MpD remembers April 25th and renews commitment to the ideals of freedom and justice

“On this April 25th, we celebrate not only the date, but we also renew our commitment to the ideals of freedom and justice. Cape Verde is a nation that seeks to strengthen and value these fundamental principles”, expressed deputy Euclides Silva, representing the parliamentary group.

According to the same source, for whom these ideals only came to fruition 15 years after the 25th of April 1974, with the 13th of January 1991 and the promulgation of the 1992 Constitution, the idea that the PAIGC was the only legitimate representative of the people and that independence could only be achieved under their guidance was a “nefarious narrative”.

“That deprived our country of April Freedoms for many years after formal independence. Only in 1991, after decades of political restrictions and repression, Cape Verde finally achieved the April Freedoms that had been initially promised”, he stated.

“Therefore, on this 25th of April, while we celebrate the courage and determination that paved the way for national independence, we must also reflect on the harsh reality faced by the Cape Verdean people under the PAIGC regime”, commented the parliamentarian, noting that , “if it weren’t for” the single-party regime established by the PAIGC in Cape Verde in 1975, the country could today be celebrating 50 years of freedom, as in Portugal.

Supported by his narrative, Euclides Silva said that the MpD has reasons to celebrate the 25th of April, which “led to the 5th of July, the Independence of Cape Verde, and, finally, freedom” on January 13, 1991.

“Therefore, for the new generations of Cape Verdeans and for History, we are here to remember the sinister shadow of the PAIGC, a political party that clung to power in Cape Verde, crushing the aspirations of freedom, democracy and development of our country. people”, he stated, considering that the proclaimed independence “was not accompanied” by the true freedom that Cape Verdeans “deserved and aspired to”.

Faced with such statements, the reaction of the African Independence Party of Cape Verde (PAICV, opposition) did not take long, expressing its indignation in the voice of its leader João Baptista Pereira, reporting that the PAICV is proud of the journey it has made in Cape Verde, and that July 5th represents the “biggest political project” of Cape Verdeans and the culmination of a struggle that went back generations.

“The deputy who just spoke, a qualified member of Cape Verde, only has this path because he lived in an independent country, where its leaders built, provided education and healthcare to Cape Verdeans so that we could be here today”, he said, paying tribute to all the fighters of the country, to Commander Pedro Pires, still alive, who led this process, governed Cape Verde for 15 years, and also President of the Republic for another 10 years.

For his part, also reacting to the MpD's political declaration, the UCID deputy, António Monteiro, remembers April 25th, which was the beginning of the freedom of Portuguese-speaking countries, the Independence of Cape Verde and the 15 years of the regime party unique with “several atrocities committed.

“The only political force that raised its voice against the excesses of the PAIGC-CV was the UCID. There was no MpD, there was no one who spoke out in defense of the interests of Cape Verdeans... And today we have an MpD boasting that it was the party that fought for democracy and freedom. It’s false, it doesn’t correspond in the slightest to the truth”, countered the Christian Democrat deputy, for whom the MpD wants to give the impression that it all started in 1991.

“The MpD took a free ride… and did not appropriate the work of the Cape Verdeans who were in the UCID and who fought for the country to truly have January 13, 1991”, he concluded.