3
RESTRICTED
individual Ministers were in favour of early independence for
all those colonies which could sustain it. There was thus no
conflict of principle between the parties concerned. The problems sprang from the rift between the SDP and the SPUP. Mr Mancham demanded early independence under the SDP, with no further elections before independence and a minimum of restraints on the majority in the Independence Constitution.
Mr Renė,
who still claimed that the SPUP were the real majority, insisted that before independence there must be both an electoral review and new elections, and that the Independence Constitution must contain adequate safeguards for minority parties.
6.
Several attempts were made by the FCO to persuade the parties to resolve their differences. During a visit by Mr Renė to the UK in particular we put it to him that the issue which had previously divided the Seychelles parties was independence from
Britain. This was now resolved between them. There were no
other substantial differences between the parties, whether of race, ideology or class. Both leaders were young middle-class lawyers with similar backgrounds. The problems of personalities
should be soluble. Mr René seemed to agree and undertook to try
to reach an accommodation with Mr Mancham. The latter also said
he was anxious to co-operate. In this situation Messrs Larmour (AUS), Rushford (Legal Advisers) and Stuart (Head of HKIOD) visited Seychelles in May 1974 for talks with the parties on an
Interim and an Independence Constitution. There were few difficulties about interim arrangements but the main problem of
elections or no elections before independence remained.
7.
Two other questions also had to be considered in parallel
with the constitutional discussions. The first was Aid for
Seychelles after independence; and the second was the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). On the first, Seychelles still needed Aid to balance its recurrent budget, well as for its capital development programme...Mr Mancham's government calculated that, but for the extra cost of sustaining independence, Seychelles could have come out of Grant in Aid in
/ 1975
RESTRICTED
·3-