President Guebuza on his end of the year and New Year eve speech highlighted three areas of concentration for 2008. These include: (i) the promotion of factors that contribute to political stability, (ii) more commitment to the production and productivity in the context of the Green Revolution, and (iii) the combat of obstacles of our development : The first area, the promotion of factors contributing to political stability, aroused interesting discussions in the country including suggestions that time has come for the building of a constructive political engagement between the two main political parties’ leaderships. However, some political analysts in Maputo including media and academia maintained the believe that the mentioning of that area did not mean anything than as part of a formal political discourse framed to entertain the audience gathered in the Presidential Palace, specially, the international community. Substantiating their argument, they recalled the case of “an inclusive government” the president had promised to pursue when in 2005 was sworn in, but that contrary to the high expectations, what the Mozambican society has been witnessing to date has been the opposite – social and economic exclusion along the lines of party politics.

While we, in the GDI, could agree with the sceptics’ words according to which "don’t take what the politicians say serious but what they do", however, we remain convinced that the president, by putting the factors contributing to political stability on the 2008 priority list in the forefront, has set out the strategic direction for the year, calling for the nation’s work. The year 2007 was politically not such as good as it should have been. A non-recognisably surprising opposition challenged forcibly and consistently some of the president’s decisions, at the same time that the Constitutional Council, the Constitution’s watchdog, took an unprecedented stance to declare some of the president’s decrees unconstitutional. Apart from these facts, calls for the end of political hatred between the two main political parties have multiplied, coming both from the opposition and civic groups including religious organisations.

It is against the above background that we think that the speech of the president should and must be taken seriously. President Guebuza may have realised that the continuous radicalisation of party politics occurring since him taking up the leadership of our country, leading to a sort of a “political apartheid” that heightens social and economic exclusion between Mozambicans, is the main obstacle holding the nation back, inhibiting the harness of all its human resources potential to the full rapid development. Hence, for the sake of the unity and stability of our beloved nation, the president wants to avert the situation. Thus, it makes sense to think that civil society organizations leaders, media, academia and citizens at large and our international partners have a role to play in this, advancing concrete proposals in support to the president. For example, a Civil Society Coalition should be considered that could search ways and mechanisms susceptible to contributing to avert potential risks and ensure national stability. Our own argument is that there is no any way good and sustainable governance can be built and its contribution enjoyed if political stability is weak or uncertain. Furthermore, maintaining and sustaining the political stability in the country is not exclusive to the Government, but and also of all society live forces, including the aforementioned groups.

Development effectiveness, our national agenda, can only take place in a politically stable environment. And for this endeavour, we, in the GDI, are prepared and willing to contribute, with ideas, to the construction of such an environment. Above all, this is our mission!

Dr. Al Razul
Director of Governance and Integrity in Public Life
GDI-Governance and Development Institute
governance.institute.mz@gmail.com
Eduardo Mondlane 1569 Maputo
Tel: +258 21328051 Fax: +258 21328050
www.gdi.org.mz