EDITORIAL
Independence: a new
phase of struggle
With the Proclamation of the People's Republic of Mozambique on June 25, 1975, the
revolutionary process in our country entered a new phase, the phase of People's Democracy, during which the lessons of the liberated zones during ten years of armed struggle
will be applied at the level of the nation. We are now engaged in the task of destroying
all vestiges of the colonial-capitalist State, an instrument of exploitation and oppression,
and establishing a People's State which serves the interests of the working masses.
This phase will be a period of intense struggle. National independence was a precondition for the destruction of the system of capitalist exploitation in our country; but independence by itself does not destroy exploitation, and after June 25 millions of Mozambicans living outside the zone liberated during the armed struggle continued to be oppressed
by the old system. The enemy, his guns silenced, continued to use every means at his
disposal to obstruct the revolutionary process.
But it was in order to destroy exploitation and establish People's Democratic Power
throughout Mozambique that FRELIMO fought Portuguese colonialism. To allow a handful
of old and new exploiters to thwart this goal would be to betray all those who suffered
and died in the war, indeed to betray every worker and every peasant in Mozambique.
It would be to turn our victory into a defeat. The new situation, therefore, demanded that
we implement the policies of FRELIMO and transform our revolutionary objectives into
reality with the minimum of delay. To this end certain measures have already been
taken by the Council of Ministers at its first session held between July 9 and 25.
All land has been returned to its rightful owners, the People, and is controlled by the
State.    Collecting rent for land is forbidden by law.
The colonial educational system is being dismantled. Under this system the type of
education a child received depended on the colour of his skin and the wealth of his parents.
There were private schools run by exploiters to create new exploiters. There were missionary schools to produce docile, mystified Mozambicans who would serve the exploiting class without complaining. Now all schools have become the property of the State
and education is based on the principle that books and study are tools to be used for the
creation of a new society, the development of our country and the assertion of our personality.
All hospitals, clinics and consulting rooms now belong to the People. The colonial-capitalist health system served to enrich private doctors while the majority of the population
were denied a basic medical service because they were too poor to pay. Now, private
medical practice has been abolished and the State is building a medical service which will
cater for all, regardless of wealth.
Private lawyers, whose services were available only to the rich, have been banned from
practising and the whole judicial system is being changed to conform with our revolutionary objectives.
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