A lawyer and member of the ruling Frelimo party Central Committee, Teodoro Waty, has denounced what he calls a climate of fear, heightened tension and of spying among party members interested in the succession process.
At issue is the succession of current Mozambican and Frelimo president, Filipe Nyusi, who is expected to step down in January 2025, barring any surprises.
In an interview published in Wednesday’s weekly edition of the independent “Canal de Moçambique”, Waty asks what has the party come to, warning the leadership to not “test the hearts of the members.”
Waty reminded the leadership that the process that led to electing President Filipe Nyusi as Frelimo’s standard bearer, was conducted with time to spare in order to enable the party presidential candidate to present himself and his ideas to the populace, as well as interacting with the various sectors of Mozambican society.
He said that he found it strange that such has not taken place this time, with the deadline for parties to submit their presidential nominees tabled for May.
Furthermore, Waty let it known that there is a list with over 40 would-be presidential candidates, which he thought revealed that are obscure interests he could not fathom.
Meanwhile, Ludmila Maguni, Frelimo’s secretary for information and party spokesperson, told the press that the party’s Central Committee meeting agenda, already in circulation, was still open and that the debate on the succession could still be included.
Comment
The fear alluded to by Waty can be explained by the growing authoritarianism and policing of society by the current Frelimo administration, leading outspoken members to fears of being targeted for selective criminal actions.
Meanwhile, the issue of succession has been debated ad nauseum both in public and private, but the party leadership has refused to be drawn into the debate and nor has it allowed the process to run its course democratically, statutorily and in a practical manner.
The party and in parallel society should widely discuss issues such as the presidential candidate’s profile, mandates, government profile and decentralization models. The concentration and control of discussions and analysis by one small group, including some political adventurers, has open up space for confusion and the emergence of internal rifts that at different times have come up for debate and public scrutiny in this last term of office that Nyusi insists on perpetuating by manipulating the succession process.
According to some party senior members, the discussion on the profile has to be wide and inculcated with an ethical, moral and patriotic dimension. The incumbent should not have a hand in the process.
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