By Rui Lamarques, Journalist
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – In many countries, taking responsibility for failures in public management is seen as an act of decency and respect for public service.
Ministers, secretaries of state, and other officials do not hesitate to resign, even in situations where the responsibility does not fall directly on them. It is an acknowledgment that holding a public office entails a moral responsibility to the population and that the dignity of the institution is often more important than staying in power.
A quick Google search provides numerous examples: In 2014, South Korea, after the sinking of the Sewol ferry, which left more than 300 dead, most of them students, the then Prime Minister Chung Hong-won submitted his resignation. Although he was not directly involved in the incident, he acknowledged that the government failed in its response and in preventing similar tragedies.
In Japan, a few years earlier, Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa resigned after appearing intoxicated during a press conference at the G7. Even though the episode did not cause direct harm to the population, he considered that his conduct compromised the image of the Japanese government. He just seemed intoxicated.
Here in Southern Africa, there are examples as well. In 2008, the then South African President Thabo Mbeki obeyed the instruction to resign ordered by the National Executive Committee of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). In São Tomé, the Minister of Infrastructure, Adelino Cardoso, stepped down following controversies over the awarding of public works contracts. His resignation was reported as an act of accountability amid the controversies.
These examples show that, in other contexts, resignation is seen as a demonstration of integrity, responsibility, and respect for the public.
Additionally, in less severe situations, countries establish crisis cabinets to manage specific issues. In France, after the 2015 attacks, a special cabinet was immediately created to coordinate the government’s response, demonstrating readiness and respect for the victims. In the United Kingdom, after natural disasters such as floods, emergency meetings are convened to organize assistance.
In both cases, the central idea is the same: to prevent the situation from worsening and to provide concrete responses to the population.
And in Mozambique? Here, even in the face of preventable tragedies, widespread corruption, or the complete inefficiency of public policies, we do not see resignations. On the contrary, the rule seems to be an attempt to evade any responsibility. While in other countries ministers resign for much less, in Mozambique, incompetence is almost celebrated.
Take, for example, the recent security crisis and the mass prisoner escapes from the Maputo Central Prison and the adjacent Top Security Prison. Has anyone taken responsibility? Was a crisis cabinet created to manage the situation? Nothing. If we had the same decency demonstrated by other countries, probably no one would be left to dismiss today, as all those holding relevant positions would already have acknowledged their failures and voluntarily stepped down.
What Mozambique lacks is not just efficiency or competence but a basic sense of responsibility and public ethics. As long as we continue to accept that those who fail remain in power, we will also continue to perpetuate a system that does not serve the people. It is time to demand more – and to learn from examples abroad, where resigning is not a failure but an act of courage and respect for public service. (RL)
