Speaking in Milange district, in the central province of Zambezia, Dhlakama announced “the bill is with me, in this briefcase”. He said the document was drawn up by “a group of specialists” (whose names he did not reveal). He insisted it was home –grown, and not “from the United States or Portugal”
“We will not submit it, in order to ask Frelimo for its approval. It’s just a matter of formalising it”, said Dhlakama, cited in Tuesday’s issue of the independent daily “O Pais”.
“If Frelimo wants to play around, then I will withdraw the document and we shall govern by force”, he threatened.
Dhlakama was thus demanding that a major change in governance be adopted without any debate in parliament, let alone in the nation as a whole.
The talk about “autonomous provinces” is a retreat from Dhlakama’s earlier position, which was to declare an openly separatist “Republic of Central and Northern Mozambique”. Back in early February he was threatening to declare such a republic “within days”.
However, his two February meetings with President Filipe Nyusi persuaded him to take the legal route and to submit a bill on “autonomy” to the Assembly. But Nyusi did not promise him that the bill would be automatically passed – the president could make no promises about a bill which, at the time, did not exist.
Before they reach the floor of the Assembly, all bills must go before the relevant working commissions. In particular the Assembly’s Commission on Constitutional and Legal Affairs must judge whether the bill is in line with the Mozambican constitution.
All bills must also be accompanied by an estimate of their budgetary impact – to obtain such an estimate, Renamo must submit its bill to the Finance Ministry, and it is not clear whether it has done so yet.
Post published in: Africa News