Africa-Press – Angola. Speech by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, on the occasion of the 4th of April, Day of Peace and National Reconciliation, delivered this Saturday (2), at the Presidential Palace, in Luanda.
His Excellency Bornito de Sousa Baltazar Diogo, Vice-President of the Republic
– His Excellency Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, President of the National Assembly
– Venerable Counselor Judges Presidents of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court
– Members of the Council of the Republic
– Members of the Economic and Social Council
– Most Worthy Religious Authorities
– Dear Members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Angola
– Worthy Representatives of Civil Society
– Dear Guests
– Angolans and Angolans
After Angola had lived in permanent war for the first 27 years after independence, peace was finally established on April 4, 2002, exactly twenty years having passed.
Throughout their existence as peoples that always resisted Portuguese colonial occupation, the two greatest achievements achieved by Angolans were, without a doubt, National Independence and National Peace and Reconciliation, two important milestones in our recent history.
If, on the one hand, Portuguese colonialism was responsible for enslaving Angolans in their own country or in the Americas to which they were deported in inhumane conditions, it was also responsible for the continued plundering of our riches with which European capitals were built, on the other On the other hand, the post-Independence war was responsible for the death and mutilation of thousands of Angolans and also for the destruction of national infrastructure and the delay in the country’s economic and social development.
The long armed conflict left deep consequences, compromised the future of several generations of Angolans and postponed the dream of building a prosperous and developed Angola.
Having overcome these moments of sad memory, Angolans must today focus on consolidating peace and national reconciliation, deepening democracy and the country’s economic and social development.
Dear fellow countrymen
In order for there to be peace and reconciliation among Angolans, we need to publicly acknowledge that in the past we have done reprehensible things and that we are committed to never taking those paths again, that all divergences and contradictions between the different political and social actors must be resolved through the open and transparent dialogue or through the competent bodies of Justice, wherever there are strong indications of violation of the Law.
It is in this spirit of reconciliation that the Angolan Head of State opened the way that led to the exhumation, transfer and definitive burial, in his homeland, of the former leader of the largest Angolan opposition party.
It is also in this same spirit that CIVICOP, the Commission for Forgiveness of Victims of Political Conflicts that occurred between the date of National Independence and April 4, 2002, the date of the signing of the peace and national reconciliation agreement, was created.
The work of this commission, which brings together, in addition to representatives of the Executive, representatives of political parties and civil society, gives very encouraging signs by the first results achieved, with the hug between sisters and brothers, the issuance of death certificates of missing loved ones for decades and the possible delivery of their bones to family members, after confirmation by DNA tests.
We understand that this process, which has already resulted in the delivery of some bones, is complex and time-consuming, but the State assures us that we will remain engaged for as many years as necessary to comfort as many families as possible, anxious to have their loved ones back to give them a dignified funeral, as required by African traditions and our Christian culture.
But peacekeeping is only possible if all political actors have the same understanding of national reconciliation and the need for political tolerance between different political parties and their militants and supporters.
The general elections of August of this year are approaching and with them the pre-campaign and political campaign activities that are inherent to it. There will be maximum freedom within the framework of law and public order, but also the need for maximum restraint between supporters of one and another competing party.
Political parties must educate their militants and supporters to behave with civility and patriotism, because violence against people and public and private property will not be tolerated by Angolan society.
Tomorrow we will all participate in the ecumenical worship to hear the divine message that will be transmitted to us and which we know will always be a message of peace, forgiveness, concord and reconciliation among Angolans.
It will be a message addressed to Angolans in general, but above all to political leaders at all levels, so that they commit to the Nation to defend and preserve peace, not only in pre-election periods, but always.
My Ladies, My Gentlemen
The world is currently experiencing a worrying energy and food security crisis and, therefore, should deserve the attention not only of governments but also of the private business sector.
The prices of fuel and of the main goods and consumer products are already increasing worldwide, as a result of the lower supply of them.
Today more than ever, the country must invest in the construction of refineries for the production of refined petroleum products so that we are less and less dependent on their imports. At the right time we decided to invest in increasing the production capacity of oil derivatives at the Luanda refinery, the benefits of which we will begin to feel as of June this year.
We expect that the Cabinda refinery will actually start this year, producing, as scheduled, half of the projected capacity, until it reaches its maximum capacity.
From the consortium that won the public tender for the construction of the Soyo refinery, we expect greater speed for the effective start of construction work within reasonable deadlines.
The oil and gas sector must accelerate the work it has been doing with private investors in the sector, for the resumption of the construction of the Lobito refinery as soon as possible, as well as working with oil multinationals in the need to develop new production fields. of oil and non-associated gas.
Today, more than ever, the need for effective diversification of our economy is imperative, especially in the production of essential industrial and agricultural consumer goods, especially cereals and grains such as wheat, rice, soy and corn.
We aim to have a private sector of the economy capable of taking the place reserved for it in a market economy, so that we can resume economic growth in a sustainable way and generate jobs.
For this to become a reality, commercial banking must fulfill its role as an essentially creditor.
The Development Bank of Angola (BDA) must transform itself into a true development bank operating on a national scale, financing the projects of private investors that demonstrate their genuine commitment to the internal production of essential goods for broad consumption.
Dear fellow countrymen
With some determination, organization and discipline, we have been able to face, in the last two years, the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic and its social and economic consequences.
Let us prepare ourselves to face this most recent crisis, the energy and food crisis resulting from the military conflict in Ukraine, which requires world leaders to manage it with wisdom and consideration, to guarantee an effective ceasefire and to negotiate lasting peace and security, not just between the two countries in conflict, but for the whole of Europe and the world.
In more or less the same period of about three years, we are also dealing with another type of crisis, the severe drought in southern Angola, which has threatened the survival and the very lives of people and animals that, by the way, they are, by historical tradition, the main wealth of those populations.
Not only the Executive, but also businessmen and civil society organizations, have been involved in efforts to minimize the suffering of populations through the distribution of food, water, clothes, blankets and other goods, as has been invest in cleaning and opening new holes and dams to contain the little rainwater when it falls.
All these measures help to minimize the situation, but they are short-lived in time, therefore, insufficient.
It was with full awareness of the ephemeral nature of the emergency measures that we were taking at the time that, following the visit we made to the locality of the cacimbas in Ombala Yo Mungo, municipality of Ombandja, in May 2019, the Executive decided to build a canal over 160 km long, starting from the Cunene River in the town of Cafu, with the aim of serving, above all, the local communities.
Considering that only in peace can countries develop and it becomes possible to solve the people’s problems, we decided to make the inauguration of this important project coincide with the 4th of April, the day of Peace and National Reconciliation.
We have other projects of this kind in our portfolio for the region, the execution of which will take place as we are able to mobilize, in the coming years, the necessary financial resources.
These are large and time-consuming projects, but they are justified by the fact that we all know that water is life, and people’s lives are priceless.
Dear fellow countrymen
Angolans and Angolans
On this commemorative date of the twentieth anniversary of peace in Angola, a word of recognition to all Angolans, young people, students and combatants, women and men, workers, peasants, workers and intellectuals, faithful and religious leaders, who, having consented to the greatest sacrifices, made possible the peace that saved Angola from the hecatomb.
A particular acknowledgment to President José Eduardo dos Santos, for having been able to read and correctly interpret the feeling that was read in the eyes of each Angolan, desirous of extending a fraternal hug of peace and forgiveness to the brothers children of the same mother, Angola.
Recognizing the unquestionable gains we have made over these twenty years, I urge all Angolans to work hand in hand in preserving and consolidating peace, which has been very difficult to achieve.
Thank you
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