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Seychelles Crown Colony Status, 1903
Political development proceeded very slowly. From 1814
until
1903, when the islands became a crown colony, they were
granted
increasing administrative autonomy from Mauritius. In 1888
separate nominated administrative and executive councils
were
established for Mauritius and Seychelles. Thus, for the
first
time, some landed white Seychellois were allowed to serve
in
official advisory positions. In 1897 the administrator of
Seychelles was given the powers of a colonial governor,
although
it was not until 1903 that the islands were separated from
Mauritius. When Seychelles became a separate colony, the
other
islands of the archipelago, except for Coetivy and the
Farquhar
Islands, were added to the original group acquired by
Britain in
1814. Coetivy was transferred from Mauritius in 1908 and
the
Farquhars in 1922 after World War I.
Widespread involvement of Seychellois in their own
political
affairs began in 1948 after World War II, when Britain
granted
suffrage to approximately 2,000 adult male property
owners, who
then elected four members to the Legislative Council that
advised
the governor. The winning candidates were drawn from a
group
known as the Seychelles Taxpayers' and Producers'
Association
(STPA), which represented the landed strata of
society--known
colloquially as the grands blancs (great whites).
The STPA
defended its members' interest in matters of crop
marketing and
other issues and was the principal political force in the
nation
until the early 1960s, when representatives of the small
new
urban professional and middle class began to win seats.
Two parties emerged to represent this new constituency:
the
DP, led by James Mancham, and the SPUP, led by France
Albert
René. Both men were London-educated lawyers who had
returned to
Seychelles determined to improve local conditions and to
develop
popularly based local politics.
Although community rivalries and the differing styles
of the
two leaders were important in attracting followers, the
two
parties also differed in substantive ways. The SPUP called
itself
socialist, favored worker-oriented policies, and pressed
for
complete independence from Britain and a nonaligned
foreign
policy. The pressure for independence was intensified
after
Britain in 1965 removed Île Desroches, the Aldabra
Islands, and
the Farquhar Islands from Seychelles and made them part of
the
British Indian Ocean Territory. The DP took a more
laissez-faire
capitalist approach and wanted to continue the association
with
Britain and to allow British and United States bases on
the
islands.
Data as of August 1994
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