“It is a good thing that [João Lourenço] decided to start sharing some numerical data that we have been demanding for a long time. There are those who question the choice of this 'timing', there are those who speculate that it is an attempt to forget the scandal of his cabinet director [Edeltrudes Costa], there are also those who talk about the coincidence of the proximity of the State of the Nation's speech.
Regardless of the reason, I think it was very important to know these numbers, ”said this Monday the leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), Adalberto Costa, at a press conference, the day after the President of the Republic had estimated the squandering of the public purse at around $ 24 billion recently.
However, for the UNITA leader, the numbers "although very high, are far below the real numbers", remembering that only the accumulated strategic oil reserve from 2011 to 2014 retained values in the order of 93 billion dollars.
"If there were only 24 diversions where are the rest, do we ask?", He asked, stressing that the Presidents' accounts are "incorrect" and asking "what is the purpose of having reduced this amount so much".
The UNITA official noted that “astronomical values” have disappeared in water supply programs and public works foreseen in public investment programs, but not materialized or completed, many of them using Chinese funding.
Adalberto da Costa Júnior urged João Lourenço to use his speech on the State of the Nation to bring more data to Angolans and regretted that the lack of transparency in the State's business remains the rule.
The UNITA leader, who summoned journalists two days before the State of the Nation speech, which will be given by João Lourenço on Wednesday, marking the beginning of the parliamentary year, underlined that the “black cock” party is prepared to show a “red card” to the chief executive regarding the state in which Angola is, in his opinion, much worse than three years ago, when the President began his term.
The president of UNITA therefore expects João Lourenço to present “a coherent speech that reflects the true state in which the country is located”, less focused on promises and more focused on a diagnosis of the country's economic and social situation.
Adalberto da Costa Júnior criticized the lack of acceptance of UNITA's proposals, which have been “repeatedly ignored” and insisted on a constitutional revision that would allow Angolans to directly elect their president and the National Assembly to exercise their powers of executive oversight.
He also deplored the “multiple demonstrations of censorship” and monopolies in the media sector, classifying citizen consultation forums as marketing maneuvers.
The president of UNITA reiterated that the fight against corruption in Angola is selective, pointing to the case of Edeltrudes Costa, chief of staff of the President, who, according to an investigation by the television station TVI, was favored in public contracts, a case that was not reported. by the Angolan public media.
"If the target of corruption is inside the [Presidential] Palace, don't report it," criticized the party leader.
He insisted, on the other hand, that in the fight against corruption in Angola, "there are persecuted and there are protected" and reaffirmed that the figures released by the President "are not justified because they are too low".
"In reality, the authors of the deviations are members of the MPLA and it is not impossible that there is a whole program of protectionism for the true millionaires of this country who are in the MPLA", concluded the president of UNITA.
