Luanda – The ruling MPLA Parliamentary Group has said it refutes the “fallacious and irresponsible” accusations made by the opposition UNITA at the press conference it held Thursday, in which, among other things, described the parliamentary year as negative.

In a statement distributed Friday in Luanda, the MPLA deputies consider that once again, UNITA party is clearly showing the political maneuvers it has made Angolans accustomed to, in order to destabilize the country and sow discord.

“UNITA's press release is nothing more than a cunning piece of political propaganda, which uses the difficulties of the Angolan people to promote itself,” the statement said.

In this sense, the document reads, the MPLA Parliamentary Group deplores the fact that the largest opposition party is once again resorting to lies to impose its political agenda, which goes against the dictates of democracy and the true interests of the Angolan people.

UNITA assesses the performance of the National Assembly during the Second Parliamentary Year of the 5th legislature as “markedly negative”.

However, the MPLA communiqué recalls that UNITA itself also bears responsibility for what has been achieved, and above all, for what has not been achieved in this parliamentary year.

“Instead of a political consensus on combating public crime, it was UNITA itself, which attacks judges, prosecutors and public order agents that abstained from voting on the law on crimes against vandalism” the statement said.

It adds that UNITA MPs have shown a repeated lack of parliamentary decorum and ethics in their speeches and actions, and that this behavior has been repeated throughout the legislative year that has just ended.

During this second parliamentary year, the MPLA has promoted and approved fundamental laws for Angola's development, while UNITA has once again chosen to side with inertia and obstructionism, the statement said.

It adds that parliament is made up of all parties and all MPs elected by Angolans, who have their own space and voice, as long as they have the will to do so.

 The statement underlines that the MPLA's contribution to the country's legislative progress is undeniable and will be remembered as one of the pillars for building a fairer and more prosperous Angola.

However, the MPLA, as the party that supports the government, plays a central and decisive role in the legislative process in Angola, reads the statement.

It points out that the legislative initiatives presented by the President of the Republic and the MPLA directly reflect the MPLA's government program and the commitments made to the Angolan people.

Therefore, it recalls that all the proposed laws introduced by the holder of Executive Power are, in essence, derived from the MPLA's governance program, which was voted and elected by the majority of Angolans.

According to the MPLA Parliamentary Group, since the 2022 elections, UNITA has shown itself incapable of accepting the legitimate results that gave the MPLA victory.

In this line, it expresses that this behavior is symptomatic of a party that has no respect for the will of the people and that, instead of working for Angola, prefers to foment division and disorder.

“The Angolan people know who is on the right side of history. What country does UNITA want to take us to? We all remember the non-acceptance of the 1992 election results,” it continues.

According to the MPLA, UNITA is in the memory of Angolans as the party that has so far failed to purge itself of the practices that led to the destruction and suffering of so many Angolans during the civil war.

It recalls that the failed attempt to oust the President of the Republic, orchestrated by UNITA, was an anti-democratic maneuver and a direct affront to the sovereign will of the Angolan people, expressed at the ballots.

The statement adds that this process, completely devoid of legal or factual bases, reveals the true face of UNITA: a party that does not accept the rules of the democratic game and is willing to do anything to achieve power, including subverting the constitutional order.

In the majority party's view, this act, which has no precedent in any serious democracy, exposes the largest opposition party as a destabilizing force, which does not hesitate to put its interests above the peace and stability of the country.

Local authorities

In the statement, the MPLA accuses UNITA of not telling the truth when it learnt that the Executive, led by the MPLA, has already created municipal infrastructures in several provinces of the country to support the institutionalization of local authorities.

As for the administrative restructuring of Luanda province implemented by the Political-Administrative Division, MPLA explains that it was a necessary measure to improve the efficiency of the state and bring public services closer to the population.

Also in this regard, it stresses that the MPLA Parliamentary Group voted and approved what is enshrined in the Constitution: the capital of Angola is Luanda, and not what is being said and written in the public arena.

However, the document stresses, the desperate opposition is trying to make out that this measure has another purpose than the development and well-being of Angolans, but it forgets that in the 2022 elections, the MPLA elected four deputies in Cuando-Cubango and four deputies in Moxico, provinces that will also be covered by the Political-Administrative Division of the territory.

It reports that the Executive has implemented rigorous policies and transparency and anti-corruption measures, while UNITA has limited itself to launching baseless accusations, in a clear demonstration of hypocrisy and easy populism.

“Both the data presented by the Attorney General's Office and by the unsuspected Transparency International show that Angola has made progress in this area, which has resulted in a successive improvement, since 2016, in the corruption perception index,” the statement said.

However, the MPLA Parliamentary Group is fully aware of the challenges Angola is facing, especially in terms of boosting employment and fighting poverty.

It believes that spatial planning is a dynamic and ongoing process, which in no way hinders the implementation of local authorities.

For this reason, the MPLA maintains the same willingness to continue working, in a transparent and dialogical manner, with the deputies of the UNITA Parliamentary Group, at the headquarters of the inter-party Technical Commission that is in office.

The idea is to bring the positions contained in the two legislative initiatives closer together, with the hope that this will result in a Bill with greater consensus, bringing together the proponents' visions regarding the implementation of local authorities, for discussion in the Special Session and subsequent final approval.

As regards to the role of the National Assembly, the MPLA Parliamentary Group believes that in carrying out its duties, the National Assembly has always acted in accordance with the Constitution and the Law, respecting the will of Angolans expressed at the ballot box.

“We defend the need for each of the parties that make up the multi-party of this legislative body to assume its commitment to the truth and to the wishes of the Angolan people,” it stresses.

Meanwhile, the MPLA remains open to dialogue with all political forces that share a commitment to peace and the development of our country.

According to the source, stability can't be built with blows, so UNITA is invited to actively contribute to solving the problems of Angolans.

“The MPLA will continue to serve the people with integrity and determination, ensuring that Angola follows the path of progress and peace. We thank the Angolan people for their trust and continued support for our initiatives,” the statement concludes. ART/AMP