Mozambique’s President Gives Back Former Leaders’ Laws of Privilege to Parliament   · Global Voices
Dércio Tsandzana

Mozambican Parliament. Photo of Deputies and Luxury on Facebook.
After getting the approval from three parliamentary benches of two laws about the revision and allocation of privileges for former deputies and former presidents of the Republic Assembly House, many civil society organizations have unleashed a campaign of repudiation against that decision made by those who were elected from the people.
Walk against the privileges for former presidents.
It was on May 16th 2014 that many Mozambican civil society organizations – among them, the Supportive Mechanism to the Civil Society (MASC), Community Radios in Mozambique Forum (FORCOM), Women's Forum, Center for Public Integrity (CIP), among others – gathered for a “walk against the legalised robbery“. The protest, organized through the Luxury Deputies, comes at a time which many Mozambicans lack social well-being resulting from social inequalities and lack dignified transportation.
As a response to this pressure, the President of the Republic Armando Guebuza returned these two laws to the Parliament to be reviewed, an updated new by the newspaper page Canal de Moçambique under the heading of “Citizenship wins first battle”.
The Luxury Deputies group, who carried out the campaign of repudiation against these laws, was pleased with the attitude of the Head of State:
Caros Compatriotas! Uma parte dos nossos objectivos, como moçambicanos, foi alcançada. O PR devolveu a Assembleia da Republica, a lei que faz menção as mordomias dos deputados. Traremos mais informações…Viva o Povo!!!
My compatriots! A part of our objectives, as Mozambicans, has been achieved. The President of the Republic returned to the Republic Assembly House,the law which mentions the privileges for deputies. We will bring you more information…Long live to the Mozambican people!!!
In the same publication, Narciso Francisco refers that this decision cannot be a political advantage from the Head of State:
Espero que não seja uma questão de tempo para garantir o voto nas eleições que se avizinham e a posterior aprovar…a luta continua e o povo e que esta no poder.
I hope it is not a matter of time to ensure the vote in the forthcoming elections and the subsequent one to approve… The fight continues and the power belongs to the people.
Ericino de Salema, a Mozambican commentator and journalist, found the returning of these laws as a great worthiness action:
PR Armando Guebuza e a devolução das duas “leis da (des)graça” ao Parlamento: uma decisão sabia, clarividente e visionaria!
The PR Armando Guebuza and the returning of these two “laws of (mis)fortune” to the Parliament: a wisdom, far-sighted and visionary decision.
To Francisco Alberto Tembo, a college student, the great credit goes to the civil society because of the increased pressure to achieve this triumph.
Ponto para sociedade. É muito bom saber que sociedade tem capacidade para influenciar as decisoes politicas, pois, se assim não fosse sabe se lá onde é que estaria o país.
A score to the society. It's very good to know that the society has the ability to determine political decisions, otherwise nobody knows where the country would be at this time.
The citizenship in Mozambique comes up as the greatest winner in the process. Nonetheless, it's expected a new analysis of the returned laws to the Republic Assembly House, it could be said that: only a battle has been won and not the war.