in a professional way. During the economic reforms I had to reorganise the SMB (Seychelles Marketing Board now Seychelles Trading Company) and the economy. I had to make these changes with the help of people. Firstly you have to trust people. I believe that when you give people the space to manoeuvre they will become more confident. Therefore, for me everyone has the possibility and ability to reach where he/she wants to go. But I give the direction and I expect we all go in the same direction.

Seychelles NATION: People say you are very strict and under your leadership Seychelles will revert to socialism because you studied in Cuba. What are your thoughts?

President Danny Faure: This is not the case. I have upheld the Constitution which mostly our party agreed on its basic tenets. While studying in Cuba I have lived with poor people from Africa, Latin America and other parts of the world. There were orphans who until this day do not know their parents. This experience has helped me to understand what real poverty is and also understand the sufferings of people who have lost their parents in wars. This has really impacted on me and this is why I firmly believe in peace and stability.

My policies are based on justice and rule of law, and I don’t see why people should be afraid of my working style. All people who work hard expect to be paid accordingly. So if you are hardworking and believe in giving a 100% in every job you do, then you share one of my principles. We can’t come to work and play, expecting to get a good salary when your brothers and sisters have been working hard. For me, when I see Seychellois men and women working hard, I feel proud and they must benefit from their hard labour.

Wealth has been created in the country but it should be distributed more evenly to make sure that the people who are currently living in poverty enjoy a better life. I believe we can do it, but we have to do it in an organised way. People will be free, but this freedom should go hand in hand with respect for one another. I accept everyone as they are and see everyone as my brothers and sisters created by God. In my eyes we are equal, even though I am the President of Seychelles I owe all the people respect. I make sure I follow these rules in my everyday life. Based on these rules I get to make new friends who know very well that I like people to deliver on the job and not use the workplace as a playground.

Seychelles NATION: There are a lot of concerns about your ability to lead Seychelles. How can you reassure the nation that you are the best person to lead Seychelles in this current political climate?

President Danny Faure: I cannot change people’s opinion. But I respect people’s opinion. People will get to judge me through my work which I expect will connect to their heart based on the principles I have said earlier. If I say we will be do five things, believe me we will not only do the five things, but six or possibly seven. This is the kind of trust we will build as a team. We need to face our problems head on as a team and people will appreciate the work we are doing together and which will be of benefit to them and the country. Seychelles is a very small country with a small population of only 93,000 people, unlike big countries like China with a population of more than 1 billion people. Therefore we need to take care of everyone. It is not good to see some people in an area living extremely well and being wealthy, while pockets of the population go to sleep thinking what to do the next day. We have to rectify this situation which did not come about because we wanted it. It came about with our development, but the system failed to keep it in check. Our policies are in place but we need people to implement those. There are more than 8,000 people employed in the public service and another 8,000 in the commercial sector. Our workforce is more than 48,000 but why should only five people shoulder all the problems to feed the whole population? We need to share the wealth and it is not an impossible task as long as we all wake up in the morning and go to work and work hard, we can transform Seychelles into the country we want it to be.

Seychelles NATION: What are you going to do differently from your predecessor, Mr James A. Michel?

President Danny Faure: My predecessor was involved in the struggle and continued in this path, but has brought Seychelles to a very good level in its development. I don’t want to be compared with my predecessor. We have to see what the future holds for us and how together, we are going to face the future. When we spend time thinking how the other person did something in the past, others are grabbing the opportunities because they are thinking of how to do things instead of how things were done. My focus is to guide the Seychellois people to make use of the many opportunities available.

Seychelles NATION: There were talks that you cannot be the President of Seychelles as you were not born here. What have you got to say to your critics?

President Danny Faure: On October 16, 2016 I was sworn in as the new President of Seychelles and I signed the necessary documents. I also uphold the Constitution. It’s true I was not born in Seychelles. I did not choose where I should be born. I come from a family of six children – three boys and three girls. My dad left Seychelles at the age of 17 years old for Uganda to work as a technician at a time when we were still under the British colony. When he came back, he met my mum who was a young teacher at that time. She sacrificed her job and left Seychelles to accompany my dad to Uganda. Again I say, I did not ask where I should be born, but I know my parents’ history and they are both Seychellois.

Seychelles NATION: You made some announcements in the National Assembly on Tuesday regarding the changes in the different ministries. Should we expect to see a lot more changes in your government?

President Danny Faure: I only announced changes in the structure. I hope the members of the National Assembly will deliberate on the names of the proposed vice-president and ministers and then give their approval. Then I will proceed with a reshuffle in government. Following that, each minister will take the lead by heeding the principles of good governance, accountability and transparency to guide them in their work. This will be the start to bring Seychelles to new heights and this is how changes will be brought about in the country.

Seychelles NATION: Do you think you will be able to work with a National Assembly with an opposed majority and do you expect it to approve the list of ministers?

President Danny Faure: I am not thinking negatively. I expect the opposition-dominated National Assembly to rise to the occasion and approve the list of names of people who will form the new cabinet of ministers.

After hearing me speak on October 16 (during the inauguration ceremony) and on October 18 (in the National Assembly), I have shown that I am sincere in what I am doing to close the gap and heal our nation. I have shown the will to work with the opposition and I have also publicly said ‘sorry’ for any sufferings done to anyone during the last 39 years.

We never said we were God on Earth as mistakes are bound to happen. I wanted to have closure. And I have explained to everyone that we have opened a new chapter and that we need to work together. For me to achieve this, I need a team. I could have not gone to the National Assembly and just send the list of names to them according to article 63(1) of the Constitution. But I chose to do things differently and go to the members and explain to them before presenting the list. The people of Seychelles will be the judge of all the politicians and I believe the politicians will bear in mind that when we say we have to work together, I can’t work alone. We need to work as a team and this is how I see things.

Seychelles NATION: In your speech, you said “we must undergo a process of true reconciliation” and stop victimisation. What have you got in mind to start the process?

President Danny Faure: Through the policies which are very clear for all to understand. Vacancies will be open and everyone can compete. Next year, I will introduce an independent service commission whose mandate will be to take politics out of the public sector. If we have been at school together and we have worked hard and a vacant post in the information department has been advertised, the best of us will get the post and this will make the information department function better, which will be of benefit to Seychelles.

I have also explained the concept of police clearance because there is confusion and false perception. Police clearance is based on a person’s criminal record. Some people in government have used this against us. For example, if you have vacancies for two persons and you get 70 applications, you must first shortlist the best candidates and then write to the others giving them reasons why they are not part of the list. Then you interview the potential candidates. But what has been happening is some organisations recruit two persons and then tell the remaining 68 they will get the job because of their political affiliation. 

Victimisation also has been linked to work places. People are given jobs to do and when they don’t do it and action is taken against them, they say they are being victimised against. There’s no victimisation because you got your job description when you were hired for the job and I expect you to follow it. And once you agree to do so, you deliver in your chosen job. I believe in simple ABCs in all organisations. As a worker you tell your boss what you expect from him/her and the boss tells you what he/she expects from you.

Seychelles NATION: How will you tackle the social issues that are affecting the country?

President Danny Faure: The issue of drugs in Seychelles is quite complex as we are surrounded by the sea. There are a lot of programmes in place to help people affected with drugs, but my mission is to hit the financing. I have already given orders to the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA) to ask for bank transfers in the purchase of vehicles, lands and houses. If you cannot show proof of the bank transfer, you will not get a registration certificate from the SLA. I have given the same instruction to the office of Registrar through the Attorney General’s office. By doing this, you cannot launder money and I will later introduce other ways to stop this kind of black market. People need to do their transactions through the banks. Why is it that you get a loan and work hard to reimburse the money when somebody else makes his riches on drug importation and sale, then buys properties and vehicles and register same under other people’s names? That person is defying the system and we needed to do something. This is why I have decided to hit the financing.

Seychelles NATION: You also mentioned that “we all have a place in our homeland Seychelles”. How would reassure those people out there who believe that Parti Lepep leaders do have the heart for ALL Seychellois?

President Danny Faure: All Seychellois have to know they have a place in our homeland Seychelles. If some people think there are any policies in place that will make life difficult for them I will remove those. We all live under the same sun in Seychelles.

Firstly, we are all on the starting line, we go to school to study and we get the job according to our qualifications.

Secondly, if you decide not to get a job you can start your own business, but the same system is applicable here.

Thirdly, because your salary does not allow you to get a house worth R1 million, the government will help you and will give you a house according to your needs. This is because the distribution of houses is based on people’s needs.

Today we have 4,911 people making contributions towards their housing finance. And when they are out of their job and cannot make the contributions, they are told they should be systematically making their contributions. This is against the principle that everyone should benefit from any assistance. And when that person does not get the assistance and sees that somebody else is getting it, he/she says it’s not fair and asks why the other person is getting the assistance before him/her. Our policies are very good, but it is the administration of those policies by people that is a problem and we make them understand that they should deliver based on a set of principles.

Seychelles NATION: How are you going to lure back the defected Parti Lepep supporters?

President Danny Faure: There must be a reason somebody decides to leave a group and there must also be a reason why some decides to join a group. I am not looking at who has left or who has joined the group. I say we have a job to do and our programme is people centred. We have to make sure that whenever we do something we don’t lose sight of why we are serving the people. We are in power not to fulfill our wishes and grow rich, but to make sure our people benefit from the system in place and we play by the rules in place. For me this is like the 10 Commandments. And if we bring those into politics, we must be able to speak to people despite their high expectations. But if I don’t take care of them, somebody else will. Even though that person swears at me a number of times, it is my duty to speak to the person to make him/her understand that the path we have chosen will lead him/her to achieving something good like his brothers and sisters in a not too distant future. But his brothers and sisters must have also benefitted from a system which is just. There will be challenges ahead as we need to change our mindset to understand that we should do things differently.

Seychelles NATION: You have talked a lot about religion and have even added a religious affairs portfolio. Why?

President Danny Faure: Religion brings spiritual values and builds a person’s character. If we remove religion in our lives it’s like removing our soul. You will not have a compass. I have two, the first comes from the Almighty and the second is the set of principles. I put those together in life and although there are contradictions at times, I make sure that I am guided by them. We have to go back to the spiritual values through our religious beliefs.

Seychelles NATION: Finally, you officially divorced your wife last week. Do we expect to see a First Lady soon?

President Danny Faure: A first lady? No. There won’t be any. All my love and attention will go to the people of Seychelles and my children.

Seychelles NATION: Thank you Mr President

Interview conducted by G. G.