RENAMO BOYCOTTS ASSEMBLY AGAIN

Deputies from Mozambique’s main opposition party, the former rebel movement Renamo, all walked out of the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, on Wednesday morning, because an item that was not to their liking had been placed on the agenda.This was the second day running that the Renamo deputies had boycotted the Assembly. On Tuesday, they walked out rather than listen to a report from the ad-hoc commission charged with drawing up constitutional amendments, because Renamo does not want to change the constitution.On Wednesday, they refused to take part in a debate on a government bill on public-private partnerships, large scale projects and business concessions. At the start of the day’s session, Renamo demanded that the bill be withdrawn because it claimed there had not been enough time to study it.The Renamo motion for withdrawal was defeated, with 167 deputies from the majority Frelimo Party voting against, and 41 Renamo deputies in favour. The six deputies present from the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) abstained.Renamo deputy Anselmo Vitor claimed that the bill had not been discussed in the Assembly’s specialized commissions – but this was clearly untrue, since opinions from four of the commissions were circulated, all approving the bill and suggesting that it be approved, with amendments, by the plenaryThe opinion from the Legal and Constitutional Affairs was signed by its three Renamo members, although in the Commission they argued that the bill was “very complex and technical” and that more time was required to consider it.In the Plan and Budget Commission, the Commission on Agriculture, Rural Development, Economic Activities and Services, and the Commission on Public Administration, the Renamo members were present when the bill was discussed, but took no part in the discussion and refused to sign the opinions.After their motion to withdraw the bill was defeated, Renamo remained in the chamber for the first item on the agenda, a government bill on rights for veterans. But when Finance Minister Manuel Chang took the rostrum to introduce the bill on public-private partnerships, large scale projects and business concessions, the Renamo group walked out en masse.