New Year 2011 Message from President James Michel
Fri, 31 December 2010 | State House
NEW YEAR MESSAGE
FROM PRESIDENT JAMES ALIX MICHEL
1ST JANUARY 2011
WINNING FOR SEYCHELLES
Dear people of Seychelles,
A new decade is before us. The one gone by brought us, and also the entire world, many challenges and obstacles. With courage, perseverance and unity, we succeeded in overcoming them. Through our resilience in the face of difficulties, through our determination and refusal to give up, and through our hard work and sweat, our national unity and collective effort, we managed to build a solid base to take Seychelles to the next level of development.
This is why we begin the new decade full of hope and optimism. We have the conviction that the year 2011 will bring more progress and greater wellbeing for us, individually, and for the whole nation.
Seychellois are a blessed nation, a people full of confidence in the future. We are a people who are aiming far, very far, because we have a shared vision that is about the future of our country, the future of the new generations. We are a people who are full of talent, who have the ability to make a real difference in the development of our small country -- this jewel in the Indian Ocean, this model of harmony and unity in diversity which is the envy of the whole world.
Dear people of Seychelles,
We enter the new year with the hope that 2011 will be better than 2010 and the preceding years. I do not want to say it will be easy. Truly, we will have to face new challenges and difficulties, many of which will be beyond our control. We should not forget that we now live in a global village. Our economy is one that is open and vulnerable. As the saying goes, when one of the great powers sneezes, we catch the cold! We do not have control on foreign exchange fluctuations. When there is flooding or drought in producer countries, basic commodities become scarce and their prices go up. But I make the pledge to you that my government will continue to do the necessary, as much as possible, to have access to essential commodities. We will do it because we are a responsible government. We are a government that has the interest of the people at heart. We are a government that is with the Seychellois people. We are a government that supports every Seychellois family. But we are also a government that demands that every citizen takes his responsibility. And on this there is no compromise.
You elected me as your President, in support of my vision to lay the foundation of a new Seychelles. From the time you elected me as your President, together we have shared the vision. We lived it together. We have refined it, we have enhanced it where there was a need to do so. But it has remained the basis for all that we have done -- and which we continue to do -- to build on the progress of our small country, and improve the wellbeing of the family and Seychellois citizen. In that vision, Seychelles is first. Seychelles is our native land. Seychelles is our cradle. It is our mother. In this vision, we devote all our talent, all our love, all our capability and all our effort to our dear Seychelles.
People of Seychelles,
The vision we share, the vision that inspires us, the vision that motivates us to live a healthy lifestyle and combat the scourges in our society, such as drugs and criminality, the vision that urges us to boost our productivity at work, the vision that enables us to live as good neighbours, can best be summed up in the phrase WINNING FOR SEYCHELLES.
To win is the dream of all people. It means we have to be outstanding in what we do; it is about a struggle for excellence. Striving for excellence is an important part in all that we do in our lives. It means enhancement -- through conscious and continuous improvement -- in all that we do. When we give our best for Seychelles, it is about using our skills, abilities and our talent in the best way possible to push Seychelles to the top. It is about fighting the bad influences in our society. Let us avoid the bad behaviours and influences that put our lives at risk. Let us have respect for our fellow human beings. Let us appreciate our moral and spiritual values. Give more in our work. Honour our parents. Take care of our children. Bless and appreciate our motherland.
Anything we are able to do can make a big difference. Being small does not mean that we cannot attain excellence. We have excelled -- and we will continue to excel -- in several fields. These are the environment, social justice, sustainable development, national unity, social infrastructure in housing, education and health, etc ¦ We will continually win for Seychelles.
In order to win for Seychelles we have to overcome the barriers in the way of success. There is no other choice. We have to embrace changes and innovation in this globalised world. We have to be competitive, and work together -- in the same direction -- to achieve our goals. We have to dedicate ourselves to our families and country, and never forget our heritage, and our social, moral and spiritual values. Seychelles must always remain foremost in our minds and hearts. We must always keep our star shining. Our patriotism and love for our country are values that bind us as Seychellois. In order for us to continually win for Seychelles, we have to nurture these values that help us to realize our vision and our aims in life. These are the shining lights of our hope and prosperity!
Winning is part of our culture and we have to continually encourage this quality which is innate in us. It is at the foundation of the opportunities for our country and for each individual in our society. Winning means ownership and empowerment. Winning is about your country, Seychelles. Seychelles is ours. It is in our heart, in our soul. We have to strive constantly to make it a better country, take it to new levels, beyond the highest aspirations yet of our dreams. We have to strive to always achieve victory for our motherland, and give Seychellois the opportunity to earn success.
Dear people of Seychelles,
There is no doubt that 2011 will be a year of victory. There will be two major events -- elections and the Indian Ocean Islands Games. We will, once again, have the opportunity to exercise our civic duty and responsibility. Seychellois will make their choice freely. It will be a decisive choice. Let us turn it into a victory for our democracy! As for me, I’m ready. I am always ready! The people will judge me by my actions.
The second event will see our youth competing against athletes from the region. We have invested a lot in our athletes. I am convinced -- we are all convinced -- that with hard work, team spirit, talent, patriotism, and all of us coming together in the spirit of national unity and respect for others, we will win.
Dear people of Seychelles,
In all that we do in the new year, let us do it for Seychelles. Let us do it for Seychelles’ victory. It is for this reason that the national theme for 2011 is WINNING FOR SEYCHELLES.
My family join me in wishing all Seychellois, including our compatriots overseas, residents and visitors to the country, a Happy New Year. May God continue to bless our small beautiful country and always guide us towards victory.
Winning for Seychelles!
Thank you.