President Danny Faure received 31 retiring public servants at State House today, following their long years of commitment to their professions.

They were joined by the Deputy Cabinet Secretary in the Office of the President, Mrs Jeanne Simeon, Chief Secretary and Head of Civil Service in the Office of the President, Ms Jessie Esparon, as well as the Heads of various departments and authorities.

The President thanked them for their dedication and hard work as well as for their professional and loyal service over the many years that they worked for the Government. Among the retiring public servants was Mrs Monique Bibi, who has served for almost 53 years at State House. President Faure said that it was an honour for him to welcome them as they start their retirement.

“I initiated this programme in July 2010 as the Vice-President, when it was part of my responsibilities to meet with citizens that decided to go into retirement in order to thank them personally. Now, as the President, I have decided to continue with this tradition. It is a privilege for me to express my gratitude to you and be inspired by your experiences, which may be useful for other public servants. The long years that you have served in your various organisations should also be an example for the younger generation, as it shows that with perseverance you can work for many years in a workplace,” said President Faure.

Before presenting them with tokens of appreciation, the retiring officers shared their experiences, and areas to improve in their various fields to the President.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Mrs Monique Bibi, who has worked over 53 years as a housekeeper at State House, said that it was always her dream to work there until her retirement. She said that she owes her long years of service to qualities like honesty, loyalty, confidentiality and good punctuality.

“My message to the young people that come to work at State House is that you need to persevere in your work – try, and with the grace of God, nothing is impossible. One more important thing is that you need to learn to listen and get inspired by those with experience and older than you,” said Mrs Bibi.

Editor’s Note:
•    Retirees were from the Ministry of Habitat, Infrastructure and Land Transport Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, Department of Employment, Seychelles Revenue Commission, Department of Finance, Trade and Economic Planning and the Department of Environment.