Mozambique: MPs trade blows in parliament over disaster response

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Mozambique: MPs trade blows in parliament over disaster response

11:05 CAT | 24 Feb 2023

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: O País]

Mozambique’s governing Frelimo party on Wednesday accused its political opponents of “demagoguery” over the impact of natural disasters, while opposition parties in parliament accused the government of allowing public figures linked to Frelimo to siphon off aid moneys, and of an inability to manage disasters.

Members for Frelimo and the opposition Renamo and MDM traded accusations in the opening speeches of the plenary session of parliament, after the usual end-of-year break.

“We regret, however, that in the midst of the difficulties experienced by our fellow citizens, caused by natural disasters, instead of supporting, helping and providing solidarity, in the face of misfortune, certain politicians have appeared with demagogic speeches, with the aim of dividing to reign and reaping laurels,” said Sergio Pantie, the Frelimo parliamentary leader.

Pantie accused opposition politicians of insensitivity, by supposedly taking advantage of the floods to criticise the executive, instead of fostering movements of solidarity.

Frelimo has called for a ban on housing construction in areas exposed to natural disasters, through the implementation of land management plans.

For its part, Renamo, the main opposition party, accused the authorities of “masochism” for allegedly allowing elites linked to Frelimo to benefit from aid channelled each year to victims of natural disasters.

“Mother Nature, once again, did her own thing, given the inertia and perhaps the complicity of the leeches who live off international donations – real masochists who wait for the misfortune of others to feed their insatiable appetites,” said Viana Magalhães, the Renamo parliamentary leader.

Magalhães argued that every year the authorities have the same material needs, such as boats and tents, because this equipment is diverted for purposes other than humanitarian aid.

“Infrastructure is not built, such as barriers and resilient buildings,” because natural disasters provide an “opportunity for the usual corruption machine to enter the scene,” he said.

Lutero Simango, the MDM’s parliamentary leader, accused the government of incompetence in the prevention and mitigation of the effects of natural disasters, pointing out that the country lives cyclically between the paradox of floods and droughts.

“The government of the day’s incapacity in the management and conservation of water in our country must be acknowledged,” he said, arguing that the country needs structural and combined physical and territorial planning solutions.

Following the floods affecting the country, with the south the area worst hit, the speaker of parliament, Esperança Bias, announced that each of the 250 members of the body are to deduct a day’s salary to support the victims of the bad weather.

On Tuesday, the cabinet declared a state of red alert in order to respond more quickly to the floods affecting the country.

The current rainy season (from October to April) has claimed 95 lives and affected around 100,000 people in all, according to the latest official data.

Source: Lusa