Africa-Press – Angola. Angolan Catholic bishops point to the “alarming” misappropriation of public funds, the “scandalous” expatriation of capital, and “empty speeches” that contradict the country’s reality as “shadows and shortcomings” in Angola’s 50 years of independence.
The Episcopal Conference of Angola and São Tomé (CEAST), in its Pastoral Message on the 50th anniversary of Angola’s Independence, to which Lusa had access today, welcomes the achievement of independence on November 11, 1975, presents findings, shadows and shortcomings that persist in the country and makes appeals to political decision-makers.
For the Angolan bishops, Angola’s independence was the culmination of a permanent resistance against the Portuguese colonial regime and provided freedom to the children of Angola, resulting in countless benefits in various domains.
Therefore, the moment of independence “did not just correspond to liberation from the colonial yoke. In fact, the people had great expectations surrounding independence, which, truth be told, was the work of all Angolans, welcomed and celebrated with great enthusiasm throughout the country ,” they say.
For CEAST, the achievement of peace in April 2002, after the end of the civil conflict, the construction and reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed during the armed conflict, namely schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, ports and others, “are lights” that it applauds and is proud of.
However, it notes aspects that still need to be changed in Angola to ensure social justice and equal opportunities, also highlighting the need for reparations.
” In this context, the jubilee demand for reparation, from now on, for the omissions and negligence committed, reparation for lost opportunities, reparation for wasted talents, reparation for frustrated expectations, reparation for despised promises, in short, reparation for everything that was bad and does not make us proud as a nation is not unreasonable ,” he points out.
In the 14-page message about Angola’s journey in 50 years of independence, to be celebrated on November 11, the religious leaders also say there are many “shadows and shortcomings, which have caused scandalous suffering throughout the fifty years of independence of Angolans.”
Shadows and shortcomings that ” must necessarily be overcome for the benefit of the long-awaited rebirth of hope, against the frustration and despair that are corroding many (…) fellow citizens”.
They point to what they consider to be the erosion of sovereignty linked to deficient border control, combined with the smuggling and purging of minerals, inert materials, fuels and other resources, the deficient educational policy and the lack of quality healthcare in the country and in families as shortcomings in the country.
They also point out the poor sanitation and access to drinking water, “the aberrant and alarming misappropriation of public funds, the scandalous expatriation of capital, while the poor citizen is asked to make sacrifices, which reveals a lack of patriotism”, as “shadows” of an independent Angola.
The Angolan bishops say they are witnessing a “scandalous” logic of opportunism, egocentrism and discrimination “which are the cause of many social problems, including the high and painful cost of living for the vast majority of citizens, resulting in the discredit of leaders and institutions and being the seeds of an increasingly evident spirit of revolt.”
” Empty speeches, neither reflective of the real lives of Angolans nor applicable to them, when a considerable number of Angolans live in extreme poverty, in contrast with an opportunistic minority that lives in exacerbated luxury (…), a contrast that has pushed many Angolans, especially young people, to emigrate or to lean towards crime”, the bishops further state.
They also consider that the multiple forms and practical levels of restrictions on freedom of expression, together with social communication, especially public media, which is restrained and manipulated by interests in which the vast majority of citizens do not identify, are also among the practices that the country must overcome.
They lament the existence of a “centralized, autocratic and welfare-based system of governance, which kills citizens’ private initiatives” and the “predominantly electoralist party logic, demonstrating considerable disdain for the people.”
They also call for the recognition of all the fathers of Angola’s independence, namely Holden Roberto (FNLA), Agostinho Neto (MPLA) and Jonas Savimbi (UNITA), then leaders of Angola’s liberation movements, “without belittling any of them for greater national reconciliation.”
“We have no evidence of Angolans wanting to return to the Portuguese colonial regime. We do have countless evidence of Angolans desiring well-being commensurate with the resources and potential of their country, Angola. Only by building a better Angola will we adequately honor the sacrifice of so many people from whom we received the legacy of our independence,” the Catholic bishops conclude.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
