Tuesday, 01st July 2014
by Lakshman I.Keerthisinghe LLB, LLM.MPhil, Attorney-at-Law
“Both of ours are Indian Ocean nations. Cultural and trade bonds between our two countries has a long history. We need to identify new areas of cooperation…Priority should be given to areas such as trade, investment, tourism, education and people-to-people contact.”- President Rajapaksa- at the State House in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles
It was recently reported in the media that President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Seychelles President James Michel, during bilateral discussions at the State House in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles, agreed to strengthen bilateral relations while expanding cooperation into new areas. President Rajapaksa concluded a four-day state visit to the Maldives and Seychelles.
President Michel, beginning the talks, said he was pleased to welcome President Rajapaksa to his country for the second time. “Relations between our two countries set an example for South – South cooperation,” President Michel said. “We are proving that South – South cooperation is possible.”
Following President Rajapaksa’s visit to Seychelles last year, there has been a remarkable improvement in the bilateral relations between the two countries, President Michel said. “Your present one is another step forward,” he added.
President Rajapaksa, thanking Seychelles for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation, congratulated Seychelles for its 38th Anniversary of Independence, which falls on July 28.
President Michel’s visit to Sri Lanka in August 2010 greatly contributed to expanding bilateral relations, President Rajapaksa said, adding that the opening of the new Sri Lankan High Commission in Seychelles, the Bank of Ceylon branch and the Sri Lanka Insurance branch are testimony of that. President Rajapaksa, expressing hope that future bilateral relations would reach to a new level, invited the Seychelles President to visit Sri Lanka. President Michel also agreed that relations are at a satisfactory level.
International fora
“Ours is a win-win partnership. We can learn a lot from Sri Lanka. We are ready to continue the relationship with Sri Lanka,” President Michel said commending Sri Lanka for raising common issues faced by the developing countries at international fora.
Following bilateral discussions, the two presidents proceeded to a one-to-one meeting, and Vice President of Seychelles Mr. Danny Faure and Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris also proceeded for discussions. Agreements that are signed today will create a strong platform for relations, Prof. Peiris said.
He further said that Sri Lanka can provide training facilities for teachers for the development of education in Seychelles. As ocean nations, both the countries should prioritize enhancing “blue economies,” he added. The Seychelles Education Minister will visit Sri Lanka this week to explore the areas of assistance while the Minister of Health is schedule to visit before the end of the year, Vice President Faure said. He commended the maritime training provided by CINEC Maritime Campus to his country’s youth.
When one examines foreign relations of Sri Lanka it is seen that such relations refer to the diplomatic and commercial relations between Sri Lanka and other countries.
Sri Lanka has stressed its principle of friendship towards all, enmity towards none in its diplomacy. Sri Lanka traditionally follows a Non–Aligned Foreign Policy and does not take sides with major powers. The goal of Sri Lanka’s foreign policy is to maintain a strong, independent, powerful and unitary Sri Lanka; The Sri Lankan foreign policy establishment maintains the achievement of this goal.
Sri Lanka’s foreign policy has been founded in the national interest. In a period of rapid and continuing change, foreign policy should be capable of responding optimally to new challenges and opportunities. It has to be an integral part of the larger effort of building the nation’s capabilities through economic development, strengthening the social fabric and well-being of the people and protecting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Global treaties and agreements
Sri Lanka’s foreign policy is a forward-looking engagement with the rest of the world, based on a rigorous, realistic and contemporary assessment of the bilateral, regional and global geo-political and economic milieu.
It is noteworthy that President Rajapaksa speaking about Sri Lanka’s foreign policy has stated in the Mahinda Chinthana thus: “I will continue Sri Lanka’s Non-aligned foreign policy. During the last four years we witnessed the benefits of maintaining friendly relations with India, Japan, China, Pakistan and other Asian countries. I am committed to continue these friendly relations in the political, economic, defence, trade and cultural arenas. I will ensure that Sri Lanka abides by the global treaties and agreements on environmental and climate change and will strengthen Sri Lanka’s ties with the UN Agencies. I will maintain the dignity of my country in foreign relations and will initiate a new program to forge good relations with countries.”
In pursuance of these goals the President has undertaken several state visits thereby enhancing the solidarity between Indian Ocean Nations in particular.
Seychelles is officially known as the Republic of Seychelles is a 155-island country (as per the Constitution) spanning an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, whose capital, Victoria, lies some 1,500 kilometres (932 mi) east of mainland Souitheast Africa, northeast of the island of Mafagascar.
Seychelles, with a population of 90,024, has the smallest population of any African State Seychelles is a member of the African Union. Some scholars assume that Austronesian seafarers and later Maldivian and Arab traders were the first to visit the uninhabited Seychelles. Remains of Maldivian mariner presence from the 12th century were found in Silhouette Island. The earliest recorded sighting by Europeans took place in 1502 by the Portuguese Admiral Vasco da Gama, who passed through the Amirantes and named them after himself (islands of the Admiral).
Crown colony
The earliest recorded landing was in January 1609, by the crew of the “Ascension” under Captain Sharpeigh during the fourth voyage of the English Easdt Indian Company. A transit point for trade between Africa and Asia, the islands were occasionally used by pirates until the French began to take control starting in 1756 when a Stone of Possession was laid by Captain Nicholas Morphey.
The islands were named after Jean Moreau de Sechelles, King Luis XV’’s Minister of Finance. The British contested control over the islands between 1794 and 1810. Jean Baptiste Quéau de Quincy, French administrator of Seychelles during the years of war with the United Kingdom, declined to resist when armed enemy warships arrived. Instead, he successfully negotiated the status of capitulation to Britain which gave the settlers a privileged position of neutrality.
Britain eventually assumed full control upon the surrender of Mauritius in 1810, formalised in 1814 at the Treaty of Paris. Seychelles became a crown colony separate from Mauritius in 1903. Elections were held in 1966 and 1970. Independence was granted in 1976 as a republic within the Commonwealth.
In 1977, a coup d’état ousted the first president of the republic, James Mancham, who was replaced by France Albert Rene. The 1979 constitution declared a socialist one-party state, which lasted until 1991. The first draft of a new constitution failed to receive the requisite 60 per cent of voters in 1992, but an amended version was approved in 1993. In January 2013, the country declared a state of emergency; the tropical cyclone Felleng caused torrential rain, and flooding and landslides destroyed hundreds of houses.
The Seychelles President, who is head of state and head of government, is elected by popular vote for a five-year term of office. The previous President, France Albert Rene, first came to power after his supporters overthrew the first president, James Mancham, on June 5, 1977 in a bloodless coup d’état and installed him as president. He was at that time the current prime minister. He ruled under a dictatorial one party state communist system until in 1993 he was forced to introduce a multi-party system. He stepped down in 2004 in favour of his vice-president, James Michel, who was re-elected in 2006 and again in 2011. The Cabinet is presided over and appointed by the president, subject to the approval of a majority of the legislature.
The unicameral Seychellois Parliament, the National Assembly or Assemblée Nationale, consists of 34 members, of whom 25 are elected directly by popular vote, while the remaining nine seats are appointed proportionally according to the percentage of votes received by each party. All members serve five-year terms. The primary political parties are the ruling socialist People’s Party(PP), known until 2009 as the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front (SPPF), and the Socially Liberal Sejchelles National Party (SNP).
Politics has been an integral part of the lives of the Seychellois since its inception in the early sixties. Seychelles is part of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), La Frnacophonie and the Commonwealth of Nations.
Seychelles is divided into twenty-six administrative regions that comprise all of the inner islands. Eight of the districts make up the capital of Seychelles and are referred to as Greater Victoria.
Another 14 districts are considered the rural part of the main island of Mahe with two districts on Praslin and one on La Digeu which also includes respective satellite islands. The rest of the Outer Islands (Îles Eloignées) are the last district, recently created by the tourism ministry.
Until the mid-19th century, little formal education was available in Seychelles; the Catholic and Anglican churches opened mission schools in 1851. The Catholic mission later operated boys’ and girls’ secondary schools with religious Brothers and nuns from abroad even after the government became responsible for them in 1944.
A teacher training college opened in 1959, when the supply of locally trained teachers began to grow, and in short time many new schools were established. Since 1981 a system of free education has been in effect requiring attendance by all children in grades one to nine, beginning at age five. Ninety percent of all children attend nursery school at age four. The literacy rate for school-age children rose to more than 90 per cent by the late 1980s. Many older Seychellois had not been taught to read or write in their childhood; adult education classes helped raise adult literacy from 60 per cent to a claimed 85 per cent in 1991.
The current administration has advanced plans to open a university in an attempt to slow down the brain drain that has occurred. University of Seychelles initiated in conjunction with the University of London, is launching education programs which will include teaching and lead to the award of the recognised qualifications from the University of London.
Since independence in 1976, per capita output has expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level.
Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30 per cent of the labour force, compared to agriculture which today employs about 3 per cent of the labour force.
Despite the growth of tourism, farming and fishing continue to employ some people, as do industries that process coconuts and vanilla. The prime agricultural products currently produced in the Seychelles include sweet potatoes, vanilla coconuts and cinnamon. These products provide much of the economic support of the locals. Frozen and canned fish, copra, cinnamon and vanilla are the main export commodities.
In 1971, with the opening of Seychelles International Airport, tourism became a significant industry, essentially dividing the economy into plantations and tourism.
The tourism sector paid better, and the plantation economy could only expand so far.
The plantation sector of the economy declined in prominence, and tourism became the primary industry of Seychelles.
The main natural resources of the Seychelles are fish, copra, cinnamon, coconuts, salt and iron.
In conclusion, as President Rajapaksa has stated in the Mahinda Chinthana “I will maintain the dignity of my country in foreign relations and will initiate a new program to forge good relations with countries.”
It is seen that by enhancing bi-lateral relations with countries such as Seychelles, the President is discharging his dual roles as the leader of our nation as well as the Chairman of the Commonwealth of Nations thereby enhancing the solidarity and economic cooperation between the Indian Ocean Nations, which would benefit all such nations including our motherland.
From : http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=features/enhancing-solidarity-between-indian-ocean-nations
