Adalberto Costa Júnior was speaking at the opening of the II ordinary meeting of the Political Commission of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), meeting to, in the next two days, analyze in detail the country's situation and the party's annual program.
In his speech, Adalberto da Costa Júnior spoke mainly of the consequences of the attempted demonstration, last Saturday, which had the support of UNITA, and responded to Thursday's speech by President João Lourenço, at the IV ordinary session of the MPLA Central Committee .
"Angola has witnessed the departure of society organizations, especially young people pushed by suffering and the lack of hope, driven by a thousand broken promises, to which citizens of different origins have joined," said Adalberto Costa Júnior.
The UNITA leader also stressed that the highest authorities in the country have stated that "these young people do not have their own thoughts, they are not recognized the ability to have ideals and not be able to pursue their own causes".
According to the politician, for the government the population that goes out into the streets and demonstrates, young people who have the courage to fight for better living conditions or to demand a timetable for the realization of the autarchies, can only be linked to UNITA, he said.
The demonstration suppressed by the police, in compliance with the decree declaring the state of calamity due to the covid-19, which, among other measures, prohibits gatherings of more than five people on the street, aimed to claim better living conditions and demand a date to hold the first municipal elections, which were scheduled for this year, but have been postponed.
For Adalberto Costa Júnior, João Lourenço's speech was one of exclusion, enmity, and not constructive, indicating "a great unpreparedness in dealing with an opposition, which tells him that the laws are not to be generated by convenience and much less to limit constitutionally guaranteed rights ".
João Lourenço reiterated in his speech the right to demonstrate, which is temporarily restricted to prevent the contamination and spread of the new coronavirus pandemic in the country, but condemned the participation of UNITA in the act, attributing responsibility for a possible increase in the number of cases.
Adalberto Costa Júnior said that UNITA has been calling for dialogue and for building a solid and secure foundation for a reconciled, inclusive and modern Angola.
"Nobody has any doubts that in order to build this great work" a revision of the Constitution will be necessary, he continued.
In his speech, the head of state guaranteed that "the strategy of making the country ungovernable, to force bilateral negotiations, in the current political context, in which the democratically instituted institutions are fully functioning, is not achievable".
Regarding municipal elections, the UNITA leader regretted that "a time horizon of commitment" is not known at the moment, reiterating that municipalities are indeed a vital requirement for solving people's problems.
"A patriotic government, with a national vocation, would never look at the implementation of autarchies with antipathy, in fact, for a serious executive, would see in them a complementary power, which would help him to solve the many challenges of the country", he said.
According to Adalberto Costa Júnior, there is no doubt that it will be necessary to embrace dialogue and consultation, stressing that he does not speak of "negotiation".
On the economic front, the president of UNITA said the country has the solution "to reach out to the IMF (International Monetary Fund) begging and accept all impositions that the IMF and other donors conditional on the tranches of their loans".
"After three years of the current legislature, Angola has become poorer, because the life of the Angolan has worsened more and more in all social sectors", he stressed, denouncing "the perverse shaking of ghosts, to restrict liberties, to create fear populations and restrict their ability to choose ".
The UNITA leader also called for the release of more than a hundred protesters detained since Saturday, who are in summary trial, stressing that he has information that the court is receiving superior orders and pressure from state security agents, who have remained in the room.
"Get them out of jail and take them to school. I'm sure that engaging in a truculent, arrogant speech will have the perverse effect of inciting again a new and unnecessary wave of violence," he said.
