Public to be involved in the decision making process

All Mozambican citizens will soon be directly involved in the process of decision making on issues related to public policies, Gabriel Machado, director of the Technical Unit for Public Sector Reform (UTRESP), has announced. He explained that this involvement would be through public consultations, which may include referendums, surveys on public opinion, by means of groups of interest, socio-professional organizations among others.

"The government is committed to conduct surveys before taking any decisions that could directly or indirectly impact on the life of the citizens. However, that does not mean that all demands of the citizens are to be met. It could happen that the government may itself be unable to materialize some of the demands claimed by the citizens, as it will have a final say on what is good or bad for the community. This takes into account that the government has a wider view and comprehensive understanding of the country", said Machado, speaking during a press conference.

Machado also invited the civil society to monitor the different action programs of the Mozambican government, mainly the strategies for the fight against corruption, ethics promotion, moral values, good governance and integrity. On the public sector reform, Machado pointed to the development of a decentralization strategy, already under way and the development of the capacity of the local governments, including human resources, infrastructures and natural resources. (Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique, Maputo)