Africa-Press – Angola. After the political manifesto distributed on paper, Higino Carneiro now appears in video to defend “the strength of the past and present” personified in the figures of Agostinho Neto, José Eduardo dos Santos and João Lourenço, to continue the path of a “more plural and inclusive” party, “which must break with the culture of silence, flattery and “yes, Chief”” and which promotes criticism and self-criticism as “acts of political courage and respect for the people”.
The retired general advocates the “resurgence of active militancy” and the “return of those who have distanced themselves”, inviting all Angolans to “rescue the winning mystique” of the party.
“The authority of the militant should not be neglected. The militant must be an active agent in the election of his representatives in the intermediate and higher bodies of our party”, declares the former Minister of Public Works and Territorial Administration and former governor of Luanda and Benguela, who defends that the Party Action Committees (CAP) stop being just mobilization structures for rallies, becoming centers of active political intervention within the communities.
In the video presentation, there are several internal “messages” left by Higino Carneiro regarding “administrative impositions” or “windows to promote elements not committed to the MPLA”.
Higino Carneiro says that he is not running for president of the MPLA out of personal ambition or internal conflict and that his decision “is not based on an agenda of ambition, persecution or resentment”.
“My future candidacy is a call for unity, reunion and faith in the principles that brought us here,” he declares.
“A new time demands a new attitude”, argues Higino Carneiro, to say again that he wants to “add”, not divide”.
Higino Carneiro’s pre-candidacy comes a month after the president of the MPLA, João Lourenço, said on Angolan Public Television (TPA) that the militant of his party who presents himself as a “super-militant, super-general”, predestined to be President of the Republic, is something that the MPLA “considers very serious”.
“When someone presents themselves as predestined, the message they are sending to other potential candidates is that ‘it’s not worth your while to run, you’re wasting your time, because destiny has already predestined me. I have already defined my future and the future of Angola. I will be the president of Angola. So, you are losing money, you are wasting time, I don’t even know if it’s worth holding elections. This is the message that is basically being sent. The State shouldn’t even organize elections, it’s wasting time. Why would it organize elections, if destiny has already decided that Ernesto will be the future president? So, we just have to find a comfortable chair for Ernesto to sit in?”, he asked the TPA journalist.
Then, to make it very clear that he does not give his “blessing” to this or any other candidate who starts the race without him firing the starting gun, João Lourenço said: “It’s obvious that there isn’t. It’s obvious that there isn’t! And anyone who tries to give the idea that they have my blessing to be able to start the race now, now or later, I will publicly deny it, as I am doing now.”
“Those who are saying that there is no internal democracy in the MPLA should understand that presenting themselves as predestined is what kills internal democracy in the MPLA,” he said.
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