April 22, 1997

The "dark, heavy hand of censorship, fascist political control, and Gestapo-type political police" that once terrorized journalists in Mozambique is no more, says Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano.

"Fortunately, this situation has changed," Chissano said April 22 in prepared remarks at a Freedom Forum/African Correspondents Association "newsmaker" breakfast, which sponsors speakers who focus on Africa.

"Today Mozambique thrives under the four freedoms," he added. "The constitutional right to write freely with objectivity, criticize with responsibility, denounce wrongdoings with patriotism is also a result of the struggle of Mozambican journalists. Censorship is gone and the heavy hand of government watchdogs ceased to exist.

"Interestingly enough," he said, "our state, our government share the same basic interests with the Mozambican journalists. Those interests are enshrined in the Constitution, guaranteed in the Law of the Press, and promoted in the Government Policy and Strategies for the Press."

According to Chissano, "Currently, newspaper, radio, and TV stations collect, edit, and report items of their choice, without any kind of interference from the government. They regularly criticize and denounce institutional abuses, corruption, and ill-planned official development projects."

The government of Mozambique, he said, "shares the desire of Mozambican journalists to build a strong, professional, and competent press. We do not view ourselves as adversaries, but as partners for economic and social development and national reconciliation. We believe that the press has a great role to play in the infusion of family and moral values, patriotism, and the creation of a solid and united Mozambique nation."

The Freedom Forum is a non-partisan, privately endowed international foundation dedicated to free press and free speech for everyone; it was founded by newspaperman Frank E. Gannett in 1935.

I also feel honoured to discuss freedom of the press in the home of the greatest American journalists and newspapermen like Ben Bradlee, James Reston and Walter Cronkite, to name a few. America, through giant newspapers like the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and others, has made a great contribution to the development of the press and its freedom along the centuries in the world. I, therefore, thank very much the Freedom Forum for allowing me to address some of the most outstanding American journalists living in the Washington area.

Mozambican freedoms were a result of the struggle for liberation of Mozambique from Portuguese colonialism. The four freedoms -- expression, thought, religion and the press -- which were forbidden during Portuguese rule, became part and parcel of the Mozambican Constitution when our country gained its independence in June 1975. Thus, the right to write freely in Mozambique was born with our independence. Before that the dark, heavy hand of censorship, fascist political control and Gestapo-type political police terrorized journalists and forced them to live in the colonial reign of fear.

Fortunately, this situation has changed. Today Mozambique thrives under the four freedoms. The constitutional right to write freely with objectivity, criticize with responsibility, denounce wrongdoings with patriotism is also a result of the struggle of Mozambican journalists. Censorship is gone and the heavy hand of government watchdogs ceased to exist. Interestingly enough our State, our government share the same basic interests with the Mozambican journalists. Those interests are enshrined in the Constitution, guaranteed in the Law of the Press and promoted in the Government Policy and Strategies for the Press.

Under these legislations, Mozambicans are free to create both print and electronic media. As a result, today Mozambique's media mosaic has been enriched with the birth of its private sector. Presently, the number of private media is growing fast; in the last six years ten newspapers, four radio stations and one TV station, all private, were created, against the existing and long-standing one TV and one radio station belonging to the public sector, funded by the government.

The freedom to create new media organizations goes with the freedom of the journalists to write without limits imposed by the state. Currently, newspaper, radio and TV stations collect, edit and report items of their choice, without any kind of interference from the government. They regularly criticize and denounce institutional abuses, corruption and ill-planned official development projects. Because of its growing influence on public opinion, the media in Mozambique calls itself "the Fourth Power,""the Watchdog" and "Anti-Power."

Definition aside, the government of Mozambique shares the desire of Mozambican journalists to build a strong, professional and competent press. We do not view ourselves as adversaries, but as partners for economic and social development and national reconciliation. We believe that the press has a great role to play in the infusion of family and moral values, patriotism and the creation of a solid and united Mozambique nation.

Viewing the press as a mirror of the society and as a means to socialize, change attitudes and shape a new man, we think that newspaper, radio and TV stations have a great responsibility to respect the ethics of the journalism profession. We abhor in the media the utilization of bad language, pornography and insults to achieve political goals. We are also strong believers on the rights of journalists to have access to information. That is why we have created the offices of the press advisers throughout our government institutions to serve as a liaison between the government and the press.

To protect the citizen, the government and the press interests enshrined in the Constitution and the Law of the Press, the government created the High Council of Social Communication. This institution guarantees that both the government and the press respect the guiding role of the Law of the Press, that none of the above use extreme measures to achieve dubious goals.

I am certainly talking about controversial issues which the American society has been facing for centuries. Here you have solved many of them with the nation building. In our case, we also believe that the development of the press is not separated [from] the economic and social progress of Mozambique. As our country leaves far away the legacy of a destructive war of destabilization and concentrates on reconstruction, national reconciliation, in one word, nation-building, our press will progress and perfect itself.

As we are closer to the gates of a new millennium, we are confident that development not poverty, literacy not ignorance, unity not ethnic and racial divisions, respect not hatred will surely be the guardian of press freedom in Mozambique. With full developed Mozambique our press can perfect itself and enjoy the fruits of a modern society.

Thank you.