By João Oliveira, Member of the Political Committee of the CC
The speed with which we go from discussion of legal proceedings underway in Angolan courts to categorical considerations on Angola and the path that Angolans should follow clearly shows the framework in which this discussion is made.
Those who have repeatedly brought to the Assembly of the Republic the discussion on Angola have no concern whatsoever with the Angolan people, their living conditions, their freedom or their future. What they want is to find a pretext to be able to gain immediate political dividends instrumentalizing legitimate feelings of solidarity with those people, even if this means following (and feeding) a campaign that aims to accomplish the opposite of the proclamations on freedom and democracy with which it is masqueraded.
And if, alongside, there are conditions to direct all the artillery against the PCP, the better. Not even half a dozen hours go by before, in the mainstream media or social networks, they are shooting at what, for many, was after all the hidden target under the pretext of Angola. Or is there anyone surprised that more time was occupied to attack the position of the PCP (in many cases without even knowing or misrepresenting its grounds) than to scrutinize the arguments of those who use now Rafael Marques or later Luaty Beirão to hoist themselves as educators of the Angolan people, dictating to the Angolans what their country is and how it should be run?
It is obvious that most Portuguese identify themselves with the aspirations of the Angolan people to live in a democratic country, more developed and with more social justice and, of course, is solidary with this struggle of the Angolan people. And the question is not even about the legitimacy and justness of these aspirations and claims, that there is no question whatever that the workers and people strive to achieve them. The question is whether these just aspirations and claims are instrumentalized or not leading precisely to their denial.
Manipulation and concealment
In the name of freedom, human rights and democracy wars were waged in Iraq and Libya, which served ultimately to plunder and control the wealth of those countries, destroying their states and denying the workers and peoples of those countries the most basic rights. In the name of freedom, democracy and social justice support and funding was provided to those who were designated as "freedom fighters", including those who from Syria, Libya or Iraq with this support came to build what today is known as the self-proclaimed Islamic State (or Daesh).
In the name of fighting corruption and oligarchy and demanding freedom and democracy support was given in Ukraine to the putschists of Maidan Square that brought the Nazi-fascists to power, even when it was clear that this was the nature of the forces that were at the forefront and were false the proclamations with which they disguised.
No one denies the justness of the aspirations and demands for more democracy, freedom and social justice but no one will dare deny that they were manipulated to lead to exactly to the opposite result.
Solidarity or instrument?
PCP’s solidarity with the workers and the people of Angola demands that we should not leave Angola at the mercy of those who want to make to this country what they did to Libya or Iraq, instrumentalizing legitimate claims or aspirations. Our solidarity with the workers and peoples who struggle for more democracy, freedom and social justice demands that we refuse to follow those who in the name of these values, feed operations that lead to interference, external destabilization and war and the imposition of less freedom less democracy, less social justice.
Even when it is difficult for some to understand what does not seem right with media operations built on propaganda determined by centres of imperialism. Or is anyone surprised that the positions assumed by BE and PS in the votes they tabled on Angola are converging with those assumed by the US State Department and the European Union?
Unlike others who position themselves as instruments of every operation unleashed by imperialism to bring down the sovereignty and submit countries to its orders, who has its hands dirty with the suffering, death and devastation hitting the people of these countries, who is also responsible for the millions of refugees resulting from these aggressions, the PCP will always affirm its defence of freedom, democracy, the rights of the citizens and will never be tool to serve the operations that want to make Angola yet another victim, who want to make out of Angola a new Libya.