Africa-Press – Angola. The jurist and political scientist Israel Bonifácio defended, in Benguela, that, due to its territorial extension, Angola needs to create a new administrative division, in order to find quick and sustainable solutions for collective needs.
At issue is the Bill of Law for the new Political-Administrative Division, a Government initiative, which provides for the rise, as of 2024, of the 417 existing communes and districts to the category of municipality, raising the number of municipalities in the country to 581 against the current 164.
Addressing the theme “Academic view on Local Power in Angola”, in the “Quintas de Debate” space, Israel Bonifácio highlighted, recently, in Benguela, that the administrative division is a project that “comes at a good time”, but understands that this cannot condition the gradual institutionalization of the local authorities of the 164 already existing municipalities.
For the jurist, the administrative division is one of the ways to quickly get public services to citizens, not least because the country’s municipalities are territories of great extension.
“To go from one municipality to another are kilometers and kilometers”, he evoked, maintaining that the bill proposed by the new Political-Administrative Division means that the State “thinks for the good of the citizen”.
However, he considers that, in a given province, it is possible for municipal municipalities to cohabit with the Local State Administration.
“For example, Benguela as an autarchy and Catumbela still as Local State Administration”, he explains.
Since the aim of local authorities is to bring public services closer to citizens, Israel Bonifácio sees “more benefits than harm” in the new administrative division, due to the transformation of communes into new municipalities.
“All of us today complain about issues resolved through the central power, when they could be resolved through the municipal power”, he explained, reinforcing that the administrative division arises, effectively, to be able to resolve and bring citizens closer to the municipal manager.
Municipalities without populism
In terms of the municipalities themselves, the jurist argues that they should be well prepared, because if, on the one hand, citizens choose people, on the other hand, they have to contribute economically.
“It is not worth being emotionally charged with party ideas, without looking at the much more technical issues that will effectively lead to municipalities in the municipalities”, he pointed out.
For the jurist, it is an encouraging sign that the Constitution provides for the realization of this own and autonomous legal entity.
“If in 1975, in 1992 and 2010 local authorities were foreseen, it means that it is a worrying element within the politicians themselves”, he underlined.
Warning that a bit of restraint is needed and avoid populism, the jurist recalls that local authorities cannot be seen purely and simply from a political point of view, as they involve economic issues that weigh on citizens’ pockets.
For this reason, he defends “an in-depth study” on the impact of municipalities from an economic point of view. “When they are implemented, citizens will also have to participate economically by paying taxes”. ) and mayors will be obliged, from a legal point of view, to create another type of revenue collection”, he concluded.
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