5th of July: President of AN asks for more consensus for the country to achieve a balanced and inclusive development

Austelino Correia, who was speaking at the solemn session of the National Assembly alluding to the 48th anniversary of the Independence of Cape Verde, celebrated today, July 5th, said that after 48 years, everyone must understand that it is with consensus, debate and unity that the keys are found for a balanced, inclusive and continued development of the country.

According to the president of the parliamentary house, 48 years after independence, the country is already old enough to adopt attitudes and behaviors typical of responsible, educated adults, promoters of peace and healthy coexistence in difference, hence the need to harmonize party agendas and discover ways to build new understandings between all political forces, within the framework of a new convergence around fundamental issues.

In his view, Cape Verde needs lasting consensus and understanding in areas that are crucial for its development, namely transport, internal security, justice, combating violence against women and combating abuse and violence against children.

However, he advanced that Cape Verde still continues to face the challenges of a fragmented country, with real problems of regional asymmetries between municipalities, intra and between islands, mobility problems and infrastructure dispersion, air and maritime transport, necessary to unite the market and the territory.

Along the same lines, he added that the high poverty rate, issues linked to the production of decent jobs, the sustainability and diversification of the economy and despite the efforts of the country's governance, are issues that continue to concern the archipelago.

On the other hand, he pointed out that the gains achieved made it possible to lay the foundations for development, building the democratic rule of law, raising it to the level of a medium development country and being recognized internationally as a case of success with worthy places in the Human Development Index of the United Nations.

Austelino Correia lamented the fact that, 48 years after independence, the figure of Amílcar Cabral, who, according to him, is the main figure of this celebration and recognized in the country and across borders, has still not been managed to de-party and de-politicise.

For Austelino Correia, the 5th of July constitutes a “good opportunity” to think about these challenges together and put the future into perspective, to recall the historical journey, to face the challenges that the country faces today with their feet firmly on the ground and to seek promote, by all means and with increasing dedication and enthusiasm, the solution of citizens' problems.

“We must continue to have the ambition to be greater, to achieve sustainable and inclusive development, to aim and work with determination, courage and the will to win the future. We have to be masters of our destiny”, he said.

On the occasion, the president lamented the fact that parliament is constantly attacked due to “unconfessed interests”, and that “the most serious thing is that there are worrying signs” that these attacks have been an attempt to devalue the hard-won democracy and in permanent construction.

The solemn commemorative session of the 48th anniversary of National Independence also included the intervention of the UCID deputy António Monteiro, the leaders of the PAICV and MpD benches, João Baptista Pereira and Paulo Veiga, respectively, and the President of the Republic, José Maria Snows.