Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Preferable to negotiate to avoid war

The President, Philip Nyusi, and the Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama agreed to submit the proposal for autonomous regions to Parliament. Today, Frelimo members of the Commission are campaigning against this same idea. What is your opinia, Dr.Teodato Hunguana, as Central Committee member in this regard?
There is no doubt that there are differences between the initiative of the President and the statements of our party. The President Nyusi took a major initiative because it opens the way to unlock a situation that would worsen almost unsustainable way for people. In my view, the president of Renamo put their ideas to the President and this indicated where they should be placed. Dhlakama accepted this counter and consider it extremely positive, because the Parliament is the proper forum to discuss the issue. However, at various levels heard our party leaders in answer to in order to reject the idea, even having been submitted. We can not take actions or pronouncements as if we had already discussed the project. At this time, Renamo should be concentrated in the proposal. Members of other stands should, in my view, study and discuss seriously the ideas that probably will guide the proposal. We have time to prepare for this debate and not anticipate positions on something you do not know.

It then considers the right decision of the President?I have no doubt, I fully support the President's position. He did not arrogated powers that it has not decided on anything, indicated own forum where the debate and the decision should occur. There he respected the Constitution.

It is timely appearance of the senior members of Frelimo knowing it was the party that supported the candidacy of Philip Nyusi?These statements pose problems that can cause dangerous misunderstandings. There pronouncements that undermine the President. The Head of State is the highest magistrate of the nation, the symbol of national unity, the guarantor of the Constitution, the Commander in Chief of the Defence and Security Forces and may not appear at any time, any instance above it. Be that party is the president, the party and the president are bound to the Constitution. The Constitution says that the parties are subject to the principles and constitutional requirements. No party, even to which I belong, escapes this, so there can be no appreciation as I sometimes hear there misconceptions, readings that say the president is subordinated to any party body.

That reading is the positioning of the Political Committee, especially the idea that "we do not want the autonomous regions"?I do not want to do any reading at this point because it is a matter of course you deserve analysis within the party. Who have questions may raise. I myself have already raised the level of the meetings we have.

Paragraph 2 of Article 76 of the Statute of Frelimo says that holders of government posts, elected by the party respond to the Commission Policy. To what extent this Article is in line with the Constitution?The statutory and regulatory standards or legal or have to be interpreted and the Statute of the Frelimo party did not escape this rule. They have to be interpreted with all the legal rigor and by no means the result is unconstitutional. The constitutional principles say the head of government is the president. Therefore, the President does not respond either to the Parliament under the Constitution.

So considers unconstitutional the article of the Frelimo statutes?If the interpretation is that it is unconstitutional, but it is not the only possible interpretation, so call attention to read and interpret with caution.

Do you think that the proposal of the creation of autonomous regions draft will pass in parliament?
We can not call into question the competence of the Parliament, so I have my reservations when questions are asked with an ultimatum when it comes to the State of destination. We can not call into question the competence of Parliament. This debate can not be anticipated by unhappy paths, hidden in some mobilization of political action. We must take seriously this debate, and for that we have to look seriously at the deputies.I think that the work should be done at this point is the study, analysis and internal discussion in preparation of the Assembly debate and this must happen in all parties entering the Parliament. It does not seem that they should come to the debate now in the media. We can not fall into a situation where a scream and others also cry. It seems that we are in a situation where we will see who is screaming more.

Takes the view that the current president of Frelimo must deliver the presidency before the end of the term?What I think is that the party organs will take the necessary decisions to solve a problem that is not a problem unless the invent accordingly.The fact is that this issue is not written in the party statutes, the result of some experience.

Resultado de imagem para teodato hunguanaConsiders that there is room for this?These principles and standards were put in place in a not very old situation. It was ten years ago with President Chissano. We can not act with a weight and two measures. I would be hard pressed to imagine what are the arguments for not cease. This argument that the mandate given by the Congress went beyond does not, because until the president's term Chissano went further.

Joaquim Chissano resigned willingly. There can be no waiver of will on the part of the current president of Frelimo?The President Chissano, from the state, was able to reapply and he has drawn its unavailability. In relation to the presidency of the party, he was president of the party and came to resign because the gap between the party presidency and the presidency did not obey the principle of unitary power, which is the principle against which Frelimo was established and always worked. What is asked is that someone may not want to act according to the principles of the party. There is placing a complex problem. In any case, the competent bodies discuss seriously if there is anything which calls into question the principles and causes that were being followed in a certain way.

As a fundamental point, which is the difficulty the party to put it in the statutes?
We have good laws, but they are not perfect. You need to make an effort of articulation and legal and correct interpretation of the statutes so that they result not unconstitutional. It means that some parts of the statute are not clear, need interpretation. Congress in the Congress had to make an effort to improve our statutes with a view to be conformed to the Constitution.

It would be surprising if the presidency of the party were not passed to Philip Nyusi before the end of the mandate of Armando Guebuza?There is no doubt that it would be surprising, because not correspond to a practice and I know we're all used to. We must shape the understanding we have of statutes and conform them to the dictates of the Constitution otherwise come to absolutely unaffordable conclusions with the constitution and may call into question the respect we should have with the highest magistrate of the nation.

That comment is in relation to the senior member Gabriel Muthisse on Facebook in response to the publication of Marcelo Mosse?I do not know in what context it made this statement, but it seems to me, from what I understand, that President Nyusi wanted to move away, legislating and judge to be superior to Frelimo. Have you heard this critical statement, I think we would be to draw up a misconception suspect the President. Nyusi is Central Committee member as we who chose it as our candidate for President. The President Nyusi assumes and exercises to the fullest the powers that are in the Constitution, was why he was elected. We in Frelimo party, are the first to observe these principles.

There will be conditions for that, in fact, Philip Nyusi have peace in their governance?He is the guarantor of the Constitution and has a great commitment that goes beyond everything and everyone. Was publicly invested therefore involve creating the conditions for the President effectively exercises power without obstacles, inerências what are the norms of the Constitution itself. If there are problems within the Frelimo party must be resolved, but not undermine the commitment of what is the mandate of the President.

Considers being impaired performance of the President?The President took an open initiative and had caused a salutary thaw. However, there have been developments seem to us reconduzirem foregoing. And if in fact it bring us back to previous situations of tension because of something that is out of alignment with the initiative of the President, we must resolve these issues wherever they arise, and most urgently, are not problems to be postponed.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Police saved nosy

Resultado de imagem para massingir mozambiqueTwo international journalists who came to Mozambique to investigate the poaching of rhinos, are grappling with the Mozambican justice. According runs in the international press, Torbjörn Selander and Bartholomäus Grill, corresponding Der Spiegel and The African Times, were arrested by the Police accused of spying Republic on 16 February and also risk their lives. According could ascertain the situation was very tense on Saturday with the population of Massingir to create a riot, which came to fear the lynching of the two journalists. The revolt of the population was due to the fact that the journalists had entered the property of an individual to them referenced as poacher, (which is not confirmed) without the presence of this on site. Against Torbjörn Selander and Bartholomäus Grill was raised a self for trespassing and constituted attorney. The PRM denies detained journalists, but put two agents to ensure their safety before the wrath of the population, which sees poaching rhino as a right and your business. Massingir, on the border between Mozambique and the Kruger National Park is known to be an entry point for poaching rhino from Mozambique. This is not the first time that Massingir encounters problems between poachers and the PRM, where people always takes the advantage of stealth, as seen in this activity quickly, or perhaps the only way out of poverty. The two journalists still find themselves in Massingir and arriving at Maputo resorting to the use of a helicopter, as they suffered threats to their physical integrity and were told that if they traveled by road would be killed. We will continue to monitor the situation and came back to inform when we have more news.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

SENIOR FRELIMO FIGURES DENOUNCE “AUTONOMOUS REGIONS”

Several senior figures of Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party on Monday attacked the proposal for “autonomous regions” or “autonomous provinces” made by the former rebel movement Renamo, making it increasingly unlikely that the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, will approve the promised bill on the matter.As Frelimo central brigades fan out across the provinces, each headed by a member of the party’s Political Commission, they are warning against any attempt to divide the country.Thus in the northern city of Nampula, Filipe Paunde said that the creation of “autonomous regions” would violate the Mozambican constitution “and seeks to hold back the country’s development”.He stressed that all citizens should be aware that Mozambique “is one and indivisible”, and that it is through national unity that living standards have been improved.In Chimoio, capital of Manica province, another Political Commission member, Alcinda Abreu, argued that the creation of autonomous regions is not compatible with the current constitution. The October 15 general elections, which gave Renamo and its leader, Afonso Dhlakama, a slight advantage in some parts of central and northern Mozambique were national, and not regional, elections, she stressed.Dhlakama’s calls for autonomy, Abreu added, “violate national sovereignty and unity, and seek to suggest dividing a country which has always fought for the unity of its people. There are no autonomous regions in Mozambique”.Eneas Comiche, the former mayor of Maputo, and now the chairperson of the parliamentary Plan and Budget Commission, speaking in the southern city of Inhambane, warned citizens “not to get carried away by the speeches of Afonso Dhlakama”.There was no room, he argued, for models of governance “which promote tribalism and regionalism”.Dhlakama himself, in an interview published in last Friday’s issue of the independent weekly “Savana”, argues that “autonomous provinces” are entirely compatible with the constitution, because decentralized local councils, such as the existing 53 municipalities, are already covered by the Constitution, and an autonomous province would just be a large municipality.This ingenious argument is not shared by all Renamo members. The latest issue of the official Renamo publication “A Perdiz” carries an opinion article calling for the abolition of the current Constitution and its replacement by a federal regime.The article claims that Mozambique needs a federal constitution “in order to remove the causes of conflicts”. It claims that “cultural traditions and even specific needs of each zone, each tribe, each province, and each region” have been repressed, leading to “a wave of ill-defined but real violence to reject oppression”.The anonymous author claims that there is only a “false national unity” in Mozambique, disguising “the dominating tendencies of one region, one tribe and above all one party over other Mozambicans”. Routine sneers against “the communists of Frelimo” follow, before the article declares “the Constitution should be changed to allow those who like communism to have a communist government, and those who like the Family to have a governor from Renamo”.It is impossible to say whether this reflects majority opinion in Renamo, but the fact that the article occupies a page and a half in the party’s official publication surely indicates that it is at least a significant trend.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

COAL INDIA MAY PULL OUT OF MOZAMBIQUE

The Indian state company Coal India (CIL) is likely to scrap its investment in Mozambique, according to a senior executive in the company, speaking anonymously to the Indian publication “Economic Times”.CIL acquired two blocks, A1 and A2, in the Moatize district of the western Mozambican province of Tete in 2008. It then set up a Mozambican subsidiary, Coal India Africana, to handle exploration and production.For six years everything seemed fine, with a string of optimistic statements from CIL. But now the anonymous CIL executive has claimed that the quality of the coal in the two blocks is so poor that it cannot even be burned by coal-fired Indian power stations.'The reserves in the two blocks do contain carbon, but it is not good enough to be called coal”, he said. “This reserve cannot sustain a 12% rate of return on investment in the medium to long run. Simply put, it is not coal”.He claimed that CIL had been led to believe that 20 per cent of the deposits in the two blocks would be high quality coking coal that could be used in steel making, while the rest was thermal coal that could be used to fuel power plants.He said that after samples from the two blocks had been sent to India for analysis, the quality of the coal was found to be “extremely inferior” – so much so that it could not even be described as coal. Moatize is known to sit on huge coal deposits, some of which are currently being exploited by the Brazilian mining giant, Vale, and by a second Indian company, International Coal Ventures Limited (ICVL), which last year purchased Rio Tinto’s Mozambican coal assets.If the anonymous executive is to be believed, CIL was unlucky enough to strike a part of Moatize which, defying the geology of the rest of the region, contains no coal.Meanwhile, ICVL, which is also owned by the Indian state, is pushing ahead with plans to invest two billion US dollars in Mozambican coal. This includes plans to mine 13 million tonnes of coal annually, a project to transform coal into liquid fuels, and a power station to be built at the mouth of the Benga mine in Moatize district.


POWER RESTORED TO NORTHERN MOZAMBIQUE

The Mozambican electricity company, EDM, on Monday restored the power supply to northern Mozambique, after a month long power cut, caused by catastrophic flooding in the central province of Zambezia.A massive flood on the Licungo river on 12 January swept away ten pylons in Mocuba district on the transmission line carrying power from the Cahora Bassa dam to the north. This deprived the northern provinces of Nampula, Niassa and Cabo Delgado and the northern districts of Zambezia of electricity.EDM has installed a temporary alternative line, using wooden pylons. Because of the impossibility of approaching the area overland, even using four wheel drive vehicles, the pylons were lowered into place using a cargo helicopter hired from South Africa.EDM had initially hoped to restore the power supply by the end of January, but continued heavy rains in Zambezia made this impossible, and the electricity could not be switched back on, using the alternative line, until Monday morning.The other major disruption to the Mozambican economy caused by the Zambezia floods is the interruption to traffic along the main north-south highway (ENI), which was cut in five places. The worst damage was to the bridge carrying the road across the Licungo at Mocuba town. Parts of the bridge were swept away at both its northern and southern ends. The National Roads Administration (ANE) is now forecasting that provisional repairs to the bridge, allowing traffic to flow across it, will be complete by Sunday.Another bridge on ENI, which was swept away near Nampevo, has been repaired with a dirt bypass, which is undergoing constant repairs due to the continuing rains. Temporary repairs have also been made to the smaller breaks in the road.

WHAT Dhlakama WANT?

While regicide me the proper course of dialogue between the leader of Renamo and the Government of Nyusi, I consider important comment briefly on said "autonomous regions" idea put forward by Renamo, which she aims to overcome the current crisis post-election.To begin with, I consider important proceed to a kind of hermeneutic discourse, to understand the speech and the person who Mario anunciaTomas, person whose analysis has inspired me in recent days, reminds us that "Dhlakama should be interpreted" (Radio Mozambique, hotline, February 7, 2015). For him, the terms and the language used by him, if understood as such, frighten and run the risk of "turn it into a Leviathan". I prefer another term, we risk turning it into a Werewolf.Now when you do not have the answers to the vaunted proposal, I am still interested in understanding what the proposal on "autonomous regions" mean in fact.
• You will want to split Mozambique in north, central and south, with a President of the Autonomous Region in each of them? Better is this a temporary decision or not?
• You can establish autonomous administrative regions without the people to be heard in referendum?
• What model of autonomy is intended? Federalism? And that relationship with the central government?
• Does the Renamo even want are autonomous regions or provinces with governors and elected provincial assemblies and constituted in accordance with the election results?
At least it is clear that Dhlakama wants to rule in the provinces where it won, including Tete, Sofala, Zambezia and Manica, so 4 provinces and not 7 as has been publicized.
• How he wants to rule? Naming governors?
• Through the election of governors, the similarity of the municipalities?
• What are the implications of this model for Constitute the Republic?
• What other laws should be changed? Suffice the bill Renamo for all to overcome?
• And the electoral law? And the law of the local organs of state? And other laws?
• How long can this transformation?
Matias De Jesus Jr. reminds us of the word "Wungwissar" for one Ndau amalgam aportuguesado to refer to the act of making someone a clown. The Brazilians say "make fun with your face." I sincerely hope that this Draft Law scene of autonomous regions is not just to "Ungwissar" there in Parliament! "

My first impression is that the pace of work that parliament has accustomed us, this subject is so large that it can take a long time. We're almost in March ...

Friday, February 6, 2015

The paths to peace

The celebrations of the February 3 Let's disclose how Frelimo and his government are deeply divided on approach to political dialogue with Renamo. On the one hand, the President and his Prime Minister, we have the serenity image and unconditional opening to talk to Afonso Dhlakama. On the other, the Party President, Secretary-General and closest cronies, the bleak picture, nervous, aggressive and impatient. Magnanimous, and oblivious to all the noise that his own party does, around the subject, Filipe Nyusi stays true and consistent in his inaugural address and continues to surprise everyone and everything for their unexpected firmness even to those who expected they should bows. Had long since become apparent that the successor of Guebuza would not have an easy life in the direction of the state. By 15 January this year, and for 50 years, had been the very founders of Frelimo to give the cards at all and, at the time of handing over power to the new generation, Nyusi seemed to them the choice of lower risk, one that, by his past, not configured to initiate major changes to the course that best elesachavam the country.The problem is that Filipe Nyusi is leaving up precisely the opposite of what Frelimo (or just some of its most prominent members?) Expect. Starting with the reliever and messianic inaugural address. The new president came with a crash, the front door, when in some scripts if you had booked the back door.The message that "my boss is the people" is much deeper than some interpreted it and is intended more for within the party than out.When, as a block, the party shows signs of impatience and responds aggressively to the inflammatory speeches of Dhlakama, as it turned out, on February 3 with former President Armando Guebuza, is a clear sign that someone in Frelimo "is up in paints "with the ravings of Renamo leader and the consequences of them can come to the country and will be going on the idea that it is necessary to activate a Plan B to resolve the matter. How about a year and a half, when attacked unexpectedly Santugira.For now, Filipe Nyusi showed that it is unaffected by the pressure that his strategy is precisely reach out to Renamo leader to convince him to leave the erratic way he got himself into and to return to normal. The old adage "the alternative to dialogue is the dialogue itself." A position that remains valid points Nyusi, a president who many assumed lamb, but is proving to be a real wolf. At least for now. Filipe Nyusi promised in its possession, build consensus in difficult times, leadership in Mozambique where, ever, brothers turn against brothers is that pretext; a permanent and true dialogue. He promised to seek the President Chissano the spirit of tolerance and reconciliaçã the Mozambican family.In less than a month of head of state, Nyusi facing the first major test of his leadership, faces the first difficult time and the opportunity to begin to implement these promises, even if it means putting yourself in the antipodes of ideas his party. To convince the ultra-radical party, without the leadership of it, is the first step.(Jeremias Langa in "O PAÍS")

PS:
This week, the Bar Association suggested that the Attorney General's Office should intervene and prosecuting Dhlakama for their pronouncements. We disagree with this idea completely. Hold Dhlakama would be worse than the ailment the amendment. We are all equal before the law, stated in the Constitution. But how wisely reminds us George Orwell, there are more equal than others.Afonso Dhalama is not António Muchanga. You look at the huge legion of his followers and It can be seen the potential for instability in the country could plunge to go down this route. The Dhlakama problem is political and in this way should be resolved.
Source: Online Country - 05/02/2014


Thursday, February 5, 2015

Mambas recruit Germans to attack Uganda

The national coach, John Chissano, Mozambique expects to have three players born in Germany to the tie with Uganda, whose first leg will be played on the afternoon of February 21 this year in Maputo. The game has for the first round of access to the African Games Congo-2015.O Afrin field, in Machava, will be the venue of the first leg of the first round of access to the African Games Congo-2015. The second leg will be held two weeks later, Uganda. The winner of this contest will face Ghana, the last step to enter the JA September and if you qualify, fight for a space for access to the 2016 Olympic Games.For these games, the coach wants to rely on all Mozambicans players to act abroad, three of which play in Germany, particularly Ronny Marcos, Hamburg, Jeffrey (BSV) and Gelício Banze (Dynamo Dresden).
- I wish I could count on these players, especially those playing in Germany, expressed João Chissano. Continuing his speech, the coach said that they do not know the Mozambican reality. This is an opportunity to begin to acclimatise themselves. Know the country and our habits, for they were born and raised in Germany, expressed the técnico.Além these players, who are children of Mozambican emigrants, hopes to have Clésio Baúque (Benfica of Portugal), Faisal Bangal (Atalanta Italy), Witti (Nacional da Madeira, Portugal) and Edson Almeida (Union of Madeira, Portugal). However, because the February 21 date is not FIFA, João Chissano fears be without such the players, but also expect some difficulties to form a group capable of facing the round smoothly, since operating in Mozambique not are competing and playing outside rely on the goodwill of the clubs they represent.
- It will be a very difficult round. We will have to work to take solutions to present a strong team. Players operating in Mozambique can make a round without having made a single game. The playing outside have pace, but you must wait for the understanding of their clubs, Chissano said.