It's the contrary. The centre and some northern provinces of Mozambique are Renamo strongholds while Frelimo traditionally dominates the south. Public opinion on the demonstrations and the government's handling of them is split in the capital, Maputo. Brazao Mazula, rector of the University of Eduardo Mondlane, and ex-president of the National Electoral Commission which oversaw the 1994 polls, criticised the police's methods of dispersing protestors. We complain about hunger, low salaries, but we don't want to work.
Life is very expensive.
The government, however, presents data to argue that it is doing something. Inflation has fallen 37 points since 1996 to 16.3 percent, the Gross Domestic Product is estimated at 6.4 percent, exports are growing and the national currency, the metical, is stable. Mocumbi guaranteed that his government will continue to instruct the police to maintain law and order. Stressing that he did not wish to dredge up the past, he said, ''To understand current attitudes we must recall and analyse the nature and the past of this party,'' an apparent allusion to Renamo's past actions. During the 17 years of civil war which ended in 1992, Renamo's main tactics were the disruption of the economy and of the government's operations.