Adalberto da Costa Júnior, who has been in Cabinda since Friday for a working visit that includes contacts with various entities, held the first rally of the year, choosing this region of northern Angola, to thank the "significant vote of confidence" in UNITA, which won the province from the MPLA in the last 2022 elections.
The president of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) made the MPLA and its leader, João Lourenço, the main target of his speech, stressing that "whoever won is not governing" and recalling the electoral and post-election period 2022 election in which the “State did not know how to respect democracy”.
"We had problems at all the rallies, but we said nothing, because fear is the enemy of rights and reduced participation", stated Adalberto da Costa Júnior, thus justifying the damage done to "tolerance" and democracy.
In a provocative tone, he questioned the UNITA militants and supporters who gathered to see the party leader about "which Angola was worse? João Lourenço's or José Eduardo dos Santos'", receiving "João Lourenço" in response.
"Leaders who are sitting in power listen to the people, Angola is worse, we have bad rulers in the chair of power", he said.
Adalberto da Costa Júnior stated that today's Angola is not only in bad economic and financial terms, but has also registered a reduction in the quality of freedom and plurality of media.
He considered that the regime is leading Angola to become a North Korea, pointing out the new national security law as a danger to democracy, which grants, for example, permission to turn off the Internet throughout.
Joao Lourenço, blamed for poverty and for impeding the development of Angola, is also to blame for not having local authorities, defended the UNITA leader, criticizing attempts to hold deputies responsible for not approving the municipal legislative package because whoever is sitting in the chair of power are afraid of local authorities.
The leader of UNITA guaranteed that he will take the issue of local authorities "everywhere in 2024" and said that the country's new Political Administrative Division's sole objective is to prevent the realization of local power.
We have to return to public pressure, we have to return to the streets, (because) there are people who only know how to listen that way", continued the politician, highlighting that it is necessary to "leave the comfort zone" and, if necessary, return to manifestations.
"Since the elections ended, they've put a lot of people in jail, to scare you. But there's no one here who's blind or distracted," he said.
Adalberto Costa Júnior also appealed to leaders in Europe and other countries not to support dictatorships in Africa, highlighting the need to punish coups against institutional states by the parties that govern.
"The leaders have to come here and show that they speak with plurality, otherwise we will think that they are aligned", he said, adding that UNITA has been looking for solidarity for Angola.
“We learned the lessons from 2022 and we will not repeat them again in 2027,” he promised.
The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) also kicked off the political year this Saturday with a rally in Luanda, where João Lourenço spoke, also leaving several messages for UNITA.
