Two Guinean platform parties, which represent about 95% of the deputies in parliament, announced this Monday in Lisbon that they will call for “popular demonstrations” in Guinea-Bissau to confront “the continued violation of the Constitution by President Sissoko Embalo.”
“We are talking about the beginning of a joint struggle to save democracy in Guinea-Bissau,” explained Nuno Nabiam, general coordinator of the Forum for the Rescue of Democracy.
Domingos Simões Pereira, president of the Terra Ranka Inclusive Alliance Platform, led by the party that won the most votes, PAIGC, stressed that “this is a rapprochement between the main parties to save democracy.”
“Before it’s too late. Tomorrow may be too late for all of us,” he added.
Nuno Nabiam and Domingos Simões Pereira spoke to journalists after the signing of the Joint Political Declaration, sitting at the table with them were the leaders of the Union for Change, Añelo Regalha, the Party for Social Renewal, Fernando Dias and the coordinator of the Movement for Democratic Change (Mademoiselle G15), Abdou Mane.
All of these political leaders have announced that they will return to Guinea-Bissau within the next few days to connect with other political parties and civil society organizations and continue the demonstrations.
In the Declaration, both platforms consider that the political situation in Guinea-Bissau is “extremely serious and prone to ruptures with unpredictable consequences.”
Domingos Simões Pereira assured that Sissoko Embalo’s resistance would be carried out “always through democratic means” and stressed that the Declaration is “a warning to (Guinean) society to avoid extremes, because when people feel they are not respected, they feel that if they are neglected, a situation of anarchy could potentially arise.”
“I think what I see as a sense of entitlement on the part of the Guinean people has been abused,” he added.
Nuno Nabiam, for his part, believed that President Sissoko’s actions “create methods of intimidation for the leaders of political parties.”
“And it won’t work. Because politics is a risk, and we as politicians have to take that risk. We can’t see our country falling apart and remain silent while Sissoko Embalo does and destroys,” he stressed.
“We will take responsibility, but in accordance with the law. We have seen what happened in Senegal and other African countries. That is why we must go out on the streets and demand an end to the dictatorship of Sissoko Embalo,” he said.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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