It is best to talk to these fellows

Manuel Tomé, is one of the Frelimo figures less media in recent years. When SAVANNAH says he accepted the interview exceptionally. The former Secretary General of Frelimo, in the reign of Joaquim Chissano, is cautious about the hottest topic of the Mozambican currency: the bad debts.

Back in 2015 when we only had knowledge of EMATUM, the former prime minister, Luísa Diogo, said he began to have nightmares about the country's debt levels. As received, this year, the news about the increased debt of PROINDICUS and MAM?

 Any debt is always a problem. I would say the best thing is not to have debt, but we know that often countries have to go into debt to be able to implement their development projects. And the indebtedness, the larger, more troubling are.

Our debt levels are worrying. If we are seeing today are more than 11 billion dollars of debt we have and these debts PROINDUCUS, the EMATUM and MAM are a part of the debt. worrying levels. Do you think the country would not have avoided arrive where he arrived? Or you think that it was inevitable contraction of these debts?

I explained that countries often have to go into debt to be able to respond to the development needs and then the medium and long term outweigh those debts with the results of production, etc. What we want is to clarify the debts of these three companies. We want to find ways they are resolved to the country to break free from a burden that is embarrassing. And I think the government is on the right track in dialogue with partners and international institutions in particular. The question that arises is not necessarily the application for loans, but it is as if these loans do and where is applied the money, including the ability to pay.

By the way, seem to him just or unjust sanctions, in public opinion against the administration of Armando Guebuza?

What can I say about it is that the Government is working with partners, with the IMF "Our debt levels are worrying" (International Monetary Fund) to clarify. The Attorney-General of the Republic is working to determine whether or not illegalities in the contracting process these debts. It is better to let the flow processes normally rather than being interfering because what I say will contribute to what extent to the RMP? You can only see a statement that disturb because they are human beings who work there, but no one will work on the basis of my and my statement statement may have effects positive or encouraging or negative to discourage the work you are doing and I think we should encourage the Government in the dialogue that is taking with partners and we should encourage the RMP to work as quickly as possible and all the rigor that the law requires.

In Frelimo, there are members who agree to conduct a forensic audit and the consequent accountability of debt authors, but there are also those who disagree. Which side is Manuel Tome?

I am on the side of those who want to know the full truth about these issues. I'm not too worried about the labels we give to processes, I am on the side of those who want, in fact, the truth be known.

What scope will Mozambique before the harsh economic situation that crosses before an international community that is always on top of the government, with fuzzies?

At the end of the day, this does not affect the government but affect greatly the population, so sometimes these international organizations are not restrained. Just see the difference between the first statements of the IMF and those made at the end of the technical mission that worked here. At the beginning made emotional statements without all the information, when they started to have it, the language has changed. This does not mean that it is harmless to the Mozambican side, but these organizations often do not look at countries as objective data holders on reality itself. Let me give an example: we had one of the most productive world's cashew industry but were World Bank measures that led to the destruction of the cashew industry in Mozambique and the losses were enormous. The number of workers went to unemployment and 20 years later you can not replace that workforce. This is just to say that we have to have a little more patience.

There may be comrades with practices contrary to Frelimo Comrades her as Sérgio Vieira and Jorge Rebelo said that Frelimo today is not the same with that of yesterday. Shares the view that Frelimo lost some principles and values ​​that guided its creation?

Frelimo today could not be the same time of the National Liberation Struggle. I'm quiet because Frelimo has gone through several stages and what is provided for in its statutes is that Frelimo is a party transformations and fits permanently to the real country, correcting directions and creating new strategies. The principles and values ​​are there, what can happen is that there are comrades who have practices contrary to the statutes. There are comrades who say that in Frelimo, there are people with cravings to get richer, forgetting the people ... It is best to speak with these comrades to explain very well what that means.

A year after the start of governance Filipe Nyusi, as it looks for a mandate that at least marks a generational transition?

Mark, yes, an intergenerational transition and this is good for the country. This governance Nyusi president is very challenging because it inherits an unstable country, inherits a country with droughts and floods in the south in the north. Inherits a country with troubling debts, so we should all give our contribution to these challenges all that the president has in his hands are successfully addressed, because at the end of the day, we will all benefit.(SAVANA)