and its governance structures are clearly divided between strongholds of both parties, and political intolerance is rife. The CRM established that, both in the capital and in the provinces, political opinions are not freely expressed. Fears have been expressed that Parliament is hamstrung by the rift between the two major parties, contributing to its inability to offer credible checks and balances to a strong Executive. FRELIMO’s comfortable majority in the Legislature has contributed to its manipulating Parliament’s role vis-à-vis the Executive. Significant key legislation has been passed without the participation of RENAMO MPs, who have declined to vote on the laws, presumably because of FRELIMO’s clear intention to ignore the arguments brought by the opposition during the discussion of the law. xxix. The public service of Mozambique has a deplorable reputation for incompetence and ineffectiveness, corruption, red tape and poor service delivery. Part of the reason for this incompetence and ineffectiveness is the shortage of well-trained, qualified people available for recruitment, as well as inadequate opportunities for the initial and ongoing training of public servants. As a result, there are too many inexperienced people in positions of responsibility well beyond their capability. xxx. Despite the need for quality and for all available local expertise to be harnessed to the task of nation building, recruitment into the public service is not based on merit. Party affiliation, nepotism and cronyism are the dominant criteria. It is estimated that the proportion of public servants recruited on the basis of merit is as low as 13 per cent. xxxi. Inadequate financial and material resources also negatively affect the performance of the public service in Mozambique. Besides the lack of funds impeding optimal operation throughout the financial year, offices are also not adequately equipped. Lacking in particular are information and communication technology (ICT) facilities, which would speed up operations and enhance levels of accuracy in record keeping and retrieval. In the rural areas infrastructure is rudimentary and this prevents the public service from responding adequately to public demands for services. In addition, a rigid bureaucratic attitude prevails regarding the application of rules, instead of a results-oriented focus. xxxii. Corruption has been a major issue in Mozambique’s system of public administration. This is mainly attributable to negative value orientation; insufficient mechanisms for ensuring transparency and accountability; low staff wages; and the wide gap between high and low income workers. Workers residing in urban areas are faced with the challenge of making their wages cover the high costs of housing and transport, let alone other necessities, such as adequate food, water, energy and clothing. Corruption is particularly rampant in the critical social services sectors of healthcare and education, as well as in the security and justice sectors. Health workers demand bribes to hasten the provision of 7