Wavel Ramkalawan

Wavel Ramkalawan (born March 15, 1961) is a politician of the Seychelles.

Early life

Wavel Ramkalawan was born in Mahé, the principal island of Seychelles. He was born into a modest family, the youngest of three children. His father was a metalworker and his mother a teacher. Ramkalawan's primary and secondary education were at Seychelles College, the elite boy's school of the country. After completing his O-Level examinations, he pursued his childhood ambition of becoming a priest and followed theological studies at St Paul's Theological College in Mauritius. Ramkalawan was ordained priest in 1985 and thereafter followed further studies in theology at Birmingham University. Returning to Seychelles, he worked in several parishes in Seychelles, rising to become priest-in-charge of the parish of Holy Saviour.

Entry into Politics

It was his work as a priest that led Wavel Ramkalawan to politics. Through his pastoral work, he came into contact with many people who had been the subject of harassment, victimization, imprisonment or other negative actions because of their opposition, real or perceived, to the one-party state, or simply because their activities or those of family members had aroused the suspicion of the authorities. It was this that compelled him to speak out against the repression and abuses of human and civil liberties for which the government was directly responsible. At that time, the church was the only institution which could speak out on these issues.

In 1990, Ramkalawan preached a landmark sermon, broadcast to the nation on the national radio station, in which he questioned the practices of the one-party government and gave voice to the desire of the people for greater freedom, respect for human rights and observance of the rule of law in the country. The sermon was an inspiration for the movement for political liberty and democracy in Seychelles. It drew Ramkalawan closer into politics. In 1991, still a priest, he joined others who had been active in opposing the government, such as Roger Mancienne and Jean-Francois Ferrari, to form Parti Seselwa, initially an underground organization, and became its leader.

Rise to the Top

When the government, under pressure both internally and from abroad, returned the country to multi-party democracy in 1992, Parti Seselwa was the first political party to register and join the ranks of others in opposition to the government. It immediately set to work and participated in elections for representation on the 1992 constitutional commission, unfortunately polling only 4% of the national vote and not qualifying for representation on the commission. Subsequently to the coming into force of the new constitution in 1993, two other opposition parties joined Parti Seselwa to form The United Opposition (UO) and contest the 1993 general elections. The party won 9% of the vote, enabling it to appoint one member to the National Assembly. Wavel Ramkalawan became that member and distinguished himself during his five-year tenure both for his brilliant oratory and toughness as a lone member in a politically-charged arena. He was responsible for bringing to the attention of the House numerous failings of the government and for proposing many actions, which were subsequently taken up.

In 1998, Ramkalawan led his party into the second multi-party general elections. The party polled 27% of the national vote and increased its National Assembly representation to three, beating the Democratic Party of former President James Mancham into third place. Ramkalawan became the first directly-elected member of the party in the Assembly, winning his home constituency of St Louis, which he has represented continuously since. In addition, he was elected Leader of the Opposition, a post he continues to hold.

The 2001 presidential elections, in which the choice was between the incumbent of 26 years and Ramkalawan, showed increased national support for Ramkalawan who polled 45% of the vote as against 54% for President Rene. The next year, Ramkalawan led his party, now renamed the Seychelles National Party (SNP), into the National Assembly elections. The party increased its parliamentary representation from one directly elected member to seven and from two proportionally elected members to four.

Since 1998, Ramkalawan has been a strong and loyal voice as Leader of the Opposition. He has spoken on all the national issues and not shirked from tackling controversial matters and speaking out against abuse and waste. In that, he has proved himself as a person worthy of leading the country in its next stage of development. In 2005, Ramkalawan took a sabbatical from his clerical duties in order to consecrate himself fully to his political life at a crucial and important point in the country's affairs. In the 2006 Presidential elections, Ramkalawan lost an umprecedented fourth time, this time to James Michel who remains President to this day.

References

* [http://www.snpseychelles.sc/ Seychelles National Party]