Trade unions, who demand an increase in the national minimum wage and a reduction in taxes, have scheduled a general strike scheduled to begin on March 20th and many citizens have expressed dissatisfaction with the country's socioeconomic situation, marked by high prices for essential goods, devaluation of the kwanza and low purchasing power.
“I understand the young people who speak out today to say that in colonial times health and education were better, there was less poverty and less hunger, I understand this feeling of frustration especially on the part of young people and some, or many, non-young people ”, said Fernando Pacheco in statements to Lusa.
For President João Lourenço's former advisor, the “frustration” of citizens, especially young people, is the result of the country's current political, economic and social situation, “which leaves a lot to be desired”.
“Our country, in a way, is experiencing a situation of ‘disagreement’”, he highlighted, alluding to the socio-economic and political actions that the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) was unable to achieve in almost half a century of independence.
“We need to understand why young people are frustrated and frustrated by the MPLA’s ‘failures’, how can this be resolved? Changing policies”, he stressed.
Fernando Pacheco, 75 years old and who was once director of the MPLA's agrarian policy department, does not defend the MPLA's departure from power, considering, however, that the party in power has already shown that it alone is not capable of solving the problems of the country".
According to the agricultural engineer, today dedicated to consultancy and social activism, the solution for the country would be a pact between the main political and social forces.
“I have already suggested in several situations that the solution for the country would be a pact between the main political and social forces so as to create a climate of trust, a new elan in the country that would allow openness, more enthusiasm among frustrated young people, in short, a new environment to build a more inclusive country”, he pointed out.
Pacheco considered that Angola has failed to diversify the economy, which remains extremely dependent on oil, has not achieved a solid education system that produces knowledge, has not achieved national reconciliation, democracy and inclusion, referring to these as being some of the various 'failures' from the country.
The official understood, on the other hand, that the economy's dependence on oil has implications for the creation of jobs: “We create jobs in very small quantities and in some cases we even create unemployment”.
Young people “are left in a terrible situation” and this is where the second ‘lack of achievement’ appears in terms of education, he said. “Our educational system is a failure, children do not learn to read and write properly,” he said.
He also expressed his opposition to the existence of more than 100 universities in the country, “80 percent private”, considering that they do not produce knowledge and are more concerned with profit.
“And then, young people finish their courses, they don’t have jobs and then incredible social and even racial problems arise, because some people succeed and they don’t, but the problem has to be seen from behind, because the teaching is bad”, mentioned.
Regarding higher education, he lamented that Angola does not have “any functioning industry” despite having 400 thousand university students, stating that it was faced with a paradox, when, he recalled, the extinct Czechoslovakia, in 1968, had 120 thousand university students and It was a global industrial powerhouse.
“It’s a paradox and that’s what it can’t be. That’s where we have to analyze our problem and our ‘inconsistencies’”, he insisted.
The former member of the Council of the Republic in President João Lourenço's first term also criticized the MPLA for “launching the idea that to have a good salary you needed to be a doctor”.
“Now, no country works only with doctors, this is not possible, we need good workers, good mid-level technicians, auxiliary technicians and there is no country that works without this”, he observed.
