into insignificance. These fears should not be taken lightly, particularly since
highly influential older politicians, who were veterans of the war of colonial
liberation, recently made public pronouncements contemptuous of democracy
and opposition parties.
158.
Commendably, though, this apparent setback to political development in the
country has been offset by interesting developments within society. In fact,
both the Constitutional Council and the Administrative Tribunal (National Audit Office) have recently ruled against decisions that appeared to be partypolitically motivated. The Constitutional Council found that the imposition of
the use of a FRELIMO party slogan on all state institutions by the newly created Civil Service Higher Authority, to be unconstitutional and asked that it be
withdrawn. Similarly, the Administrative Tribunal made a devastating review
of public accounts, pointing to criminal irregularities. Most importantly, it found
a decision by the public Eduardo Mondlane University to ask academics who
joined the opposition RENAMO party to step down from their senior positions
within the University’s administrative structure, to be illegal and ruled that
they should be reinstated.
159.
Given the widespread belief that the country is in the tight grip of the FRELIMO
government, this obvious show of resistance from two institutions with the
task of safeguarding and protecting the rule of law is not only encouraging,
but also an indication that Mozambican society may be moving in a direction
that renders democracy less dependent on individual goodwill, and is more
structurally ingrained.
2.4.5
Public Sector Reform
160.
There is no doubt that the government has made enormous efforts to transform the public sector since 1992. Most of this effort has taken place within
the framework of the government’s PSR programme to streamline the state
apparatus, reform the judiciary, strengthen auditing capacity, and fight corruption. Although the programme has gone a long way towards meeting some of
the most fundamental requirements of governance, the legacies of the past
still loom large. Following in the footsteps of the centralised colonial administration and the subsequent Marxist-Leninist party/state apparatus, and with
very little public consultation or transparency, the government continues to
operate through megaprojects put together by the top political leadership and
respective donors and/or private investors.
2.4.6
Poor Educational Levels
161.
The availability of suitably skilled people in sufficient numbers is a major obstacle to development and innovation in Mozambique. While primary school
enrolment stands at about 70 per cent, this drops precipitously to about 4 per
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