Funerals were used by the colonial bourgeoisie to divide, exploit and humiliate the People,
by creating different classes of burial and forcing even the poorest bereaved families to pay
crippling sums. This form of exploitation has also been stopped. The Government has
taken over all funeral parlours and a uniform price has been fixed.
These initial shots in the battle against injustice and inequality have removed land and the
basic services from the area of exploitation, placing them firmly in the hands of the People.
This has guaranteed immediate benefits for the People and created the conditions for national development according to FRELIMO's revolutionary line but it has also sharpened
the contradictions between the labouring classes and the enemies of progress and social
justice. Heightened vigilance is therefore necessary at this time to combat any attempts
by the enemy to sabotage national and ideological unity and deflect the course of the
Revolution. And in this respect, the People themselves, organised throughout the country
in «Grupos Dinamizadores», play the crucial role. These groups, through which the People
are gaining political experience and democratic control over their day to day lives in towns,
villages and places of work, are soon to be supplemented at national level by organisations
of workers, peasants and youth, as a result of decisions taken by the meeting of the Central Committee between June 19 and 21 this year.
The People's democratic organisations are vital institutions in the struggle to cement
unity, increase production and ensure vigilance. Equally vital are the Mozambique People's
Liberation Forces, who are a force not only for national defence but also for production
and political mobilisation. The FPLM, without whose heroism and sacrifices our country
would still be under colonial domination, bring to the new struggle an incomparable richness of combat experience.
The measures taken so far are only a beginning. Ahead lie gigantic tasks in increasing
production, ensuring social and economic justice and establishing democratic methods of
work in the fields of agriculture, industry and commerce. And what makes these tasks
particularly tough is the catastrophic situation bequeathed to our country by colonialism, a
situation characterised by poverty, illiteracy and unemployment for the many and wealth
and privileges for the few.    We found the bank vaults empty, the country bled white.
But despite this situation we have no doubt of our victory. During ten years of armed
struggle FRELIMO faced an implacable enemy backed by the armaments, money and propaganda of imperialism, but our motto never changed: Victory is certain!
Today we recognise the tremendous difficulties that will be encountered in fulfilling the
obligations enshrined in the Constitution of our People's Republic, in destroying the basis
of poverty and eliminating underdevelopment.
But FRELIMO pledges today that there will be no retreats or compromises, no let up in
the battle against exploitation, no rest until our goals are reached. We shall not fail to
live up to the expectations of our People, nor the fears of our enemies.
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES!