Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambique’s Commission on Inclusive National Dialogue announced on Tuesday that it will soon launch a public invitation to Civil Society Organisations to submit proposals for representatives on the Commission.
At the moment the Commission consists entirely of representatives of political parties, but three seats are reserved for civil society bodies – although exactly how those seats are to be filled remains unclear.
The Commission chairperson, Edson Macuácua, who is also secretary of state for science and higher education , told a Maputo round table on Tuesday that ten thematic working groups will be set up, consisting of two figures from each political party and two from each relevant Ministry, as well as specialists from various areas.
The areas covered by the working groups will be: electoral matters; fiscal matters; the economy; the justice system; natural resources; unity and national reconciliation; defence and security; decentralisation and deconcentration; public administration, and depoliticization of the State.
Macuácua said that it will not be possible for all those interested to occupy the three places reserved for civil society on the commission. It seems that more space will be available in the thematic groups, where there could be three representatives from each civil society body, “respecting principles of balance and representation, particularly of gender, as well as regional balance, so that no segment of society feels marginalised, much less excluded”.
He claimed that “other dialogue platforms” would always be welcome “and will never be seen as competition”.
“We will be present at all events that may be organised and we shall be prepared to take the maximum advantage from the contributions that could be presented”, Macuácua added
.He said that Mozambique had undergone “an unfinished transition”, because of the post-election violence, and he therefore hoped that civil society organisations will make use of the Inclusive National Dialogue and contribute to “democratic consolidation”.
“This is a great opportunity to close one of the cycles of our transition”, said Macuácua, “and to enter upon a new stage in the consolidation of our democracy”.
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