Dhlakama Boycotts Lunch With Guebuza

Maputo — Afonso Dhlakama, leader of Mozambique's main opposition party, Renamo, may be unable to organise a boycott of parliament, but he certainly knows how to boycott a lunch.

On Friday, President Guebuza invited the two defeated presidential candidates from the October general elections - Dhlakama and the leader of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), Daviz Simango - to join him for an informal lunch at the Ponta Vermelha presidential palace. But only Simango, accompanied by his wife Teresa, turned up.

The same thing happened after the 2004 election. Guebuza invited the presidential candidates for a lunch, and Dhlakama refused to attend. On that occasion there were four defeated candidates, and the other three (Raul Domingos, Yacub Sibindy and Carlos Reis) all accepted Guebuza's offer.

It seems that Dhlakama did not even bother to tell Guebuza he was not coming. There were six places neatly laid at the lunch table - for the President and First Lady, Maria da Luz Guebuza, for Simango and his wife, and for Dhlakama and his spouse Rosalia.

It seems that Dhlakama also kept the Renamo national spokesperson, Fernando Mazanga, in the dark. On Thursday Mazanga told reporters he did not know whether Dhlakama would attend the lunch, but he added "I very much doubt it".

After the meal, Simango told the waiting journalists "We exchanged views and we talked of various political, economic and social aspects of Mozambican society".

He said that issues that he had particularly raised with Guebuza included the need to depoliticise the state apparatus, and "the situation in parliament". By this, he meant the request by the MDM to be allowed to establish a recognised parliamentary group.

There are only eight MDM deputies in the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, and the parliamentary standing orders state that the minimum size for a parliamentary group is 11. Without an official group, the MDM is unable to appoint members to any of the Assembly's commissions.

Simango said Guebuza had promised him that the ruling Frelimo Party will reflect on this request. He added that both he and Guebuza were willing to engage in "continual, permanent dialogue, to strengthen the rule of law and democracy".

"We spoke of the need for Mozambicans to work together and develop this country", added Simango. "We have to join our forces and our energies and move towards the sustainable development of our country".

Simango said that the MDM "will collaborate with all democratic forces, and raise the good name of Mozambique inside the country and abroad".

Asked whether such meetings would continue, Simango replied that further meetings with Guebuza will take place "whenever either of us needs to talk with the other".

As is usual when Guebuza receives guests, the President himself did not speak to the press.

Fonte: Allafrica (2010.01.22)