Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican President Daniel Chapo declared on Friday that parliamentary deputies must always defend the people “and must be agents of solutions and not of complications”.
Speaking in his capacity as President of the ruling Frelimo Party, Chapo said deputies must not simply put demands on the government.
Addressing an induction seminar for Frelimo deputies elected in last year’s general elections, Chapo said deputies “should be part of the solution, through ideas and constructive criticisms which help the government and other institutions to improve their performance”.
Deputies should also be “agents of political and social stabilisation”. In the current situation, marked by post-election instability, “deputies are in a privileged position to promote dialogue between parties”. They should “embrace the agenda of promoting peace and national reconciliation, which are indispensable for the country’s development”.
Frelimo deputies, Chapo urged, “should be champions in the fight against corruption, crime, tribalism, flattery and other practices contrary to the values of ethics and integrity”.
The deputies, he continued, must also scrupulously observe the norms and principles contained in the Frelimo Statutes and Programme, as well as in the Mozambican Constitution and laws.
Party discipline, he added, meant that deputies must contribute to the internal cohesion of the Frelimo parliamentary group, and to the spirit of comradeship.
Chapo stressed that being a deputy is a full-time occupation, and Frelimo deputies are not allowed to take second jobs. “Deputies must devote their time to parliamentary activities, avoiding unnecessary absences, or looking after personal matters when they should be working for parliamentary bodies”, he said.
Chapo added that the deputies are expected to pay Frelimo membership fees and voluntary additional contributions to the party. Such contributions should be “an expression of the genuine will to support the strengthening of the Party”.
Chapo warned the deputies “to manage your income rationally, avoiding the accumulation of unsustainable debts”.
“With your dedication and commitment”, Chapo told the deputies, “we shall together renew Mozambique, building a better life for our people”.
“Our independence will only be truly complete”, he said, “when each Mozambican, in the countryside and the cities, can enjoy better living conditions, guarantee education for their children, good quality health for their families, and travel in decent and safe means of transport”.
The vision of economic independence “is not a vague utopia”, he stressed. “It is a dream that Mozambicans have always had since they decided to fight against colonial rule. It is a dream that we shall achieve with the commitment of each and every one of us”.
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