Ericino de Salema
Maputo, 13 Aug (AIM) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Tuesday declared that “communication is the thermometer of democracy”.
Speaking in Maputo, at the ceremony where he swore into office journalist Ericino de Salema as director of the newly created Office of Institutional Communication, Chapo said this office “marks the start of a new phase, which we regard as crucial, in which the President’s Office is put at the service of Mozambicans so as to improve transparency, consolidating the President’s relation with our people”.
He told Salema that “through communication the State becomes more open to scrutiny, policies become better known and trust is strengthened between the government and society”.
“I have always said that effective communication is the pillar which sustains national unity and the civic participation of all citizens”, added Chapo.
“We are giving you a mission that we regard as central”, he continued, “namely to bring our government and our actions to every Mozambican, in a clear, timely and transparent way, which is closer to our friends in the mass media”.
Chapo wanted to see “more effective communication, which goes beyond press releases. It should be intelligible and accessible to all, from the major cities to the most remote rural areas”.
The President’s office “must not be seen as something distant”, he said. Salema’s mission “is to demystify power and make the President and his actions better known and understood by the Mozambican people”.
“We must use all the available tools, from the traditional media to the new information and communication technologies to take the President’s office to the streets and the squares and to the homes of every Mozambican. Proximity is not just a geographical question – it is a question of trust and empathy between the President and the Mozambican people”, stressed Chapo.
Communication should not be one way. Chapo told Salema “Your mission will also be to build bridges so that the voice of the citizen reaches the President’s Office. We need communication that listens to the concerns, aspirations and constructive criticisms of our people”.
“Your mission is challenging”, Chapo concluded, “but your professional capacities make me sure that you will rise to the challenges”.
(AIM)
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