President Herminie Holds First Live Press Conference – and Says a Lot Worth Scrutinising
Victoria, Seychelles – President Patrick Herminie held his first live press conference yesterday, covering a remarkable breadth of national issues in a session that lasted several hours and touched on everything from the Middle East crisis and fuel costs to Taiwan, Russia, Starlink, and the Constitutional Appointments Authority.
The occasion itself was welcome. Live press conferences are a standard of democratic governance that Seychelles has not always seen. The president framed the event as a demonstration of transparency and good governance, and on that principle he deserves credit.
What he said, however, deserves careful reading.
On the Middle East crisis, the president announced that new measures to help Seychelles manage rising fuel costs and energy consumption would be unveiled on Monday. He noted that diesel costs have more than doubled from R60 to R126 per barrel as a direct consequence of the conflict. He described a “business as usual” attitude among some members of the public and called on the SBC to educate the population about the severity of the situation. The measures themselves were not disclosed, leaving Seychellois to face a weekend of uncertainty about what Monday will bring.
On the former president Wavel Ramkalawan, Herminie confirmed that surveillance action was triggered by intelligence reports of drug-related activities within Ramkalawan’s circle, and that one bodyguard had been suspended. He said government had offered premises for Ramkalawan’s office on four occasions and that an agreement had now been reached. Whether the characterisation of these events is fully accurate is a matter that only an independent body could properly assess.
On Taiwan, Herminie was unambiguous. He said Seychelles does not recognise Taiwan as a country but as a province of China, that the One-China policy has been his party’s position since 1964, and that permission for the Taiwanese presidential aircraft to cross Seychelles airspace had been granted without his knowledge before he instructed it be reversed. He dismissed concerns about diplomatic repercussions with the phrase “tough luck.”
On Starlink, he confirmed that registration and licensing have been completed and that company representatives are expected before the end of May, with hopes that Elon Musk himself will attend a signing ceremony.
On the new hospital, he confirmed that a foundation stone would soon be laid, with management of the facility to be entrusted to a foreign company for the first five years. On the airport, he rejected a proposed US$400 million loan from the UAE, arguing renovation could be achieved for US$100 million.
On the Constitutional Appointments Authority, he described it as overly politicised and indicated that legislation would remove the CAA from appointments not constitutional in nature – a statement that should be read carefully by anyone who values institutional checks on executive power.
The breadth of the conference suggests a president comfortable with the microphone. The substance demands scrutiny that a live session rarely allows. Seychellois should read the full record carefully, not as a celebration, but as citizens holding power to account.
