Speech By President James A. Michel On The Occasion Of The 25th Congress Of Parti Lepep, 16th April 2011.

Dear Seychellois brothers and sisters,
Dear delegates,
Dear militants and supporters of Parti Lepep,

You have made a choice. Together, you have decided. It is a decision, which you as delegates of this Congress, have taken freely and conscientiously. You have decided to nominate me to represent you as your candidate in the coming presidential election. Once again you have trusted me with this task and responsibility. Your decision is another victory for Seychelles and a victory for the Seychellois people. I accept to stand as the candidate for Parti Lepep; as the candidate for the Seychellois people as a whole, firstly with great humility, also with pride and enthusiasm. You know that I shall never fail the confidence you have placed in me. This renewed testimony of confidence in my leadership has touched me most profoundly.

This new Seychelles is my vision of progress and prosperity for Seychelles, where no one is left behind, where everyone takes his/her individual and collective responsibility, where we take all the opportunities at our disposal, where we develop our spirit of entrepreneurship, where we develop our savoir- faire and where the Seychellois people remain a united and blessed people, conscious of their responsibilities, their spiritual, moral and cultural values.

You know my passion for my country. You know my passion for hard work, for discipline, for progress and prosperity for our people. We have created confidence in Seychelles. We have created confidence in our people - confidence for a better future. We have created opportunities for every Seychellois. We have begun a task together and we have accomplished a lot. This task, however, has not ended. We have to keep on moving forward, with the support of every Seychellois. I am confident that I am able to finish this task. I have proved that I am able to do it and I shall do it.

The only political party that can guide the people towards the accomplishment of their mission is Parti Lepep. This party has its roots firmly embedded in history; in the history of the struggle for the Independence of our country; in the History of development and progress of our people. We have created an edifice to shelter every Seychellois. SPUP laid the foundation, SPPF put up the walls. Today Parti Lepep is putting on the roof and the finishing. Every Seychellois has a share in this edifice.

My team and I have always devoted ourselves to this country. We have always worked hard for this people. We will continue to work hard for them because we are close to our people. We listen to them and they listen to us. There is a mutual confidence among us. We will never cheat on the people of Seychelles. We will never make electoral promises which none of us will be able to keep. We will never succumb to demagogy. We will never preach xenophobia. Parti Lepep is the party of every Seychellois. The interest of the people and the interest of our country Seychelles is the only thing which guides us. It is the only thing which motivates us in our work.

Remember where we come from, where we are today, and ponder on where we are going together. What party would have been able to take the Seychellois on this great journey? Which other party has a clear vision for the Seychellois people? Which other party has a well formulated plan for the future of Seychelles? There isn’t any -- Parti Lepep is the only party with a vision and a plan for the future of Seychelles.

In little more than a month, the People of Seychelles will choose their president for the next five years. As usual the opposition has no plan. As usual they have ganged up to fight against us. We are not worried about this. We have defeated them before, we will defeat them once more. In fact, we will continue to defeat them always! They know this. That is why they are crying out for a change.

What type of change do they want to see in this country?  Disorder, war, social unrest, xenophobia, poverty, unemployment, the return of a privileged few? Is that the change they want?  
The people of Seychelles say No to them. No thank you! Can you trust a person who says that when he becomes president, he and his vice-president will not have any ministerial portfolio? What will they do? Sit down at State House, twist their thumbs and fill their pockets? Do our people need such lazy, selfish leaders, who have no plan and vision for the future? The Seychellois people will say no to this.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Let us not be misled by electoral propaganda, by lies and false promises. The party which has brought about changes in Seychelles is Parti Lepep. This is the party that will bring about more changes for the welfare of every Seychellois. I am advocating change. I undertake change where necessary and I do it in the interest of the people. I do it by taking into account recent new trends in our society and in the world. I do it because I have a clear vision for Seychelles, a vision shared by every Seychellois, my team and me.

Together, we will continue to pursue this vision. Nobody will stop us on the road we have chosen together. We believe in the future of this people. We believe in the future and wellbeing of our children. Vice-President Faure, myself and all my team will continue to work hard for you. We will continue to devote ourselves to you. I wish to renew my commitment to you. I shall pursue the type of leadership which our country and our people need. You can have faith in me. On the 21st May this will be endorsed by a large majority of the Seychellois people. They will renew their trust in me. They will renew their confidence in my leadership and together we will continue to bring victory for Seychelles.

To conclude, I would like to pay a well-deserved homage to the father of SPUP, SPPF precursor of Parti Lepep, founder of equality and justice in our society, President France Albert Rene. He cannot be with us today but his ideas and his principles continue TO resound in this hall. They continue to inspire and guide us. President Rene, we thank you for all that you have done for the Seychellois people, for your sacrifices and devotion for this small country, Seychelles.
We express our gratitude to you and we wish you strength and good health, always.

I wish to thank you, once again, for your support and your confidence. I shall always be there for you.

Thank you.
May God bless our country and our people.