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FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Lusa]
New legislation on the functioning of non-profit organisations requires the submission of activity reports. The proposal is not welcomed by the NGOs (non-governmental organisations), who claim that it is intended to silence the defenders of rights.
The Government of Mozambique has just submitted to Parliament a proposal for a law to regulate the functioning of non-profit organisations.
Several civil society figures do not welcome the initiative. Adriano Nuvunga, director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), says it is an attempt to silence the voices of those defending human rights in Mozambique.
“What we see here is that the government wants to use this instrument to silence civil society organisations. To shut down democracy,” he says.
Unconstitutional law?
Activist Joaquim Mucar says that the bill passed by the Council of Ministers violates constitutional principles. “It is foreseen there, for example, that NGOs will have to report to a supervisory entity. But the Constitution of the Republic gives us the prerogative of freedom of association under private law,” he admonishes.
“This means that the associations themselves, within the legal framework, have the prerogative to constitute their own legality,” he adds.
DW has learned that the government intends to see the law passed, because it suspects that non-profit organizations are involved in money laundering and terrorist financing.
Amorim Bila, deputy director of Mozambique’s Financial Intelligence Office, says that there is a risk of organisations being used for this type of activity, and they must therefore be controlled.
“Non-profit organisations must be accountable to their regulator. The government is considering the matter. There is no concrete proposal until it reaches Parliament. The government will define who the regulator is, because there has to be a regulator to conduct what is called ‘risk-based supervision’ every two years,” Bila explains.
Government denies accusations of attempt to control civil society
Bila assured Mozambican broadcaster STV that the intention was not to control civil society.
“Non-profit organizations – regardless of whether they are national or not, because it has already been seen that the risk is greater there – must not serve as a source of financing for terrorism,” he commented.
Adriano Nuvunga recalled that Mozambique currently sits at the bottom of world transparency rankings. It therefore made little sense to demand that only “some” sectors of society be transparent.
“The main problem in the Republic of Mozambique has nothing to do with the associations in terms of transparency, or even with the possibility of influencing the issue of financing terrorism and organized crime. It is the political parties in Mozambique that receive illicit funding for electoral campaign activities,” Nuvunga concluded.
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