Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, has urged the government to publicly present all the treasury debts and extensive details about the amounts, the creditors, repayment terms , guarantees, interest rates and the aim of each loan requested on behalf of the Mozambican people.
The demand was made on Wednesday in Maputo by Renamo spokesperson, Jose Manteigas, addressing a press conference where his party condemned the recent approval by the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) of a resolution ratifying the “Credit Deal Moz 12” between the government and the Korean EXIM Bank, budgeted at almost 88 million US dollars.
He stated that the security project has not been earlier discussed by the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic. He claimed that this left “no room for doubts that it is another secret plan that will benefit the same kickback brokers”.
Manteigas had thus not even bothered to read Wednesday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Carta de Mocambique”, which carried an article explaining that the Korean loan will be used for closed circuit television to control crime and traffic accidents in the urban areas, and for a digital fingerprint verification system to assist in criminal investigation.
As for the claim that the matter had not been discussed in parliament, the Finance Ministry has already issued a note, not mentioned by Manteigas, pointing out that, under the 2021 budget law passed by parliament, the government is authorised to contract foreign loans for “economically viable infrastructure projects”, provided at least 28 per cent of the loan is “concessional” (i.e. soft).
In the case of the deal with the Korean Exim bank, 73.74 per cent takes the form of a soft loan, says the Ministry note.
Manteigas also claimed that kidnapping business people has become the largest business in the country, and involves the defence and security forces. The only source for this alarming claim is an article from last year in the stridently anti-government weekly “Canal de Mocambique”.
“We would like to urge the Mozambican people to stand firm and strongly combat every move that undermines the principles of democracy as well as our dignity,” said Manteigas.
He said that, by overriding other sovereign bodies, especially parliament, the government is in gross violation of the constitution.
