e-government project sees light of day.

Government services in Seychelles are undergoing a major transformation as various departments are making information and resources available online to the public.

Seychelles e-government goal is to make information and communication technologies (ICT) integral to the delivery of government information, services and processes.

The implementations have encountered delays since Vice President Joseph Belmont first announced it in January 2006.

He explained that the most important anticipated benefits of the project will include improved efficiency, convenience, and better accessibility of public services. However, the opposition has raised concerns about the project namely access, education standards and ICT literacy.

"Governments may need to consider how the impact of age, language skills or the public’s interest will guarantee the project’s success," according to the administrator of a local ISP.

To date the departments of education, employment and social affairs, are using information technologies to exchange authoritative government information and services with the public, businesses, and other branches of government.

"e-Government should be applied by all government departments in order to improve internal efficiency, the delivery of public services, or processes of democratic governance," say Evans Delcy a government's department System Support Manager.

Other online materials are also available "in confidence," meaning to view their content you need to be an employee of a government department, in which case a login and password would be required before you can access the confidential material.

Such resources are available within the departments of health, land use and habitat and immigration services.

In a recently published document entitled "Seychelles Strategy 2017" the government stated that by then, all government agencies and their partners will use technology to provide user-centred information to achieve joint outcomes.

The people's transactions with the government are also expecting transformation, with increasing and innovative use of network technologies that provide more opportunities.

Laptops’ scheme controversy.

In his weekly column in the Le Nouveau Seychelles Weekly newspaper, Christopher Gill has highlighted a number of controversies surrounding the government’s promise to start selling laptops at a discounted price to state school employees.

The politician turned columnist first point of contention is the vendor’s contract. He argued that the decision as to which company would import the laptops has been made without any public bidding procedures for tender of contract.

“This is not the first time Space95 is involved in supplying government without bidding or tender procedures being followed,” Gill wrote.

He also questioned a “very high” Government official’s implication in the affair. Gill claimed that the official in question represents a company called Charms Pty., which holds 890 shares of Space95.

“The fact that the arrangements were made behind closed doors, only shows who comes first in the deal; the teachers or the business interests?” he argued.

Finally with the backlog on foreign exchange and pipeline exceeding $75 million, Gill wrote “it would be interesting to know where Space95 would get the foreign exchange for the purchase.”

Under the scheme announced recently by President James Michel, the government will subsidised the prices of the Dell Inspiron 1501 and Inspiron 6400 laptop computers, with teachers paying only 25% of the items’ cost on the local market.

The opposition parties branded the initiative as a “desperate election ploy” to lure young voters saying the government should instead be doing what is really necessary, connecting the islands to the underwater fiber optic cable.

Editor’s note: Christopher Gill was the first directly elected opposition member of the legislature after the return of multiparty democracy in 1993. Following some internal tensions he was dismissed from the Democratic Party in 1995. He has since reconciled with his uncle, Seychelles first president, Sir James Mancham and is now back into the DP camp.

Laptop computers at subsidised prices.

The Seychelles government has announced plan to sell laptop computers at a subsidised price in a special scheme, to popularise information and communication technology (ICT) in education.

President James Michel made the announcement recently.

“Given the mobile nature of a teacher’s work, moving between classes, sometimes even schools, and also working at home, a laptop is the hardware of choice,” said Mr Michel.

The laptops are on offer for Seychellois teachers in State schools only.

Those wishing to participate in the scheme can choose between two
Dell laptop models, namely the Inspiron 1501 and the Inspiron 6400. Both is equipped with the latest Microsoft Vista Operating System as well as MS Office Professional Plus.

The prices will be R2, 500 and R3, 500, respectively. These prices are only 25% of the market value, according to the ministry of education.

Distribution of the computers will be made by the ministry of education, which says money collected from the sale will build up a fund for the continuity of the scheme.

With campaigning for the next National Assembly in full force, the opposition parties have branded the initiative as a mean to lure voters towards of the ruling SPPF party.

Stay out of it!

The Seychelles National Party (SNP) has called on Cable & Wireless to maintain its traditional independence of local party politics, during the current election campaign period.

The SNP’s caution came following the publication of a middle section insert bought by the company in the ruling party’s newspaper, The People to advertise its mobile services.

The party’s Secretary General, Roger Mancienne said it is not fair to the company’s staff to be seen so closely associated with a particular political party.

An open letter addressed to Cable & Wireless’ CEO Charles Hammond, published in the latest Regar newspaper, Mr Mancienne, nonetheless wrote “we respect the decision of the company to advertise in whichever newspaper and in whatever manner it wishes.”

However, he said “we have decided to call this matter to your attention because only two weeks ago, all Cable & Wireless’ employees were, for the first time since Seychelles returned to a multi-party political system, officially cautioned not to publicly display their political affiliation during the election campaign period.”

So far there has been no public statement about the issue from Cable & Wireless.

Airtel first for 3G in Seychelles.

Airtel Telecom Seychelles has become the country’s first telecom to provide the third generation technology for mobile services or “3G.”

Airtel’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Lalita Mayadas said she was confident 3G would bring about “lots of valued added services.”

“We’ll be actually investing on applications to maximize the potential of this network,” said Mayadas.

Seychelles is now amongst the first African countries, together with South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania with 3G technologies.

Observers say the technology, which allows subscribers Internet access at broadband speeds, could be the answer to the islands’ increasing demands for high-speed Internet.

The 3G launch comes as Airtel was facing tough competition from its rivalry Cable and Wireless, which recently introduced 2.5G (GPRS, Edge) network.

3G, or the killer application as some advertisers proudly call it, supports all the existing GSM functionality and brings additional functionalities such as video calling and mobile TV.

Critics said the success of the system’s implementation would depend on the number of subscribers with third generation phone.

“The price of 3G phones locally is certainly on of the obstacles keeping this innovative service from the reach of most ordinary Seychellois,” commented one phone seller in Victoria.

Are we there yet?

In his state of the nation address delivered this week, the Seychelles head of state, James Michel says Seychelles biggest challenge is connection to a submarine fibre optic cable.

His remark is the first admission from the Seychelles authority that the implementation of this project is still on the drawing board.

In his 2006 speech President Michel promised that his government would approach the private sector to form a partnership to provide the islands direct access to the Internet through a submarine cable link.

Twelve months on, the project is still a “discussion topic” on the government’s agenda.

“This is a very big project which will require a partnership between government and the private sector. A specific study on the project will start soon,” offered Mr Michel.

Eight years on after the arrival of the WWW on it shores, Seychelles remains totally dependent on satellites technology for its communications with the outside world.

Critics say President Michel’s admission should fuel calls from the business community urging the government to put its words into action.

“Such connection will provide faster Internet and telecommunication access and will allow the development of new businesses in that field,” says VCS’ Executive Chairman, Mark Hoareau.

To date one submarine cable has been laid in the Indian Ocean. SAFE (South Africa-Far East) is a connection of over 13,800 km from Cape Town in South Africa to Malaysia, linking Seychelles’ neighbours Mauritius, Reunion and India on the way.

Fledgling artists should find outlets online.

“All artists should leave no stone unturned. Try everything until something works. Then try some more things.”

This is the key objective of the incoming chairperson of the Seychelles Musicians Association (Lanmizik San Frontyer) to encourage more local artists to think about promoting themselves and their work on the Internet.

“A presentation on the Internet requires little commitment in terms of time and money. So why not include it in the career toolkit?” argues Basil Bouchereau.

Whilst many present day artists are labouring to promote their names and songs, the WWW is an option to market their hatchling careers directly to music fans all over the world.

“Today without having to export their CDs, Seychellois artists can reach people from all corners of the world. This is all because the Internet has became so huge,” says Bouchereau.

Artists can deliver music files, information about their upcoming events, video clips and more to potential fans all over the Internet through blogs, electronic bulletin boards, and personal Web sites.

Seychellois artists like many of their counterparts on the African continent are without the backing of major label, so they can turn to the Internet to promote themselves and their music.

“The mainstream media is getting tighter and tighter on its control of what people hear. So it’s time for artists to start using the Web as an outlet, because many music fans the world over are turning to it as a different place to find all sorts of things, including music,” says Darren Bonnelame, the producer of Seychelles’ sole TV music programme, Melodies des Iles.

Barbara Jenson, an internationally known painter says in today’s artistic industry a presence on the WWW is an “absolutely essential” part of launching a successful career.

Working from her own home on La Digue island together with her husband Roy, Barbara who is originally from Wales keeps a hands-on approach to controlling her Web sites and career.

“Not only it grants you autonomy, but also it facilitates promotion and distribution,” she added.

However, not everyone is buying the argument.

“Since anybody can have a Web site, a lot of people may not take you seriously, or you may start relying too heavily on the technology for exposure, forgetting that there's also a street presence and there are people who aren't on the Web,” argue upcoming songwriter, Joel Servina.

But Boucheareau is adamant. He believes that by including a Web address in their contact, the artists are showing that they are ready for the 21st century and also care enough about their customers to take advantage of new technologies for their benefit.

“The Internet is such a great tool,” said Boucheareau, “because pretty much anybody can pull up a website and look at it and listen to it.”

2006 in Review: the top ICT stories of the year (Part One).

January: Cable & Wireless became the new owner of Atlas.

After weeks of speculations Seychelles’ oldest telecommunication company, CWS announced it has reached agreement to purchase the whole of the share capital of Atlas (Seychelles) Limited, the country’s first Internet Service Provider.

The deal worth SR19 million furthered CWS’ ability in offering customers a full range of services including wireless broadband, dial-up access and leased lines. CWS is now not just Seychelles’ leading telecommunications company but also the foremost provider of Internet services in Seychelles.

February: Kokonet launched telephone service over the Internet.

Internet Provider Kokonet introduced its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, Kokotalk, to benefit all its wireless broadband customers.

The service permits phone calls via the Internet through standard analogue phones as well as sending fax to any international destination at the rate of R3 per call. Subscribers are also be able to make calls via a soft phone, a programme that they can set up on their PC to speak to other online users.

Subscribers were allocated six-digit numbers beginning with the number 47.

March: Price war.

CWS turned the pressure on its competitor Airtel, by announcing a massive reduction to Internet Dial Up, Mobile (local) and rentals rates for all post-paid and prepaid customers.

Easytalk’ was the new international (mobile/fixed-line) calling discount plan which took a massive 30% off the total cost of all international calls a customer makes every month, provided you pay a monthly subscription fee of R60.

The following month the company introduced new peak and off-peak rates for residential, business and payphone customers making local fixed-line-to-fixed-line calls.

April: Intelvision launches telephone, Internet services.

This made Intelvision the third company to offer telephone and Internet services in Seychelles.

Intelvision said it was high time to make maximum use of infrastructure such as the cable network installed to offer additional viable services.

The three services are being offered independently which means that customers are free to subscribe to either one of the services.

May: Dawn of new mobile era.

Seychelles took another significant step towards the further modernisation and rebuilding of its telecommunication infrastructure.

As part of an International Agreement between Cable & Wireless and Nokia, a brand new GSM/GPRS mobile network was installed.

The R35 million investments initially announced in November 2005 can be modified rapidly to provide 3G services as well.

Cable & Wireless said that nearly 30,000 mobile subscribers are now using the newly installed, latest world-class mobile GSM network and prepaid systems.

June: Intelvision launches own television channel.

Seychelles' premier cable TV company announced the launch of its very own television channel with a host of interesting movies, telenovelas and music.

“Intelvision One” is distributed through its network and is available free to all Cable TV subscribers as an introductory offer. The content includes a compilation of some of the most highly acclaimed and award winning television series such as The Soprano’s, 24 and the X-Files.

New subscribers have to pay a monthly fee of only R75 to receive this channel. The subscription fee is R900.

Committee set up to advise on ICT development.

Seychelles is the latest COMESA member country to receive financial and technical assistance from the organisation in setting up a national ICT committee.

The National Information and Communication Technology Consultative Committee will provide the government with policy direction and advice on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development in the country.

The committee was launched following a half-day workshop on the terms of reference of the Regional Information and Communication Technologies Support Programme (RICTSP), chaired by Comesa's ICT coordinator Mercedes Marin Nortes.

The committee brings together the most knowledgeable and influential stakeholders in ICT matters from the country’s public and private sectors.

The minister responsible for technology, Jacquelin Dugasse says the Committee, “will act as a forum for the discussion of ideas which will lead to more effective use of ICT across the country and also resolve any issues that are identified as impeding ICT development.”

Critics have in the past questioned the government’s commitment in placing access to ICT at the centre of the country’s development agenda.

Earlier this month in his response to the 2007 budget speech, the leader of the opposition, Wavel Ramkalawan say “Seychelles should not only remain abreast of developments in ICT but also be part of the innovative process in order to optimize its full potential.”

No reports of the committee’s works have been made public yet.

Coming soon: Seychelles’ first online business directory.

iMedia (Seychelles) Limited, has announced plans to launch the country’s first Online Yellow Pages Website in July 2007.

The launch will coincide with the delivery of Seychelles’ 2007/08 telephone directory.

iMedia is the local advertising company contracted to publish and supply the new Seychelles telephone directory for the next five years.

“The online directory will be updated on a daily basis so as to include new customers as they are added by the telecommunication operators,” according to iMedia’s General Manager Gilbert Lebon.

A spokesperson of the Chamber of Commerce described the move as “an exciting marketing opportunity for local businesses and organisations to advertise and promote their brands, products and services.”

The service will combine telephone number entries from Airtel, Cable & Wireless, Intelvision and Kokonet.

iMedia’s Project Manager, Elaine Suleman says, “this will be a valuable search engine for customers, but more importantly, it will serve the needs of new businesses that start operating after the directory is printed.”

Local businesses have until 15th January 2007, to forward their existing yellow page facts such as name, address, contact details and website information to info@imedia.sc.

Rumour has it…

Cable & Wireless Seychelles has appointed an interim Chief Executive Officer, following the departure of Usman Saadat.

Charles Hammond, who was the company’s Financial Controller, now heads Seychelles’ largest telecommunication until a permanent replacement is named.

The highlight of Mr Saadat’s two years tenure is the setting up of the Rs65m GPRS system, making Cable & Wireless the first local telecommunication company to offer Mobile Internet.

According to reports in a local paper, Mr Saadat whose work permits expired on November 2nd, wanted to stay in Seychelles until March 2007, but was refused an extension to his work permit by the government.

Regar newspaper labeled the decision not to grant a work permit to the head of a large company as “regrettable,” because: “it shows that Government still acts according to its own whims when it comes to treating foreign investors.”

So far there’s been no denial or confirmation of the story from either Cable & Wireless or the government.

Promoting ICT in education is the key.

African francophone countries have been motioned to integrate information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their educational systems to move the continent forward.

The recent Summit of the Francophone organisation held in Bucharest, warned member states that poor ICT infrastructure will widen the digital divide and aggravate their marginalisation.

The summit held under the theme: information and communication technologies in education, was aimed at looking at how impoverished countries can employ ICTs in tackling factors hindering their progress.

Being one of the eight head of states to address the XI summit, the Seychelles’ President, James Michel said: “Promoting the use of ICTs in education could be a way out of the predicaments facing Africa, by re-enforcing its capacity which is central to its strategic development.”

Mr Michel pondered on the summit’s theme by sharing the experience of Seychelles.

“Being isolated from the rest of the world, with very limited natural resources, 65% of the population being young people and having no universities, Seychelles has to rely heavily on ICTs to handle the pace of globalisation,” said President Michel.

The summit called for the creation of a Francophone society of knowledge, urging member states to employ ICT as a tool of learning in primary and secondary schools, to boost capacity building.

Another resolution called for a pledge to fight digital inequalities, improve basic infrastructures and increase Internet Access.

President Michel summed up that ICT also serve as a vehicle to uphold democracy, by enhancing freedom of expression, human rights, good governance and the rule of law, all of which are ideals promoted by the Francophone organization.

The next summit, scheduled for October 2008, will be held in Quebec City, Canada.

Local paper seeks clarification over the e-government’s project.

Ten months after Vice-President Joseph Belmont’s declaration that “efforts towards the government offering electronic services continue to edge closer to realisation,” questions are being raised about what is happening to the e-government project.

In a rare article on ICT issues, the latest issue of the (Le Nouveau)Seychelles Weekly says the ministry concerned should enlighten the public about the demise of this project.

On its popular page 3 column “As told to Troukler,” the headline screams: What on earth happened to the e-government project? Troukler (the columnist) is the Creole description for a simple man of great wisdom, feared by many because of his uncanny ability to see things as they really are.

The columnist reminds its readers that it was amidst much “fanfare and publicity,” that Seychelles announced its intention to introduce the project. An expert was flown in from Canada to advise the government on the virtues and benefits of e-government.

Speakin about the project in January, the principal Secretary for technology, Benjamin Choppy said: “At the moment, the MITC is working with different government ministries and departments, assisting them with their computerisation processes.”

The column says it is incomprehensible why the government did not embark on this project at all.

As Seychelles is an archipelago, one of the many benefits of the project is that people from all the inhabited islands will eventually be able to apply for driving licences, planning permission, passports, a plot of land and file Pension Fund returns, etc, online from their own premises and without having to come to the main island Mahé at great expense.

Editor’s note: Seychelles Digital has reported on the e-government’s initiative. I’ve also approached various local ICT specialists about this project and there are indications that there are problems in its implementation.

Protests over freedom of expression.

The normally peaceful islands of the Seychelles have witnessed a rare eclipse of political unrests over the rights to operate private radio.

The violence between protestors and riot police took place on Tuesday (03rd October)during the sitting of the National Assembly to vote on the Amendment of
the Broadcasting and telecommunication Bill 2006.

A group of opposition supporters had gathered to protest against the move accusing the ruling SPPF party of robbing their constitutional right of freedom of expression.

They insisted on signing a petition calling on the President not to sign the Amendments into law.

The police said the protest was illegal and responded by using rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

A move condemned by the international media rights body Reporters Without Borders (RSF)as “excessive.”

The Opposition Leader Wavel Ramkalawan was assaulted and wounded during the unrest and was hostipalised together with four others.

The health authorities reported that 25 people reported for medical treatments, whilst police detained SNP's Secretary General Roger Mancienne.

The amendments seek to prohibit all political parties; religious organisations or person(s) affiliated to a political group to own a license to operate a private radio station.

The government argued that allowing the opposite might incite future unrest, giving the cause of the Rwandan genocide as an example.

In his address before the assembly the minister for technology Jacquelin Dugasse says the move was to stop the Seychelles National Party (SNP)'s attempt to launch it's own radio station.

“Seychelles is not inventing an undemocratic rule. South Africa, Mauritius and the United Kingdom have similar laws and they are all democratic models,” say Dugasse.

But Mr Ramkalawan characterised the move as unconstitutional and said the debate is much larger than banning particular interest groups. He objected to the R800, 000 ($149, 000) annual radio license fee and labeled the national broadcaster, SBC the “government mouthpiece.”

“If the SBC was fulfilling its mandate objectively, Seychelles would not need
another radio station. Above all through its signatory of the various international conventions, the government should safeguard the people's right to freedom of expression.”

The amendment was approved unanimously in the absence of the opposition members, who walked out in protest over the police handling of the demonstration.

Only electronic visa application forms are now valid.

Since October 2006, only electronic visa application forms are accepted for US visa requests, following a decision taken US State Department.

The policy is being applied worldwide.

In a press communiqué the State Department says the move will permit a rapid process of nonimmigrant visa applications and provide more efficient service.

Individuals who do not have access to the Internet at home or in offices may access the forms at any one of the multiple Internet cafes located in Seychelles.

Information must be entered into the system and the application, with its barcode, must be printed out and sent to the consular section for application.

The on-line visa forms can be downloaded from the US State Department website at http://evisaforms.state.gov.

Further information on the visa application procedures, can be obtained on the embassy’s website at http://mauritius.usembassy.gov.

Winning at GEM Awards 2006.

Journalists from 13 Southern African countries were honoured this year at the second annual Gender and Media Awards. The ceremony was held at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways, north of Johannesburg.

Gervais Henrie, an SBC radio producer, won the Radio Talk Show category. Other winners were from Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa.

The panel of judges – who named Henrie as their choice in this category – described the programme as “concise and taking into accounts all key issues related to the debate."

The awards recognise and acknowledge good gender and media practice and were introduced in 2004, as part of the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) summit, which takes place every two years in South Africa.

Henrie is the first Seychellois media practioner to win the award.

“I believe the media has an important role in promoting issues that’s relevant to the Information Society. Hopefully, my work helps in a small way to that end,” said Henrie.

The awards are given in four categories: radio, television, print and photojournalism categories.

Each winner took home a 2000 rand cheque as well as a handmade dish.

C&W adds Internet to mobiles.

Cable & Wireless Seychelles has announced plans to enable users of its mobile phone services to access the Internet with the launch its new MMS & GPRS services.

The company said they wanted to encourage more mobile users to access the Internet using their phones.

Cable & Wireless chief executive Usman Saadat said “We're proud to be the first to offer the people of Seychelles what they've been wanting and anxiously waiting for - latest GSM services that are comparable to that which are offered abroad.”

The Nokia’s representative (C&W’s GSM partner), Petteri Paasila said: “With the latest Nokia Networks technology C&W’s customers will be able to enjoy state-of-the-art network quality and advanced mobile services such as Web browsing for the first time in the Seychelles.”

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a technology that allows you to create, send, and receive text messages that also include an image, audio, and/or video clip. MMS messages can be sent from one mobile phone to another or to an e-mail address.

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and is a technology that allows your phone to transfer data at moderate speeds over the GSM network. A useful benefit of GPRS technology is WAP, short for Wireless Application Protocol, which gives you the ability to browse the Internet from your mobile phone or PDA whilst on the move. Using GPRS you can also use your phone as a modem to connect your laptop/PC to the Internet.

MMS message is temporarily available to any e-mail address and to any local C&W prepaid or post-paid mobile phone that has also been set up for MMS. C&W intends to introduce international MMS in the near future.

Kokozone: Making Seychelles wireless.

Kokonet has moved into the provision of wireless Internet access for residents all over Seychelles’ main island, Mahé.

The local Internet Service Provider has made the service available in specific locations marked as hotzones and is offered using the WiFi technology.

Mobility has become an increasingly important part of the Internet services as the battle for users moves from the home PC to mobile devices such as laptops and mobile phones.

The Marketing Executive for Kokonet, Romano Lawrence says “our objective is to give the Seychellois customers, as well as our visitors, the ability to use the Internet whilst on the move at an affordable rate.”

The service allows WiFi-enabled laptop, smart phone and PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) users to access the Internet, their e-mails, company intranet and download files, all wirelessly.

Kokonet has installed equipment in selected areas that will eventually provide a countrywide WiFi coverage. Among the spots receiving coverage at present are the centre of Victoria, the International Airport at Pointe Larue, Victoria Port and a number of high profile hotels.

The hotzones providing the Kokozone service is identified by the distinctive orange coloured logo with black and red writings with the company's official
Coco-de-Mer symbol displayed.

To use the Kokozone service, customers have to purchase a prepaid scratch card at R100 providing two hours of access. To log on the service, customers have to configure their settings, launch their browser in any Kokozone area, insert a web address and they will automatically be directed to the Kokozone web page. Then you have to enter the pin number obtained from the scratch card in the login box and get connected.

Kokozone hotspots are expected to come up in most areas on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue by the end of the year.

Seychelles’ new age election campaign.

The recent presidential election held in Seychelles during the last weekend of July has introduced new ways for candidates to reach the voters.

The traditional use of posters, banner and music still make campaigning a colourful affair in the islands archipelago of the Indian Ocean.

But recently the political parties have increasingly used new technology to make their pitch.

The growing number of mobile phone users and increasing use of the Internet provided the three candidates a new campaign platform. They were busy sending catchy text messages to voters through mobile phones.

The ruling SPPF party and the main opposition party, the SNP both launched their own interactive websites to communicate with their voters.

The sites list the candidates’ political, educational and family background as well as their achievements and that of their parties. Surfers can send their feedback as well as questions, which were answered by them.

Party officials said by using Short Messaging Service (SMS) and e-mail, the candidates can directly target voters who may otherwise be apathetic.

In what was the toughest race for the presidency the country has seen since the re-introduction of multiparty politics in Seychelles in 1992, the campaign forced the parties to examine innovative ways of getting their messages across.

James Michel of the Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF) polled 30,119 votes which was 53.73 percent of the total valid votes cast whereas the main opposition candidate, Wavel Ramkalawan of the Seychelles National Party (SNP)/Democratic Party (DP) alliance, collected 25,626 votes or 45.71 percent.

The remaining 314 valid votes went to independent candidate Philippe Boullé for a 0.56 percentage.

Seychellois strive to beat media control.

State domination of Seychelles' media could be undermined in the years ahead as Seychellois are increasingly turning to the Internet, cable and satellite TV channels from overseas.

Viewers with satellite dishes can now tune into a host of overseas channels, as possession of satellite dishes for personal use is now legal in Seychelles. Although most of these channels simply offer Western-style entertainment and talk shows, yet they are still more popular than any other programmes available on state-run TV.

The satellite dishes approval procedures was last revised in January 2004. As of then, a licence fee of SR2000 per annum or SR8000 for five years exists for satellite dishes greater than 1.8m but equal to 2.4m for private use.

To date some 150 licences have been issued for personal usage, leisure centers, small hotel, guesthouses, large hotels and establishments.

An environmental fee also exists varying according to the size of the dish ranging from SR1000 to SR15, 000 (for dishes from 0m to 3.6m or more), whilst a 25% trade tax is applicable on all imported satellite dishes.

Meanwhile, since its inception just over a year ago, the sole cable television provider, Intervision has a consumer base of 3500 households. A company spokesperson says Intervision has a growth of 150 new connections per month.

Within Seychelles, the broadcast media are firmly under state control. A licences fee of SR800, 000 for private channel has long been criticised as too exorbitant by critics. The state broadcaster runs one TV channels and two radio networks.

The situation has since led to an explosion in the number of Internet users in Seychelles. With the setting up of three Internet Service Providers (ISPs), since the introduction of the worldwide web on these shores in 1996, the Internet is gaining wider appeal, not just among young people. Figures released by the department of Information and Communication Technology (MITC) shows an amount of 3501 Internet account holders up to March this year. However, the total the number of people online in Seychelles is still unknown,

But critics maintain that the high online fees, slow connection speeds and lack of access to computers means the Internet is still a luxury used mainly by high-earners Seychellois.