The Angola Road to National Recovery: Defining the Principles and the Objectives

Citation preview

HC 950

.05 1984

TheAngola Road To National Recovery

Defining the Principles

and the Objectives The National Union For The Total

Independence of Angola U.N.I.T.A.

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THE ANGOLA ROAD

TO NATIONAL RECOVERY : DEFINING

THE PRINCIPLES AND THE OBJECTIVES HC 950

UNIVERSI by IND:ALIABRARIES TU 5 BLOOMINGTON

1984

The National Union For The Total

Independence of Angola U.N.I.T.A.

Jamba, Angola December 1983

bem

Copyright 1984 by U.N.I.T.A. All rights reserved .

Angola Road to

National Recovery by The National Union For The Total

Independence of Angola U.N.I.T.A.

5

-8

.8

11

3

Dr. Jonas Malheiro Savimbi President

U.N.L.T.A.

CONTENTS

ABOUT U.N.I.T.A. ......

7 9 13 19

PREAMBLE 1. ANGOLA : A PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION 2. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 3. REFLECTIONS ON THE STATE OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

3.1 Some comparative data 3.2 The People's Confidence

.

47 56 64

4. UNITA'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANNING : PRINCIPLES AND

OBJECTIVES 4.1

Sectorial Overview

4.1.1 4.1.2

Education Health

4.1.3

Labor ...

4.1.4 Agriculture 4.1.5 Industry 4.1.5.1 Processing 4.1.5.2 Fishing 4.1.5.3 Extractive 4.1.5.4 Tourism

67 75 75 79 81 84 89 91 92

94 97

4.1.6 Transportation and Communications 4.1.6.1 Railroads 4.1.6.2 Ports and Maritime

Transportation

101

4.1.6.3 Road Transportation Network 5

102

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

4.1.6.4 Post Civiland Aviation ........ 104

4.1.6.5

Telecommunications

4.1.7 Energy

104 106

4.1.8

External Commerce

108

4.1.9

Internal Commerce

111

4.1.10 Banking and Finances 4.1.11 Housing 4.1.12 Rural Development 4.1.13 Public Administration 4.1.14 International Relations

... 114 117 121 123 124

4.1.15 The Constitutional Foundation for 127 Justice and Progress 5. CONCLUSION

131

ABOUT U.N.I.T.A.

The National Union for Total Independence of An

gola, U.N.I.T.A., under the leadership of Dr. Jonas Malheiro Savimbi, was founded in Angola on March 13, 1966, as a liberation movement to fight against the Portuguese colonial regime. The latter ended in 1975; but, following a massive foreign military intervention

and occupation, the decolonization process of An gola - which started out as promisingly harmonious, just and democratic (as evidenced by the Alvor Agree ment signed in January 1975 by Portugal and the Angolan liberation movements )—became a mockery,

a total fiasco, and the fundamental question of the

Angolan people's self -determination has never been settled. The Angolan people, until now , have not been allowed to exercise their inalienable right to choose

freely their governing institutions, their inalienable right to vote. Consequently, UNITA had to reorganize the people and its armed forces to continue the na tional liberation struggle: to promote peace in politi co -social justice, national unity in our rich cultural diversity, and the defense of Angola's territorial integ rity. In this way we could lay the foundations ofa truly

independent, prosperous, non -aligned and demo cratic nation. We firmly believe in democracy, for " if democracy succeeds in Angola ,” Dr. Savimbi tells us, " then there will be no losers, only winners — the whole Angolan people.” We believe that the charac teristic oftrue democracy is not to vest absolute power 7

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

in a politico - social majority, but rather to institution alize the protection of the fundamental rights of all citizens including minority groups. UNITA strives for the defense ofhuman liberties, for dialogue, and for a

socio - economic system in which the free individual, whether as producer or as consumer, is the key factor in national progress and social well being.

The present document, prepared at the direction of UNITA's Central Committee in January 1983 , articu lates UNITA's basic guidelines for Angola's socio - eco nomic reconstruction .

PREAMBLE

Angola is a country still in the process of acquiring

its genuine political independence under extremely difficult circumstances - politically, socially and eco

nomically. At the same time, there are heightened expectations of a long- awaited better life for the peo ple. We must cope simultaneously with the problems of political independence and stability, economic de velopment and social welfare, all to be accomplished

within a relatively short period of time. In other words, the government must respond to the people's pressing needs for a broad range of social services even before the country has achieved the economic capacity to do so, or a sufficiently solid political framework within which to balance these demands

while searching for permanent solutions. A primary task at this point must be the establish ment of guidelines for economic planning, so that the

existing constraints and possibilities yield the most rapid and balanced solution to socio - economic prob lems. This would consolidate and give substance to our hard -won political independence since, in fact, freedom and underdevelopment cannot coexist. The central aim of our economic development plan

ning will be to promote economic self-sufficiency and simultaneously to transfer to the people the benefits of economic progress . Economic planning entails choices from among a

multitude ofpossible actions or combinations thereof. 9

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

Our problem is the lack of a range of sufficiently studied national action possibilities or economicmod

els appropriate to our circumstances. The examples of other countries where post-inde pendence socio-economic development remains

largely an unfulfilled dream cannot discourage us, for we must have our own path of development suited to our unique range ofassets and resources, history and culture.

We must achieve economic progress because it is the only effective way to safeguard our political inde

pendence. National weakness invites aggression ; but strength reinforces friendship. We must win the eco nomic battle in order to build a reliable, productive network of alliances with other countries.

The strengths upon which we predicate interna tional cooperation with our country are internal rather than external factors: our party (U.N.I.T.A.), our people, and our land. These are the basic assets that will interact to transform our material condi

tions into better ways of life for the Angolan people. By stressing our national assets and the internal

dynamics in our socio -economic planning, we avoid demagogically evoking external factors colonialism ,

neocolonialism , and imperialism — to explain poverty or economic misery .After all, the concrete problems that must be dealt with are totally insensitive to moralizing about the evil nature of the external eco nomic factors.

Improving the conditions of life and raising the

standard ofliving ofthe Angolan people sum up what socio - economic planning is all about for U.N.I.T.A. the systematic organization of the productive forces and rational development of the economic resources

PREAMBLE

11

of the country so as to produce and distribute more and better goods and services at affordable prices to the average Angolan . The purpose of this document is to outline broadly

the fundamental principles, objectives and priorities

that will guide UNITA's approach to the national eco nomic and social development of Angola. This docu

ment is, therefore, not an economic development plan in the usual sense of the expression , but rather a definition of the methodological and politico -social framework within whose parameters actual econom

ic development planning will be spelled out in due time.

The difficulties in carrying out the economic recon

struction program will naturally be enormous and complex. But, in the end, they will be no more insur

mountable than the obstacles the Angolan people have successfully overcome in their national libera tion struggle against foreign domination .

1.

ANGOLA : A PHYSICAL

DESCRIPTION

Shape, Area and Location

Angola covers a rectangularly shaped area of 481, 351 square miles (1,246,700 square kilometers ), lying in western Africa between 4°22 ' and 18°00 ' south

latitude and 11°41 ' and 24°05 ' east longitude. The main body is bordered by the Republic of Zaire to the north and northeast, Zambia to the east, Namibia to the south , and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. The province of Cabinda in the north is bounded by the

People's Republic of the Congo and a narrow strip of the Republic of Zaire.

Relief and Hydrography

Two thirds ofthe territory is on a high plateau with altitude ranging from 3300 feet to 4460 feet ( 1,000– 1,350 m.). The plateau is crossed by a vast network of water courses draining into the coastal Atlantic

plains and toward the more distant Indian Ocean . The most important rivers are the Kwanza, Chiloango, Dande, Catumbela, Cubango, Cunene, Queve, Cuando, Kassai and Zambeze. Climate

The climate is quite variable with altitude and lati tude but generally excellent, ranging from a warm 13

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

TUNISIA MOROCCO

ALGERIA LIBYA

In Dispute

EGYPT

MAURITANIA MALI

NIGER SENEGAL THE GAMBIA

CHAD SUDAN UPPER VOLTA

GUINEAS BISSAU

GUINEAU SIERRA LEONE IVORY COAST

DJIBOUTI NIGERIA

LIBERIA GHANA

CAMEROON

ETHIOPIA

CENTRAL AFRICAN EMPIRE

SOMALI REPUBLIC

TOGO BENIN UGANDA

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

KENYA GABONS ZAIRE

RWANDA BURUNDI

CONGO !

CABINDA TANZANIA

Indian Ocean Atlantic Ocean ANGOLA

-MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE

ZAMBIA

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA BOTSWANA SWAZILAND LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

MADAGASCAR

ANGOLA : A PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

15

ANGOLA CABINDA

UIGE

CUANZA

LUNDA

MBO

S

E

NJ

NORTE

LA

MA

LUANDA

ZAIRE

HUA

CUANZA

MOÇAMED

ES

SUL

EY

U ENG

BIE

MOXICO

HUILA

CUNENE

CUANDO -CUBANGA

Administrative Division in Provinces

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

and humid equatorial environment in the far north and on the coast, through a temperate Mediterra nean climate in the central plateau, to an arid region in the far south. The vegetation ranges accordingly from thick forests in certain areas to savanna -type terrain in other areas .

Population This is estimated at 6.5 million in 1983, on the basis

ofthe last census, which was in 1970, and assuming a 2 percent annual growth rate (as observed in the 1960–1970 decade ), adjusted for the massive exodus of the Portuguese settlers in the aftermath of inde pendence in 1975 .

The average population density is 13.5/sq. mi. (5.0 /

sq. km .), which is very low , even by African standards. Its geographic distribution is markedly uneven and may be estimated as follows, by province: Province Cabinda

Population

Malange

81,000 ( 1.2%) 45,000 (0.7% ) 390,000 (6.0%) 299,000 (4.6%) 722,000 ( 11.1 %) 650,000 ( 10.0% )

Lunda Cuanza Sul

330,000 (5.0%) 525,000 (8.0%)

Benguela

546,000 (8.4%) 962,000 ( 14.8% ) 728,000 ( 11.2% ) 260,000 (4.0% ) 162,000 (2.5% )

Zaire

Uige Cuanza Norte Luanda

Huambo Bie

Moxico

Cuando -Cubango

17

ANGOLA : A PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

741,000 ( 11.4% )

Huila -Cunene

65,000 (1.0 % )

Mocamedes

6,508,000

Total

Age distribution would be: Age

Male

Female

Total

0 4 yr. 5-9 10–14

8.1 %

8.1 % 6.5 5.8 5.1 4.6 4.1 3.5 2.9

16.2% 13.0

15-19

20-24 25-29 30-34

35-39

40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64

65 and up

6.5

5.8 5.2 4.5 3.9 3.4 2.9 2.5 2.1

2.4

2.0

1.6

1.6

1.3 0.9 1.2

0.9 1.3

1.3

11.6 10.3 9.1 8.0 6.9 5.8 4.9 4.1 3.2 2.6 1.8 2.5

This shows the youthfulness of the Angolan popula tion , with the pre -active group (0–14 years old) ac counting for about 50 percent of the total population , while the inactive group (60 years old and over ) repre

sents only 4 percent. It leaves an active population group of less than 50 percent of the total. The urban population is today estimated at about

20 percent, up from 15 percent in the 1970 census. The increase in the urban population is due mostly to massive rural-to- urban migration , especially in

Luanda, following independence. Eighty percent of

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

the Angolan population makes its living directly from agricultural activities. Due to virtual economic paral

ysis, the mobility of the population has become prac tically nil.

Main Urban Centers: Luanda ( the capital), Huam bo, Benguela, Malange, Lubango, Lobito, Luso, Bie, and Mocamedes. Natural Resources:

-Forestry - vast timber resources : dark wood ,

ebony, girasonde, iron -wood, mussivi, sandal wood, rose wood and many others.

-Fishing — plentiful over the entire 1650 km. coastline.

-Wildlife — a rich variety of African savanna spe cies including the rare black deer, the white rhi

noceros, the elephant, the lion, the giraffe, the zebra, etc.

-Minerals - oil, diamonds , iron, gold, copper, phosphates, asphalt rock, manganese, coal, and

others, as well as a vast potential for hydro electric energy .

- Agriculture — A soil with enormous potential for a variety ofcrops: sugar cane, coffee, corn , wheat, beans, pineapple, tobacco, fruits, vegetables, cot ton, sisal, etc.

The country is located on a seaboard, offering strate

gic transportation routes to landlocked neighboring countries.

2.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

1. Conditions oflife and standards ofliving are said

to be good when the people have plenty to eat and are decently sheltered and clothed, all through their own labor. We need to raise the present standard ofliving,

because conditions of life in Angola today are charac terized by hunger, a high mortality rate, malnutrition and poverty. Elimination of these curses will allow progress and prosperity. This implies the availability of work , a just system of remuneration for one's work,

as well as the availability of goods and services that one may obtain in exchange for his earnings. The pursuit ofsocialjustice is not utopian : we must create the goods and services that are to be consumed. 2. On the other hand, it is not enough to have work , fair wages, and sufficient goods and services in order to achieve progress. There must also be a will — even a need — to consume the goods and services created . A society will generally procure only the goods and ser vices that are essential to the maintenance of its

standard of living — its culture and way of life. Ar tificial standards of living can crumble and disinte grate at the first sign of social crisis, because the

economic infrastructure may be fragile and not sol idly anchored in consumption habits. Production may then easily revert to subsistence economic activities 19

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

with no benefits whatsoever for the country as a whole.

This can be illustrated by comparing the standard

of living under colonial and post -colonial conditions. During colonialism the consumption habits of the European segment of the population had a strong impact on the general appearance ofthe country; the cities were built by European architects and plan ners, for European residents, and they were managed

and supplied by European infrastructures. Most Af ricans partook of that life in a peripheral way. As the colonialist mass exodus occurred , the cities

ceased to function, roads and bridges broke down and were never repaired, yesterday's consumer essentials became rare luxury goods, and many people quickly

reverted to unproductive subsistence activities. 2a. Changing living standards means changing

consumption patterns. Balanced nutrition , hygiene, comfort, social amenities, and so forth , involve a

whole range of products, equipment, machines and services in varying degrees of sophistication and whose level of consumption determines the standard of living .

2b . As the population acquires new consumption habits, it becomes equally important that products are affordable . Unless consumers can afford the

price, they cannot buy the product; but, paradox ically, unless they want and need the product, they may never be able to afford the price. 2c. A very low level of consumption characteristic of subsistence economies — implies a very low level of

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

21

social production and consequently low national in come. Thus, where mediocrity and austerity are per manently upheld as virtues, social progress will be virtually impossible. Underdevelopment in fact is not just synonymous with poverty; it implies, above all, a non -measurable qualitative and structural state of things. Progress is not possible without creating new production capacity, productivity criteria and con sumption patterns.

2d. Productivity, production and consumption are therefore closely interrelated factors in the move ment of standards of living and in socio -economic progress. To strengthen these three factors requires a sustained , conscious effort to stimulate, train , and

educate the population in consumption choices and habits. It also requires acquiring the technical know how to enhance productivity and production .

2e. It is therefore of primary importance to raise the consciousness of the people about what to con sume and about how to produce those goods and ser vices.

2. Failure to grasp the importance of consumption habits leads many economic planners in developing countries to appeal to the patriotic or revolutionary

consciousness of the people in an effort to increase

production, arguing that only by generating more material wealth can the standards ofliving be raised. But since the existing mental frame of reference of

the majority of the population is one of a subsistence economy - contentment with few material posses sions — it makes no sense to the peasant to increase

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

production. He might even interpret such an appeal as a government effort to force him to produce more for the government.

2g . Naturally, macroeconomically speaking, gov ernment revenue from individual taxation can only

become a reliable and adequate source of state in

come if the individual taxable income is sufficiently high ; there can be no taxation on a subsistence in come in a non -industrial, agrarian society. The need to increase individual income becomes, therefore, of paramount importance.

3. Equally important is the concept of adequate remuneration for work, as the strongest material in

centive to increase productivity. Our fundamental task is therefore to raise the technical, professional, political and cultural level of the Angolan worker. It entails transforming workers through education, training, and organization, in order to provide them with a socio- political climate and an individual in tellectual capacity - for growth. This qualitative change thedevelopment ofhuman resources — is in deed of utmost importance to the whole socio -eco

nomic development process, if growth is to be steady, controlled , and constant.

3a . Only with adequately skilled manpower can we tame and mold the environment for progress and prosperity, peace and stability, justice and liberty.

3b . The organization of men and women in our society for economic production must reflect a three dimensional integration : (a) A vertical integration

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

23

between the national governing institutions ( the par

ty and the state organs) and the traditional local village leaders, to enable the traditional to learn from the modern, while enriching the latter with tradi tional wisdom about African problems. There must be mutual trust between the governed and the gov erning individuals, however idealistic this may sound. (b) A horizontal integration between the vil

lage or the municipality and its neighboring commu nities, or between adjacent districts or provinces, in volving a totally unhindered movement of the people to permit a geographic-demographic interchange and

to build Angola's unity out of her diversity. (c) An integration in time, between the past, present and future. This would require historical research in order to generate a scientific assessment of the wealth of traditional knowledge with its potential contribution to modern life.

3c. All elements of the socio - political system — the

party, the government, the media, the associations, the schools, the churches, the individuals, etc. — are

bound to interact. We must correctly identify the strength and the properties of these interacting ele ments of the society, in order to know our people and

understand their behavior in relation to political propositions or economic concepts. The concept of class struggle in contemporary Africa , for instance, should not lead us to overlook the traditional pecu liarities ofAfrican society, which is characterized not by mutual antagonism arising from the rich exploit ing the poor, but rather by the traditional cohesion of

the African community. While preserving the co hesive and unifying aspects ofour African society, we

24

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

must resolutely oppose the emergence of a new ex ploiting class in the process of ecnomic development. 4. The central theme in the foregoing discussion is

that internal dynamics rather than external factors determine socio - economic growth . The strength of a

developing economy lies in a self-sustaining vitality ofinternal production and commerce. But the central element of this internal dynamics and vitality is the INDIVIDUAL .

An increase in individual productivity is the key to real overall national economic growth. The accumula tion of wealth and capital in private hands for invest ment is only possible if individual production and income warrant surplus and savings. 5. True, investment requirements for Angola will surpass by far all available national private capital. And private Angolan entrepreneurs are most un

likely to qualify for access to international finance for borrowing: the state must play a leading role in the mobilization of investments from the international community. Indeed, a subsistence economy rules out a true free enterprise economic system, especially when large - scale investment and rapid business ex pansion are needed. Even the attainment of self-suffi

ciency in food for today's Angola entails the moderni zation of agriculture, which in turn requires some technical (and financial) assistance from friendly countries whose procurement the Angolan farmer singly could not undertake.

5a. This inevitably leads to a strong government role in the economy, however disappointing may be the record of centralized economies the world over.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

25

5b . Angola, at its present level ofeconomic produc tivity, needs strong, decisive government planning and leadership to pull the country out of its economic backwardness and create a new socio -economic dyna mism. We cannot accept the notion of uncontrolled economic growth , with its inherent costs to society. We believe in a comprehensive view ofeconomic devel opment as a structural change at all levels, in which the increase of national wealth must be accompanied

by its fair distribution within a participatory democ racy, involving the whole population . This is the only way we can successfully defeat hunger, ignorance and disease, whose eradication constitutes indeed the foundation ofhuman dignity. This basic goal is funda mental and will be permanently pursued by UNITA until final victory.

5c. We are also pursuing our total national inde pendence. Decolonization requires a general revision of work methods, human relations, and mental at titudes; otherwise decolonization will be artificial

and incomplete. The party and the state will there fore have to intervene vigorously in this process, to accelerate the formation of a new model of Angolan

society that all Angolan citizens can be proud of and

dignified by: a society based on social justice, inte grating and harmonizing the individual with collec tive interests.

5d. Thus, state intervention must never be an end

in itself. The validity of state intervention depends strictly on the objectives to be achieved and on the methods by which such intervention is actually con

ducted. State intervention , even if it is intended for

26

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

the good ofthe public, should never give rise to a new autocratic, unpopular bureaucracy. It cannot be justi fied by simple acts ofnationalization ofunproductive, bankrupt enterprises, given that private enterprises have often succeeded in driving out through competi tion those which are not cost- efficient.

5e . State control of the economy should not be ex tended to a permanent institutionalization of ration

ing out essential goods to the consumer, thereby creating or encouraging a state of emergency or per manent shortages. There is nothing more depressing and demeaning than the issuing of cards on which a citizen is required to record for official control

every

transaction made in grocery stores, in order not to exceed the weekly or monthly quota of grocery pur chases. This is a revolting attack on the basic freedom that a citizen should be entitled to. Nor should it be up

to the state to determine which products should be made available to consumers and /or in what

amounts. The state must prohibit trafficking of popu

larly recognized harmful products such as drugs. The state should control the distribution of alcoholic bev erages. But the state should not allocate to itself the

power to determine how many bakeries to establish

and where, how many sewing needles to import, how many times a day a citizen should drink milk or how

many pounds of meat or corn flour a family should buy per week , or what style of dress a lady should wear. Such excessive state interference in the private

lives and lifestyles ofthe population would constitute a violation of the basic freedoms of the people and would, indeed, produce the opposite effect from what was intended . Rather than enhancing a just re

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

27

distribution of goods and services, it may actually hinder creative private initiative in production, dis tribution , and diversification to meet the consumers' taste and choice. By controlling the quantity and

range of products, the state may counterproductively constrain the process of economic growth that must depend on the consumer's state of mind. People must have the freedom to choose, to buy, to consume and to

cultivate and diversify their taste as regards the many things in the world that make life good. 5f. The achievement of a good standard of living

may be readily ascertained by the quality oflife ofthe population , by what and how much they consume in goods and services. But these standards ofliving can not be pre- established artificially by the economic planner. Freedom of choice is essential. 5g. The primary role ofthe state is to make binding decisions for society — to make an authoritative al

location of values, and not necessarily to manage them . The primary role ofthe state is not to replace or vainly compete with, but rather to stimulate, private entrepreneurship by creating an atmosphere favor able to greater economic freedom and by lowering barriers that hinder creative activity and the

emergence of responsible management. 5h . The state may own a large proportion of the means of production as a rightful prerogative of the

people whom it represents. But the state should be quick to pinpoint its own deficiencies in effective

managerial skills or structural capabilities necessary for socio - economic growth .

28

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

Decentralizing economic activity or emphasizing private initiative are not tantamount to undermining the power of the state. Quite to the contrary, a less encumbered state bureaucracy is apt to increase its leadership effectiveness and sharpen its awareness of overall national problems. After all, the state must

play a critical regulatory and supporting role in the marketplace , laying out the basic economic in

frastructures required for growth , narrowing the dis parity between backward and advanced regions, har

monizing individual goals with collective interests— in short, defining through laws and regulations the

social and political framework within which all ac tivities, whether private or public, may be under taken .

5i. Prosperous, widespread private enterprises op erating within the bounds ofthe law can unquestion ably strengthen the state by providing goods and services to the population and by bringing in their share of taxes to the state treasury for investment in

the public sector. Restrictive taxation and bureau

cratic red tape by the government may hamper all private economic activity. We must encourage the people to be creative and innovative, and to learn to assume risks in large -scale business ventures. The government must assist the dynamic private entre

preneur by fair taxation, by securing credit and cap ital, and by reducing red tape. 6. A recurring theme in most economic develop ment plans for developing countries is the emphasis on lack of skilled manpower and proposals for reme dies, such as the establishment of training programs

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

29

to prepare the upper and middle -level professional cadres. This is indeed a crucial factor. Lack of skilled

manpower may force a country to rely heavily on foreign technical cooperation . 6a . The execution of a multitude of projects gener

ally requires thousands of technicians and experts. An expatriate technical cooperant usually demands a salary that is several times the salary of his counter part in the host country, and even higher than his salary in his own country; part ofthe salary is usually demanded in hard foreign currency. Dependence on foreign technical cooperation may therefore entail (a) a costly bleeding of already depleted foreign ex change reserves, (b ) demoralization of the national

skilled worker who sees himselfas grossly underpaid in relation to his foreign counterpart, giving rise to the phenomenon of “brain drain ” (the exodus of frus

trated professionals to seek more remunerative pro fessional practice abroad ), and (c) the failure of many socio -economic projects conceived on the basis of tech nical cooperation . It is extremely important for the country to value, cherish and upgrade its own cadres as the surest way to overcome eventually the crip

pling shortage of trained manpower. 6b . It is not enough to establish manpower train

ing centers throughout the country. It is essential to assess manpower needs carefully with statistical

data, not only in terms of today's socio -ecnomic needs but also and especially in terms of the projected growth rate. The assessment of manpower needs

must lead to rational and optimum utilization of all

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

30

available human resources, both trained and to be trained.

We must realize that technical manpower short

ages are ultimately to be solved jointly at the level of the consumer, the political leader, and the public ad ministrator, who can provide the material and social climate for adequate professional growth. In other words, in order for someone to eventually become a

mature professional chemical engineer, there must also be in the country competent civil engineers, pe troleum technologists, ceramics experts, lawyers, so ciologists, agronomists, business managers, writers, journalists, economists, politicians, veterinarians, medical doctors, and above all, educated and de

manding consumers. In short, the whole society must advance in all sectors in order for any one sector to

advance appreciably. 6c. Education is key in raising the level of produc tivity and the standard ofliving; in unifying the coun

try and bridging social, cultural, and class differenc es; in raising the national consciousness and increas ing the national ability to cope with modern -day

obligations in the international community. Every conceivable field of human endeavor — social work, health, construction, agriculture, bureaucracy, mili tary careers, communications, transport, commerce,

industry, culture, teaching, government, homemak ing, etc. — must be based on education . The acute

shortage of skilled manpower and the crippling illit eracy rate must all end up on the surgical table of a classroom for treatment.

6d. Adequate planning must be undertaken and resources must be mobilized to carry out an educa

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

31

tional program that can meet national needs on a short- term and long-term basis. An intensive cam

paign would have to be launched against illiteracy in all age groups. Basic education must be compulsory, free, and democratized . Basic education would be the

level of schooling at which the individual acquires basic knowledge in writing, reading, arithmetic, na tional history, natural sciences, and geography, and reasonable fluency in the official languages. It may be

just above primary school or judiciously upgraded to full secondary school, depending on the particular phase of national socio -economic development. It is the level of education that may qualify one for a vari

ety of jobs, for apprenticeship in certain skills, for admission to mid -level technical institutes or to high er education .

All school-age children would have to complete basic education, hence its compulsory character. By free, we mean “no school fees required " except for

books and school materials. Financial assistance to needy students would be ensured by the government

to include books, school materials, clothing and food. Education should be free for all levels of education

including the university. Democratized education re

fers to the equality of opportunity for all school-age children to attend school at all levels, including the university We shall insist on the need for excellence in educa

tion , in the various academic and professional fields, to be translated into concrete socio - economic prog

ress for the country. We shall also insist on the need

for maximum utilization of all human resources, in particular the skilled workforce, and hence the need to counsel students on career choices, to harmonize their choices with the nation's needs.

32

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

Apart from the need for education in specialized economic activities, it should be understood that a well educated ordinary citizen is always an asset to

the society, whether as a producer or as a consumer. 6e. Finally, we are aware of the fact that EDUCA

TION by itself is not necessarily a panacea to the ailments of underdevelopment, unless it is conceived in relation to a conscious and sustained effort to

change the consumption pattern and certain cultural aspects of subsistence standards of living alluded to earlier in these GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.

6f. We are equally aware of the fact that education

is exceedingly costly, and the Government may not afford the heavy budget required for a universal edu cation system . But we have reiterated here and later on in this Document the priority of the issue, so that all efforts may be made to chart out the necessary course of action .

7. While we are making these GENERAL CON SIDERATIONS, we think opportune to touch on the

important question of ownership - ownership of property and of the means of production which may include land and cattle, machines and equipment,

labor and capital, raw materials and technology, etc. 7a . We need to understand objectively the signifi cance of the concept of ownership in our society. To most of the Angolan people, to " own something" rep

resents the whole purpose of their activities, their endeavors, their life. To deprive people of this pre rogative may kill them spiritually.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

33

7b . Good medicine need not be bitter: national so

cio-economic reconstruction can be a joyous under taking by the whole society, if the programs are cor

rectly presented to the population and organized in harmony with the people's wishes. 7c. For most Angolans, ownership of the means of

production is indistinguishable from ownership of property in general. Each citizen aspires to own his own piece of land where he can build his house, raise

his cattle, cultivate and station his farm machinery, his vehicle, etc. He may build his water mill to grind grain for his consumption or for sale in his shop; he wants to buy and own his furniture, jewelry, books, art objects, etc. Owning property gives him a sense of belonging, of pride and self-respect. The feeling is directly related to the ties and closeness to family. The Angolan assumes that his property belongs natu rally to his immediate relatives, with whom in fact he shares it.

7d . A successful private entrepreneur becomes an asset to his family and to his community, and several successful and prosperous communities make a pros perous country. A just redistribution of income can

strongly benefit from the success of the private entre preneur, instead of shared misery and poverty. 7e. One is not an owner of property unless one is

free to dispose of it at any time and in any form he wants: by transfer, sale, or exchange. The private ownership of many good things may encourage more of such good things to come into the country, which is beneficial to the whole society.

34

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

78. Land is not a scarce commodity in Angola ; it is

plentiful. An Angolan citizen should be entitled to own land within reasonable limits established by law.

The legislation on “how much land” one may own should be aimed primarily at avoiding the idleness of a valuable resource : one should not claim ownership ofa large estate unless he cultivates or uses much ofit

for a probable gainful economic activity. One may own a piece of land to build a house on, or to do family gardening.

7g. Ownership of land in a rapidly growing urban area may be more restricted than in the countryside. And ownership ofland with proven mineral resources may be subordinated to mining industry development regulations rather than to regulations on ownership for settlement purposes.

7h . Strategic mineral resources are a property of the state, which may regulate their development and

exploitation either in partnership with private in vestment or by contractual management - licenses,

leases, etc. — with private entrepreneurs. If mineral resources are found on a privately owned piece of land, the owner should be duly compensated for his property, should it be decided to develop mineral ex traction . Indemnization should not preclude the need to obtain the owner's full and free accord to vacate the

property by lease, sale or donation .

7i. Similarly, vast natural resources such as for ests, water courses, marine resources and wildlife

should also be owned by the state. Non - strategic en

terprises or property may be fully privately owned.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

35

7j. Ownership of land by foreigners should be of a temporary charcter (lease ), over periods of time long enough to ensure them a gainful exercise of their

venture, whether in agriculture or in industry. 8. Particular emphasis and attention should be

paid to rural development. Most ofthe Angolan popu lation — up to 80 percent — is rural, illiterate, engaged largely in subsistence farming, and with no social services whatsoever (no decent housing, no piped

water supply, no electricity, no libraries, no recre ational facilities, no hospitals, inadequate schools, no

roads, no postal services, no telephone). This part of the Angolan population is essentially traditional and lives outside the money economy in anachronistic contrast to the fairly modern or rapidly modernizable

and relatively efficient urbanized population. It is the totally barren living conditions in rural areas that force many young people to flock to cities in search of more remunerative work ( even ifthere is no

employment available) and in hopes of improving

their lives. The agrarian population is charac teristically underemployed , producing too little for its labor of manually tilling the soil, which is phys ically very demanding. Many of those who leave for the city go from underemployed to unemployed, since

they lack the skills to be gainfully employed in urban economic activity. This process compounds the city's problems: the swelling of shanty towns (musseques ); the increase in the number of unemployed living often on the fringes of the law ; the uncontrollable,

illegal building of shelter of unacceptable standards, hampering adequate urban planning; the deteriora

36

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

tion of city health and sanitation; and a host of socio economic problems.

This rural-urban migration affects, of course, the

whole country. There are no examples yet of success ful reversal of the trend, the return of urbanized pop ulations to rural areas. Conditions must be created to

stem the rural-urban flow ofthe population. After all, genuine Angolan African cities do not exist. We have

cities built by European architects and builders, for European residents, with a European -based econom ic infrastructure, but our people are rural. Socio economic development projects will only be valid if they can readily and immediately relate to the pro

cess of transforming the living conditions of the An golan peasant. The Angolan development effort must be conceived from the point of view of the socio -eco nomic problems of these vast, sparsely populated, totally undeveloped rural areas. 8a. The Government should therefore include an organism — the Ministry of Rural Development— to

systematically and continuously deal with this cru cial social sector.

8b . Modernization of agriculture is certainly an integral part ofthe solution to the problem . It will not only enable farmers to achieve higher earnings, but it

will also permit the establishment of a processing industry. With that industry the proportion of the

labor force employed in the non -agrarian sector will increase, although the absolute number of people in agricultural occupations will likely remain high and even continue to increase for many years to come.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

37

8c. We must bear in mind the fact that Angolan industrial development will not be viable for as long as the agricultural productivity of the average An

golan peasant remains low and almost stationary. Low farmers' productivity reduces the manufactur ers' market as well as its rate of expansion.

8d. We must find ways to increase farm productivi ty by establishing incentives for farmers, establish

ing education and training programs, and increasing

government funds available for agricultural develop ment.

9. Domestic commerce is of paramount importance

in the development of rural areas. Merchandises must reach the populations. The trading outposts or

shopping centres must be accessible to the people,

bearing in mind the fact that the existing transporta tion and communication devices in the country are

still very rudimentary. During the colonial days, Por

tuguese traders had established themselves as far as the deepest countryside, having thus been indispens able inthe distribution of goods to the populations while at the same time providing for the outlet for local agricultural products and artifacts. It is true that a peasant, at a a mere 15 kms away from a

trading post, would still have to endure a ten -hour round -trip march to sell his products or buy his es sentials.

Of the various factors that determine the viability of commerce in rural areas, we cite in particular the importance of roads as basic in the conveyance of goods and people.

38

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

But we must also take fully into account the partic ularity of the peasant's attitude to his social and cul tural environment. We must provide the rural popu lations with the opportunity to advance socially and

economically, without recource to methods of forced resettlement projects. Displaced peasants, even at less than 50 kms away from their original villages,

may feel so dispirited that their participation in eco nomic projects may become questionable. Some coun tries in Africa have tried without success to trans

plant populations under a variety of resettlement schemes, in the legitimate hope of facilitating the dispensation of social services to the communities. In

fact it would not be economically viable to build a road, a school, a clinic, a recreation centre or a com

mercial shopping mall for a small six -household com munity. The demograpfic factor mustjustify any Gov ernment effort on behalfof a community or region . In

the absence ofsufficiently populous “ natural” popula tion centres, the creation of artificial” communities should not be undertaken arbitrarily: the effort must be preceded by an in-depth study of the relationship

of a peasant's progress to his afinity to his social and cultural milieu . The mobility ofthe populations with in the national territory should be totally voluntary and free. For a peasant, there is a spiritual peace and

tranquility related to his being settled in the social and cultural environment of his ancestors; a peasant

would generally prefer this tranquility in the land of his forebearers to the prospects of economic pros perity in a “ foreign ” land.

This leads us to the concept of “ socio -cultural grav itational centres ” or SCGC , which we view as demo

graphic centres within a recognizable regional or geo

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

39

graphical entity within which, due to cultural or linguistic afinity, a peasant can move freely or even change from one village to another without feeling

uprooted or displaced. It is the area within which a peasant may feel socially and culturally integrated and at ease. The concept of SCGC could render viable the establishment of commercial centres, building of

roads, and the dispensation of social services in con

veniently chosen places. Nearby populations, at tracted by the conveniences at the centres, would choose freely to settle closer. The process would give rise to new towns and new cities. The basic idea,

however, is to have the populations on the one hand and the social services on the other meet half way,and

to transform the natural socio -cultural gravitational centres into a base for local and regional economic growth .

10. We understand that if agriculture constitutes

the main base of Angola's economy, industry will be the catalyst, the main driving factor, for agricultural modernization. Industry must reflect an integrated and coordinated sectorial development of the coun

try's resources, based on the fundamental principle of using local labor and locally available raw materials to be processed into products for local or national consumption .

10a . We realize that industrial development — the processing ofour raw materials and reduction ofsuch imports — may not fit theories of the international

division of labor, according to which an African coun try is supposed to be confined to the production and exportation of raw materials to developed countries.

40

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

But since our main concern is to achieve self-suffi

ciency in basic consumption goods and services, the reaction of the international market to our industrial

output would be of no consequence to the pursuit of our industrialization schemes.

10b . The grinding of local phosphate rock to pro duce fertilizers, the processing of fish and agri cultural products for richer food varieties, the pro

cessing of cotton to produce clothing, etc. , are examples of basic, light industry that must function in tandem with the whole agricultural sector if por gress is to be achieved .

10c. Establishment of any industry in the form of

equipment and machinery and buildings, however, may not appear to be realistic for Angola under pres ent conditions. On one hand, there is the lack of national infrastructures to support it. On the other

hand, capital outlay for such industry could be eco nomically viable only ifthe output could be exported, since domestic requirements would be relatively low . But competition in the international market with higher quality products from long -established indus trial countries promises little success in this endeav or, at least not in the foreseeable future.

The actual establishment of large-scale industrial installations is conceived in terms of the need to con

centrate sufficient productive and growth -generating activity in one location to make it economically sound, simultaneous with a decentralization of economic ac tivity to provide employment in widespread locations and prevent population pressures from building up in any one area . It is in this light that the viability of

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

41

industrial and commercial complexes must be viewed .

The production of goods and services and their distribution to consumers form an interlinked, closed circuit whose blood vessel is the transportation and communication network . Unless goods, services, and

people can move freely, reliably, efficiently and at

affordable costs, any improvement in the production segment of the circuit will be meaningless.

Most rural development projects will be contingent on availability of access roads, means of transporta

tion , and electrical power. Priority should be on re

habilitating and restoring to full utilization the exist ing networks of roads, railways, telephones, telex, and postal services. Railroads should be transferred to private ownership for maximum operational effi ciency and profitability.

11. Angola owes her selfhood and dignity to her countless sons and daughters who have sacrificed so

much ofthemselves in the course ofthe national liber ation struggles against foreign domination . Many have become physically handicapped; others have

been left widows and orphans. The state should es tablish programs to provide for education, vocational training, and physical rehabilitation of disabled war veterans, aimed at their total reintegration into soci ety; full material and moral assistance to all disabled war veterans; and decent material, educational and

moral support to the orphans and widows of those who fell in the battlefield. Measures must equally be

taken to protect the elderly and orphans in general.

12. All social and economic progress depends very closely on the health and nutrition ofthe population .

42

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

Production capacity depends largely on the eradica tion ofdiseases that sap the vitality ofour people, and thus on health education .

Angola's acute problems of underpopulation and short life expectancy can only be dealt with effectively by waging war on poverty, widespread endemic dis

eases, infant mortality, malnutrition / undernutrition, and lack of protein in the ordinary diet. Health prob lems are further aggravated by inadequate sanita

tion , inadequate housing, lack of piped water and sewage systems, lack of cleanliness and personal hy giene. Solutions will entail, above all, an intensive but

steady public education and information program

including school health education on nutrition , per sonal hygiene, immunizations, industrial health , preventive medicine, environmental sanitation, etc. It will also entail the training of more doctors, phar

macists, nurses, midwives and paramedics as well as the building of adequate hospitals, clinics, dispensa

ries and adequate coverage of the whole country, es pecially rural areas, with an adequate network of health services.

13. As in education , health care must be a right, not a privilege, of every citizen. All health and medical care should therefore be free to every citizen . Private

medical practice will be strictly regulated by law to prevent serious discrepancies in services and care between public and private institutions. 14. It is through labor that the wealth that is poten tially available in our soil, subsoil and sea can be

brought out and transformed into real, tangible

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

43

wealth - the goods and services for socio-economic

progress. It is therefore crucial to define the signifi cance and place of labor in our society, establishing adequate programs and legislation to improve labor

and productivity, availability, and conditions so as to ensure the prosperity ofthe worker and consequently of the nation .

14a. The concept of freedom and liberty must be upheld, first of all, in relation to the individual work er. He must be free to work in the field of his choice, and he must have a right to a decent occupation to earn his livelihood and to better his social condition .

The state must assist the individual in attaining this

goal by enacting appropriate labor codes: freedom of choice ofwork, equality ofpay for equal work, prohibi tion offorced labor recruitment for any purpose what

soever, adoption of an eight-hour day, 48 -hour week,

yearly vacation, prohibition of labor employment to persons under 15 years ofage, compulsory accidental and illness insurance and compensation , protection of the working woman , prohibition of hazardous working environments, etc.

14b . In addition, the government must have a well structured Labor Department to enforce labor laws, to establish minimum wages, to establish guidelines to allow the workers to organize free labor unions, to establish labor courts to handle disputes, and to pro

vide representation in international organizations such as the ILO.

15. In organizing and structuring our finances, banking, currency, foreign exchange and national

44

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

budget, we will constantly strive for: monetary sta

bility; availability and mobility of public funds; for eign exchange and transfer regulations sufficiently

generous to allow more foreign currency into the country by way of investments; loan and savings in stitutions to encourage thrift and capital accumula tion for investment and adequate credit reserves

without driving the country into the borrowing ex cesses of “ living today and paying later "; adequate regulations to control remittance of profits; and an adequate mechanism to control inflation ( avoid in creasing wages without a corresponding increase in productivity ). 15a. The national budget must be conceived in terms of necessary economic development expendi tures. Budget deficits shall be prohibited by law . It must be understood that a rising government budget

does not indicate increasing prosperity for the coun try.

15b . The tax structure should not be complex nor

cumbersome. A thorough review will be required to establish appropriate rates for industrial tax, person al income tax, urban building tax, real estate transfer

tax, concession profit tax ( including mining, timber,

livestock, agricultural and fishing exploration con cessions ), minimum taxable income or profit, etc. We

must understand that while income tax may be the only immediate source of government revenue, eco

nomic development may actually depend on incen tives: per capita output cannot be increased much

faster than per capita income, after payment oftaxes;

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

45

to raise taxation too rapidly may kill incentives and prevent growth .

15c. Finally, it must be emphasized that economic independence implies independence from foreign

domination in relation to external trade and to mone tary and financial policies. Adequate control of our external trade will be an important tool for optimiz

ing currency exchange rates with foreign countries and for aiding the anti- inflationary struggle. We can enhance our national sovereignty ifwe can effectively exercise control of our domestic financial institutions

and the movement of capital, defining correctly the role of foreign investments and incentives for them ,

balancing foreign cooperation with a rational utiliza tion of domestic resources. Financial and monetary policies must be simultaneously a result ofthe overall

development strategy and a catalyst to balanced eco nomic growth .

15d. In structuring the national currency we should include a thorough feasibility study onjoining a major international monetary zone.

3.

REFLECTIONS ON THE STATE

OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

In conceiving a plan for Angola's reconstruction, we must bear in mind the present moral and physical state ofthe country and its population , resulting from the successive shocks of violent administrations, going from the prosperous but highly exploitative and unjust colonial regime to the totally unproductive

and impoverishing self-styled " socialist emulation " of the MPLA .

Two ofthe recurring themes in the MPLA's econom ic policies and statements are its ambition ( actually wishful thinking) to raise production to pre-indepen dence levels, while at the same time attributing cur

rent socio-economic calamities to the departure ofthe Portuguese colonialists. While proclaiming socialism " Soviet-Cuban style," the MPLA, by yearning for the prosperity Angola knew in Portuguese colonial days, implicitly envies the colonialist model ofproductivity and production. But there has been no serious effort

to learn from the past — to emulate that which ought

to be emulated , and to reject all that is inadequate and unfit for our national life.

During Portuguese colonialism , the organization of

productive forces was highly repressive ofthe African population, which was deprived of its basic rights to 47

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

48

choose its own work and to advance its social condi

tion . The labor of Africans was almost always under paid , and at the whim of the employer; they worked under the brutal supervision of a “ capataz” and were

subhumanly sheltered. The apparent impressive

prosperity of Angola was virtually the product of the blood, sweat and tears of vast numbers of the ex

ploited people. The distribution of production was highly unequal, with no effort whatsoever to elimi nate poverty, ignorance and disease: there was thus a

gross imbalance between the rich Portuguese busi nessmen and the African peasants. But there was prosperity among the Portuguese residents, and the African population at large enjoyed the fringe bene fits of having a country well supplied in goods and services.

But eight years after the end ofPortuguese colonial

rule, the picture of Angola's economic situation is characterized by the following: -Severe shortage of raw materials, resulting in costly im ports.

-Severe shortage of essential consumer goods, especially food. The notorious " bichas ” in Luanda where people wait

for up to 12 hours to purchase the scarce commodities that appear once in a while in shops have become a common sight.

-Very unjust distribution of scarce goods , where the "People's Stores” are almost always empty, while the lead

ers', cadre's and diplomats' stores are always well sup

plied, underlining the new class privileges or perpetuation of the old ones.

-Flourishing black market. Anything goes. The Kwanza is exchangedat a tenth of its official exchange rate.

-State enterprises operate at extremely low levels of pro ductivity. A factory worker in an auto assembly plant will

THE STATE OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

49

take on the average 12 minutes to assemble a machine part, whereas his Japanese counterpart would take 17

seconds, or a ratio of 42 to 1 . -Dire shortage of skilled manpower, especially business administrators. Most jobs, including mid -level executive positions, are allocated politically rather than by technical

competence. Generally there is more politicking in facto ries than actual production of goods. In its 1981–1985 Economic Plan , the MPLA states what it calls its main achievement during its eight- year rule: “ pro and transformations in every domain of Angolan society, aimed at the creation ofthe material and technical bases for socialism ... ; establishment of organisms of

People's Power up to the provincial level; formation and consolidation of new production relationships; expansion of the State -controlled sector of the economy, with State participation in every domain ofeconomic life; intensifica

tion ofState control over all foreign enterprises; in short, the irreversible expansion of the socialist sector of the economy; thevigorous pursuance of the policy of nation alizations and confiscations; expansion of State control to agriculture through agricultural cooperatives to mold the peasants' life . ”

However, as a result of the socio -economic misery that Angolans are actually experiencing today (and testified to by every observer or journalist who has visited Luanda ), the Angolan people today have con cluded either that what the MPLA has achieved is not socialism at all, or that socialism is evil. In fact, in

view ofthis conspicuous and total collapse ofAngola's socio-economic system, the MPLA , in the same docu ment cited above, narrates its own record of colossal

failure in a long, candid, introspective and retro spective presentation : -The expansion of the socialist base in the rural area has

not corresponded to the capacities of the state sector and

50

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

did not pay due attention to the peasant, the traditional producer of most food essentials .

-The agricultural cooperative sector was plagued with se

rious shortages and inadequate support, emphasizing un dulyquantity (number of cooperatives)rather than quali ty (the real and effective make-up and functioning ). -Inadequate division of labor in rural areas, having led to the excessive expansion of the socialist sector, has jeopar dized and discredited the state's ability to solve the ques tion of agrarian production .

-Difficulties and errors rendered ineffective daily applica tion of centralized economic planning principles. There was no enforceable single national plan to ensure balanced economic development and define priorities for the state programs. As a result, there was no mechanism to inter connect the urban with the rural or industry with agri

culture, the state income with the state enterprise, and population expenditures, work remuneration with pro ductivity and salary increases, etc. -The role of central planning in the national economy be came weaker and weaker. As a result, socioeconomic devel

opment activities took place in a disorderly fashion . -The party's 1977 decision to improve radically upon the leaders' and cadre's work methods did not materialize, especially due to constant changes in ministerial person nel.

-The characteristic inefficiencies and weaknesses of the

state apparatus include lack of a government code of con duct; lack of analysis and mechanisms to integrate and interlink the various tasks between the central and

provincial governments; fragility of the provincial govern ments in relation to knowledge of and ability to solve the various social and economic problems; inexistence of provincial development programs; and total disconnection between provinces. -There has been no unity of orientation, execution and

controlwhich should characterize thesocialist leadership, jointly by the party and the state. This has led to rising discredit of the law and the questioning of the principles

THE STATE OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

51

preached by the party and government; it undermined the

state'sauthority,led to rising indiscipline, petty -bourgeois attitudes, and moral, intellectual and material corrup tion, rising negligence, nepotism , reactionary attitudes, individualism , protectionism , arrogance , etc. Democratic centralism , key to collective leadership, has been seriously hurt.

-There has appeared an increasingly high deficit in the balance of state revenue. The monetary volume in the

hands of private individuals and circulating outside of the banking mechanism has become so staggering that it has practically already wiped out all the positive effects of our currency exchange. Several factors have brought about this sad economic situation : low production of goods and services; reduced work productivity and inadequate uti

lization of equipment; weak production organization; in adequate supply ofwater and energy to enterprises; lack of discipline in production units; incompetence and highly

generalized irresponsibility in business management; payment ofsalaries without respect to quality and amount of work done; investment in highly questionable sectors;

and low level of transfer of profits and income to the state revenue services.

-There is a sharp and progressive disparity between family income and expenditures; it underlines the increase in the cost ofliving and influences quite adversely the real condi tions of life for the people. For example, for each K100 of

salary there was only K60 in goods and services available. This shortage ofconsumer goods has set in motion a highly speculative market selling at as much as ten times the

official price. This, in turn, aggravates the salary insuffi ciency, even though the latter is already numerically high er than the real value of the work done. Thus, monetary

assets are largely concentrated in the hands of a few spec

ulators to the detriment of working salary earners. Labor nonproductivity and low production are the fundamental components of this situation, but the state has totally failed to implement a price policy and structure. - The state has totally failed to reduce unemployment, un deremployment and market speculation , especially in large cities such as Luanda .

52

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

— The level of agricultural production has not in the least satisfied the minimal basic needs ofthe population in food and raw materials for industry.

- Construction materials production and the construction industry as a whole have been decreasing by 25 percent yearly. Abuse and inefficient utilization of equipment as well as the nonconclusion of started projects aggravate waste of resources in this sector. Lack of coordination

created costly redundancy and duplication . -Lack ofcentralization at the External Commerce Ministry led to uncoordinated, casual and spontaneous import/ ex port activity.

-Lack of qualified manpower led to increased numbers of foreign experts in the country. But the contractual ar

rangements for foreign cooperation have led to paralysis due to excessive rigidity in contractual norms and exces sive delays in the signing of contracts and authorizations for entry /exit.

-Any improvement in the distribution system tends to ben efit only Luanda. Interior cities and rural areas are pre cariously and very irregularly supplied. Not enough atten tion is paid to improving the supply lines to rural areas . As a result , the peasants are digging into their traditional habits of subsistence farming.

Finally, the MPLA renders the verdict of its bal ance of performance as “ total failure ” and cites: a . Serious food shortages; lack of clothing and footwear; precarious housing conditions; high unemployment; enor mous shortages ofschools, teachers, and teaching materials; very weak pre-schooling facilities; health and medical care

very inadequate; high infant mortality rate and mortality in general.

b. Most enterprises have not achieved pre- established pro duction targets, having declined even below earlier levels. Production has not only fallen in quantity; there has been no improvement in quality and work ethics.

c. Insufficient agricultural production causes a diversion of a significant portion offoreign currency reserves toward food imports to the detriment of equipment acquisition.

THE STATE OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

53

d. The low level of production and productivity reduced cash flow into the state revenue coffers for investments; it wid

ened disproportions between the money in circulation and the volume of goods available in the marketplace, leading to speculation, black market, endemic shortages and high in flation rates.

e. Althoughwar, internal and external reactions, and short age of qualified manpower are factors that hindered imple mentation of the porgram ofthe party, it would be a mistake to reduce all causes of failure to these factors.

f. Objectively, many of the problems stem from subjective factors: inefficient action, lack of dynamism and incorrect attitude of certain leading cadres, technicians and workers,

lack ofdiscipline, negligence, irresponsibility, lack ofauthor ity, accommodationism , widespread incompetence , nepotism , protectionism , lawbreaking, etc.

g . Government officials and organisms, enterprise leaders, cooperatives and other organizations have not committed themselves to state and labor discipline. They have often

adopted attitudes of leniency to the lazy, the thief, the vaga bond, etc. There has been no preoccupation with efficient utilization of raw materials, fuel, energy and equipment,

labor and time. There has been a constant dispersion of means and efforts. Many leaders, workers and government officials have not understood the role of centralized and

planned socio-economic processes of production; they dis play a narrow view and an attitude characterized by greed, selfishness, etc. h. Incorrect utilization of the few scarce trained cadres:

There has been no systematic way to care for and prepare the

state and party management personnel. There has even been a tendency towards escapism into " empiricism , rele gating formal schooling and theory to a secondary plan in a

pretentious overrating of “practical experience ” over the oretical knowledge. i. The party, fundamentally lacking qualified cadres, has been unable to exercise control over state organs.

j. Government ministries overseeing the sectorial activities have not been able to carry out satisfactorily their duties in the assigned sectors.

54

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

k . The projects elaborated by ministries and state enter prises have often reflected a " voluntarist" character, with no

mathematical or analytical support to their presumed eco nomic or financial point of view . The ministers responsible

for overall planning have seldom exercised a unique state policy in planning, statistics, finances, banking, credit, la bor, salaries, prices and international economic relations.

1. There were failures in politico-ideological education among the working masses, party cells, trade unions and youth organization .

How did Angola arrive at this sad state of affairs ? How did the highly promising Angolan economic in

frastructures inherited from the Portuguese colonial rule degenerate, in just a few years of Soviet-Cuban Socialist Emmulation, into an economy ofmisery and deprivation ? MPLA recognizes the fundamental question of peace and stability in the country. Farm ers cannot cultivate the land nor harvest their crops,

since their activities may be constantly interrupted by the raids, attacks and government reprisals. For

eign technicians and advisors are permanently inse cure. And MPLA spends half its budget on fighting the war, foregoing any social and economic recon struction work .

Nevertheless, MPLA's self -critical assertions on its own failures should not at all be viewed as a sign of change in its policies and adoption of a new course of action . In fact, the MPLA's proposed remedies to the

country's economic woes , contained in the same 1981-1985 Plan under the heading “ General Guide lines for Economic and Social Development,” reflect exactly the same notions and principles it professed eight years ago : " ensure balanced economic development; mobilize and concentrate in the hands of the State the most important

THE STATE OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

55

social resources ... . ; raise the workers' socialist spirit;

raise national consciousness ... ; prepare qualified man power ; efficient utilization of relations of international economic cooperation ; etc ...' »

Obviously these are vague, uninspiring notions, with no resemblance whatsoever to the depth, the complexity and the urgency of Angola's accumulated socio - economic ailments. There has been no effort by

the MPLA to learn from the past, not even from its recent eight-year experience. It is therefore certain that, under MPLA rule, Angola would continue the downhill path toward irreversible extinction of our national hope and national identity.

Many Western analysts are quick to speculate that " faced with serious economic crisis ... pragmatic dos

Santos now quietly turns to the West for invest »

They ignore the fact that it is Western investment that the MPLA has been exclusively thriving on all along. In fact, the MPLA's 1982 trade with the international community shows the follow ment.

ing:

Imports

79% from Western Europe and U.S.A. 5% from African countries 6% from Asia

10% from Soviet bloc countries Exports 85% to the West (mostly oil to U.S.A.) 5% to African countries

7% to Soviet bloc countries.

But in an effort to underscore its alignment with the Soviet bloc, the MPLA states:

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

56

We have verified the tendency to increase commercial

relations with the Socialist countries, especially in im ports. We have developed commercial relations with cer tain capitalist countries, suppliers ofequipment, raw ma

terials and spare parts, which was conditioned largely by the dependency Angola inherited in relation to the tech

nology of these capitalist countries.

Trade with its Soviet bloc allies has not really in

creased, and it could not (except in military hard ware, which is not part of commercial activity ). But

the MPLA, ideologically uncomfortable with its trade with the West, attempts to minimize it, rationalize it, and apologize for it. It clearly implies that, once the

technological backwardness of Angola is overcome, ties with the West will be scaled down or eliminated

altogether. Economic ties with the capitalist coun tries, for the MPLA , are therefore of a temporary

nature. After all, in its domestic propaganda, the MPLA maintains firmly that " capitalism and West ern imperialism are the enemy No. 1 of the Angolan people.” 3.1

SOME COMPARATIVE DATA ON MPLA'S PERFORMANCE

Agriculture • In 1974, just a year before the end ofcolonial rule, there were about 1 million traditional (subsistence )

farms averaging 15 acres each and aobut 7,000 com mercial farms averaging 1500 acres each . Food production was self-sufficient; ample and diverse supplies for domestic needs with significant surplus accounting for 40 % of total export value, or US $260 million annually.

THE STATE OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

57

Imports offoodstuff consisted essentially of exot ic products (wine, olive oil, etc. ) whose value never exceeded US $30 million .

The agricultural sector was expanding rapidly at a yearly rate of up to 22% .

• In 1979, fouryears after independence, all commer cial farms nationalized and run as " State Farm

Enterprises.” Traditional farming collectivized as " Agricultural Production Cooperatives.” Recourse to massive imports of such staples as

maize, rice, and beans starts. Agricultural products (mostly coffee) make up 7% of total export value. Imports of foodstuff make up 26% of all import value.

A regressive pattern in production , with spec tacularly sharp drops, especially in the nation alized sectors of coffee, sugar, and cotton, as noted before in the chapter.

• It should be noted that by 1974 Angola was rapidly

becoming a beef exporting producer. Today, 70% of beef requirement for domestic consumption is im ported.

About 400,000 tons of fish were annually caught in the Angolan waters by international merchants in 1974. Today, about 1.3 million tons are annually vacuum -cleaned out, mostly by Soviet fishing ves sels, raising serious conservation and ecological

problems. Mining - Extractive Industires • In 1974,just one year before the end ofcolonialrule, crude oil, diamonds, and iron were the most impor

58

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

tant minerals, accounting for about US $ 300 mil

lion annual production or 48% oftotal export value. Also in production were manganese, copper, as

phaltic rock, marble, and phosphate rock. Diamond production was at 2.125 million carats or US $76 million, third major export after crude oil and coffee.

Crude oil — 8.9 million metric tons at US $ 4 per

barrel or US $ 544 per metric ton.

The economy was fairly strong and stable be cause there were dozens of export products, six of which accounted for 73% of total national export value.

• In 1979, fouryears after independence, crude oil and diamonds account for nearly 90% of the country's annual export value.

Diamond production dropped to 841,000 carats, or US $30 million, second major export after crude oil.

Crude oil pumped at the rate of 7.8 million metric tons at US $4080 per metric ton. Accounts for near ly 80% of total exports. Economy extremely vulnerable since 90% of ex port value comprises only two products (crude oil and diamonds).

THE STATE OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

59

Major Agricultural Products ( In Metric Tons)

Product

1973

1978

Maize

700,000

198,000 8,240 5,940 12,470 40,000 11,430 2,000

Rice Wheat

Potatoes

28,323 11,528 101,000

Beans

70,000

Palm Oil

20,000

Peanuts Banana

26,000 195,000

Pineapple Sugar Coffee

Tobacco Cotton

Sisal

55,000

12,700 4,400

61,001 210,000 4,526 79,281

39,800 26,000

60,200

15,000

630

1,080

% Change -72% - 71 %

-48% -88%

-43% -

-43% - 92% - 93% -92% -35% -88% -86% - 98% -75%

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

Other Food Products Item

Beef Pork Chicken

Eggs Fish : Total Catch Fresh and Misc.

Frozen Dried & Smoked Fishmeal Canned

1974

1979

5,000 tons

26,500 tons 3,500 tons 12,000 tons 100 million eggs

1,500 tons 7 million eggs

500,000 tons

210,000 tons

267,000 tons 45,000 tons

160,100 tons

38,000 tons 148,000 tons 2,000 tons

30,000 tons 8,500 tons 2,800 tons

705 tons

8,600 tons

THE STATE OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

61

Manufacturing and Construction Industries Product

1979

( Percentage of 1973 Production Batteries

Dry cell ....... Wet cell ......

Bicycles ..... Bridge construction .......... Bush swords (Catanas)

Cement ........

Electrical power generation .... Oxygen ........ Petroleum refinery ...

.59% ...66% .24% .80% .85% 91 %

76 % ..... 66%

...66% +

Road building Asphalt . Gravel surface . Rubber tires ....

Steel rods ......

.... 09%

.....07 % ...60% .40%

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

The MPLA's Government

Participation and Control of Enterprises

State Participation Enterprise Beer

Bicycles Cement

Cooking Oil

Diamond Mining Margarine Matches

Naval Construction

and Control 85% 100% 58% 37% 61 % 76% 67% 100%

Oil Industry Paper and Wood Pulp Plywood Soap

100 % 100% 55%

Steel Rods

100%

Steel Containers

Sugar Industry

51 %

98%

100%

THE STATE OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

63

Transportation and Communications Equipment and Infrastructures

1974

1979

3159 km

850km

8000 km

8800 km

64,670 km 28,000

36,425 km 6,000

Railroad length operable

Asphalted Road length Dirt Road length Heavy Trucks Aircraft

Airports, International

Airports, Small

12 +

42

2

2

180

80

9,273,000 tons

680,000 tons

Activities

Railroad cargo Railroad passengers

Air Cargo

2,965,000 tons 6,100,000 tons 23,100 tons 9,212 tons

Air passengers Sea cargo

429,000

560,000

18,801,000 tons

Sea passenger

44,000

176,700 tons 39,000

330

100

Postal Services

Major Post Offices

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

64

3.2

PEOPLE'S CONFIDENCE

Our people have been successively dehumanized, misled , exploited and oppressed by violent, un

popular regimes. We must restore our people's self confidence and, above all, revitalize their individual

inner force to motivate them to learn , to strengthen their capacities, to increase their productivity. We must respond to the individual's needs, aspirations

and pride, to transform him into a highly productive element of the society. We cannot collectivize the indi

vidual, robbing him of his individuality; he would wither, and with him the nation may perish. Several variables account for the success and sta

bility of a socio - political system or regime: consensus, patriotism , education , cultural diversity and econom

ic potential. But the people are basically utilitarian in their political orientation . If their personal expecta tions for a better life are not met, the regime in power

cannot count on them for support and respect for the laws. We must not ignore the relationship between the desire of the people for the stability of their givernment and the latter's capacity to perform effec

tively. The MPLA has lost the opportunity to win the minimal support of the people, and its regime has rapidly declined into anarchy and defeat. In order to remain effective, a regime must have the ability to make binding decisions and the capacity to imple

ment them once they are made. Implementation of decisions is critical and requires material support

( taxes, armed forces, police) and the willingness of the people to obey laws and regulations. The MPLA had money, armed forces and police, but the people refused to obey its laws and regulations, because the

THE STATE OF ANGOLA'S ECONOMY TODAY

65

regime is essentially incapable of meeting the peo ple's expectations. A clear political orientation is a necessary precon dition to any rapid economic change. Yet clearly, eco nomic development is both the cause and effect of a

wide range of changes in society. We must strive for greater understanding of the broad process of social modernization and the manner in which that process should occur.

4.

UNITA'S ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT PLANNING : PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES

The economic development strategy will be based on the following fundamental principles and basic objectives: 1. We must aim toward national self-sufficiency es

pecially in agricultural products. Agriculture keeps the wheels of the economy turning; healthy agri

culture will automatically bring substantial jobs in the storage, transportation, processing, retailing and

supermarket sectors. We must also recognize the inti mate interrelationship between overall growth objec tives, the pace of industrialization , export objectives, and the required increase in agricultural production , increasing needs for raw materials for industry, etc. 2. We need to raise the standard of living and the conditions of life for the whole country, with special

emphasis on the rural population. This implies rapid increase in consumption ; reduction of poverty and undernourishment; transition from subsistence to

market economy; strengthening of agriculture; erad ication of illiteracy; industrialization , accelerated in

crease in production, foreign investment incentives and stimulation of domestic investment; develop 67

68

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

ment and diversification of exports; manpower train

ing; establishment of friendship and cooperation with other countries; and establishment of bases for future growth . 3. Special and urgent effort must be made toward rural development as key to any real transformation of the conditions of living for the majority of the An golan population . This entails a bigger effort in road

building to enable domestic commerce . We need, above all, to define the socio -economic cultural cen

tres that may, in turn , enable us the development ofa domestic commerce sector that satisfies the needs of

the people without recourse to forced and generalized resettlement schemes. The creation of commercial

centres by the Government initiative must not pre

clude parallel effort by the private initiative. Private spontaneity would in fact reinforce State action .

4. We need to pursue policies toward national uni ty. This dictates the need for a three -dimensional integration of the national leadership with the local (traditional) leaders, of the community with its

neighboring communities, or the province with its neighboring provinces, and of national cultural-his torical links between the past, the present and the future. It requires the adoption of Portuguese as the official unifying language in education and business

(notwithstanding the preservation , usage and cultivation of our national African languages) and removal of all restrictions on the mobility of the

peo

ple. It also requires the establishment of nationally and regionally balanced economic development proj ects so that no region will be left behind.

UNITA'S PLAN - PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES

69

5. We must examine in detail and rapidly all exist ing socio - economic structures and their past evolu

tion , in order to correctly define — and to introduce suitable changes in — the systems of ownership, men tal attitudes, the nature of foreign cooperation, pro duction and productivity criteria, and fairness in in come distribution .

6. We need economic development planning to un dertake a deliberate, rational, continuous effort

aimed at both orienting and accelerating the develop ment process by a selection of objectives and by the appropriate allocation of resources to achieve these

objectives. 7. The elaboration of economic development plans

will be based on sound planning techniques and

methods: a thorough structural and demographic analysis of the economy; the definition of the general as well as the specific goals to be achieved; the identi fication of national, regional and individual goals as

well as global and sectorial objectives; the definition

of public expenditures programs; the definition and establishment of policies for the private sector; the establishment of policies for the development of

human resources; the establishment of policies and programs for the public sectors of health and educa tion; and the establishment of a method for constant assessment of the viability of the plan or its compo nents. Structural and demographic analysis will be the point of departure for the plan to assess the avail ability and utilization of resources as well as the

population and its movements and geographical dis tribution . This urgently requires the establishment

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

ofa national accounting system to collect and process statistical data on the population (growth rate, ur

banism , age composition , active percentage of the population and its economic sectors, fertility, mor tality, migrations, geographic distribution ); on agri culture (production, exports, cultivated land, total arable land ); on fishing, game, extractive and pro

cessing industries; on energy supply, retail and gross sales, external trade, currency and credit, public fi nances, prices, government revenues and expendi tures, construction, transportation, movement in

ports and airports, etc. We recognize that assembling such statistical information may not be possible until the economic system becomes more stable. But ini

tially we will work with estimates and reasonable approximations; the whole national accounting sys tem may be perfected in stages. 8. Public expenditures are an integral part of the

economic development plan; their estimate must be directly related to improvement of budgeting tech

niques. For planning purposes and in the overall pro cess of economic growth, private expenditures and public expenditures must be treated with equal at tention. Public investment financing must always be viewed along side private investment. The private sector should have ready access to public funds and

vice versa (i.e. , private savings at the disposal of the government) for investment, in accordance with na

tionally recognized priorities.

9. In addition to its economic profitability, each project within the economic plan should be evaluated on the basis ofits possible impact on the utilization of

UNITA'S PLAN

PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES

71

unemployed or underemployed resources; the elim ination of bottlenecks or weak links in the economy;

the relations of complementarity; the diversification of the economy; and technical manpower training.

10. Socio-economic development planning should constantly establish a balance between material,

technical, human and financial national resources . To identify disproportions, bottlenecks and unre alistic goals, and to find corrective measures, we will

need to prepare periodic individual balance sheets, out of which may be derived a general economic bal ance sheet as well as an analysis of macroeconomic and inter-sectorial relationships. The individual bal ance sheet should include, among others, the follow ing: -material balance of strategic product exports/imports;

-income/expenditures for the population or monetary cash flow /volume of goods and services available for sale;

-foreign exchange/external trade; -investment/ construction .

An effort should also be made periodically to com pare :

- consumption /accumulation of wealth ;

-industry and agriculture/transportation; -extractive/processing industries; -increase in productivity /rise in the standard of living

salaries/general well being; -urban development/rural/regional development.

11. In economic planning we should always com pare the estimated cost ofa project with the expected

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

72

gains and assess alternate solutions. Given the vital

importance of data , socio-economic development planning must be supported by a central bureau of statistics.

12. Socio-economic development planning must also spell out the sources and the amounts of funds for financing the plan , which will largely be local and

national resources in the form of budget surplus and transfers from government agencies; domestic sav ings; and foreign credits or donations. The fiscal

soundness ofthe plan is ofextreme importance, bear ing in mind that public expenditures must not exceed the ordinary state revenue.

13. Of the two categories of policies — the ones that can act directly in quantitative terms (rationing, li censing, prohibitions, contingencies, etc. ), and those that operate indirectly through the forces of the mar

ket (taxes, interest rates, exchange rates, salaries, subsidies, etc.it is the second that should be given

special importance. Without overtaxing the govern ment bureaucracy, fomenting a black market or stim

ulating corruption , the second category offers more psychological advantages and tends to be more effi cient.

14. Economic planning does not imply arbitrary price fixing and interference with market mecha

nisms. Commodities, goods and services should be

valued by the market rather than by artificial or political factors. 15. We must endeavor to promote economic free dom within the context of our development of demo

UNITA'S PLAN - PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES

73

cratic institutions as the ultimate way to stimulate

creativity, productivity and organizational ability of the individual, for economics rests in large measure on psychology and human behavior, incentives and motivations. The individual's free choice based on

rational self-interest, when properly cultivated, may lead to the best assessment of human needs and the

most effective development of human energies to meet those needs. This economic freedom must there

fore be preceded by solid education and discipline in action so that self- interested choices will be sensitive

to the interdependence between the good of the indi vidual person or group and the good ofthe society as a whole.

16. Peace, human liberties and freedom are essen

tial preliminary conditions to effective implementa tion of national reconstruction programs, entailing, of necessity, an active participation of the population in their individual quest for prosperity. Socio -eco nomic development must be conceived on the basis of a politically free, democratic society where total itarianism or dictatorship in any form whatsoever

would not be tolerated; a society where laws are fair, enforceable and respectable, the universally recog nized basic human rights are upheld, and the pursuit ofhappiness and prosperity allowed to each and every individual.

17. A judiciary system based on a constitutional and institutional framework of the fundamental

principles of the rights and responsibilities, priv ileges and duties, and equality of all citizens before the law is required .

74

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

18. The thrust of the penal institutions must be

correction , rehabilitation and reintegration of the in dividual into the society, rather than sheer punish ment or revenge. There would be no taking of the law into private hands, and police brutality must be total ly eliminated from the Angolan society. All public law

and order enforcing officers (police ) must know their duty to protect and respect the population in a digni fying, humane manner. Crime detection and deter

rence must be carried out by scientifically tested and socially accepted procedures which must preclude the unusually cruel, inhuman methods reminiscent of colonial oppression. Regardless of the nature of a crime, the Angolan society must not resort to banish

ment of its citizens into exile against their own will. 19. Party and government officials must set the example at all times in obedience to the laws and

regulations and implementation of policies. Stan

dards of behavior for public servants must be high . The state will have no moral force to encourage in

national reconstruction, ifthe leaders unscrupulous

ly hoard wealth for their personal well being, buy homes and estates and open up personal bank ac counts abroad , instead of enjoying their own country and investing at home. National self-confidence and hope in the future will be undermined when leaders

are so eager to squander the meager foreign currency reserves to buy personal property or to invest in for eign countries. If public servants seek comfort and prosperity abroad, then their sincerity to promote prosperity at home will be questioned. 20. Policies and programs must be established to encourage the return to the Motherland of the hun

UNITA'S PLAN - PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES

75

dreds of thousands of Angolans who were forced to

leave the country at one time or another. Conditions must be created to facilitate their reintegration and their contribution to our national reconstruction .

Many of them are highly skilled professionals, busi nessmen, bankers, farmers, etc. , especially those of

Portuguese origin , whose contribution would be vital

to the country they love and of which they chose to be citizens— Angola.

21. And finally, we must bear in mind the fact that the success of socio-economic reconstruction pro

grammes will inevitably be slow . Notwithstanding all social pressures to solve urgent problems, the real

progress may be appreciable only at the end of a long period of steady and conscious struggle. It would be

unrealistic for us to expect full prosperity within less than 15 years. But it is fundamental and imperative that concrete, irreversible gains in the general pro cess of the transformation of our society be recorded and sustained every fiscal year, however modest the

gains may be. We must therefore define the pro grammes in accordance with the available means as well as in terms of a realistic assessment of our capa

bilities rather than on the basis of simplistic idealism .

4.1 SECTORIAL OVERVIEW 4.1.1 EDUCATION

Education is the key in any effort to achieve nation al unity. It can bridge social, cultural and class differ

76

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

ences, raise national consciousness, increase the

national ability to meet obligations in the interna tional community, and, in general, increase produc tivity and the standard ofliving. Every sector ofsocio economic endeavor requires a sound base in educa tion. Illiteracy is crippling, and shortages of skilled manpower can seriously undermine any socio - eco

nomic development plan. We must therefore pursue a four-component strat

egy for the development of human resources : 1. Eradication of illiteracy.

2. Rational development of a formal education . 3. Training of skilled labor. 4. Establishment of adequate incentives.

Literacy programs should be set up at all conve

nient locations and directed primarily toward adults in villages, townships, working places, and the armed forces.

Formal education comprises the primary, second

ary, and university levels as well as professional or technical training institutions. Formal education must include basic education in writing, reading, arithmetic, national history, natural sciences, geog

raphy and reasonable fluency in the official lan guage.

Basic education should include primary school and two years of secondary education, but may be up graded to full secondary education at an advanced

stage of national socio-economic development. Basic

education must be compulsory for all school-aged children .

Secondary education must be of the best possible quality, to provide competent administrative person

UNITA'S PLAN – EDUCATION

77

nel, skilled manpower and qualified university en trants. Secondary education graduates must be suffi ciently advanced to serve the needs of most citizens, lest higher education become an empty symbolism . All education must be free and democratized. By free we mean no fees required, except for books and school materials; and financial assistance must be provided to needy students at all levels of schooling; by democratized we mean equality of opportunity to all school-aged children to attend at all levels includ

ing higher education, provided the student's academ ic accomplishment warrants society's continued in vestment in the advancement of his education. In

order to ensure academic excellence, balance profes sional training, and prevent excesses or shortages of skilled manpower in certain professional fields, there will be adequate counseling to all technical school or higher education entrants. Without economic or monetary rewards, national investment in education or professional training will produce little or nothing. It is therefore important to establish a system of incentives, to remunerate work in proportion to its value for the overall moderniza tion of the economy.

It is also not enough to adjust incentives so as to orient the population toward the fields of activity of interest to economic development. In agriculture, for instance, we must modernize rural life in order to

stimulate the population and prevent its exodus to urban areas .

Private industry must share in the obligation to

train skilled manpower by providing financing and practical training programs.

Private schools under the sponsorship of religious organizations will be encouraged, provided the school

78

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

curriculum , norms, and other aspects comply strictly with government guidelines in the spirit ofpromoting equal opportunities to all people. The overall effort to prepare skilled manpower should be such that the rate of increase in skilled

manpower should exceed the expected overall eco nomic growth rate.

Human resources development strategy must in

clude the means to combat both shortages and ex cesses of specialized manpower.

In shaping our national educational outlook , we must take into account Angola's repeated subjuga tions by foreign powers, the high level of illiteracy, and the social and cultural diversity of the country. Our approach must therefore be realistic and prac tical, and geared to the vast numbers of working

peasants who have always been on the outermost fringes of previous educational systems. Portuguese must be retained as the official language,

notwithstanding the integration of national languages in the system of education to preserve our African heritage. This, however, will not be compulsory. Our immediate action program in education would include:

1. Creation of permanentinstitutions to establish and coor dinate educational policies.

2. Undertaking an inventory ofall data on the present level of literacy in the country as well as its demographic geographical distribution . 3. Allocation of material resources to combat illiteracy at local, regional and national levels and to implement policies on basic education .

4. Evaluation of existing material conditions (schools ) and the condition of school-age youth at the various educa

UNITA'S PLAN - HEALTH

79

tional levels to use existing facilities efficiently and as sess needed expansion . 5. Creation of commissions to establish and review school

programs and curricula for primary and secondary schools.

6. Evaluation of requirements for, and speed upthe estab lishment of, middle -level technical schools and advanced professional training institutions or universities to deal

effectively with the question of national manpower shortages.

7. Undertaking a detailed study of manpower training needs in education .

8. Creation of special educational institutions for handi

capped war veterans and handicapped children . 9. Creation of career guidance centers to advise and coun

sel youth on academic and professional pursuits. 10. Creation ofparents' guidance centers to inform and edu cate the parents on school life and its purposes, and on

the conditions of their children , since in fact a whole

some education is a process requiring participation of the parents, the family, the community, and the school itself. 11. Establishment of school admission criteria for all levels of education .

12. Seek assistance and cooperation from the international community. 4.1.2

HEALTH

All socio - economic progress depends closely on the

health and nutrition ofthe population. Longevity and productive capacity depend largely, too, on health education and eradication of diseases that sap the vitality of our people.

At the same time, most health problems in Angola derive from poverty, widespread endemic diseases,

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

80

malnutrition , undernourishment and general igno rance of elementary health , hygiene and sanitation principles by the population . These conditions are

generally aggravated by inadequate government con cern or policies on public sanitation , inadequate

housing, lack ofpiped water and sewage systems, lack of cleanliness and public hygiene as well as total lack

of government policies to serve the interests of the overwhelming majority of our people — the rural pop ulation .

As in education, health care must be a right, not a privilege, of every Angolan citizen . Health and medi cal care must therefore be free to the people. A minimum action program for the health sector must include:

1. Intensive public health , nutrition and hygiene education of the Angolan people in schools, working places, and rural areas.

2. Introduction of health , hygiene and sanitation courses in school curricula .

3. Establishment of a program to prepare public health and sanitation technicians with emphasison health ed ucation , rural health problems, school health , industrial

health, preventive medicine, environmental sanitation and social work (assistance to the sick , the invalid , the elderly, and mental health ). 4. Establishment of public health and pharmaceutical ser vices as well as specialized services for the control of endemic diseases.

5. Special attention to maternal and child care. 6. Intensive effort to invest in training of doctors, nurses ,

midwives, paramedics, pharmacists and other medical auxiliary personnel as well as the creation of material conditions to effectively prevent the loss ofprofessionals, especially medical doctors, to foreign countries.

81

UNITA'S PLAN - LABOR

7. Search for productivecooperation with international or ganizations such as WHO.

8. Creation of up -to -date statistical services to equip socio economic planners with statistical data for constant as sessment and improvement of health conditions. Must

regularly compare ratios of population hospital beds, patients/doctor, infant mortality and mortality rates, etc., as basic indicators of evolution of national health

and hygiene. 9. Undertake a regular appraisal of the available network of hospitals, clinics, dispensaries, equipment and mate rials.

10. Establishment of biomedical, health , and pharmacy re search institute .

11. Establishment of a national plan for immunization espe

cially against TB, smallpox, diphtheria, tetanus, polio and whooping cough. 12. Define policies to ensure adequate national health ser vices planning and administration and adequate supply of medicines and equipment in the country. 13. Mobilization and allocation ofpublic funds for the health

sector to serve the Angolan people free of charge. 14. Encouragement of establishment and regulation of pri vately funded and administered health institutions.

4.1.3

LABOR

Labor collectively represents the sum ofthe human dynamic energies that can be exerted on the environ ment to transform it and produce the needed goods and services for society. It represents physical ,

human power, the skills and craftsmanship, techno logical knowledge, and all other intellectual faculties

embodying forms of human energy that generate the wealth out of the country's potential.

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

82

Labor is also the most noble form of man's fulfill

ment, enabling him to express his creative capabili ties and to bring his contribution to the society. Labor must therefore never be exploited or viewed as a form of servitude but rather the most dignifying human endeavor.

UNITA , therefore, strives for the transformation of

the working and production relations of individuals in their organizations or enterprises, to give labor its true meaning in the Angolan society. This is relevant especially in the light of the bitter memories the An

golan people have ofthe inhuman labor policies ofthe previous regimes when forced labor ( including in its

disguised forms under the MPLA regime) was a cruel practice of repression and systematic destruction of

human lives in a naked exploitation of man . UNITA's concept of equality, justice and freedom

entails, above all, the dignification of labor and the immediate and total abolition of all forms of forced

labor. We must ensure the Angolan citizens a con stitutional right to choice of occupation, respect for work, fair remuneration for the work done, safe work

ing conditions, and the right ofthe workers to assem

ble freely or organize themselves in free labor or trade unions to collectively protect their interests and thus further the cause of democracy.

Labor productivity — the quantity and quality of goods and services produced per unit of labor — is

naturally a function of the degree of scientific and technological advancement, the level ofindustrializa tion , the socio -political climate, worker morale and

work discipline, environmental working conditions and, above all, the adequacy of the incentive system (monetary and economic rewards, opportunity for ad vancement and availability of desirable goods and

UNITA'S PLAN – LABOR

83

services the worker can acquire with part ofhis earn ings so as to improve his conditions oflife, increase his

standard of living, and achieve prosperity ).

It is recognized that labor productivity is generally several times higher in industrialized countries than in an agrarian society; and modernized agriculture is

infinitely more productive than traditional farming. It is therefore vitally important for the economic de velopment plan to define the parameters within

hich Angola can effectively deal with this key fac tor - labor - in socio - economic development.

The high level ofilliteracy, the widespread shortage of skilled labor, the inadequacy of past policies re

garding the worker and the existence ofa subsistence type of agriculture are some of the basic handicaps that undermine Angola's labor productivity.

We need to revise rapidly and thoroughly all exist ing labor codes and to formulate adequate labor legis

lation conceived , above all, to protect the freedom , liberty, and dignity of the worker. All forms of forced labor, including disguised forms of it, must be forbid den . The individual must be free to pursue the oc

cupation of his choice, to earn his living and improve his social condition . Workers should also be free to

organize themselves in associations or clubs for their collective betterment. A worker should have a right to paid annual vacation , and conditions must be created

to permit a worker's continuous improvement of his skills.

UNITA's socio-economic development planning

must therefore include an action program on labor reflecting the following points: 1. Formulation of labor regulations and statutes having the force of law .

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2. Detailed general survey of present labor conditions and their evolution through the previous regimes of foreign domination .

3. Detailed scientific studies to find ways to increase labor

productivity and availability, and to improve on working conditions in general. 4. Establishment of minimum working age, duration of working day and working week, minimum salary, pro motion criteria, and retirement subsidies.

5. Protection of pregnant women and children . 6. Promotion of industrial and public hygiene and safety standards in and around working places by means of

labor inspection government department.

7. Establishments of norms to harmonize employer-em ployee relations. 8. Establishment ofregional and local employment centers

to monitor the rateof unemployment or underemploy ment, the type of skills in shortage or excess, as well as

the availability of employment for work -seekers . 9. Establishment oftraining facilities and opportunities in every enterprise as a form ofraising national productivi ty.

10. Establishment of criteria for recruitment of foreign workers, bearing in mind the need to balance out the

demand on the country's foreign exchange reserves, and the effect on the preparation of the national skilled work force .

11. Undertake a feasibility study for the establishment of a social security system to assist a worker who finds him self temporarily unemployed and /or to assist the unem ployed in general, especially the heads of families. The study would determine eligibility criteria for benefits, allocation of funds and effects on the overall social well

being.

4.1.4 AGRICULTURE

We must aim toward national self-sufficiency in agricultural products in general and food in particu

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85

lar. We must also recognize the various limiting fac tors imposed by the agricultural sector on the entire socio-economic development plan , for there is an inti

mate interrelationship between overall growth objec tives, the rhythm of industrialization , export objec tives and required increases in agricultural produc tion , and needs for raw materials for industries, etc.

Most of Angola's socio-economic development will,

therefore, depend on improving present agricultural practices. At present, more than 80 percent of the Angolan population lives in rural areas, in a subsis

tence economy directly or indirectly dependent upon agrarian activities (farming, livestock and forestry ). Given this demographic fact, the agrarian sector, when developed from subsistence to a market econo

my, will indeed be the key to global national progress. Self-sufficiency in food and the production of surplus goods for export will help to free Angola from foreign dependence and generate foreign currency for im ports ofequipment, for building infrastructure, or for investment in other vital projects. Modernization of agriculture will spontaneously

free a large portion of the population currently in agriculture for other growing economic sectors such as industry, public administration, and commerce . Progress in agriculture is therefore fundamental to Angola's prosperity.

Angola's potential for agricultural production is

enormous. The vastness ofthe territory, its ecological diversity and its resources in soil and climate, with modern agronomical science, can ensure a high na tional production of: a variety of nutritional and industrial crops typical of the tropical, subtropical and temperate zones, in sufficient quantities not only for domestic needs but also for export;

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-the production of timber, whether as fuel or as raw mate

rial for a variety of industries; -the production oflivestock in quantity and quality not only for adequate supplies of meat, poultry, eggs, milk , wool, and leather for domestic needs, but also for exports.

True, there are certain adverse natural factors that

will condition agricultural production in varying de

grees. Fortunately, most ofthese factors have already been clearly identified and defined , and the appropri ate corrective techniques are now well known, too.

Thus, in relation to soils, many of them are highly deficient in phosphorus, easily affected by erosion, and with very low levels of fertility; hence the meager

unit production obtained by the traditional farmer, tolerable only within the framework of subsistence

agriculture. Rational fertilization schemes can cor

rect these limiting factors ofsoil productivity. Angola is endowed with abundant reserves of phosphates of

excellent quality which can be applied directly to correct the main soil deficiencies in plant-digestible phosphorus. Other existing materials in the coun try — such as petroleum , natural gas, potassium salts, gypsum , limestone and sulphur - may feed a chem ical industry to produce most fertilizers essential to modernization of agriculture. Angola possesses abundant water resources not

only for electric power production but also for irriga tion schemes to upgrade vast areas of inadequate rainfall. With regard to pests and plant and animal diseases, scientific research has identified the most

significant ones in Angola; the techniques have also been developed for prevention or treatment. In order to attain our fundamental objectives

self-sufficiency in agricultural products, socio -eco

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87

nomic promotion of the rural Angolan, and surplus production for export — in the agrarian sector, our

agricultural development strategy must be based on the following considerations: a . Agrarian development must be an integral part of an overall program for the country within the socio -econom ic development plan ;

b. Angolan farmers and their families must be the focus of the agrarian program , fully supported and assisted by the government and in structured cooperation with the

entire rural community; the farmers will be active par ticipants encouraged to work with dedication and with

openness to technological innovations;

c. Soil is a precious and irreplaceable national asset. It must therefore be rationally utilized so as to assure its conservation and to correct its inherent imbalances, thus

enabling us to constantly improve upon its level of fertil ity ;

d . The systems to be adopted in the agricultural, forestry and livestock projects will be determined on an agro ecological basis with solid support of technico -scientific knowledge, to achieve higher economic profitability ofthe soil.

e. In agrarian development we should favor the family en terprise organized in viable social and economic molds

within the framework of intensive farming. However, given the various factors that dictate the need for large rather than small family -size enterprises, corporate and cooperative ventures must be encouraged to undertake

large-sized private initiatives, materially and financially equipped to carry out rational development of resources, provided the collective national interests are safe guarded

f. The agricultural entrepreneur will only feel motivated to invest in large- scale ventures and promote the progres

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sive increase of the earth's productive capacity if he is entitled to own the land or, at least, if he is assured entitlement to land utilization for periods of time suffi

ciently long to allow him a return on his investment in an inherently long-term project.

g . Farmers must be the first beneficiaries of the products of their work, adequately valued and paid for at fair prices. They must, therefore, organize themselves in cooperative schemes to enable them to intervene decisively in the

commercialization and, eventually, in the industrial pro cessing of their products ; they may also thus enable themselves to acquire collectively the means of produc tion , especially farm machinery.

Given these considerations and the existingbottle necks ( lack of transportation routes or storage and distribution facilities, and total structural disor ganization ), the following action program will be adopted as a priority: 1. Establishment and consolidation of a climate of peace,

stability, and social justice in Angola. 2. Establishment of a series of incentives to individual,

private and collective initiatives to achieve rapid self sufficiency in food .

3. Organization ofgovernment support and assistance pro grams to the farmer - technologically, financially, and organizationally; this implies the structuring of the ag riculture ministry to integrate mechanisms and services at national and regional levels so as to ensure prompt, efficient and reliable assistance to the farmer; and re organization of agricultural training at various levels

aiming at preparation of adequate professional man power for the sector, with special attention to rural agri cultural technicians who will be the physical link be

tween the farmer and the agriculturalresearch labora tories.

4. Gathering and processing of all technical-scientific data

related to production of plants and animals in Angola

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89

and their publication in a most accessible form to poten tial users.

5. Assure the supply, at affordable prices and opportune

seasons, ofthe means ofproduction ,especially seeds and choice plants, fertilizers, soil conditioners (correctors ), pesticides, agricultural tools, and animal breeders, bearing in mind Angola's own potential in many of these production factors. In this case we emphasize the need to

develop rapidly the production of phosphate mines in Cabinda and Zaire provinces. 6. Promote the popularization of animal and mechanical

energy for traction as well as the use ofagricultural tools and machinery for tilling, crop dusting and harvesting so as to increase the physical productivity of labor and enable cultivation of larger areas of land within the framework of family farming practice.

7. Establishment of a system of rural credit adapted to the concrete needs of the rural world. This should be timely, fast and accessible to all interested citizens; sufficiently flexible in acceptance of possible guarantees; de centralized , to be as close as possible to its users ; super vised in order to ensure its application to the intended purpose; and conditioned to utilization, on the part of the recipient agrarian enterprises, of the rational tech

niques of plant and animal production. 8. Establishment ofminimum prices for agricultural prod

ucts before planting, and guarantees for their transpor tation and marketing. 9. Reorganization of the commercial and distribution facil ities for agricultural products and other essential con sumer goods, equipped with adequate transportation and storage networks. 10. Creation ofagriculture cooperatives with ability to inter vene in the commercial network , thereby eliminating the middleman and improving prices both for the farmer and for the consumer .

4.1.5

INDUSTRY

While we proclaim agriculture to be the natural base of Angola's economy, it must be recognized that

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90

industry will also be a key factor in its development, allowing for high rates of growth within a relatively short period of time and conditioning the viability of other economic sectors such as agriculture itself. In developing our national industry, the primary aim will be to meet an increasing domestic demand in diversified goods and services, using local raw mate rials and local or national labor at improved cost in

relation to comparable products from abroad. This entails increasing production and productivity, diver

sifying the end products, attaining accelerated devel opment rates and promoting the development of human resources. In short, we aim at self-sufficiency in a variety of essential goods and services by practic

ing self-reliance as well as by a rational exploitation of

our natural resources and their processing into more profitable export products for foreign exchange earn ings.

Industrial development must be justified by a

quantitative and qualitative increase in production and in the production process itself, as well as by a sense of harmony between that development and other short-, intermediate-, and long-term interests.

In a highly competitive and uncontrollable exter nal market, our foreign exchange earnings can only be ensured by diversifying and improving on our ex port products, even if the latter are made up essen

tially of raw materials. Processed raw materials have an upgraded export value and entail reduced ship ping costs.

The industrial development program must also

take into account the need for a balanced production ofraw materials in light ofpresent domestic demands and the conservation of resources for the future.

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In addition to the basic laws of supply and demand, various factors will naturally determine the viability of industrial development. These include the ade quacy of the transportation and communications sec

tor; the availability of energy; the soundness of agri cultural and other raw material producing activities; the availability of storage facilities, infrastructure,

skilled manpower, equipment and capital; and above all, a sound policy spelling out clearly the incentive criteria both for the developing enterprise and for the

individual worker. Industrial development, there fore, is not only a key factor in overall economic prog ress but also an integral part of a development pro

cess where progress in one sector depends on progress in other sectors.

Lack of national infrastructures, the presently un

affordable huge capital outlays required, the re strictive external market, and other factors may rule out the feasibility of the establishment of heavy in

dustry in the form ofheavy machinery and equipment

building for the time being, except in automobile and equipment assemblage. Viable industrial sectors

must therefore be defined realistically to avoid costly ventures that never get finished nor generate positive returns on investment. Where it is economically

sound to import, then we must import for as long as necessary

4.1.5.1

Processing

Priorities in the processing industry include: -A processing industry to transform agricultural products into a greater variety of quality food products and other consumer essentials: cereal flours for bakeries, pastas,

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cookies and bread, sugar, cooking oil, beer, leatherwear,

footwear, bags, soaps, health and hygiene products, etc. -A textile industry to process cotton , sisal and similar raw materials into clothing.

-A processing industry to transform forestry resources into a variety ofproducts for local consumption and / or export: lumber, plywood, wood pulp, furniture, etc.

-A petrochemical industry to produce fertilizers and basic chemical products, including batteries, tires, matches, etc.

4.1.5.2 Fishing There is undoubtedly an enormous economic po tential in this sector, both as nutrition for our popula tion and as a highly lucrative export commodity. Investments in the fishing industry could easily pro

duce good returns on capital, whether in export or in domestic trade. Angola was at one time a fish export ing country, and efforts should now be made to re

store the fishing industry at least to its pre- indepen dence production levels of about one million tons annually. In order to rehabilitate this sector, we must make an objective analysis of what has brought fishing down to collapse over the past few years: -Unfair treaties with foreign countries which enjoy ex

clusive rights to fish Angola's territorial waters, returning little of the catch to the domestic market;

-the general economic disorganization; -the usual lack of trained manpower and local entrepre neurs ;

-government policies that give no adequate incentives to individual fishermen or small enterprise ;

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93

- lack of repair and maintenance infrastructure; -inadequacy of the fishing fleet; -lack of supplies to fishermen ; -serious bottlenecks in the distribution circuits;

-lack of transportation and storage facilities; - lack of government supporting agencies; - lack of capital for investment.

To reach pre -independence production levels, we need to:

1. Establish a comprehensive policy on marine resources development. 2. Reassess existing facilities by undertaking an inventory of vessels and their maximum utilization .

3. Establish new ownership criteria restoring as much as possible to private hands and providing the latter with adequate credit facilities as well as technical assistance.

4. Create material conditions to improve shipyard mainte nance facilities.

5. Establish fair and just cooperation agreements with for eign countries not only to make up for the national

shortage of skilled manpower, but also for profitable joint ventures in marine resources exploitation.

6. Improve on the national transportation network and storage facilities along main distribution lines.

7. Establish viable processing facilities: installation ofcur ing/drying systems, freezing facilities, operable canning industry, fishmeal and fish oil production. 8. Improve upon the infrastructures of commercialization . 9. Establish a Fishing Technology Institute to carry out marine resources research in order to find ways to pro

tect the environment, conserve marine species, utilize available species most efficiently, and train manpower in fishing and related activities.

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10. Integrate the fishing industry in an overall socio - eco nomic development plan.

4.1.5.3 Extractive Industry

The primary objective in this sector is to earn for eign currency by exporting mineral products — oil, metals and non -metals, either in crude or processed form .

Oil production and diamond mining constitute to day the main economic activity in Angola, accounting

for about 95 percent of the country's exports. Hence the vulnerability of the economy, hostage to a single

raw material exporting pattern with obvious adverse consequences. Petroleum , like most mining re sources, is a depletable, non -renewable economic as set, with a market value totally dependent on unsta

ble and uncertain external supply-and -demand fac tors.

Given Angola's vast potential in mineral resources,

a rational effort must be made to diversify the extrac

tive industry into various profitable mining ac tivities, so as to increase foreign currency earning

capabilities as well as to provide for a wider range of domestically supplied raw materials for other vital industrial sectors. It is therefore necessary to give a

new direction and a new impulse to the economic evaluation of diamonds and other precious metals,

iron , copper, manganese , zinc, uranium , phosphates, coal and industrial rock mining.

Mining is, by nature, a high technology, heavy cap ital sector. It requires policies to: -induce investors to put capital into the industry;

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95

-train a reservoir of professionals who can eventually en sure national management of this vital sector; -engage foreign manpower;

define the range of state/private enterprise partnership ; -carry out a permanent national program of geological exploration to find new mineral reserves and reduce over head production costs; -define priority mining sectors, establish criteria for defini tion of strategic mineral resources - radioactives, solid

fuels, hydrocarbons, ferrous metals, etc.; -define the relationship with other economic activities within the overall socio - economic development plan;

-establish a program of mineral conservation and environ mental protection.

Angola's mineral resources are still very little known. Only extensive geological exploration pro grams will allow us to define the country's mineral potential. But modern -day geological surveys and ex ploration are costly undertakings. The project must

therefore be gradual but steady, targeted to cover the country within a pre- established period of time. In order to achieve our objectives in the mining sector,

UNITA's action program for the extractive industry includes the following: a . Thorough examination of existing mining legislation , mining contracts and infrastructures for best utilization of whatever is available.

b. Appraisal ofstate ownership and participation , having in mind the improvement of incentives to the investor and benefits to both the investor and the country.

C. Increase research and exploration in the rest of the coun

try and establish the most viable mineral development and production policy.

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d . Introduction of gas development and production , both for domestic needs and for export.

e. Assessment of domestic energy needs and establishment

of price uniformity, distribution systems and energy con servation policies.

f. Establish a National Mining and Geological Service and National Mining and Geological Institute, equipped with modern tools for geological, geophysical and geochemical prospecting and geological surveys, whose initial tasks

must include the elaboration ofa national geological map within a relatively short period.

g . Increase non -ferrous mining prospecting in areas of known favorable rock formations.

h. Initiate and expand mining ofphosphate rock for produc tion of soil conditioners (fertilizers for agriculture ). i. Undertake ornamental and industrial rock quarrying, especially of marble, quartz, clay minerals, feldspar, talc, gypsum , etc.

j. Identification and development of coal reserves . k . Optimization of gold mining.

1. Restructuring of diamond mining operations to reach pre -independence production levels. m. Establish a manpower training center to prepare dia mond mining workers in sorting, classification , grading and distribution .

n . Intensify diamond exploration work to increase known reserves of diamonds beyond Lunda Province.

0. Establish an effective system to combat illegal diamond trading, today representing an irreparable loss of the country's wealth .

p . Reactivate existing iron mining operations for high grade ore.

q. Update feasibility studies on iron ore pelletizing.

4.1.5.4

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Tourism

Angola is endowed with a diversity ofbreathtaking natural scenery: waterfalls, flora, game preserves ,

landscape, beaches, and a generally pleasant climate. These natural assets could provide the foundation for an extensive tourism industry, whether for a visiting foreigner or for a sightseeing resident.

The development of tourism could constitute an important source of foreign currency earnings. It could also provide thousands of jobs and stimulate other economic activities such as the hotel industry. But Angola's vast natural tourist resources have

generally remained unexploited. The Portuguese colonial rulers were strongly suspicious of foreign

visitors in the country, fearing that they would influ ence Africans with “ subversive notions ” and hasten

revolt against colonialism ; they were also resentful of the inevitable criticism or condemnation of their rule

by a foreign visitor. Likewise, the present MPLA re gime abhors foreigners on almost identical grounds. Realistically, however, the development ofthe tour ist industry must be conceived of as a by -product of progress in other key sectors such as transportation and communications, housing and hotel business,

food supply services, and immigration policies. It is, however, necessary to start out immediately by: 1. Thoroughly assessing the potential of the tourist sector, identifying and inventorying the most outstanding natu ral assets in the sector.

2. Identifying the most serious obstacles to the opening of the sites to visitors.

3. Defining a basic policy for the tourist industry, including environmental conservation measures.

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98

4. Identifying areas that may be readily developed with minimum investment.

5. Creating a national commission on tourism under the inter -governmental authority of commerce and interior affairs.

4.1.6

TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS

Transport and communications are to socio - eco nomic development what blood vessels and nerves are to the human body. People and raw materials must

move about in order to produce goods and services, which in turn must be moved about to consumers.

Improvements in production methods or in produc tivity will be meaningless unless there is correspond ing growth in transportation and communications

services, since, theoretically, the total quantity of goods and services produced by the society will al be proportional to available transportation and communications equipment multiplied by the perfor mance speed of the equipment. While this simplistic model may not be readily applicable to all develop ment activities, it is obvious that the tonnage of goods, number of passengers or volume of postal de liveries by train, boat, car or plane will definitely depend on the capacity, physical availability and effi ways

ciency of each of these means of conveyance. If the efficiency or rate of performance of the system is low , one might have to increase the physical availability or number of units to operate with .

In reality it is the factor of efficiency which must be constantly controlled and upgraded on each system. Purchase of new equipment may be impossible or

UNITA'S PLAN — TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS 99

economically unwise; but technical know -how , spare parts, maintenance discipline, optimum scheduling,

and rigorous observance of established timetables

are key to the productivity and reliability of the transportation and communications systems. The transportation and communications sector is capital-intensive. A policy must be outlined to permit

massive private investment in the sector, except in telecommunications (posts, telegraphs, telex , tele

phone, TV and radio) and airlines, which should be controlled by the state. Private investment, private

ownership and private management of most trans portation enterprises, within general government

guidelines, will create the best incentives for the en trepreneur and the worker, with immediately positive results for the whole country. Within the framework of planning responsibilities,

the transportation and communications sector re quires constant monitoring of all circuits to detect and correct bottlenecks, to streamline the flow and forecast national needs for expected economic growth . Comprehensive and detailed studies will be under taken rapidly for this sector of transportation and

communications, aiming at defining a minimum ac tion program for each specific subsector: 4.1.6.1

Railroads

Due to the country's present politico-economic crisis, only about one fourth of Angola's 3160 km . of railroad network is operable today. We therefore

urgently need to restore the country's network to normal, pre-independence operating conditions. Ef

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100

forts will also be made to expand the railroad network

progressively into remote regions as an effective way to reach the deep countryside for development pro grams.

Of thefour Angolan railroad systems, the 1300 km .

trans -continental Benguela Railway line (CFB), be cause of its international and strategic importance to the region, rates special attention and special urgen cy in reconstruction efforts. The CFB is of vital eco

nomic importance to Angola's neighbors Zaire and Zambia , entailing therefore a special regional re sponsibility for Angola .

In addition, the CFB, cutting across the entire

width ofthe national territory through the geograph ical center ofthe country, constitutes the most useful tool for development of the most densely populated portion of Angola . Reopening and rehabilitation of the CFB will

therefore be of utmost urgency. This will entail: 1. Assessment of the extensive repair work on bridges, rail segments, and related facilities.

2. Inventory and rehabilitation of existing rolling stock . 3. Establishment of adequate management personnel.

4. Resumption of passenger and cargo services on a regular basis .

5. Reopening of contacts and negotiations with neighboring countries with a view to immediate joint utilization of the CFB and its full restoration to international traffic.

6. Discussions and renegotiations with private owners and investors.

7. Establishment of new tariffs.

8. Manpower training.

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9. Assessment of the conditions at the Port of Lobito facility

(since, indeed, the reopening of the CFB to international traffic is strictly dependent on the adequacy of this port).

Similar steps must be taken in relation to: -The 900 km . Mocamedes Railway line (CFM )—to reopen the Cassinga iron mines, to facilitate development pro

grams forthe south -central region of the country, and to increase the economic value of the port of Mocamedes. - The 500 km . Luanda -Malange railway line, to restore its

usefulness to the cotton -producing agricultural region . - The 120 km . Amboin -Gabela railway line to serve this densely populated agricultural/commercial coastal area .

4.1.6.2 Ports - Maritime Transportation

Related to Angolan railroads' economic viability are seaport facilities at the terminus of each railroad network, the maritime means of transportation , and

its intimate relationship with external trade and commercial dealings with other countries. As in the fishing industry, serious shortages of qualified seafaring manpower have relegated this im portant subsector to foreign monopolists, depriving the country of adequate control of this communica tion link as well as of the exploitation of its immense potential in Angolan manpower employment.An im mediate action program will be aimed at the follow ing: 1. Search for productive cooperation with foreign countries.

2. Undertaking of an up -to -date evaluation study of the state of ports, sea vessels, enterprises, and manpower adequacy. 3. Establishment of a merchant marine technical school for

port workers and seafaring technology.

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4. Definition of a policy for maritime transportation , includ ing regular sealiners, domestic and international naviga tion, passenger and cargo transportation, etc. 5. Modernization of ports, standardization of cargo han dling devices, improvement of manpower productivity, assessment of adequacy of storage facilities, and estab lishment ofadequate maintenance and repair facilities in ports.

6. Establishment of a national merchant fleet with long range cargo ships. 7. Establishment of a government maritime transportation

service to register all vessels, issue navigation regula tions in Angola's territorial waters, coordinate port ac tivities, review tariff schedules, create uniform codes for

safe seafaring, and establish and control a port police force.

8. Outline a method to eliminate the costly ship overstaying in Angolan ports, eliminate port congestion, and improve upon work discipline.

4.1.6.3 Road Transportation Network As with the railroad network , the 36,500 km . road network (of which about 8,500 km . were of asphalt

surfaced and 28,000 km . ofgravel surfaced all-weath er road ) that Angola possessed at the end of Por tuguese colonialism is less than half usable today. A total absence ofminimal road maintenance programs

has induced a rapid and extreme deterioration of the roads .

Roads are the basic national communication ele

ment between town, villages, or communities — the

vital link to progress, however unsophisticated the mechanical means of transportation may be. The di lemma is that there can be no adequte road network without a stable economy to finance it, but there can

UNITA'S PLAN - TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS 103

be no prosperous economy without a good road in frastructure to support it. Road construction must be expanded as early as possible, as the economy grows. Given the heavy financial commitments that road building demands, it will be necessary to encourage

private participation in public projects as well as lo cal/regional initiative by private citizens, whether in dividually or collectively. Road construction will also require consultations and joint projects with neighboring countries, within

the framework of a regionally integrated road net work .

Roads are just as good as the vehicles and the drivers that transit on them . Regulations on the type

and physical conditions of vehicles on public roads,

establishment of highway safety standards, drivers' competence tests, and availability ofrepair and main tenance shops in the country are all indispensable. UNITA's minimum action program for the road transportation subsector will include: 1. General survey of the road situation . 2. Establishment of a broad road and bridge reapir pro gram .

3. Identification of access roads to key economic areas . 4. Establishment of a long-term highway construction pro

gram as agricultural development needs. 5. Creation of a government road and transportation de partment to establish road repair and maintenance in frastructures, establish public transportation systems,

set and control highway safety standards and auto driv ers' tests, enforce safety regulations, asses urban trans portation problems, licensevehicles, establish tariffs for taxis, etc.

6. Encouragement of private trucking enterprises and taxi companies.

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7. Promotion of establishment of private auto garages throughout the country. 8. Establishment of auto mechanics and drivers' schools.

9. Establishment of a highway safety police.

10. Manpower training to provide the country with engi neers, technicians, resource managers and administra tors in this subsector.

11. Establishment of an optimum nationwide public mass transportation system to make up for the severe short age of private means of transportation. 4.1.6.4

Civil Aviation

With about 180 airports and landing strips (of

which only a third are in use in post-independence Angola ), the country needs qualified technical per sonnel ( pilots, aircraft mechanics, airport managers and civil aviation administrators) to complete its basic infrastructure for a wide utilization of aircraft

for domestic passenger, cargo and postal services, as well as for the optimization of international air trans portation routes.

4.1.6.5 Post and Telecommunications There were 330 major post offices in the country at

the time of the end of Portuguese rule; now there are

only about 100 in operable conditions, and no new ones have been opened. Organization of the postal services must be a top priority for the government. An efficient mail delivery service, radio broadcasting programs, telex, TV, telegraph and telephone facili ties are an absolute necessity in any national effort to improve upon economic management, enable the es

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tablishment of economic relations with other coun

tries, and raise the cultural level of the population. Modern socio-economic development is inconceivable

without fast, reliable communication devices (phone calls, cable, telex, letters, radio). Angola was earlier endowed with a reasonably ade

quate public telecommunication system including the telegraph and a domestic, as well as interna

tional, automatic telephone network. In addition to a national radio broadcasting station , there was a na

tionwide network of provincial broadcasting radio stations and one television station .

Our immediate action program for the telecommu nications subsector must include: 1. Evaluation of the existing system to identify inade quacies and propose remedies.

2. Rehabilitate and reactivate all existing postal and tele graph stations, extending them to all municipalities and smaller communities as well as the rural areas.

3. Progressive but rapid improvement on postal services as a basic national telecommunication service which must,

therefore, process mail collection and delivery efficiently and reliably.

4. Establishment of a postal workers' training program . 5. Stamp design and printing.

6. Modernization of the telephone and radio wave systems. 7. Adoption of the new wireless telephone system to speed up installation of the telephone network throughout the country.

8. Extension of the telex network to all major urban cen ters.

9. Subscription to existing communications satellites. 10. Establishment of an Institute of Telecommunications

for training and research purposes.

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11. Creation of adequate regulations for the telecommunica tions subsector.

12. Integration of the system into a regional and pan -Af rican network.

4.1.7

ENERGY

Electric energy is basic to socio - economic progress and is key to industrial development. Angola is so abundantly blessed with water resources that the

country can be wholly supplied with hydroelectric power.

At the end of Portuguese colonial rule, the energy sector included some six major hydroelectric power stations, with a generating capacity of more than 1 MVA each , and 67 hydroelectric and 1,264 ther

moelectric medium -to -small- sized power stations for a combined output of 740 GWH .

The country's energy potential from major hydro graphic basins, however, was estimated at:

Middle and Lower Cuanza Basin ..... 26,200 GWH >

Cunene River

6,800 .. 6,000

Longa River.

Queve River..

Queve-Catumbela Basin .. Catumbela River Lucala River

.. 14,800 4,100 ”

.

9,000 "

.

Total estimated potential

>

5,100 " .

72,000 GWH

It has been further estimated that electric power demand for domestic needs for the foreseeable future

will not exceed 3,000 GWH , even at a high rate of industrialization .

UNITA'S PLAN - ENERGY

107

It is therefore obvious that Angola's vast potential in hydroelectric energy would not only amply satisfy national needs but also, when adequately developed ,

would provide a major surplus commodity for export to neighboring countries.

A natural secondary (but vital ) beneficiary of hydorelectric power development is the agricultural sector, including rural development projects and

other activities. These relations of complementarity, plus the inexhaustibility of water resources and the generally low cost per energy unit (notwithstanding the high initial cost of dam construction and equip

ment), render hydroelectric power development more attractive than other energy resources that are equal ly available in the country ( coal, natural gas, oil, etc. ).

The actual development and distribution ofelectric power in the country will, however, be dictated by several factors:

-availability of a particular energy resource; - local industrial and household electric power demand;

-cost of development and availability of capital; -charges which should be affordable to the average user ; -accessibility of consumers to power distribution lines;

-socio -demographic and economic conditions — whether it is economically feasible to install a power line to a small community many kilometers away from a power source, and whether the main concern is a factory installation or a general electrification of the area;

-projected economic and population growth ; ecological and environmental considerations, etc.

UNITA's action program for the energy sector will include the following steps:

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1. Creation of an Energy Department to deal with the

energy problems on short-term and long -term basis. 2. Elaboration of a comprehensive energy policy to include development, distribution, investment, conservation and environmental protection .

3. Undertaking a full assessment of the current energy situation and an up-to -date estimate of the potential.

4. Assessment of costs for the conclusion of incompleted projects from the colonial days, and definition of a plan for the resumption of these projects.

5. Determination of priority projects — repair of damaged installations, renovation, expansion, modernization or installation of new facilities.

6. Elaboration of feasibility studies and initiation of proj ects aimed at a rational, nationwide electrificationpro gram , with special priority to specific development proj ects.

7. Establishment of an adequate accounting system for billing and collecting. 8. Establishment of criteria for electric power rates to con sumers .

9. Development of cooperation with foreign entities for joint ventures in large-scale hydroelectric schemes. 10. Creation ofa pool ofcompetent professionals and techni cians engineers, scientists, etc. — to manage energy re sources and carry out structured basic research in the energy field .

4.1.8 EXTERNAL COMMERCE

Self-sufficiency and self-reliance in no way dimin ish the vital importance ofcommercial ties with other countries, whether for export or import of goods and services at any stage of our national socio -economic

development.

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109

As in extenal relations in general, external trade

policies must be founded on a constant evaluation of national needs, to be based not only on past rela

tionships with other countries but on the prospects for the future. We would aim to ensure the continuity

of good relationships, to reformulate outdated ones, and to create new ones.

We must strive for credibility and reliability with our trading partners, prompt payment of debts and fulfillment of our obligations, in order to ensure re spect for our national sovereignty and reciprocity of interests .

The essence , however, of external trade policies lies in answers to the fundamental questions of what to sell and what to buy abroad . We sell that which we

nationally produce, to obtain the currency reserves that are needed for our purchases abroad; and we buy that which we need but cannot produce ourselves.

It is therefore obvious that our export products must be salable, to meet demand in the international market. Because of competition and fluctuations in

demand, generally totally beyond our control, we must constantly strive to improve the quality and diversity of the products we export, to maximize our options for foreign currency earnings. This requires permanent market research and monitoring ac tivities to identify international trends.

Angola cannot base its economy on a single product export, such as oil, with its well known unpredictably

adverse consequences to the whole economy. Even if we export raw materials, we can diversify them : agri

cultural products, other minerals, forest products, fishing and hydroelectric power.

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

Imports will be geared to meet needs in consumer

goods and services, equipment and machinery, tech nology and capital. Efforts will be made to encourage

the population to prefer nationally produced goods over imported ones; however, this must not be done by

ideological or political appeal, but rather by allowing

the consumer, qualitatively or economically, to justify preference. Imports could be a challenge to national

production to improve its quality. UNITA envisages the establishment of good com mercial ties with all countries, with special emphasis on the Western economic blocs — West Europe, EEC within the spirit of the Lome accords, North America and the African community - always on the basis of reciprocal advantages, equality and mutual respect for each other's sovereignty. Notwithstanding com prehensive government regulations on external trade, UNITA does not accept the establishment of a state monopoly on imports and exports.

Our immediate action program will include the following: 1. Elaboration of an external trade code.

2. Undertaking of a study project on diversification of An gola's external market, both for the placement of our products for export and for the procurement of equipment and other essentials for import. 3. Establishment of a National Foreign Trade Bureau to

monitor activities, forecast trends, collect data on exter nal market movement, set import and export tariffs, con trol the export/import activities, issue import/ export li censes, and give technical assistance to private entrepre neurs .

4. Establishment of an Export Development Fund to assist

in the coordination and rationalization of policies related

U

UNITA'S PLAN - INTERNAL COMMERCE

111

to transport and placement of national products in the external market.

5. Promotion of foreign investment. 6. Stabilization and normalization ofthe import mechanism

to ensure a regular, steady flow of needed import prod ucts .

7. Identification of major bottlenecks in the import circuit and adoption of remedies thereof.

4.1.9

INTERNAL COMMERCE

Beyond simply buying and selling, economic pros perity entails the development of a well structured

domestic trade. This involves money-merchandise re lations, the purchasing power of the national curren cy, the needs of the people in goods and services, and

the availability of the merchandise. Changes in the consumption patterns of the popu lation determine changes in life style and standards of living. We cannot change from a subsistence econo

my to one of increased productivity and gross nation al product until we change consumption patterns. The role of commerce in this process is fundamental, not only in the distribution and exchange of available goods and services at fair prices, but also in improv

ing the availability of essential consumer products, especially foodstuffs, clothing, footwear, hygienic and health products, cultural materials, maintenance and repair services, and others.

Adoption and application of anachronistic political principles (predominance of state monopoly, rigid state control on all economic activities), lack ofmeans

of transportation, paralysis of the railroad network, partial destruction of the road system, congestion at

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

seaports and storage areas — these are serious obsta

cles to improvements in internal commerce under the present regime. Thus Angolan farmers are unmoti

vated to produce, for when they do, they see their products rot due to lack of means to move the goods. (In 1980 alone, for example, the MPLA regime paid U.S. $200 million in indemnizations to foreign sea transportation companies whose ships stayed an

chored for up to 16 months waiting to be unloaded at the Luanda harbor !)

Domestic trade is therefore intrinsically tied to the performance of the transportation sector, to permit a

smooth circulation of goods, especially to the coun tryside and in municipalities and small commu nities.

In domestic commerce, national progress can be

achieved only by de- emphasizing state ownership and encouraging private initiative, private ownership and private management, under clear general govern ment regulations, whether in retail or in gross trad ing. Private commerce is therefore to be encouraged

at all levels except where strategic resources are in volved.

UNITA's immediate action program would include: 1. Undertaking an up -to -date evaluation of internal com merce throughout the country to best define current

commercial problems especially in the countryside: shortage of goods, unfair prices, illegal trade, transpor tation problems, lack of know -how, demographic factors (too thinly dispersed rural population ), inadequate legis lation, etc.

2. Abolition of the repugnant class discrimination perpe trated by the present regime's leaders' stores, foreign advisors' stores, party's stores, supervisors' stores, peo ple's stores, etc. , whereby the ordinary people's stores are

UN

UNITA'S PLAN - INTERNAL COMMERCE

113

actually the least supplied, running empty most of the time.

3. Elaboration of internal commerce statutes and regula tions.

4. Creation of a National Bureau of Internal Trade to

monitor circulation of goods, identify bottlenecks, issue commerrial licenses, oversee application of commercial regulations, establish a commercial inspection service, maintain liaison with the External Trade Bureau, es

tablish prices, etc.

5. Promotion of establishment of large -scale national com mercial enterprises. 6. Establishment of adequate regulations to control the quality and adequacy of urban markets. 7. Promotion of establishment of family -size commercial

enterprises, especially in rural areas, to satisfy local self-sufficiency in supply of essential goods and services and outlet of local products for export.

8. Undertaking a comprehensive feasibility study on trade expansion by identifying the ideal spots for the estab

lishment of socio -economi-cultural centres. 9. Creation of local commercial cooperatives.

10. Abolition of card rationing system in grocery or depart ment stores.

11. Concession of import licenses to medium-sized retail and gross volume trading enterprises. 12. Establishment of consumer cooperatives to engage the

population's influence in improving the supply system . 13. Renovation and rehabilitation of the hotel, restaurant and bar industry. 14. Evaluation and rehabilitation of the entertainment business.

15. Rapid rehabilitation of food supply systems to public places restaurants, hospitals, schools, social institu tions, etc.

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

16. Establishment of a code of ethics for all businessmen ,

traders and distributors, to ensure honesty, fairness and reliability, and deliveries on schedule and in pre-deter mined quantities. 17. Special attention to regulation of commercial activities

with neighboring countries by local border populations which may not fall under the jurisdiction ofExternal Trade. 18. Establishment of a National Commercial Institute to

promote the training of manpower for a whole range of business and management disciplines. 4.1.10

BANKING AND FINANCES

Banking is the economic activity of receiving and safeguarding money and other valuables, lending money at interest, executing bills ofexchange ( checks and drafts ), buying and exchanging foreign currency,

and issuing circulation notes or currency. Finance

represents collectively the monetary resources in cluding the public funds and the disposition of the

public revenues by the government, as well as the skill of the management of these resources. Finance

policies and activities are highly dependent on the ability and efficiency of the banking system. Banking and finance are therefore intimately re

lated activities to be streamlined into one develop ment sector. They are functions aimed primarily at

the management and control of the national mone tary resources rather than to generate wealth . As

such , banking and finance must be under the ex

clusive control of the state, notwithstanding the ac ceptance of private investment in the sector.

When a bank pays interest on deposits, it wields an effective tool to encourage the population to put its

UNITA'S PLAN - BANKING AND FINANCES

115

savings in the bank and acquire the habit of transact ing through the bank. The bank must prove its usefulness to the average working citizen, who may

thus develop faith in the system and entrust it with the keeping (saving) of part of the fruits of his labor for posterity. A people's tendency to deposit their

money in national banks is a sign of collective hope in the future an indication of political stability and economic growth .

The bank must prove its usefulness to the average working citizen , who should count on it for a loan to start a business or otherwise enhance his productive

power, confident in the country's ability to benefit from , and to reward, his economic activities. Whereas

savings are a token of the citizen's faith in the coun try's governing institutions, lending is the token of the latter's trust in the citizen . The banking industry must be an effective public

instrument for application ofmonetary and fiscal pol icies affecting investment, currency exchange rates, tariffs on exports and imports, interest rates, price stabilization and inflation control. It can therefore

not operate in isolation but must be intrinsically linked to a farsighted, sound foreign policy. We believe in making a sustained effort to put the

meaning of the concept ofprice at the service of fair,

orderly economic growth . Prices are, indeed , an es sential factor in all economic endeavors, whether as a basic tool in the assessment of production efficiency, or in national income redistribution . Prices are also

invaluable in regulating economic activities, ena bling us to direct available resources toward the most promising goals and conditioning the whole market

exchange mechanism . Naturally, care must be exer

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

cised at all times to prevent any tendency to compen

sate through price increases for the losses incurred by public economic mismanagement or government in competence.

National currency is not just an economic tool; its conception, design and imagery generally embody the expression of a political ideal. Given the funda mental political objective of consolidation of national independence, national reconciliation and unity, now

and in the future, it is obvious that neither the colo nial escudo nor the MPLA's cuanza can be accepted as

Angola's national currency. The range ofactions to be undertaken immediately in this sector must include: 1. Elaboration of a detailed but uncomplicated and efficient fiscal and monetary policy, including definition of rela tionships between domestic monetary policy and foreign exchange policy, and price stabilization .

2. Establishment of a national currency, backed by a feasi bility study on the pros and cons of joining a major monetary zone.

3. Evaluation and reorganization of the existing banking system .

4. Establishment of a policy for contractual relations in mixed enterprises of state and foreign private investors, and investment in general.

5. Establishment ofa graft-proof national bank accounting system .

6. Establishment ofviable, up -to -date government budget ing and filing systems.

7. Organization of a system of taxation , interest rates, custom duties, tariffs, etc. , in cooperation with the com merce sectors.

8. Enactment ofadequate legislation to regulate the trans fer of earnings from the state -controlled enterprises to the state treasury.

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UNITA'S PLAN - HOUSING

9. Establishment ofmechanisms for reliable control of cur

rency circulation, foreign exchange reserves, and foreign currency transfers.

10. Creation of a highly qualified and specialized agency to provide advice on money markets, analysis of the inter

national monetary and financial situation and foreign technical advice.

11. Exploration of international assistance from the IMF, World Bank , individual countries and other financial

organizations.

12. Promotion and establishment of life and property insur

ance businesses both by the public and private ini tiatives, within the framework of general guidelines to be spelled out by the government.

13. Preparation ofa pool of highly qualified national person nel in banking and finance, as well as midlevel techni cians.

4.1.11

HOUSING

Social progress in Angola entails tackling the ex tremely urgent housing problems. Traditional rural housing, characterized by one-room mud and thatch “hut ” construction , and the urban " musseques " or " sanzalas," characterized by carton -walled and tin

roofed cubicles, are the most conspicuous and most striking cause and effect of the underdevelopment of

the majority of the Angolan population . The urban housing situation has been aggravated by the great influx of population from rural areas.

Since 1975, the city of Luanda, for example, has

doubled its population. This rural-to -urban migra tion has caused overcrowding in urban areas and makes local urban administrators overstretch their

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

capacities to provide the basic amenities and facilities required for an urban population . Due to the scarcity of employment opportunities to

absorb these staggering numbers of newcomers into

urban areas, most of the unemployed or under employed urban people end up living with others in the already crowded small shanty -town dwellings, or

else they build new shanties. Given the already mis managed, rapidly dilapidating city in post-indepen dence days and the mushrooming ofthe shanty -towns

around, the city is virtually being absorbed into the musseque or sanzala.

The low standard of living, the high cost of housing

construction , and the lack ofincome to support urban life make most of these people accommodate them selves in squalid living conditions with very inade quate potable water, sanitation, sewage, garbage col lection, recreational facilities, schools, transporta

tion, clinics, and other important amenities for a decent life.

The need for better housing is really urgent and critical. All efforts must be made to upgrade the

slums and squatter settlements into the urban fabric in Angola and to rapidly improve the housing style in rural areas to a dignified level.

We recognize the huge sums ofmoney that would be required to provide decent shelter to every family

today: it would literally exceed the whole public reve nue for the next several years ifgovernment-financed housing projects were undertaken for all low income

families! Add to this the rate of population increase per annum , and the problem would never disappear. We also recognize that this is a problem that plagues most African countries today. But we must set ourselves the goal ofproviding sanitary housing to

UNITA'S PLAN - HOUSING

119

every Angolan family whether in urban or rural areas within the next decade and a half.

The concrete approaches to the problem will be based on comprehensive feasibility studies and anal yses

of the various types of low-income housing

schemes, general urban renewal projects, rural devel opment programs and other development considera tions.

Theoretically, such a giant national housing con

struction program would require costly heavy con struction machinery, concrete mixers, earth -movers, high technology, countless skilled personnel, etc. , which would largely have to be imported at unaffor dable foreign exchange values. Given this, we believe, right away, that investing large amounts of capital

may not be the solution; but application of self-re liance principles by the people may prove to be the sound , logical approach.

Self -reliance entails, first of all, the need to train and show the people how they can best assist them selves in solving individually their own housing prob lems. Self -reliance would also provide for a lasting,

realistic, and cost -affordable solution to Angola's na tional problem . Training of manpower, planning, mass mobilization and orientation would thus be the

most effective and most important role the govern ment should play in this sector. Application of self -reliance would not preclude the need for help from the international community; it would simply make such foreign assistance more

useful and justified. Nor does self -reliance preclude the need for large public and private investments in the housing sector, especially in large commercial buildings throughout the country.

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THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

The basic skills of technicians, craftsmen and op

erators that must be covered by the training program

for housing construction would include administra tive assistants, accountants, building technicians, carpenters, masons, cleaning assistants, work clerks,

community development assistants, drain layers, drivers, electrical fitters, land property evaluators, health assistants, plumbers, vermin exterminators, furniture builders, painters , gardeners, general clerks, building materials experts, and building maintenance experts.

UNITA's immediate action program for the housing sector must include the following steps. 1. Establishment of a Ministry of Housing and Urban Af fairs to deal with housing problems not only in cities but also in the rural areas .

2. Definition of a comprehensive housing development pol icy.

3. Assessment of the magnitude of the housing problem in urban areas, including estimates of the slum dwelling population. 4. Elaboration of a budget proposal for a nationwide hous ing project. 5. Elaboration of an inventory of available skilled and

semi-skilled personnel in housing construction , and es tablishment of a manpower training program .

6. Elaboration of a special urban renewal program for the nation's capital and other major cities.

7. Identification of possible sources of funding. 8. Elaboration of an inventory of national building mate rials and the various forms of their utilization .

9. Establishment of an interministerial agency (Rural De velopment, Housing and Urban Affairs, Health, Educa

tion , Culture, Construction, Transportation , Energy, In

UNITA'S PLAN – RURAL DEVELOPMENT

121

terior, Finances and Planning) to deal collectively with the housing problem. 10. Establishment of a special framework of cooperation with the Ministry of Construction and Public Works. 11. Search for international cooperation .

4.1.12

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Social progress in Angola should not be measured by urbanstandards ofliving but rather by perceptible change in the remote rural areas where most An

golans live. Up to 80% of Angola's population is in the

countryside rather than urbanized ; it is therefore essential to establish a Rural Development Program to accelerate the process of raising the standard of living in the country. On the other hand, the barren conditions of life in

rural areas force many young people to migrate to the cities to seek better living conditions. But they gener

ally end up frustrated, swelling the ranks of the un employed and compounding the problems of the ill equipped cities. Only by developing the rural areas will it be possible to retain the population in the countryside and save the cities.

We must therefore make an all-out effort to bring roads, piped water, electricity, shopping centers, li braries, entertainment centers, clinics, schools, and other services to rural communities, to transform

living conditions for our people. We need, above all, to create the market for the purchase of the peasant's agricultural produce and

artifacts as well as for the sale ofessential goods such as soap, cooking oil, kerosene, clothing, salt, house hold appliances, blankets, etc. , thus transforming the

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

122

social and cultural gravity centres into socio -econom ic development bases for the rural areas. Because of the vastness of the country, the dis

persed nature of the population, the lack of basic infrastructure ( roads, electricity, piped water, etc.),

the high illiteracy level and the generally low econom ic productivity ofthe rural population, rural develop ment will require the commitment of immense re sources and a combined effort of various sectors and

interministerial agencies and services, such as Agri

culture, Culture, Internal Commerce, Transporta tion and Communications, Health , Education , Indus try, Energy, Housing, and Banking Departments. It must be recognized that modernization of agri

culture is the single most effective solution to rural development. UNITA's concrete action programs for

rural development will include the following steps: 1. Definition of a detailed rural development policy. 2. Establishment of priority projects. 3. Creation of health and hygiene education brigades to launch a campaign of public education on these matters. 4. Creation of anti-illiteracy brigades. 5. Establishment of a public education program on model living conditions : home building, furnishing, mainte nance , etc.

6. Establishment of a Rural Development Ministry to coor dinate interministerial programs on rural development. 7. Establishment of specific goals to be achieved within a fiscal period.

8. Identification and definition of major problems in rural development and their effect on urban life.

UNITA'S PLAN - PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

4.1.13

123

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Public administration is a key sector linking the

government to local populations in the implementa tion of various policies.

But this is also a sector that in the past has been so

terribly misrepresented and totally removed from the concept ofgovernment ofthepeople, for thepeople and by the people that an Angolan government ought to be. During the colonial rule, a Chefe de Posto (or

Administrador de Posto) was invariably associated with brutality and unfairness to the African popula tion ; he wielded the hand -held dehumanizing

" palmatoria ” to arbitrarily inflict physical punish ment on the people, to extort burdensome, unfair taxes, to raid villages for forced laborers, etc. MPLA'S public administration , on the other hand, is charac

terized by nepotism , favoritism and blind partisan ship giving rise to total bureaucratic incompetence,

inefficiency andparalysis. Today Angola drifts away in chaos, virtually ungoverned , for lack of minimum infrastructures to administer throughout the coun

try the day -to -day government activities. UNITA's program of organizing and reorganizing

public administration includes the following: 1. Examination and restructuring of the country's adminis trative divisions with a view to establishing an effective,

dynamic public administration responsive and sensitive to the pace and complexity of the socio -economic recon struction process.

2. Establishment of a Public Administration or Interior

Ministry to coordinate all regional and local public ad ministration .

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124

3. Elaboration of legislation and statutes for the public ad ministration sector, including a code of conduct for all public administration officers and the forms of coopera tion with other ministries.

4. Assessment ofavailability ofqualified personnel in public administration .

5. Establishment of programs of manpower training

through schooling, on -the -job training, continuing pro fessional training, scholarships abroad, and cooperation with friendly countries.

6. Preparation of adequate and knowledgeable police force to ensure public safety and security. 7. Establishment of criteria for the selection of public ad ministration career officers where national political con sciousness should be essential, but technical know -how mandatory

4.1.14

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Our basic foreign policy goals will be the preserva

tion of our political independence and protection against foreign aggression by all possible political and diplomatic means, the establishment ofeconomic

cooperation, the attainment ofrespect and credibility in world affairs, and the establishment of friendly and productive relations with other countries.

Socio -economic development requires interaction with the international community in a wide range of cooperation agreements, trade, diplomatic relations,

friendship treaties, membership in international or ganizations, and active support of human liberties, peace, cooperation , and dialogue.

At the same time, the international community's respect for and trust in Angola will depend signifi

cantly on Angola's real progress in national socio

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125

economic reconstruction . In other words, by achiev ing economic independence or self -sufficiency, An gola may consolidate her friendship and genuine eco nomic cooperation with other countries and win their respect. Understanding of this relationship is funda mental in shaping our foreign policy.

National political and economic weakness will only encourage aggression by other countries, while na

tional political and economic strength will strength en our friendship with other countries. Every country would like to avoid becoming stereotyped as a chronic seeker of foreign or humanitarian aid. There must be a rapid national effort to achieve self- sufficiency, to take part in the progress ofthe international commu nity, to assess our own national resources and ability to grow rather than searching for external factors to

explain or excuse our national problems. Only then will it be possible to apply in practice the universally

proclaimed principlesofequality, non -interference in the affairs of other countries, mutual respect and reciprocity of interests in international relations.

There is nothing wrong with learning from the experiences of other peoples. But we shall resist any temptation to copy another country's economic or po litical model. Angola is unique, with its own physical and spiritual traits which determine its own path of

development. Failure to study Angola and to know Angola leads to adoption of ready -made foreign for mulas with disastrous effects on our country's reality.

Learning from other countries' experiences means learning from them all — the successful ones and the unsuccessful ones aliketo enrich our ability to build our own unique society.

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Efforts to create or maintain relations offriendship with other countries must be pursued evenly and constantly through dialogue, definition of common interests, and cooperation.

We will encourage and take part in regional eco nomic cooperation. In fact, many long- range national economic development projects can only be under

taken effectively if they are conceived within the framework of interstate complementarity. Similarly, Angola must play an active role in the Organization of African Unity, in the pursuit of Af rica's collective defense of its political and economic interests in the international community. We firmly

believe that the political concept of Pan Africanism must be translated in socio-economic cooperation among African countries. We recognize that Africa is

not monolithic . It represents a wide diversity of cul

tural, ideological, historical and political entities. But it also faces common problems that can only be dealt with effectively by a collective effort: under development; recent colonial domination, which still links most African countries to their former colonial

metropoles rather than to their neighbors; economies based on raw materials export; subsistence agri culture; etc.

We would also seek adherence to the non - aligned

movement in its original spirit oftrue non -alignment in relation to the super powers, to actively promote world peace and cooperation .

UNITA'S PLAN_THE CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATION

127

4.1.15 THE CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE AND PROGRESS

The democratic society that UNITA wishes to es tablish in Angola is based on basic principles ofmod ern constitutionalism adapted to our own African

reality. These basic principles are: 1. Political freedom with the recognition that all citizens

have the right to express freely their ideas and opinions

regarding the stateand national policies, as well as the right to assemble freely in order toparticipate more effec tively and collectively in the political process. 2. National sovereignty in the sense that the power belongs to the totality of the citizens who may exercise their

sovereign political will through genuinely democratic processes.

3. Political representation in the sense that the governing must act as the representatives of the governed — the peo

pleto whom they are politically responsible for all their acts, and by whom they must be periodically elected in free and universal suffrage.

Diplomatic recognition may confer legality to a re

gime in the international community; but only the people's support or sanction expressed by vote or con sensus may establish the legitimacy of the regime. Angolans must be allowed to exercise their inaliena

ble right to vote to create legitimate permanent gov erning institutions in the country - even if the elec

tion may have to be preceded by a transitional period of government of national unity. UNITA adheres to the values of liberty, equality

and human dignity expressed in the Universal Decla ration of Human Rights. UNITA considers the

human being — the individual — as the foundation of

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alljudicial order, committing the state and its institu

tions to the pursuit of human dignity, progress and well being . The recognition of fundamental and inalienable

human rights as well as social and economic rights is

fundamental to UNITA's effort to transform Angola into a truly democratic society based on constitu tionally guaranteed civil liberties, law and order. The main objective of the judicial system will be to defend human life as well as the physical and moral integrity of the people. Civil liberties must be the

liberties ofall citizens and not ofjust some; no citizen may be excluded from the national community against his own will — no forced exile of an Angolan

citizen should be permitted. To guarantee freedom and liberty is to ensure the protection and security of

the citizens against the arbitrary exercise of power. The state of Angola cannot be indifferent to the

inequalities ofopportunity that still prevail in society, since the state has the duty to transform equality before the law into real and concrete equality of op

portunity for all citizens in the pursuit of happiness, progress and well being. Freedom to practice one's religion is a fundamental

human liberty which the state must protect. Similar ly, the state must protect the rights of all individuals

without discrimination based on class, political be

lief, sex, race, language or nationality. It will be necessary to establish tribunals at all administrative centers to allow easy access to judicial procedure for all citizens. A mechanism must be es

tablished to publicize legislation in a form readily accessible to ordinary citizens, since compliance with

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129

the law is possible only if the people are adequately informed about it.

The administration ofjustice will be the exclusive

responsibility ofthe state. No one will be permitted to take the law into his own hands — to administer any form of private justice whatever.

The security and safety ofthe people must be guar anteed through organization and adequate profes sional training of the police force, disciplining firmly any acts of police brutality, and all other crimes

against the security of people and property. All tribunals shall be integrated into one juridical organ . Exception shall be made for the Military Tri bunals and specialized tribunals such as labor courts, which will operate independently.

5.

CONCLUSION

U.N.I.T.A. will endeavor to implement its ECO NOMIC RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM to achieve

the basic objectives underscored in the present DOC UMENT, following a course of action guided by the fundamental principles outlined also in this Docu ment.

The basic objectives to be pursued include the at

tainment of national self-sufficiency in food products and other essentials, health care, clothing and decent housing In order to attain these basic objectives, tangible progress must be ensured in key economic activities

in AGRICULTURE , INDUSTRY, COMMERCE and TRANSPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS . But

progress in these production and distribution sectors requires urgently an upgrading of the quality of our

human resources through manpower training, an im provement on the health standards and a viable gov

ernment administrative apparatus. Hence, the em phasis, in this DOCUMENT, on the social sectors of EDUCATION , HEALTH , LABOR , HOUSING and RURAL DEVELOPMENT as well as the definition of a framework for the State action in PUBLIC ADMIN

ISTRATION , PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGEMENT, FISCAL POLICIES, FOREIGN POLICY and the basic concepts ofJUSTICE AND HUMAN DIGNITY. 131

132

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

We have dealt at length with the key role of Educa tion in socio - economic reconstruction ; but it has been

recognized that education or manpower training alone is not panacea to the country's socio -economic ailments. Many a developing country has practically overcome illiteracy, disposing even of thousands of university graduates among its educated elite, but,

ironically, maintaining very low standards of living and a pervasive decline in economic production . We need a better understanding ofconsumption patterns and cultural values as they relate to production and productivity. It is important to have the cadre and

public servants in direct and permanent contact with the people, especially the rural populations, where profound transformations are needed in order to en able the country to advance.

All socio-economic activities are inter -related

through the INDIVIDUAL the producer and the con sumer.

ECONOMIC PLANNING is vital not only to pro vide for a global view of the national interests and

formulas for collective action in the pursuit ofnation al goals, but also to avoid socio -economic anarchy which would benefit no one in the country.

But Economic Planning is not synonymous with centralization of economic management. We need a high degree of decentralization of the economic ac tivities to enable a larger participation of the private initiative in economic development at local and re gional levels, thus avoiding the creation of a counter

productive, cumbersome, unwieldy central govern ment bureaucracy.

The people's participation must be voluntary, in

creasing gradually in intensity and scope, reflecting the country's general move into entrepreneurship.

CONCLUSION

133

But this participation of the people is essential to the whole process of laying out and consolidating the economic production infrastructures. In this case a surge of thousands of small and medium size private Angolan enterprises will ensure us the attainment of

economic prosperity more rapidly and more surely than the concentration of the country's economic ac tivities in the hands ofa dozen giant-size enterprises. The principle of SELF -RELIANCE , which has so

well guided UNITA since the Party's foundation , con stitutes our basic point of departure for any national action program for progress and prosperity. That is

why we have emphasized, in this DOCUMENT, the internal dynamics and the ANGOLAN as INDIVID UAL HUMAN BEING in the evaluation of the re

sources available for national reconstruction . Foreign assistance, whether as financial loans or as technical cooperation, must be sought only in terms of well

defined specific national needs. Only Angolans can determine the priorities in socio-economic develop ment projects. Only Angolans can determine when to

seek foreign help. Availability of foreign assistance

must not be allowed to dictate, a priori, the determi nation of national priorities. In other words, we will search for remedies only after careful diagnosis ofthe problem, and not formulating problems to fit pre conceived solutions or available "aid”.

There is an urgent need to study in depth and detail the socio-economic crisis in Angola , so that the measures to be adopted by the NATIONAL RECON

STRUCTION PLAN will be realistic and implemen table.

Underlying much of the Government action in PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION , ECONOMIC DEVEL

OPMENT and especially in NATIONAL EDUCA

134

THE ANGOLA ROAD TO NATIONAL RECOVERY

TION and CULTURAL AFFAIRS, must be a perma

nent effort to promote NATIONAL UNITY. We must heal the wounds inflicted upon Angola by the long years of foreign -fanned armed conflicts and unsuit

able administration in the past; we should recognize that DIVERSITY OF POLITICAL OPINION AMONG ANGOLANS MUST NOT CONSTITUTE A PERMANENT CAUSE OF NATIONAL POLITICAL

ADVERSITY. Regardless of their ideological differ ences, Angolans as a whole constitute the indispens able assets with which UNITA intends to reconstruct

the country. Conditions must be created to promote to establish democracy rooted in political tolerance our African cultural values.

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