“Social harmony cannot wait”, says Chapo

Maputo, 15 Jan (AIM) – Mozambique’s new president, Daniel Chapo, has promised that he will not rest “until we have a country that is united and cohesive, and working to build well-being for all”.

“Social harmony cannot wait, and nor can the construction of consensus on the matters that concern the Mozambican people”, he declared. “Our dialogue with the political forces will always be frank, honest and sincere. Political and social stability is our top priority”.

Apparently, the police disagree. For in the wake of Chapo’s investiture, the police opened fire, with tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition against groups of young people in various parts of the city.

According to the independent television station, TV Successo, the youths retaliated by burning tyres and erecting barricades in Xiquelene neighbourhood.

In words that could have been addressed to those discontented youths, Chapo declared “I heard your voices before and during the demonstrations, and I shall continue to hear them, even in times of stability. I want to speak with an open heart about what is happening in our country, and about what we intend to do together to solve these challenges”.

In a frontal challenge to the police, he said that the kidnappings of businesspeople “often happen with the complicity of those who ought to protect us. They are an outrage that we are not going to tolerate”.

Chapo promised “to confront organised crime and ensure that security becomes a reality for all Mozambicans. Justice cannot be a distant promise”.

The slow pace of the courts, the dissatisfaction of the magistrates “and the threats we are facing compromise the quality of our judicial system”.

“This is going to change”, Chapo promised. “The courts shall be at the service of the people, with independence and efficiency”.

He also pledged a relentless struggle against corruption. “This sickness has corroded the fabric of our State and of our people’, declared the President. “The abusive use of public assets, the ghost workers who suck the resources of the people, the tenders that are arranged to favour friends, the cartels that enrich themselves at the cost of the people’s suffering. This has to stop”.

“There is no place in this government, or in this country, for those who put their interests above those of the people”, he said. “I shall fight to the end to defend the interests of the Mozambican people in all sectors, public and private”.

Chapo promised to tackle youth unemployment, and to get rid of the red tape “that just creates obstacles”.

Lack of opportunities “is not an inevitable fate”, he said. “We shall create an environment where young people can invest, open businesses and build their future. Our objective is to simplify, to promote the private sector and open the doors of economic growth to young people”.
(AIM)
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