Maputo, Oct. 2, 2024 (Lusa) - Presidential candidate Daniel Chapo, supported by the ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), on Wednesday called for the renegotiation of contracts for megaprojects in the country, essentially mining and natural gas, in order to protect the interests of the state.
"This is something we'll have to sit down and look at on a case-by-case basis. There are cases that really can't be reviewed, but there are cases that will have to be reviewed, which is so that, as a result, we can increase state revenue and, based on that, we can develop our Mozambique with more revenue," said Daniel Chapo, at an election campaign meeting in Maputo.
"But this is case by case, it's not a clean slate that we can say we're going to do in every project," he warned.
Consultancy firm Deloitte concluded this year that Mozambique's natural gas reserves, among the largest in Africa, represent potential revenues of US$100 billion (€92.7 billion), involving multinationals such as Eni, TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil, among others.
The Frelimo-backed candidate for the Presidency of the Republic in the general elections on 9 October dedicated the day to meetings with various sectors of Mozambican society in the capital, including hundreds of leaders and members of various religious denominations, some of whom stressed the need for the country's ‘economic independence’.
"It's the main objective of our governance. But it's a process that, like the national liberation struggle, which took 10 years, and could have taken more, needs to be unleashed," Chapo retorted.
He also emphasised the priority given to education, in a school year marked by controversy over gross errors in school textbooks, printed outside the country and funded by international donors.
"You don't do education with other people's money. Education is a matter of sovereignty. As it is a matter of sovereignty, we need to gradually allocate our own resources so that we can have the quality education that we all strive for. Just look at the book issue that was discussed here. The book is made abroad, precisely because the owner of the money dictates where the book should be made and with all the consequences that we know about," he warned.
"We really need to strengthen our economic independence in the sense of the state having its own resources and defining where the book should actually be made, what kind of book we want. Because even the subjects that appear in the book are sometimes imposed by the donor (...). When the donor gives money, in return what they demand can be more expensive than our own independence," he recognised.
On a topic also put on the table by religious leaders at today's meeting, which mainly affects the Muslim community and businesspeople, the Frelimo candidate admitted the priority that must be given to security, given the kidnappings that continue to plague Maputo in particular.
"Any investment, whether national or foreign, needs to feel safe where it is. Security is very important, as is peace, for our development (...). We have many national and foreign investors, nationals who have even stopped making investments, stopped living in the country. Foreigners also want to come, but when they hear about this situation, they end up not coming, just like terrorism. So these are evils that we need to combat, to re-establish peace and security so that we can develop our country," he pointed out.
At this meeting, the maulana Nazir Loonat, a reference in the local Muslim leadership, addressed Chapo asking him for ‘strength’: "It means firmness. Firmness in your future decisions. When to be tough and when to be soft. If you're only soft, this country won't move forward, for this country to move forward you have to be tough on certain occasions."
He added: "A leader has to be honest and honesty comes from you. If you're only a leader to promote your family and friends, then this country won't move forward."
In a speech that received a loud ovation, Loonat called on Chapo, in the event of victory, to ‘know’ everything that is going on in the government: "So that you know that those you appoint are not going to cheat you".
"And you have to be economically independent. If you don't have economic independence, then you'll look to your mandate to support yourself. So, in order to work for the people, you have to be economically independent (...). You have to realise that you can't take water from all over the sea, it won't be for you. You have to leave it to the people. You can take the river, some of it, a spring, but don't try to take all the water from the sea," he appealed.
A request that was answered promptly by Chapo: "I want to agree with the maulana Nazir when he says "don't drink the water from the sea alone, at least from the river". But not even from the river, I don't want to. I want to give it to others to drink. Sea water is a lot of water and if you want to drink it by yourself you'll choke, won't you?"
"I also agree that we have to work with trustworthy people, but this trust, I understand, is not trust, friendship, it's technical trust. People with responsibility, with competence," concluded Chapo.
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