PORTUGAL AND THE UNITED NATIONS
Strange and contradictory logic seems
to govern the behaviour of the government
of dictator Salazar in its relations with the
United Nations. Portugal while being an
ardent devotee of the United Nations and a
subscriber to the principles of the charter
when it suites her interests, shows at other
times, an utter disregard and in fact contempt for the principles or resolutions adopted by the General Assembly or any other
organ of the United Nations.
Year after year, the situation in Mozambique and other territories in Africa still
under the yoke of Portuguese colonial domination is being considered by the General
Assembly, which year after year adopts resolutions calling on Portugal to take urgent
measures to implement United Nations policies on colonial freedom. These United Nations resolutions are received with callous
unconcern by thc Portuguese government.
In fact, the Portuguese government with the
backing of her NATO allies has always turned  these  resolutions  into DFAD  LETTERS.
To brush away any further discussions
on her colonial possessions in Africa, Portugal is at pains trying to sell to the world
the idea that she had no colonies in Africa
but, "overseas provinces" whose problems
were matters pertaining exclusively to the
internal jurisdiction and security of Portugal.
The question alone that Mozambique and
other parts of the African continent now
under Portuguese colonial domination arc
provinces of Portugal is too absurd to merit
any serious  consideration.
In the United Nations recently, the
foreign minister of Portugal shamelessly and
happily did not deny the state of unrest in
the colonies. On the contrary, he represented the disturbances as caused by what he
termed "agitators" from outside and further
claimed    that    nationalist    organisations    in
Portugal's colonies were being supplied military equipment by some African states. Yet
it is pertinent to observe that if the state of
unrest was foreign inspired and sponsored,
then the matter ceased to be of purely
domestic concern which is the argument
advanced by the Portuguese delegation to
the United  Nations.
In continuing to throw dust into the
United Nation's eyes Portugal has once more
come out with a fraudulent and bogus new-
law which they call the "Organic Law of
Portuguese Overseas Provinces". This law
promulgated by a Portuguese parliament in
Lisbon, without ctonsulting or the participation of the people it is intended for, does
not represent the interests of the African
people of Mozambique but. naturally is designed to serve the interests of those who
l>esto\ved it. This law represents the
centralisation of control of all Portuguese
colonies in Lisbon. Particularly the economic
power and control. The UDENAMO is fully
aware of the fact that the political system in
any state is but a direct reflection of the prevailing economic state of affairs and an
accurate expression of thc interests controlling this economic state. Portugal controls
economic interests and dictates the political
shape of Mozambique, imposing on it to
serve her own interests. The domination of
Portugal in dollusion with thc imperialist
exploiting capital over thc economy of Mozambique, naturally and inevitably enables
them to continue to dominate |>olitical
activities in all their forms at thc expense of
the people and to subjugate thc masses by
deceit and terrorism. The facade of this
sham law only represents the democracy of
reactionaries and thus completely rejected
by the UDF.NAMO.
1'olslered by this fraudulent legislation,
Portugal has once more come up with a new
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