By MOZTIMES
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo Party on Wednesday demanded that the government take measures to deal with possible fuel shortages.
A statement from the Frelimo Political Commission made it very clear that it is the Frelimo leadership, and not the government, that takes the country’s key political and economic decisions.
A week ago, the government assured the public that, despite the US/Israeli aggression against Iran, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Mozambique is in no imminent danger of running out of liquid fuels.
Many motorists did not believe such assurances, and there was panic buying of petrol and diesel at fuel pumps in Maputo and the neighbouring city of Matola last Friday and Saturday.
The queues of vehicles in Maputo have subsided but there are alarming reports from elsewhere in the country, notably in the southern province of Gaza. Thus, on Thursday, the independent television station STV reported that in the Gaza provincial capital, Xai-Xai, only two pumps had any fuel to sell.
Meeting in Maputo on Wednesday, the Frelimo Political Commission was much less optimistic about the fuel crisis than the government had been. The Political Commission demanded that the government take “urgent measures” to deal with possible fuel shortages.
A statement from the Political Commission instructed the government “to adopt short and medium term mechanisms to confront the current fuel crisis, resulting from the conflict in the Middle East, the effects from which are being felt throughout the world”.
The Political Commission told the government “to ensure the availability of sufficient reserves of fuel to keep supplies stable, while monitoring the evolution of the Middle East conflict”.
As a short term measure, the Commission ordered the government to guarantee the availability of foreign exchange to import fuel and other essential goods. The government should “use carefully the Stabilisation Fund, directing the resources to cushion shocks, focusing on protecting the most vulnerable segments of society”.
Prices should be continually monitored, it added, to prevent stocks from running out, and avoid any speculation. It also called for an increase in fuel storage capacity.
So far there have been no calls for fuel rationing. Yet this is a measure that Mozambique has used, with some success, at previous times of severe fuel shortages, such as in the early 1980s.
On Thursday, President Daniel Chapo, speaking in his capacity as President of Frelimo, called for “internal cohesion” in the party. Frelimo members, he said, were free to raise criticisms – but only inside the Party’s bodies and not outside of them.
Speaking at the end of a round of meetings preparing a Frelimo National Conference of Cadres, scheduled for August, Chapo declared it was important to collect opinions and ideas from the district and provincial secretaries in the three regions (north, centre and south) to ensure greater cohesion.
At the same time Frelimo is undertaking a census of its members. This was fundamental, said Chapo, “so that we know exactly how many members we really have, whether the branches really exist and where they are”.
The most recent number given publicly for Frelimo membership is “more than six million”. But that figure is believed to be grossly inflated. The official results from the 2004 presidential election gave Frelimo 4.4 million votes – which was an overwhelming victory, but nowhere near six million. (MT)
