Maputo — One of the leading intellectuals in Mozambique's ruling Frelimo Party, Sergio Vieira, has warned that “incompetence, abuses and corruption in the public administration” were among the factors leading to Frelimo's “worst results since 1999”, in last month's general elections.
Frelimo's presidential vote fell from 75 per cent in 2009 to 57 per cent now. The party lost 47 seats in parliament, and although it can still outvote the opposition it no longer enjoys a two thirds majority.
In an opinion column in Tuesday's issue of the independent daily “O Pais”, Vieira said that the problems of incompetence, abuses and corruption led to “abstention and lack of interest among Frelimo members and sympathisers”.
There had also been “a distance between the stated principles and the reality in applying them”.
Vieira also criticized the presence of “doubtful individuals with a negative curriculum” on Frelimo's lists of parliamentary candidates.
This had resulted from “unethical manoeuvres and compromises, contrary to the internal directives”.go
But Vieira was impressed by Frelimo's victorious presidential candidate, former defence minister Filipe Nyusi, who deserved support “against the greedy and the small-minded”.
Nyusi “knows how to listen and he will never belong to the club of those who kill the messenger because they don't like the message”.
Vieira held a string of government positions under Mozambique's first president, Samora Machel, including security minister, agriculture minister and governor of the Bank of Mozambique. Later, he was one of Frelimo's most effective orators in the first multi-party parliament.
For about 20 years, he produced a weekly column in the weekly paper “Domingo”, but resigned in late 2013 when the paper carried several racist articles attacking prominent Frelimo leaders of mixed race or of Asian descent.
In his “O Pais” column, he explained that he broke his ties with “Domingo” because “the paper did something intolerable: running articles with a high dose of racism”.
He warned that “the defence of national unity, beyond skin colour, ethnic origin, religious beliefs of philosophical options, is a pillar and mainstay of the country. If it is removed, Mozambique will fall”.
He attacked those who tried to distinguish between “authentic” Mozambicans and others. “In reality, racism and so-called authenticity hide serious inferiority complexes, and are opportunist attempts to satisfy hidden greed”, Vieira denounced
In an opinion column in Tuesday's issue of the independent daily “O Pais”, Vieira said that the problems of incompetence, abuses and corruption led to “abstention and lack of interest among Frelimo members and sympathisers”.
There had also been “a distance between the stated principles and the reality in applying them”.
Vieira also criticized the presence of “doubtful individuals with a negative curriculum” on Frelimo's lists of parliamentary candidates.
This had resulted from “unethical manoeuvres and compromises, contrary to the internal directives”.go
But Vieira was impressed by Frelimo's victorious presidential candidate, former defence minister Filipe Nyusi, who deserved support “against the greedy and the small-minded”.
Vieira held a string of government positions under Mozambique's first president, Samora Machel, including security minister, agriculture minister and governor of the Bank of Mozambique. Later, he was one of Frelimo's most effective orators in the first multi-party parliament.
For about 20 years, he produced a weekly column in the weekly paper “Domingo”, but resigned in late 2013 when the paper carried several racist articles attacking prominent Frelimo leaders of mixed race or of Asian descent.
In his “O Pais” column, he explained that he broke his ties with “Domingo” because “the paper did something intolerable: running articles with a high dose of racism”.
He warned that “the defence of national unity, beyond skin colour, ethnic origin, religious beliefs of philosophical options, is a pillar and mainstay of the country. If it is removed, Mozambique will fall”.
He attacked those who tried to distinguish between “authentic” Mozambicans and others. “In reality, racism and so-called authenticity hide serious inferiority complexes, and are opportunist attempts to satisfy hidden greed”, Vieira denounced
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