Victoria (Mahi or Mahe) - History
Victoria
or Mahe.
Deep-water port and capital of the republic of the Seychelles, tourist center
on the northeast coast of Mahe Island;
. From
1814 until 1903, when the islands became a crown colony, they were granted
increasing administrative autonomy from Mauritius. In 1888 separate
nominated administrative and executive councils were established for
Mauritius and Seychelles. Thus, for the first time, some landed white
Seychellois were allowed to serve in official advisory positions. In 1897
the administrator of Seychelles was given the powers of a colonial
governor, although it was not until 1903 that the islands were separated
from Mauritius. When Seychelles became a separate colony, the other
islands of the archipelago, except for Coetivy and the Farquhar Islands,
were added to the original group acquired by Britain in 1814. Coetivy was
transferred from Mauritius in 1908 and the Farquhars in 1922 after World
War I.
Widespread
involvement of Seychellois in their own political affairs began in 1948
after World War II, when Britain granted suffrage to approximately 2,000
adult male property owners, who then elected four members to the
Legislative Council that advised the governor. The winning candidates were
drawn from a group known as the Seychelles Taxpayers' and Producers'
Association (STPA), which represented the landed strata of society--known
colloquially as the grands blancs (great whites). The STPA defended
its members' interest in matters of crop marketing and other issues and
was the principal political force in the nation until the early 1960s,
when representatives of the small new urban professional and middle class
began to win seats.
Two
parties emerged to represent this new constituency: the DP, led by James
Mancham, and the SPUP, led by France Albert Renι. Both men were
London-educated lawyers who had returned to Seychelles determined to
improve local conditions and to develop popularly based local politics.
Although
community rivalries and the differing styles of the two leaders were
important in attracting followers, the two parties also differed in
substantive ways. The SPUP called itself socialist, favored
worker-oriented policies, and pressed for complete independence from
Britain and a nonaligned foreign policy. The pressure for independence was
intensified after Britain in 1965 removed Ξle Desroches, the Aldabra
Islands, and the Farquhar Islands from Seychelles and made them part of
the British Indian Ocean Territory. The DP took a more laissez-faire
capitalist approach and wanted to continue the association with Britain
and to allow British and United States bases on the islands.
Continuous
and mounting demands for an increased share in running the colony's
affairs prompted Britain to enact a series of constitutions for
Seychelles, each of which granted important new concessions. In 1967
Britain extended universal suffrage to the colony and established a
governing council to run it, the majority of whose members for the first
time were elected. That year almost 18,000 Seychellois voted, and the DP
emerged in control of the council. In 1970 Britain set up a ministerial
form of government and gave Seychellois the responsibility to administer
all but external affairs, internal security, the civil service, and the
government's broadcasting service and newspaper. The DP won ten seats, and
the SPUP won five in the Legislative Assembly. Mancham became the islands'
chief minister and Renι, the leader of the opposition.
The
opening of an international airport on the east coast of Mahι in 1971
improved contact with the outside world. Before this most journeys to and
from Seychelles had involved long voyages on bimonthly steamers running
between East Africa and India and often required inconvenient transits in
Mombasa and Bombay. Air service had been available only on a restricted
basis at an airstrip used by the United States in building a satellite
station on Mahι. The end of the islands' relative isolation triggered
tourism and concomitant booms in foreign capital investment and the
domestic construction industry. The construction of the international
airport changed the economy from a traditional agricultural and fishing
one within a few years into one where services accounted for the major
portion of employment and gross domestic product. The two parties differed
on the ways to manage the new tourist industry and to apportion its
benefits. The SPUP favored controlling the growth of tourism and at the
same time developing the entire economy, whereas the SDP wanted to
stimulate the rapid growth of tourism and to establish the islands as an
international financial center.
Independence
from Britain was the dominant issue between the two parties in the early
1970s, however. The SPUP insisted on cutting the colony's ties with
Britain, whereas Mancham argued for even closer association. But when it
became plain that the independence issue was popular and Britain showed no
interest in retaining close relations, the SDP also shifted to a
proindependence policy. Moreover, the disfavor with which African and
Asian nations viewed colonialism had put the SDP into disrepute in the
region. The SDP won the election campaign in 1974 but the election
provoked angry controversy. The SPUP charged that the results had been
rigged; because of the way constituencies had been demarcated, the SDP won
thirteen of the fifteen seats with only 52.4 percent of the vote, lending
credibility to the charges. Thereafter, relations between the two parties,
already personalized and bitter, worsened steadily.
Despite
their differences, the two parties formed a coalition under Mancham to
lead Seychelles to independence. Five members from each party were added
to the Legislative Assembly in an attempt to equalize political
representation. One year later, Britain granted the colony complete
independence, and on June 29, 1976, the Republic of Seychelles became a
sovereign nation, with Mancham as president and Renι as vice
president. As a gesture of goodwill, Britain returned Ξle Desroches,
the Aldabra Islands, and the Farquhar Islands. In addition, Britain made a
series of grants to the new nation to smooth the transition to an
independent economy. Both parties agreed to support the coalition
government until elections were held in 1979.
On
June 4-5, 1977, sixty supporters of the SPUP who had been training in
Tanzania staged a coup and overthrew Mancham while he was in London. Renι,
who denied knowing of the plan, was then sworn in as president and formed
a new government.
A
year later, the SPUP combined with several smaller parties and
redesignated itself the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF), or
simply the Front. A new constitution adopted in 1979 stipulated that the
SPPF be the sole recognized party. The constitution provided for a strong
executive headed by the president and a legislature of twenty-three
elected and two appointed members.
In
the first election, held in June 1979, Renι was the single candidate
for president. He won with 98 percent of the vote. The results were viewed
as a popular endorsement of the socialist policies pursued by the
government in the two years following the coup. The SPPF proceeded with
its program to set minimum wage levels, raise government salaries, improve
housing and health facilities, broaden educational opportunities, increase
social security coverage, and generate employment in agriculture and
fisheries. The lives of most Seychellois were enhanced, and most citizens
appeared to favor the government's policies.
The
decision to turn the nation into a one-party state based on socialist
ideology, as well as certain initiatives of the government, caused some
bitterness, especially among the upper and middle classes. Censorship of
the media and control over public expression were unpopular. A number of
groups attempted to oust the Renι government between 1978 and 1987.
The most notable was a group of mercenaries who tried to enter the country
in 1981 disguised as tourists from South Africa. The mercenaries were
exposed as they came through customs at the international airport but most
of them, including their leader, Colonel Michael "Mad Mike"
Hoare, escaped after commandeering an Air India passenger plane to South
Africa. Although the South African government prosecuted and jailed some
of the mercenaries for air hijacking, Hoare testified that South African
military and intelligence officials were involved in the coup attempt.
During this period, the Seychelles government received support from
Tanzania, which deployed troops to the islands to strengthen the
government's hand.
Mancham
and other exiled opposition figures based principally in London formed
several groups that sought to turn international opinion against the Renι
government, stigmatizing it as antidemocratic, procommunist, and
pro-Soviet. As part of its efforts to stifle opposition, the government
embarked on a campaign in 1987 to acquire parcels of land owned by
dissident Seychellois living abroad. The takeovers were not subject to
legal challenge, but the amount of compensation--in the form of bonds
payable over twenty years--could be appealed in court. The government's
authoritarianism finally brought it under growing pressure from its chief
patrons--Britain and France. Finally, in 1991 Renι and the SPPF
consented to liberalize the political system, inviting opposition leaders
to return to Seychelles and help rewrite the constitution to permit
multiparty politics.
Under
the constitution that took effect in 1979, all political activity, in
particular that regarding the formulation and debate of policy, was
conducted under the auspices of the Front. The party constitution was
attached as a supplement to the national constitution. The president, as
head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces, was nominated by
the national congress of the SPPF and stood for election on a yes-no
basis. All Seychellois aged seventeen or older could vote. The president
served a five-year term and could be elected no more than three times in
succession.
The constitution provided few checks on executive powers. The president appointed a cabinet without review by the People's Assembly. The latter consisted of twenty-three members elected for four-year terms from twenty-three constituencies, plus two members named by the president to represent the inner and outer islands. The president appointed the chair of the assembly. The SPPF selected candidates for assembly seats. In some constituencies, only one candidate was nominated, but in others the voters could choose from as many as three SPPF nominees. The legislature exercised no independent role, simply enacting into law bills proposed by the executive branch. Debates on issues occurred and were reported in the media, but criticism of the president or the government was not tolerated.
Seychelles
thus became a one-party state with Albert René
as president and the Seychelles' People's Progressive Front as the ruling
party. Multi-party elections were restored in 1993, when René was again
returned as president, with Mancham (Democ-ratic Party) leader of the
opposition. René was re-elected in 1998, and also at the early elections
called in 2001, where the opposition, led by Wavel Ramkalawan (Seychelles
National Party), obtained a high percentage.
Today Seychelles has a population of approximately 82,000.
