President James A Michel has said that Government alone would not be able to deal with the social scourges affecting the country. It needs the help and support of all people, the different agencies and other partners in the society.

Mr Michel, speaking in the Meeting the President broadcast last weekend, said that from last year Seychelles took a decisive approach in the fight against the problems.

The President was asked why, in spite of the many mechanisms in place, there were many people not in employment and the level of criminality high in the districts such as Anse aux Pins and on Praslin, where he visited recently.

President Michel explained that drug abuse was the source of these problems.

He reminded the audience that he called for a national campaign to sensitise the public on the issues and to formulate a plan of action to tackle the problems. The plan of action, he said, will be presented to the partners for further discussions before the population gives their views on how to help implement it. 

He wants the Seychellois people to take ownership of the plan of action.

“It is when a people take ownership of a decision, a task we have to accomplish, that we succeed. Government will not succeed if it is to do everything alone,” he said.

According to the President the Police have reorganized its operations and done a lot of work. He added that it would take some time to see the result of the fight against criminality.

He pointed out that it was necessary to recruit personnel from overseas because Seychelles, being a small country offering a range of employment options to its people, does not have the pool of manpower to always fill the positions in the police force.

He reassured the nation that the expatriate officers would be around until Seychelles has trained enough of its own people to serve in the police force.