Anamola submits formal proposal for Council of State meeting

Maputo, 5 Feb (AIM) – Mozambique’s main opposition party, the National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique (Anamola), set up by former presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, on Wednesday formally submitted a proposal to convene a meeting of the Council of State to formulate a national Post-Flood Reconstruction Plan.

According to Mondlane, who speaking to reporters on, after submitting the proposal to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Post-Flood Reconstruction Plan would be budgeted at 1.6 billion US dollars

“The proposal for a meeting of the Council of State is a contribution to the formulation of a post-flood reconstruction plan”, he said. “Anamola has monitored the situation, conducted diagnoses, and systematized a report based on the reality experienced by the affected populations. Mozambique is among the 10 countries in the world with the highest risk of natural disasters and is the African nation most exposed to the impacts of climate change”.

According to Mondlane, the country must stop looking for foreign funds to respond to natural disasters since “90 per cent of the resources needed for reconstruction can be mobilized domestically.”

“The plan has a three-year horizon and includes interventions in the areas of resilient housing, health infrastructure, agriculture, transport, education, and water resource management. We want to break with the copy-and-paste approach because when a tragedy strikes the country, we have to extend our hands like beggars and ask for help from abroad”, he said.

He claimed that about 30 per cent of the budget, between 285 and 390 million dollars, could be mobilized from mining and oil revenues.

“Other sources include toll revenues, estimated at between 60 and 90 million dollars, carbon credits and climate bonds, with the potential to raise 200 to 300 million dollars, and a solidarity contribution through a temporary tax on luxury goods such as high-powered vehicles, jewelry, and diamonds, which could generate between 30 and 50 million dollars”, he said.

Mondlane presented the proposal at a press conference, initially scheduled to take place in front of the Prime Minister’s Office. This location proved impossible thanks to sabotage by the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR – the Mozambican riot police).

At the location, journalists and ANAMOLA members were met by a strong police presence, which prevented the press conference from taking place there.

According to Mondlane, Post-Flood Reconstruction demands efforts and participation of all of Mozambican society.

“It also demands a rigorous principle of austerity and the government must stop using excessive funds for salaries, vehicles, and administrative expenditures. We cannot have 30 or 40 per cent of these funds spent on salaries, vehicles, travel, and lunches. There must be extreme austerity”, he urged.
(AIM)
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