Maputo — The Mozambican Minister of Communications, Américo Muchanga, has claimed that the the government’s new regulations on telecommunications will not restrict use of the Internet.
Speaking in Maputo on Thursday in response to requests for information from members of the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, Muchanga said the regulations are aimed against cybercrime, and at guaranteeing the security of the state, of institutions and of individuals.
Nonetheless, the regulations have been strongly criticized by civil society bodies because they could allow the authorities to shut down the Internet on spurious grounds of “national security’.
Various civil society organisations have warned of the risks of excessive restrictions on freedom of expression and on access to information, advocating prudence in the approval of laws and regulations affecting the media and telecommunications.
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The office of Mozambique’s Ombudsman, Isaque Chande, has submitted to the Constitutional Council (CC), the country’s highest body in matters of constitutional and electoral law, a request for a declaration that the government’s regulations are unconstitutional.
However, Muchanga insisted that such fears are unfounded and that the regulations are not aimed at suppressing internet use.
“The Internet is an instrument of liberation, but it is also an extremely dangerous instrument for society if there is no control over it’, he claimed.
Muchanga compared the Internet to a motorway, which can be used for legitimate activity, but also to commit crimes.
He added that “the internet is like a forest, where all species exist, including butterflies and ferocious animals. So it is important – as regulators, as a government, and as responsible agents of society – to ensure that everyone who uses the internet can use it safely.’
“The Internet must not be used to commit acts that threaten our public tranquility and the security of our State’, he said.
He added that individual freedoms must be exercised with responsibility, which means that “it is the State’s priority to ensure that the Internet is used as a space for development, education, and innovation.’
Opposition parties and civil society are deeply suspicious of the government’s justifications for possible Internet shutdowns.
One of the most scathing reactions came from senior journalist and press freedom activist Tomas Vieira Mario, who took to Facebook to condemn Muchanga’s feeble argument that there can’t be anything wrong with the government regulation, because the same restrictions are imposed in “many other countries’.
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Vieira Mario regarded this as an invalid argument, since the baseline for the Mozambican debate should not be what may happen in other countries, but the provisions of the Mozambican Constitution.
He called for the government regulations to be completely overhauled, removing everything vague in the terms used, which could be liable to “subjective and even abusive interpretations’.
“Clearly we want a safe Internet’, said Vieira Mario, “but without putting an onerous burden on the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms’.
