Luanda – Angolans are looking forward to hearing the message on the State of the Nation to be delivered on Monday by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, as part of the opening of the Parliamentary Year.
The President of the Republic speaks to the country on the State of the Nation, in accordance with article 118 of the Constitution, an act that also marks the opening of the parliamentary year.
Those interviewed hope to hear from the Head of State solutions and ways to mitigate the effects of the country's economic and financial crisis, the effects of which have a negative impact on the daily lives of Angolans.
Among those interviewed, teacherr Domingas António, resident in Luanda, expressed anxiety and expected an approach to the country's current situation, which should explain the reasons and solutions for overcoming the economic crisis.
She said that Angolans want to hear from the Head of State the ways out of the crisis that is raging in the country, namely why and how to solve the current rise of the dollar and the prices of the main products.
António Dengue, a student, wants, among others, to know about the implementation of local governments and also the country's main programmes.
"I'm looking forward to hearing President João Lourenço speak about the problems that affect citizens' daily lives, namely the prices of commodities, road transport and accident rates, housing policy for young people and access to credit", he specified.
In the city of Sumbe, Cuanza Sul Province, political players and members of the civil society were expectant about the speech, hoping that it would reflect the current situation that the country is experiencing.
Speaking to ANGOP, the second provincial secretary of the OMA (ruling party’s female wing), Inácia Eduardo, said she hopes that President João Lourenço will address the Executive's policies to reverse the high price index of food stuff, as well as the programme to combat poverty carried out by the Executive.
The local secretary of the PRS party, Daniel Danique Kaombo, expects the head of the Executive to present solutions to reverse the current economic crisis that the country is going through.
“I hope that the President will present solutions to solve the problem of secondary and tertiary routes, taking into account the development of agriculture”, he highlighted.
Meanwhile, the representative of the Confederation of Peasant Associations and Agricultural Cooperatives of Cuanza Sul, David Nunes, said that the class expects words of comfort and encouragement, highlighting the importance of the agricultural sector in guaranteeing food security.
“We want to hear a message of support for the agricultural sector, so that the country cannot continue to depend on oil and diamonds, as we have fertile land, climate and abundant water for the development of agriculture”, he added.
Teacher Carlos Araújo wants to hear the Government's projects linked to the education sector, with a view to improving the quality of the education system, as well as the construction and equipping of schools.
Jurist António Lucas defended the need for the Head of State to reinforce the fight against corruption, especially white-collar crimes, as well as the Executive's programme to improve the justice sector.
In Bié Province, teacher Fernando Manuel highlighted the need for President João Lourenço to talk about the programmes in stock aimed at reducing the prices of basic food baskets, a situation that is taking a toll on the population's financial capacity.
He said he also hopes that the Head of State will speak about the state's strategies to continue with the subsidy, aiming to reduce fuel prices, as they have influenced the increase in the cost of living for Angolans.
Helena Firmino, a civil servant, said she expects to hear from President João Lourenço a speech focused on the construction of more social infrastructure, mainly schools and hospitals, improvement of the roads that connect rural areas, with the aim of continuing to offer quality services.
According to her, João Lourenço should also focus on agriculture and other investments in the manufacturing sector, to guarantee the conservation of nationally produced food.
Meanwhile, university professor Adolfo Ucuassapi hopes to hear from the President proposals for reducing the Labour Income Tax (IRT), which, among other factors, is taking away the purchasing power of employees and workers in general.
To him, the need to create local governments to strengthen democracy and national unity is equally imperative in the discourse on the State of the Nation.
Adolfo Ucuassapi hopes that the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, also speak about strategies to combat corruption, a phenomenon that, in his opinion, harms good governance in any country in the world.
VIC/CF/jmc
