In an intervention at Forum Angola, organized by the Royal Institute of International Relations Chatham House, the leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), argued that “municipalities have the advantage of solving the daily problems of the community” .
Rafael Savimbi defended that political parties should understand each other in this matter and was open to the participation of independents or civil society organizations.
“Non-partisans must also be in the consideration of partisans because often the solution will come from there. This factor contributes to political, but also economic inclusion, ”he said.
In the same panel, André Gaspar Mendes de Carvalho, director of the Convergência Ample de Salvação de Angola - Electoral Coalition (CASA-CE), agreed with the need for local elections, "which will lead to the decentralization of power and a better distribution of wealth with greater inclusion ”.
Sizaltina Cutaia, director of the Open Society Angola Foundation (Osisa), also urged João Lourenço to “invest in decentralization and advance to local elections as soon as possible”, a process that he considers crucial to unlock various problems at the local level.
“It is not possible to develop a country with such a centralized structure, because this structure removes the opportunity for people to participate. You cannot have development when everything in the country depends on a man, regardless of his quality and good intentions ”, he said.
Osisa is part of the Open Society Foundation, founded by investor and philanthropist George Soros, which supports projects related to education, human rights and democracy.
The holding of municipal elections, planned for 2020, but postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic, is among the demands of a series of recent demonstrations in Luanda.
The two politicians and the social activist spoke at the second session of Forum Angola, an event held this year in a 'virtual' form, which has in the program the debate on reforms and political priorities to promote the economic recovery of Angola due to the pandemic of covid-19 and the fall in oil prices, a sector on which the country's economy depends.
An intervention by João Lourenço, initially announced, has since been canceled.
The event runs until Tuesday and will include interventions by officials from official organizations and civil society and political parties.
