Not only has President Filipe Nyusi decided to continue a dialogue that began under his predecessor, Armando Guebuza, but he has maintained exactly the same composition of the government delegation. Agriculture Minister Jose Pacheco continues to lead the delegation, and the deputy head is former Transport Minister Gabriel Muthisse, although he no longer holds any position in the government.
The agenda for the dialogue, suggested by Renamo when it requested the dialogue, remains the same. In early 2014, the delegations agreed sweeping changes to the electoral legislation which were then rubber-stamped by the Mozambican parliament. The changes granted the parliamentary political parties absolute dominance of the electoral bodies.
Literally thousands of political appointees from the ruling Frelimo Party, from Renamo and from the second opposition force, the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), were inserted into the electoral apparatus from the polling stations right up to the National Elections Commission (CNE). At the time, Renamo gleefully announced that this would make fraud impossible. But when Renamo lost the 15 October general elections, it changed its tune and declared that the whole exercise had been a gigantic fraud.
For most of 2014, the dialogue concentrated on the second point of the agenda, which is defence and security. This eventually led to an agreement on a cessation of hostilities, signed by Guebuza and by Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama on 5 September. Since then the talks have been deadlocked, since Renamo refused to hand over a list of the members of its militia whom it wishes to join the armed forces (FADM) and the police.
The other items on the agenda are the separation of the state apparatus from political parties, and unspecified “economic matters”.
Asked by reporters whether the agenda of the talks would now be expanded to include Dhlakama’s demand for a “caretaker government” to run the country for the next five years, Pacheco said there are no plans to alter the agenda, and in any case Dhlakama’s proposal would violate the Mozambican constitution.
The head of the Renamo delegation, Saimone Macuiana, confirmed that the talks are restricted to the agenda that was agreed in 2013.
Deadlocked on matters of defence and security, the talks may be making some progress on the third agenda point, that of separating the state from political parties. At a press conference at the end of Monday’s round, Pacheco said the Mozambican observers to the dialogue presented a proposal which could bring this agenda point to a successful conclusion.
Pacheco said the document from the observers needed further analysis, but was essentially aimed at guaranteeing transparency in the recruitment and promotion of state employees without political interference.
As for the Renamo demand for a share-out of senior military and police positions between itself and the government. Pacheco pointed out that this contradicts Renamo’s call for “depoliticising” the state.
“They would clearly like to have a division of power in the defence forces, but we explained that the challenge is for us to have a non-partisan state”, said Pacheco. “Leadership in our system obeys the principle of meritocracy”.
He added that the report to the session from the teams of military experts showed that Renamo has no intention of dismantling its militia.
Renamo had also claimed that the movement of government military units is a violation of the agreement on cessation of hostilities – although there is no clause in that agreement which restricts the movement of troops.
“Our defence and security forces have the responsibility to guarantee public order and security”, said Pacheco. “At no moment have they taken action against citizens”.
Macuiana could not report any offensive act by the defence forces, but complained that military positions were being established in the central provinces of Sofala, Manica and Tete, and the southern province of Inhambane. He claimed it made no sense to move troops in a country that is not at war.
Meanwhile Dhlakama has continued to insist that he will set up what he now calls the “autonomous region of central and northern Mozambique”.
He told a rally in Quelimane, capital of Zambezia province on Saturday that this would not be the same as a separatist, fully independent state. “We will create an autonomous region, it won’t be like what happened in Sudan”, he said.
“I will govern this”, he declared, waving over the crowd. “I will govern with democracy, with respect, with consideration for the higher interests of the Mozambican people”.
He claimed that in Maputo, “there are 23 year old kids, the sons of Frelimo leader, who already have millions and millions of dollars in bank accounts in Europe. But here there are old people who do not own as much as 50 dollars. We want to do away with this.”
Dhlakama did not of course name a single one of the alleged millionaire “kids”, or cite a source for his claim.
He poured scorn on the concept of national unity. “National unity doesn’t exist”, Dhlakama declared. “Frelimo speaks of national unity in order to keep you as slaves of the communists”.
Post published in: Africa News