The requests were presented this Thursday at the beginning of the fifth extraordinary plenary meeting of the National Assembly and were voted against by the parliamentary bench of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the majority party, continuing the agenda as scheduled.
In accordance with the request of the parliamentary group of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), the objective of the discussion on the transparency of public procurement as a factor of good governance and the fight against corruption was to allow the deputies to debate the existing relationship between the public procurement, transparency in its processes, with a view to achieving good management and governance practices, and the consequent fight against the phenomenon of corruption.
"This is a matter of relevant and urgent political interest, as it has an impact on the legitimation and consolidation of the democratic rule of law and on the execution of laws and the General State Budget", the document says.
Attached, UNITA's parliamentary group sent a supporting document to the requested discussion, containing an introduction, explanation of the political relevance of the matter, the legal framework of the issue, the performance of the national public procurement system, the conclusions and five recommendations to the plenary of the National Assembly.
In the recommendations, the UNITA parliamentary group repudiates the increase in inefficiencies associated with anti-corruption acts and other weaknesses identified in the strategic plan for public procurement 2018-2022 and encourages the executive to continue reforms of the system, with a view to improving the environment of business.
Among the recommendations, the performance of the National Public Procurement Service is welcomed and the updating of the public procurement manual is recommended in the light of the new Public Procurement Law, as well as an appeal to strengthen the mechanisms to prevent corruption, through the institution of the high authority against corruption with the National Assembly, pursuant to the Law on High Authority against Corruption.
Finally, it also recommended the election and appointment of the president and vice-presidents of the high authority against corruption and ensuring their effective functioning.
In the second request, the UNITA parliamentary group requested that the agenda be changed to allow the discussion of a Protest Vote against the destruction of public and private heritage, related to the events that took place on the 10th of this month, in the urban district of Benfica, in Luanda, following a taxi driver strike.
According to the UNITA parliamentary group, the illicit acts that took place on that day are well characterized by criminal law, and would have occurred on the day when a group of workers in the transport sector exercised the constitutionally protected and previously announced right to strike.
"These are crimes against property that an investigation may reveal to be specifically crimes of damage, the overthrow or destruction of a building or even arson", says the parliamentary group of the largest Angolan opposition party.
In that action, the document also points out, "crimes against people's freedom may have occurred, as there are reports of taxi drivers having been somehow prevented from circulating on public roads or coerced into participating in the strike".
"All this needs to be investigated with professionalism, exemption and rigor", says the request.
