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African
Leader Turns Tables
on Revolution
by
Gene H. Hogberg
In the grips of national economic morass, the people of
Mozambique hear harsh words of reality from their
president, Samora Machel.
R
ARELY
in the history of
communism had a ruling
Marxist leader so boldly
criticized the shortcomings of his
nation.
In a marathon 4!h-hour speech
March 19, 1980, President Sa–
mora Mache! of Mozambique
..read the riot act" to his people,
government and party and pro–
posed a shocking remedy- for a
Marxist- to his nation's ills: A
measured dose of free enter–
prise!
Revolu tlon Gone Sou r
President Mache! outlined can–
didly to bis countrymen the mis–
erable state of affairs they faced.
The country's economy had gone
steadily downhill ever since the
Marxist revolution of 1974, with
its precipitate expulsion of the
Portuguese capitalist class. It
now stood at the very brink of
collapse.
In his long tirarle, Mr. Mache!
tore into the "corruption, malad–
ministration, negligence and lack
of responsibility" he said he had
witnessed on a quick inspection
tour of state-run enterprises.
"We did not fight for years in
the bush just to transform our
country into a coun try of
8
thieves," he thundered. "We did
not fight and get killed in the
liberation war just to transform
our country into a country of
inept, undisciplined, lazy, good–
for-nothing people," he said in
particular criticism of conditions
he discovered at the airport at
Maputo, Mozambique's capital.
President Mache! stopped
short of laying the primary blame
for the economic mess upon
Marxist theory itself. But he did
denounce "ultraleftist" control of
certain facets of the economy. To
stop the rot and get things mov–
ing again, he announced that all
small industries and businesses
which had been nationalized
would be handed back to prívate
enterprise. Under state control,
said Mr. Mache!, such businesses
had "served only to enrich dis–
bonest state employees."
The President made a n appeal
to former Portuguese wbites who
had fled to neighboring South
Africa and elsewhere, leaving
everytbing behind, to come back
and resume tbeir own businesses.
He promised to make state loans
available for tbis purpose.
Whether the Portuguese re–
turn, however, is a big question
mark. The promise of loans is not
attractive to those who would
prefer simply to have their prop–
erties and bank accounts restored.
But their biggest concern is what
kind of society they would return
to. Despite President Machel's
cconomic somersault, Marxist
dogma has not retreated on the
political and social front. The goal
of "scientific socialism" remains
intact. The children of the return–
ing expatriates would have to
attend state-run schools teaching
strict Marxist-Leninist ideology.
Religious activity has been se–
verely curtailed.
But since Mr. Mache! desper–
ately needs Western financial
and technological help, perhaps
the system will bend sorne more.
As evidence of this possibility,
President Mache!, shortly after
his speech, promoted five more
whites to cabinet posts, bringing
the number of Europeans in the
20-man cabinet to eight.
Why Machel Act ed
Mozambique's remarkable
about-face was closely timed to
the onset of independence in
neighboring Zimbabwe (see the
May, 1980,
Plain Truth).
Mo–
zambique's
Frelimo
regime had
supported the winner in the Zim-
The
PLAIN TRUTH