The Price of Choice: Between Fame and Competence in the PAICV Leadership
Politics sometimes confuses notoriety with merit. Within the PAICV, Francisco Carvalho's rise to leadership was, for many, justified by a singular argument: "Francisco is fashionable and on the lips of the people, he is the candidate that the militants should choose". This argument, however, ignored the nature of this fame. Little did they know that his public prominence was not due to his vision of governance, his intellectual capacity or his management experience, but rather to a series of serious cases of corruption and institutional conflicts that echoed on television and social networks.
Today, December 21, not only the PAICV, but all of Cape Verde, is confronted with the real Francisco Carvalho. Once again, the focus is not on his intellect, but on his tantrums, wars, conflicts and confrontations with institutions. The question for the militants who elected him is unavoidable: what reasons, apart from "being fashionable", moved them to consider him the most prepared candidate? It's a question that, no matter how hard we try to answer it, remains empty.
The Contrast of Profiles: Nuias Silva and the Posture of State
In sharp contrast, Nuias Silva's political career reveals an unusual intellectual and argumentative quality. His time in the National Assembly, as a member of parliament, was marked by contributions of high quality and substance. His solid academic background in engineering gives him an innate capacity for creativity and the search for intelligible solutions. What's more, his performance as Mayor of São Filipe was cheered and applauded by the opposition, a rare and revealing feat on the Cape Verdean and world political scene.
Recently, Nuias Silva reappeared at the side of Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva, on a working mission, displaying the posture of a rare politician in Cape Verde: elegant in his speech and polite in his reception. This is the politician that Cape Verde deserves, someone who demonstrates the ability to put party interests second when the main objective is to benefit his city, his island and his citizens.
The Political Error and the Institutional Crisis
The current situation places PAICV militants before an unprecedented crisis, largely fomented by the attitude of the previous President of the Party, Janira H. Almada. Her ego and pride spoke louder, forcing the candidacy of Francisco Carvalho, a politician who, as has been proven, lacks psychological preparation, political experience and management skills. The attempt to triumph with an "ill-prepared horse" and reap success at the cost of instability turned out to be the biggest political mistake ever made in this land.
With each passing day, it becomes clear, like the sunrise, that the militants' biggest mistake was choosing Francisco Carvalho, a leader who is costing the PAICV dearly.
Justice and the Bottom
For the first time in Cape Verde's history, a PAICV president has been indicted. This fact, which damages the party's institutional image both internally and externally, is directly linked to the events reported in the newspaper A Nação.
According to the order issued by the Attorney General's Office (PGR), Francisco Carvalho, along with the Municipal Secretary and two other individuals, would be made defendants on December 22, following searches carried out on December 12. At issue are suspicions of document forgery, illicit participation in business, defrauding public interests of property and active and passive corruption.
What is most worrying is the reaction of many militants who, in the face of the seriousness of the situation and the actions of justice, continue to give strength to the leader. It is unacceptable to see where political reason has ended up, in an abyss of irrationality. The resistance to the searches, with the breaking down of the side gate of the Town Hall ordered by the Public Prosecutor's Office after the substitute president refused to hand over the keys, is a symptom of the authoritarian and dictatorial attitude that the opinion piece already pointed out.
This is the literal bottom of the barrel in Cape Verdean politics: to see individuals, who consider themselves intelligent, constantly supporting and applauding Francisco Carvalho's problem cases.
Nuias Silva, for his part, keeps quiet and out of trouble. Not by omission, but as a political tactic, honoring truth and decency. His stance shows that sometimes silence is the most eloquent of criticisms and the most effective of strategies. His return to the limelight, with his statesmanlike stance, serves as a beacon of hope and a reminder of the kind of leadership Cape Verde really deserves.
