14 November 2008
Beira — The Central Committee Secretary for Mobilisation and Propaganda of Mozambique's ruling Frelimo Party, Edson Macuacua, on Thursday claimed that the re-election of Daviz Simango as mayor of the central city of Beira would have "devastating and unprecedented" effects.
If Simango were to win a second term of office, Macuacua warned, the city would be thrown into crisis, because he would not enjoy a majority in the Municipal Assembly, which he would need to pass the municipal budget.
In the run-up to next Wednesday's municipal elections, Simango is fighting a war on two fronts - against the Frelimo candidate for mayor, Lourenco Bulha, but also against Manuel Pereira, the official candidate of the main opposition party, Renamo. Simango was expelled from Renamo in September, and is running as an independent.
Speaking at a Frelimo rally, Macuacua said that, if elected, Simango would be unable to do anything "because all his proposals would be rejected by the main groups in the Municipal Assembly (Frelimo and Renamo). So he would be unable to work, and this could thrust Beira into instability and precipitate fresh elections".
Macuacua claimed that Beira had "stagnated" in the five years that Simango has been mayor, and that Simango had deliberately rejected any partnership between the municipal and central governments.
"There is no dialogue between the municipality and the government", he said. "The municipality has turned its back on the government. The municipality is isolated from the state. It's not possible for the municipality to develop when it's closed, isolated. To grow, this city needs the state. It's not a city outside the state".
Macuacua repeated his frequent claim that all the major improvements undertaken in Beira over the past five years (in the roads, water and drainage systems, education, health and electricity) have been the work of the central government, not the City Council. He accused Simango of trying to take credit for work that the central government had done as part of its five year programme.
"For example, Simango said he built the morgue at Beira Central Hospital. That's false!", exclaimed Macuacua.
It was the central government, he stressed, that had found the 62 million euros necessary for the current Beira sanitation programme, and the 128 million US dollars needed for improvements to the Beira water supply system.
AIM spoke briefly with Lutero Simango, the mayor's elder brother. Though he declined to give a formal interview he remarked that this election "will be the battle of battles".
Asked to comment, Macuacua said he agreed - and he was optimistic that Frelimo would win the battle. "The very fact that they recognise that this will be a tough fight is also a recognition of the rise of Frelimo", he stressed. "In the past, Beira was never a tough battle for Renamo".
To date, in every contested election in Beira, local or national, Frelimo has lost. But in this three cornered battle, it expects to win. "I can't predict any figures", said Macuacua, "but I'm profoundly convinced that these are elections of change, they're a turning point, and right now the climate in Beira is favourable to Frelimo".
Macuacua dismissed the claims in some of the press that Frelimo has entered into an alliance with Renamo to defeat Simango. "That's a complete lie", he said. "Our true alliance is with the citizens of Beira".
Simango, however, says he is confident of winning a second term, and treats the Frelimo arguments with derision. Reacting to the repeated claims that everything good in Beira comes from the central government, Simango, cited in the weekly paper "Savana", declared "Frelimo governed Beira for 30 years, without concerning itself to create basic conditions for the citizens of the city. But we in Renamo, in five years of governances, have created the minimum for the welfare of the population".
Did Macuacua's claims, he wondered, mean "that Frelimo waited for Renamo and Daviz Simango before investing in the development of Beira?"
He compared Frelimo and Beira to a husband and wife. For years the husband failed to get his wife pregnant. So she ran off with another man, conceived and gave birth. "Now the husband is coming back and claiming that he is the father of the child", remarked the mayor.
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I do concur with you that, this guys have got nothing remaining. They have exhausted their campaign propaganda. They will try to use other means to steal victory from Simango if need be. All this has been made possible by the myopic leadership in RENAMO. If the leadership permitted competition we will not be in this quagmire. Let mozambicans know that the country belongs to them not the flash parties we do have. We should in future elect people even for presidency due to their abilities not party affiliation which are times happen to be dictatorial.
It is sad and negative the attitude seen in this election, particularly by Frelimo and Renamo. These two major party's concern is the ruling of Beira and not the welfare of the community. Tired of being decieved over and over again these people scream loud enough that it is not the preference for the party that they are looking for, but change. They look for a better quality of life (i.e. a cleaner city, business driven, appealing to local and foreign tourism) and still Frelimo and Renamo reject to promise and deliver such as basic need.
I support Daviz Simango… [Read Full Text]