Our nation has always had shady deals and hidden transactions - Antonio Varela

Since the dawn of our nation, shady deals and hidden transactions have been a constant. The political struggle has rarely really been for the people. The dispute has been for the supremacy of wealth and control, leaving the majority on the sidelines.

Just look around us. In towns and villages, luxurious mansions and summer houses are being built. Many of their owners are men and women who presented themselves as humble, with no inherited fortune. And yet, in a short space of time, they have become the owners of unimaginable wealth. How? Certainly not through transparency and hard work.

True wealth is not born in secrecy or backroom deals. It is built through perseverance, vision and innovation. This is how it is in the competitive world: those who work hard, take risks and create value survive. This should also be our reality.

Cape Verde is a diamond in the rough. We have all the elements to thrive, if only we have the freedom to build. With 365 days of sunshine, beaches that the world admires, waters rich in fish and above all people known for their morabeza, honesty and work ethic.

We are half a million inhabitants on the islands and more than a million in the diaspora. A force that can transform the destiny of the nation, if we free ourselves from the chains of control and opacity.

It's time to raise Cape Verde. It's time to show the world what we're made of.
The future cannot be hijacked by a few. The future belongs to all of us.

It's our time. Let's go for it.