Luísa Damião
31 December 2008
opinion
Luanda — Angolans are closing the year 2008 with relevant facts that reflect the confirmation of the political, economic and social maturity of the country and of the consolidation of its institutions.
The legislative elections outstand as the first political development of news value that marked a new cycle in the national political affair.
Angolans gave evidences of their maturity and civism, aware of the fact that the circumstances imposed the valorisation of democracy, the exercise of citizenship, tolerance, accommodation of difference and the exercise of the right to vote.
They showed that they have managed to understand that the election is an act that boosts democracy and that voting constitutes a right that is contained in the constitution and shouldn't for that reason be abdicated.
During this ending year, Angolans also showed that they have sharpened their political culture and understood that the consolidation of peace, maintenance of political stability and reinforcement of democracy are values that must be preserved.
In 2008, it was a dominant event the start of the New Legislating period that was marked by the presence of 41 percent of parliamentary women and the approval of the national plan and of the State Budget for 2009.
After having achieved various goals in the political panorama, Angolans are bidding farewell to 2008 with the duty of drafting the future constitution, which is an important juridical instrument that regulates and organises the functioning of the State and defines the rights and duties of the citizens.
The legislators guarantee that that will constitute one of the main tasks and will count on an ample participation of the society, including socio-professional, youth and union associations, as well as churches and political parties with or without parliament seat, so that each Angolan identifies with the constitution.
Angolans who live abroad have motives to smile as they are closing the year 2008 with the announcement, according to which, the Ministry of Territory Administration (MAT) will start, in 2009, the preparation for the electoral registration of the Angolan citizens in the diaspora, aiming at their participation in the coming legislative election.
Among the various achievements, Angolans can also be proud of the fact that their country has reached important stages in the economic sphere and can figure on the map of those growing above the world average.
Specialists mention that 2008 was an excellent year, judging from the growth recorded by the Angolan economy over the last five years, based on macro-economic indicators, such as the rise in the gross domestic product (GDP), reduction of inflation and stability of the exchange rate.
The volume of public and private investments, the reduction of the State public debt and the increment of the liquid reserves, explain the success of the Angolan economy, despite the ongoing world financial crisis.
The evidence of facts has placed Angola on the world economic radars, which has led the International Monetary Fund into considering that the Angolan economy is becoming stronger and more stable.
Meanwhile, the Angolan authorities are aware that the current cycle of growth could only be sustainable through the diversification of the economy.
As stated by the minister of Economy, Manuel Nunes Júnior, "the measures that have been adopted to reinforce non-oil production, are starting to yield results, mainly in such areas as public works, agriculture, farming and fisheries, production and distribution of electricity and water and transforming industry."
Likewise, the Angolan head of State considers that the "macro-economic stability and the creation of conditions to secure a sustained economic growth, with a two digit percentage of the GDP, is the purpose that must propel the Government and, particularly, its economic team."
It is between an environment of economic growth and a very disturbed moment of the world market, following the sharp fall in the crude oil price, that the Republic of Angola will exercise, as from January next year, the OPEC presidency, a post it took up formally on December 17, during the Oran meeting, Algeria.
Meanwhile, several specialists defend that economic growth has also to do with education, as it is essential to the increases of the quantity and quality of the existing human capital and to the process of production, which is a development determining factor.
Aware of this detail, the Angolan authorities in 2008 invested in universal basic education and in the eradication of illiteracy, in order to secure that whole population wins the opportunity to build up minimum capacities to fight poverty.
Conscious that education constitute a key element of human development and increases the individual opportunities in the society, attached a special attention to the expansion of the school network, especially in the interior regions of the country, where some of the provinces did not have medium institutes or university nucleus.
Another challenge has to do with the need for continued investment in the training of qualified personnel, both in the country and abroad, and stimuli to the development of fundamental and applied scientific research.
Alike, another important element is the health of the population as a likewise important element in the human development that constitutes a condition required for the economic development.
Thus, the authorities have engaged in improving basic health services, with the required quality, to all population, having as the main target groups women and children.
The continuation of the efforts of prevention and combat of the great endemic diseases, with stress to the pandemic of Hiv/Aids, were also vital tasks for a prosperous future from the economic and social point of view. The humanisation of the services must continue as a priority task.
Violence against women and attention to children have emerged as two of the aspects that marked the social panorama and will lead the authorities into creating echanisms to fight this evil.
The Ministry of Family and Women Promotion has already appealed to the society for contributes to improve the draft law on domestic and intra-family violence, a phenomenon that puts at risk the defence of human rights in the country.
It even called for the typifying of abuses and violence against women as a public crime and the consequent aggravation of punishment.
As to the 11 commitments towards children, the authorities consider them as a priority on the Government's agenda. The goals consist in guaranteeing food security, birth registration, early childhood education from zero to five years of age, life expectancy, reduction of death indexes, juvenile justice and protection on Hiv/Aids and violence. The phenomenon of child witchcraft must also continue to be a concern to the authorities.
The work undertakings are also leaving their marks on the year just finishing with the presence of several infrastructures in various points of the country, with stress to the ambitious project for the construction of one million houses in four years.
Culture continue being treated as an essential sector and a factor of reinforcement of identity and national unity.
Therefore, the holding of the Colloquium on Cultural Identity and National Identity, under the programme "Culture strengthens the Nation-more culture more Angola", emerged as one of the main news events, which enabled a wide debate on the elements that constitute the foundations of national identity and of the values that contribute to its strengthening.
In the sports domain, the country recorded several failures. It was a disaster, for example, the elimination from the race for the world cup of south Africa, in 2010, and from the African championship reserved for locally based players, set for 2009, in Côte d'Ivoire.
From amid the failures, 1º de Agosto basketball team brought in some joy to Angolans, after winning the African senior's title, whereas the female handball side managed to remain, for the ninth time, as African champion.
Angolans, with the optimism that characterises them, are still holding out some hopes for the CAN2010 that the country will host.
As stated by the Government, "the success so far achieved in all domains, while reinforcing the confidence and increasing the collective self-esteem, compels us into being more demanding and have the ambition of reaching further and further."
Angolans can thus be proud of having recorded in the year just ending various achievements that must be taken with responsibility to lead Angola into becoming a dignified country, respected by everyone.
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