District meetings |20 May 2023

‘Government will continue to deliver on its mandate for the wellbeing of citizens,’ says President Ramkalawan

President Wavel Ramkalawan has told residents of Anse Boileau that government will continue to deliver on its mandate for the wellbeing of the citizens despite economic difficulties.

He said this during a dialogue with the residents at the district community centre yesterday on issues affecting their district and at national level.

He said that since coming into office, the new administration has been doing a lot for the advancement of the country, including in the district and will continue to put the money that belongs to the people in areas that will further development for the benefit of all Seychellois.

With regard to police brutality, President Ramkalawan said the police are more professional in their work and they do respect people’s rights.

He noted that more crimes are being detected by the police as compared to the past and they should get our encouragement and collaboration to detect and prevent crimes in the country.

Speaking on help given to people living with Alzheimer, President Ramkalawan said apart from the centre which is being built by the Alzheimer’s Association at North East Point, and other assistance provided by government, they will also be looking into the possibility for people living with the condition and based on their situations, to get home visits by health professionals.

On health services being offered at the Anse Boileau clinic which operates on a 24-hour basis but patients have to wait a very long time to see the doctor, President Ramkalawan said the health ministry is working on increasing manpower to improve the service being offered at the clinic.

Speaking on initiatives for young fishermen in the district, Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean François Ferrari said the Seychelles Maritime Academy has, other than its normal programmes, many practical programmes related to fishing, so young people can apply. He added that the ministry is waiting for approval before starting the construction of a fishing project at Anse à la Mouche.

With regard to the construction of roads to ease travel for certain residents in the district, Minister for Lands and Housing, Billy Rangasamy, said the issue of way leave was a major barrier but the ministry is working to address the issue with private landowners. The residents also learned that the district’s main road will be resurfaced very soon. 

In relation to compensation to victims of atrocities committed by the past government based on the outcome of the Truth Reconciliation National Unity Commission (TRNUC) report, President Ramkalawan said the report will be discussed in due time by the National Assembly. He noted that given the size of the report (five volumes), it is not possible to print copies for circulation but it can be downloaded from the State House website.

He added, though, that government will try to find a way to make it easier for people to access the report.

Answering a question about responsibility allowances for teachers, Minister for Education, Dr Justin Valentin, said the ministry will look into the possibility.

Among other issues raised by the residents were access to beaches, assistance to housing and land, flooding, health and safety at work places, damage to items caused by sudden power cut by the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC), housing loan scheme for young people, seizure of assets related to drugs, house point system, animal feed, confidentiality and many others.

The meeting for Glacis residents is today and will take place at 3pm at the district’s community centre.

Patrick Joubert