(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles’ President Wavel Ramkalawan presented his good wishes for the New Year 2024 to the people of Seychelles in a televised address on the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) TV on Sunday evening.

“Yes, we all love our country and each day when we open our eyes, and at night before we rest, we look up to heaven and say thank you to God Almighty for his grace, love and blessings. As a people, I pray that we continue to walk in the path of this God who continues to protect us and let us ask that He keeps us on his path to accomplish much more in our lives, our families, our communities and our country,” said the President.

He asked the people to forward to the future to build on their achievements and to change the weaknesses and challenges into even more resolve to prosper where last year they failed.

“Let love and compassion reign amongst us,” Ramkalawan appealed as he gave an overview of the December 7 disasters that affected the country when heavy rainfall caused severe damage to roads, with flooding and landslides, with damage to several properties, and three people died.

The same day, an explosion of four containers of explosives at a quarrying company in the Providence Industrial Estate caused massive damage to residential homes and commercial buildings, along the east coast of the main island of Mahe. 

“I want that the spirit of 7th December stays alive in the heart of each and every Seychellois. In the midst of the worst misfortune that our country has ever been through, where 3 lives were lost, more than 400 residences affected, more than 400 people found themselves in temporary accommodation and more than 635 businesses stopped their operations. But what have we experienced? A spirit of solidarity, compassion, unity and determination,” he said.

The President announced that many people in Seychelles and overseas as well as foreign governments contributed towards the 7th December Disaster Fund, which has reached a total of SCR35,292,692.71 ($2,497,214) to date.    

"In 2024, let the spirit of unity that was manifested on the 7th December become a light that shows us the road to take to build and make our country and our people really strong. Let us seek that which unites us and let us overcome what divides us so as to strengthen our spirit of resilience, in other words, the true Seychellois spirit," said Ramkalawan.

He furthermore asked the people to dream for the country and work towards accomplishing “great works that transform humanity.”

“Can we join with our youth to dream of that Seychelles, clean, beautiful, where citizens show respect for each other, have compassion, love and where the aspiration of each one is fulfilled because the only occasion where I will see you as beneath me is when I am holding on to your hand to make you climb higher,” he said.

Ramkalawan spoke of the need to have positive attitude for the future of the nation’s youth, and asked if they can dream of “our youth filled with strength and energy, are in employment where they are delivering like thousands of others are doing and we succeed in extricating the minority who have fallen into the scourge of drug use? Where the mercenaries stop importing that poison, drugs, to kill our youth? Can we, all of us, do this and stop generating negativity and let positivity become the oxygen that fills our lungs and put smiles and expressions of satisfaction on our faces?”

Finally, he prayed that Almighty God blesses all Seychellois and their families in their beautiful country.