VICTORIA, Seychelles — The National Assembly’s reply session to President Wavel Ramkalawan’s State-of-the-Nation Address (Sona) opened yesterday with Leader of the Opposition Honourable Sebastien Pillay and Leader of Government Business Honourable Bernard Georges laying out sharply different readings of the country’s state and the administration’s record.
In his reply, Hon. Pillay said the President’s message emphasised short-term benefits and administrative measures without any plan, and therefore was not a speech on the state of the nation. He said the President’s description of the state of the country is not what the people are going through and living, adding that the President came to the National Assembly complaining about everything, forgetting that he is the one responsible to find solutions to problems, which he has failed to do. Among the weakest points, he said, the President’s speech lacked clear vision on the direction that the country will take in the future.
For his part, Hon. Georges gave an insight into the challenges encountered, and the progress made by the current administration since taking office in October 2020 amid the post-Covid-19 pandemic, including a lockdown. He said that it was their responsibility — in the election year — to, as leaders of the branch of government and in the community, and as politicians seeking votes, to make people aware of these challenges and progress made for them to better appreciate where they stand today, from where they were before. Hon. Georges noted that with resilience, under a good leadership, the administration has been able to stabilise the country’s economy, improve the infrastructure, and the lives of the citizens. He also criticised past administrations for not letting people develop themselves.
