The possible reduction, from this year to 2013, in direct budget support “is not because of the government’s performance, but because of the macro-economic international conjuncture”, he claimed.
“We have two or three partners who have still not announced their contribution, because they have specific problems in their own countries”, he added.
This optimistic approach fails to mention that one of Mozambique’s traditional donors, Holland, has publicly announced that as from 2013 it will stop providing direct budget support. A governance official at the Dutch embassy, Michael Thijssen, told reporters in July that his government was not satisfied with the Mozambican government’s record in poverty reduction, governance and the fight against corruption.
Holland’s withdrawal from the PAPs reduces their number from 19 to 18. But the Dutch decision is hardly written in stone. A Dutch general election on Wednesday could see a turn to the left, and the rewriting of policies of the current right-wing coalition.
Jutha declared that “the government’s performance is good and our partnership is healthy”. The problems raised during the annual review between the government and the PAPs were being dealt with by the government, he claimed.
A particular concern of the donors had been the strengthening of anti-corruption legislation. Jutha pointed out that the government has submitted a package of anti-corruption laws to the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.
Some of these laws – notably a law to protect victims, witnesses and whistle blowers, and a law on public probity, governing the ethics of public servants – have already been passed, while a new penal code, stiffening the general legislation against corruption, will be debated at the end-of-year sitting of the Assembly,
As for the targets for 2013, Jutha stressed that the government’s priorities remain centred on the fight against poverty, through increasing agricultural and fisheries production and productivity, job creation, and “human and social development”.
From now until October the government and the PAPs will analyse the indicators and targets for this year, and see which ones are in danger of being missed. That will give time until December to take corrective action.
All the discussions between the government and the PAPs are based on a memorandum of understanding between the two sides, which was last revised in 2009. The balance sheet for this year will be drawn up in the next joint review in April/May 2013.
Post published in: Africa News