“Do not demand that leaders of institutions be Frelimo” – Mia Couto

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

“Do not demand that leaders of institutions be Frelimo” – Mia Couto

1:07 CAT | 06 Sep 2017

O Pais / Mia Couto says the party in power addresses some issues superficially, so problems are never resolved.

Mia Couto was just like himself. He spoke openly to the ‘comrades’, telling them that the ruling party addresses some issues superficially, so that they are never resolved. He cited the allocation and distribution of land, which is said to be state property and should not be for sale, but reality shows the opposite. The writer says that land is sold in the country, and the ruling party should not just turn a blind eye to the fact.

“It is necessary not only to correct [this], but also to rethink the relation that Frelimo has with the phenomenon of urbanity, of modernity. There are difficulties in dealing with this. And this difficulty is very clear, because Frelimo has already lost three of the four largest cities in the country,” Couto notes, warning that the ruling party should not treat people only as voters, but as citizens.

The writer argues that the party in power must learn how to accommodate opposing ideas and that, in institutions, people should not be leaders because of party colours alone. “Not that the heads of the institutions are members of Frelimo – that is not the most important thing. Demand from these chiefs that they be competent, that they be patriots, that they be dedicated defenders of the interests of the city, of the country. Sometimes honest people do this (to lead) better than ‘comrades’ who are not so honest,” he said.

Frelimo members Alcido Nguenha and António Hama Thai, who were also on the panel, talked about the challenges to boost the development of Maputo City, as well as the leading role of Frelimo in the development of the capital. They were in favour of more cohesion within Frelimo as a way of facing the current challenges.

Alcido Nguenha went further and said that Maputo leaders had made a big mistake in determining that the Municipal Police could supervise driving licenses and insurances in private cars.

Frelimo’s first secretary in Maputo City, Francisco Mabjaia, explained that Frelimo’s strategic planning seminar aims to prepare the party for the challenges posed by the capital and future challenges the party will face.

Present at the Frelimo meeting were representatives from Maputo municipality and Municipal Assembly, deputies from the Assembly of the Republic, Frelimo staff, teachers, musicians and other individuals.

By José João