Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
12 January 2009
Maputo — Hermino Morais, one of the senior figures in the military wing of Mozambique's former rebel movement, Renamo, has declared that "there is no alternative" to Afonso Dhlakama as leader of Renamo.
Morais, who held the rank of major-general in the Renamo army, speaking in a rare interview published in Monday's issue of the independent daily "O Pais", claimed that, despite Renamo's disastrous showing in the 19 November municipal elections, Dhlakama still had "the capacity and the legitimacy" to lead the party.
He dismissed calls for an emergency Renamo congress to elect a new leadership. "Renamo does not need any profound revolution", Morais claimed. However, he admitted that Renamo "should urgently adapt to the current political conjuncture in the country, and open up to constructive dialogue".
But he also attacked the younger intellectuals in Renamo who have called for a Congress. "Many members of Renamo, who joined after the peace agreement (of 1992), are there for their own benefit, and don't contribute anything to the party", he accused. "These people must understand that Renamo doesn't exist to accommodate the interests of lazy individuals".
Morais said he would support Dhlakama as Renamo candidate for the presidential elections scheduled for this year. "I don't see any other credible candidate who can carry Renamo forward", he said. "Dhlakama is charismatic and beloved by the people. What is important is that we should work seriously for victory. Dhlakama cannot win on his own".
But when asked if the military wing of Renamo would, the mayor of Beira, Daviz Simango, as leader of the party instead of Dhlakama, Morais hedged his bets. "I have formed no opinion about this matter", he replied. (Simango, regarded as the most successful of Renamo's municipal politicians, was expelled from the party last September but went on to win a second term as mayor, against both Frelimo and Renamo candidates).
Morais also diverged clearly from Dhlakama over the reasons for defeat in the municipal elections. Dhlakama has claimed that Renamo lost because of massive fraud by the ruling Frelimo Party. Morais, however, blamed lack of work and over-confidence, plus Frelimo's superiority in resources.
"I recognise that we must work more and seriously", said Morais. "Often we deceive ourselves by thinking right from the start that we've already won, and the result was what we've just seen. But Renamo's defeat cannot be seen as the fruit of alleged disorganization inside the party. Frelimo mobilized all the resources at its disposal for these elections, particularly state resources. We in the opposition had nothing to face Frelimo with".
Morais repeated earlier claims that officers who originally came from Renamo have been marginalized in the Mozambican armed forces (FADM). "They're called advisers, but they don't have anything to do in the Defence Ministry or the FADM", he alleged. "They just go to work to read the papers".
When "O Pais" pointed out that the Deputy Chief of staff of the FADM, Olimpio Cardoso, is from Renamo, Morais retorted that this position "is merely decorative. Cardoso takes no significant decisions inside the General Staff. He just goes to the office to take orders from the Chief of Staff".
Asked why he had not gone into the FADM, Morais revealed that at the time the FADM was formed, in 1994, Renamo had wanted him to become Deputy Chief of Staff (a job that eventually went to the Renamo head of military intelligence, Mateus Ngonhamo). But he refused. "I was fed up with war and with receiving military orders", said Morais. "I preferred to rest".
He dismissed any talk of a return to war. "There's no room for going back to war", he said. "We have to invest in permanent dialogue".
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