"Regarding the opening speech of the parliamentary year, we hope that on the part of the President of the Republic there will be enough sensitivity, firstly to say and publicly admit that the country is in fact in crisis, a crisis that has lasted for many years, but [also] that the country is hungry", said Angolan political analyst Albino Pakissi.
Speaking to Lusa, during the projection of the President's speech on the State of the Nation, scheduled for October 16th at the opening of the second parliamentary year of the current legislature, Pakissi argued that João Lourenço must present solutions to end hunger.
The President of the Republic "must, as the nation's highest magistrate and Commander-in-Chief (of the Angolan Armed Forces), effectively present the solutions to overcome this hunger that we are suffering", he stated.
"We have listened a lot to Minister Massano (responsible for Economic Coordination of the Angolan executive), but this minister is not presenting solutions, [beyond those] that we already know, that we need to diversify the economy. How are we going to diversify the economy? economy with this environment we have?", he asked.
In this expert's opinion, the Angolan people "have never suffered as much as they do now, after the civil war", and it is essential that the Angolan statesman, in his message to the Nation, presents "solutions to hunger", he reaffirmed.
Pakissi, also a university professor, recalled the President's recent address at the United Nations General Assembly, "where he highlighted that hunger can cause social instability", warning of the possibility of the country also descending into instability.
"And there is not much time left for us, then, to enter into this instability if the President (of the Republic) does not admit that there is hunger and that he will present solutions to resolve this. It is true that these solutions will not be presented overnight", he stressed.
Angolan citizens complain daily about the galloping increase in the main products in the basic basket and the weak purchasing power of their salaries, in an inflationary environment.
The President, João Lourenço, will speak next Monday, October 16th, at the opening of the second parliamentary year of the current legislature (2023-2027), to present the State of the Nation in political, economic, social, international and other aspects.
Albino Pakissi, a well-known Angolan commentator, hoped that the Head of State, in addition to talking about the works underway in the country, would also present a "true" report on the real state of the infrastructure under construction.
The analyst stated that many assistants to the President of the Republic "have made João Lourenço feel ashamed, when they say that a certain work is finished, when it is not".
"This has made the President feel bad", he pointed out, recalling that the opposition has given the State of the Nation speech a red card because João Lourenço's assistants "do not present true reports".
He also criticized the number of school-age children outside the education system and the lack of desks in many public schools in the country, asking João Lourenço to present solutions to problems in the education sector.
"We understand that in the 21st century, in the year 2023, we cannot continue to have schools without desks. It is one thing to have children under the tree due to a lack of schools, but we cannot in schools that already exist have children who sit on the floor", pointed.
"It's not possible, it's shameful for our State, a country that has everything and more and has plenty of wood to make desks", he lamented.
In relation to the health sector, the analyst said he believes that João Lourenço should talk about the large hospitals under construction, applauding the construction of infrastructure and asking the President to urge the medical profession to "do their work better".
Albino Pakissi argued that, in his message to the Nation, João Lourenço also addresses the problem of freedoms in the country, considering that there are "difficulties" in understanding the current state of freedoms in Angola.
"Now Carlos Alberto (journalist and director of the portal "A Denúncia") is in prison, but this is not good, because the journalist's work cannot be criminalized", he signaled.
"We also understand that, from a political point of view, we have many activists outside the country because freedoms here are not as they should be. We want a freer, more democratic Government. That's what we need and we will wait for the speech", finished.
