Covid-19: Opposition criticises pandemic management in Mozambique

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Covid-19: Opposition criticises pandemic management in Mozambique

7:54 CAT | 14 Mar 2021

File photo: DW

Renamo insists that the curfew in place in the Greater Maputo metropolitan region is unconstitutional. The MDM calls for more transparency over Covid-19 funds.

The issue of the curfew was again on the agenda during the Assembly of the Republic plenary session that ended in Maputo on Thursday.

The Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) argues that the curfew decreed by the government for the greater Maputo are in February, and which was extended this month for 30 days, violates the Constitution.

“As representatives of the people, we must urge the president and his government to conform to the Constitution [and send] this intention to the House of the People, because, as the curfew is an exceptional measure that attacks individual freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution […], it is up to the Assembly of the Republic to ratify this measure,” Renamo MP António Muchanga said.

The Prime Minister, Carlos Agostinho do Rosário, explained that “the government has no intention of violating constitutional norms”.

“By decreeing the curfew, [the government] did so aware that it was taking a measure whose obligation falls within the scope of its responsibility to save human lives,” he stressed. “The government had no intention of violating constitutional norms.”

For António Boene, MP for the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), “the effectiveness of the measure restricting night-time movements is reflected in the significant reduction of cases of Covid 19, as well as the reduction of in-patients in hospital units in the greater Maputo region”.

The matter was referred to the parliament’s standing commission.

Opposition calls for transparency

The parliamentary session of the last two days also considered the management of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in relation to the vaccination process and the use of funds donated to the country.

The government announced that it has so far received 94.5 per cent of the US$700 million it requested from the international community to finance the plan to prevent and combat Covid-19. It has implemented fiscal and monetary stimuli, including credit lines, deferred payment of taxes and tax debts and reduction of electricity tariffs.

More than 1.6 million people are to benefit from assistance under the social protection measures, the government explained.

The Democratic Movement of Mozambique(MDM) however believes that the figures put forward by the government are not reflected in the daily lives of Mozambicans.

“There is more poverty in Mozambique, there are many people who have lost their jobs, many companies have closed their doors, the economy is on its knees. The government has neglected its main function of providing assistance to Mozambicans,” MDM spokesman Fernando Bismarque said.

Resumption offace-to-face classes also generates discord

The opposition once again expressed concern over the fact that the government’s tendency to favour direct award in the assigning of public works contracts encourages widespread corruption. The Minister of Public Works, João Machatine, however justified recourse to this regime on the basis of the limited timeframe for the execution of the works.

“Looking at what was needed to save the lives of students, staff, teachers and their families, we were forced to adopt this regime,” he explained.

Another government measure that has generated some controversy is the resumption of face-to-face classes for all teaching subsystems throughout the country.

The Minister of Health, Armindo Tiago, argued that the decision was correct because the rate of infection in students and professionals in the sector is low. He also spoke of the negative impact of closing schools for a long period:

“There is the limitation of the psychosomatic development of children, adolescents and young people. This damage can take decades to recover from and, in some cases, can be permanent,” he said.

“There is an increased risk of permanent school dropout, there is an increase in premature pregnancies in girls of school age, there is an increase in violence against children, adolescents and youth, and an increase in child labour,” the minister said in support of his position.

Source: Deutsche Welle