MDM says it knew of defectors’ plans

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MDM says it knew of defectors’ plans

2:15 CAT | 24 Jul 2018

File photo: Deutsche Welle

The Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) says it was aware MDM members Venâncio Mondlane, Manuel de Araújo and Ricardo Tomás’s plans to defect to Renamo, but says it still has cadres available as list heads in Maputo, Tete and Quelimane.

To prove that the three former members had long been on the party’s surveillance and monitoring radars, the party says they three had been removed from the party’s management bodies, including its Political Commission, as a result of information betraying their intent.

But, according to the MDM Secretary General José Domingos Manuel, the list [of defectors] does not stop here, and others are expected to follow in the near future. “So much so that they are already being forced [to do so] by their peers” who have already defected to Renamo, Manuel says. “Even if they do not want to … they are being forced by their friends to follow the same path, as they had agreed.”

At no time was the MDM caught by surprise. “It was never a surprise. The MDM was already aware of this situation, ” Manuel said, adding that contact with Renamo had been going on for years and the party had long since realised this, which is why most of them had been dismissed from the party’s management bodies.

Venâncio Mondlane, he recalls, was no longer a member of the Political Commission at the last meeting of the party’s National Commission, which took place last April. “The way they were doing things, the behaviour of many, it was no longer acceptable. The party perceived all the movements they were making. To see that the party was aware, shortly after the meeting of the National Council, many cadres ceased to exercise managerial functions, precisely because of the attention we paid to the matter,” Manuel said, arguing that the measures were necessary to counter the risk of having a member of the Political Commission vacate his post at this time.

Regarding the possibility of reversing the flight of members, the MDM General Secretary said that that was impossible, insofar as the group actually wished to destroy the MDM “because they took years to prepare [their exit]. We realised that the negotiation was not anything new, and we found out in time to take the important decisions”.

The MDM says that it will announce candidates for the lists in Maputo, Tete and Quelimane soon, and that “the party has plenty of cadres available”.

Source: Media Fax