As the curtains prepare to go down on 2021, the British High Commissioner, Patrick Lynch, reflects on the highlights of this busy and eventful year in the following interview.

Q: It has been a busy year for the British High Commission team, what have been the highlights?

A: It has been a very busy year for the British High Commission. Our team has more than doubled in size in the last two years and is now easily the best I have worked with in a 20-year career in seven different countries.

As well as the regular tasks of a Diplomatic Mission, every team member engages in work across our four programmes: Anti-Corruption Support, Police Reform, Green Recovery of Tourism and our Shared Values Programme, which is made up of ten different community initiatives. Thankfully, the UK has matched the increased personnel with increased project resource, allowing all of these initiatives to be well funded and also to draw in a range of free expertise from the UK.

Q: Anti-Corruption is obviously the biggest new story of the day; can you tell us about how the UK has been supporting Seychelles?

A: The UK has been working with local experts in Seychelles to provide world leading technical support on anti-corruption for a number of years. As the public is aware, there is also an ongoing case involving the alleged transfer of funds to a UK bank account. We have responded to requests for assistance with a significant surge of support. A number of UK specialists have been sent to work here, supported by an experienced international team in London. The aim is to further develop the capacity and expertise of the Anti-Corruption Commission, under the leadership of May De Silva, so that it can have a sustainable impact as it seeks to recover huge amounts of criminal assets and return them to the communities they have been stolen from.

It has been great to see the 27 countries of the European Union also offering valuable technical support. When the UK was in the European Union, we were very pleased to be part of this EU support in addition to our ongoing bilateral efforts. The UK is no longer part of the European Union but our commitment to joined-up working remains, and we look forward to the EU restarting its support to Seychelles on Anti-Corruption.

Q: What impact could this big case have for Seychelles?

A: I do not want to comment on the impact of specific cases, but the UK is very clear on the importance of Anti-Corruption, more generally. Corruption is not a victimless crime. It is about dishonest people enriching themselves by stealing resources from those who need them most.

Where Anti-Corruption mechanisms are weak, we see societies that struggle, communities that are denied fully functioning public services, and elites that exist for their own gain within a culture of impunity. Where Anti-Corruption mechanisms are strong, we see criminal assets returned to the public sector, schools and hospitals that are better resourced, and people in positions of power who recognise that they serve at the will of the people to meet the needs of the people.

In all countries, the seizure of criminal assets can make a significant difference to communities that require extra resources. If that is true in the United Kingdom, with a population of 70 million, then it is especially true in Seychelles. With a population of 100,000, the effective seizure of criminal assets could absolutely transform the economy and make a real difference to the lives of the people of Seychelles.

Q: Tell us about the Policing Reform work

A: The President and the Minister for Internal Affairs have presented the people of Seychelles with a clear and coherent vision for Police Reform in Seychelles, seeking to make it more effective and responsive to needs of the community. There is also new local leadership in place to achieve this vision. The UK is very proud of our policing tradition and the ability of our officers to provide a service that is engaging and effective. In that context, we were pleased to be the partner of choice for Police Reform here and to bring in Sir George Hamilton and others, to partner with the new Police Commissioner in carrying out a strategic review.

Sir George was at the centre of the biggest police reform programme in the world, in Northern Ireland, recently retiring as the Chief Constable. He and Commissioner Ted Barbe are working together with UK and local experts. They will offer the President and his ministers a number of recommendations for consideration, in order to improve policing in Seychelles.

Q: And what about the Climate work. Is now the time for a Green Recovery of Tourism? Should Seychelles not be concentrating on doing all it can to encourage tourists back to these Islands?

A: Yes and Yes! There is a real economic imperative to responding to the changing demands of the climate and the climate-conscious tourist.

In 2019 a campaign called the ‘flight shaming movement’ was launched and quickly spread across Europe. It focussed on the carbon impact of flying, noting that a long haul flight to destinations such as Seychelles could produce around 5 tonnes of CO2 for one person. This is more than double the emissions produced by a petrol car for an entire family in the UK for a whole year. The answer is a Green Recovery of Tourism and, in my opinion, Seychelles is better placed than any other tourist destination in the world, to turn this consumer demand into an economic opportunity. There are so many different ways that local experts are already making tourism more sustainable and there is so much more that can be done.

The British High Commission is doing our part, in partnership with the highly skilled staff of the Seychelles Park and Gardens Authority. Under the Green Footprint Seychelles project, visitors can have the carbon generated by their flight calculated to a corresponding number of trees, in order to offset that impact. They can then pay a small amount to plant indigenous species while on holiday, or pay a little more and have trees planted on their behalf. The scheme is scientifically verified and has been developed into a very appealing activity product for visiting tourists. We will fund the first two hundred participants and will then subsidise the scheme and help to market it to those tourists who otherwise might be hesitant to book a long haul flight.

Q: We have seen the BHC team out and about a lot in Seychelles engaging in community activities. Can you tell us more about those initiatives?

A: In 2021, our Shared Values Programme, with ten different community-based initiatives, has been both fun and rewarding. When Covid-restrictions meant that we were unable to host our annual ‘Queen’s Birthday Party’, we instead visited the Plaisance Care Home for the Elderly to host a British Afternoon Tea, also delivering afternoon tea to 400 care workers and elderly residents on the same day. We were really struck by the care shown by staff at the Plaisance Home and also the warmth and independence of the residents. We have been working with the team there over a number of months. We have made the grounds wheelchair accessible, planted a new garden and also installed new social areas and specialist seating for the elderly. It is a sign of the diversity of skill that we have in our team, that we have had people coming straight from policy meetings to lay flower beds and mix cement!

We have also had new initiatives working with Children’s Care Homes and our esteemed veterans from the British Armed Services. Again, very rewarding experiences. Early in January, we will be working with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Family, the Ministry of Education and the Electoral Commission to support the relaunch of a Youth Assembly for Seychelles. This will be a great example of our shared UK/Seychelles values of youth engagement and democracy, as we see young people elected in free and fair elections, to represent their peers.

I am sure that it is no surprise that one of our favourite initiatives within our Shared Values Programme was our Seychelles’ School Premier League. This involved ten secondary schools in Mahé, fully kitted out to represent teams from the English Premier League.

Q: The Seychelles Schools’ Premier League was very popular. How do you think that went and what will happen next?

A: To be honest, the success of the Seychelles Schools’ Premier League was beyond what we had hoped for. This was a great project that really captured the imagination of everyone here. We saw real dedication from hundreds of players, skilled coaches and also great support from the wider school communities. We had 44 games in the season that were all brilliant occasions. Great events, great fun, and great to see young people rising to the challenge and showing solid team-work and pride at representing their schools.

Unfortunately, in one game, a small number of players let their team-mates down and were unable to show the maturity that was required to handle a big occasion. We have discussed the matter with local leaders from the National Sports Council. The response will reflect the rules of football, with points deducted from two teams and a number of players receiving red cards retrospectively.

Our focus now will be on making a project that was a huge success overall, even better. Future initiatives will include a FA Cup-style tournament early next year, also involving new teams with EPL kits from Praslin and La Digue. Importantly, we will be doubling the resources we have for youth football with the introduction of a Girls’ Premier League at the start of 2022, bringing due parity to girls across these islands who share the national love of football.

Q: What are your thoughts on the Covid pandemic experience in the UK and Seychelles?

A: Unfortunately, both of our countries have been hit hard by the global pandemic. Covid has brought a significant physical health and mental health challenge to our communities but, in many cases, it has also shown the best of our shared values. People looking out for family members and neighbours and working together to get through it.

The UK and Seychelles’ governments have worked extremely hard to provide world-leading levels of vaccinations for their people. The UK is very proud of the massive investment that was made in the research and development of the Oxford Astra Zeneca/Covishield vaccine. The British High Commission was also very pleased to provide R2 million of technical equipment to support the Covid recovery effort here. We should also recognise the generosity of other countries who responded very quickly and effectively as the government of Seychelles did all that it could to ensure that its people were protected.

It is obviously very disappointing that in both the UK and Seychelles, there were a small number of people who were tricked and manipulated by misinformation around vaccines. Those who chose not to avail of the vaccine opportunity for these reasons, clearly had a massive impact on Covid case numbers and the economy here and kept tourists away for too long.

Q: From all that we have discussed, it’s clear that the UK is doing a lot more in Seychelles. Why is this happening now?

A: We worked well with the previous government on a number of issues. We also recognised that the first democratic transition in this country offered new opportunities with a new government that had made strong commitments on issues that are very important to the UK. In a short space of time, the government here already has a commendable record of drawing in support and expertise from across the world to improve the lives of Seychellois.

The UK will always try and respond positively when we are asked. The legal process here means that UK support on the Rule of Law is especially valuable, but that, and all of our other work, is always delivered in a way that engages local experience and is relevant to Seychelles.

The UK agenda in Seychelles is simple and transparent and is a privilege to lead. The motto of our Foreign Ministry is ‘Force for Good’ and I see that in the work that my team members do every day. There are no selfish strategic or economic interests for the UK in Seychelles. It is about working with partners and friends with a shared history and shared values. Working with them to embed democracy, transparency and the Rule of Law. When the world is a fairer, safer and more democratic place, then Seychelles and the UK benefit.

Q: And finally, can you tell us what Christmas will be like at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Seychelles?

A: As a family, we have a very traditional British Christmas. Of course, every day we live in Seychelles, we realise that our customs and traditions are very similar. We drive on the correct side of the road, we know that it is acceptable to put milk in our tea, we are avid football supporters and we all really love Christmas!

This year, I am hoping that our children will let us sleep until at least 6am on Christmas Day, before we walk down the stairs to see if Santa Claus has left any presents under the tree. From there it is all about food. Bacon rolls for breakfast, a big Roast Turkey with all the trimmings, at least two different deserts, home-made mince pies and perhaps the odd glass of something along the way. We also usually watch our favourite British Christmas film: ‘Nativity’. Highly recommended for anyone who needs to sit down and keep the kids calm for a couple of hours!

I am encouraging all of our team to switch off over the Christmas period and enjoy some well-deserved down time. We are all looking forward to coming back refreshed and re-energised in the New Year to ensure that we remain a Force for Good for Seychelles in 2022.

Source: Seychelles Nation