Edson Macuácua claims that illegal debts stemmed from the MP’s lack of “technical ability”

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Edson Macuácua claims that illegal debts stemmed from the MP’s lack of “technical ability”

8:23 CAT | 02 Nov 2018

Photo: A Verdade

The chairperson of the Assembly’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Commission, Edson Macuacua has said that the illegal debts of Proindicus, EMATUM and MAM were the result of deputies’ lack of technical capacity to supervise the government.

Speaking at the inaugural debate on sovereign debt in Southern Africa, the Frelimo MP began by suggesting that countries needs more agencies to monitor the high public debt across the region.

Asked by @Verdade if it was the lack of institutions and legislation that allowed the contracting of debts by companies Proindicus, EMATUM and MAM in disregard of Mozambique’s constitution and the 2013 and 2014 Budget Laws, Macuácua responded that “the crisis in Mozambique it is not about lack of legislation; our challenge is to empower members of parliament.”

“The laws are good but the parliament does not have the technical ability, including the deputies. We have to qualify ourselves to be able to supervise the government. According to our constitution the government cannot issue sovereign debts without the authorisation of parliament. But what we are going to do is continue to fortify and empower MPs to scrutinise parliament.”

Confronted with his position as a parliamentarian who not only allowed illegal debts to be contracted but further voted on legalising them, the chairperson of the Assembly’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Commission declared: “The past is past. What is important now is to look to the future and make sure deputies undergo training in how to supervise the government and to prevent the issue of sovereign debt without the authorisation of parliament from happening again. ”

By Adérito Caldeira

Source: A Verdade