The Hoax of Public Consultation and the Deception of National Dialogue

Alípio Freeman "

The recent public consultation, promoted under the guise of a "national dialogue" in Mozambique, appears as an apparent response to the post-election violence that devastated the country and revealed the deepest fractures in its socio-political fabric. However, when we observe the historical pattern of the dominant—hegemonic—party that governs at all costs, blending democratic and authoritarian attributes, it becomes clear that this initiative is more part of a logic of survival of power and legitimacy, which has been severely undermined by the streets and their laws, than of true reconciliation.

This initiative involves dividing the opposition and civil society by creating opportunities to line their pockets. From now on, the results have been clear, as we see politicians critical of the system attacking the opposition's most prominent representative, the one seen by a considerable segment of the population as the Messiah, as exemplified by the infamous politicians António Massango and Yakub Sibinde, whose relevance has always been negligible.

 Although official discourse proclaims the pursuit of consensus and social pacification, practice shows the opposite: manipulation of the process, control of narratives, and the exclusion of authentic voices from civil society and the opposition. The dialogue, thus configured, reveals the genuine objective of its creators, transforming itself into an exercise in political legitimacy disguised as a popular consultation.

2025/12/3