Deputy Nimi a Simbi, who presented the political statement on behalf of the mixed parliamentary group PRS-FNLA (opposition) at the extraordinary plenary session of the Angolan parliament, lamented the current social situation of Angolans, especially the "low wages" they earn.

According to the also president of the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA), the low purchasing power of wages is leading citizens to resort to garbage in search of sustenance, where many end up losing their lives.

"We have already called attention to the social situation of Angolans, particularly their wages, which are at such a low level that they lead us to extreme poverty, to the point that some compatriots die in the dumps in search of crumbs to survive, as happened this week at the Luanda Sanitary Landfill", denounced the deputy.

With Angolan workers completing the fourth day of the second phase of the general strike, which runs until April 30 to demand salary increases and adjustment of the national minimum wage, Nimi a Simbi urged the Government to review the country's current pay system.

For the deputy, the general strike called by the trade union centers is the result of the current social situation of families, advising the authorities to listen to the unions and together seek "lasting solutions that stabilize society".

Regarding the current socioeconomic situation of Angolans, Florbela Malaquias, a deputy from the Angolan Humanist Party (PHA), also spoke, lamenting the country's erroneous and harmful economic policies, which give rise to "marginalization, poverty, inequality and the illusion of social stability".

"And it is in this context that the unions called the workers' strike to protect the economic rights of all and to actively confront the economic violence perpetrated by the State", said the deputy in her political statement.

For the scenarios of "political, economic and even media violence", observed the PHA leader, common sense and dialogue "would be the holy remedies".

"Angolans deserve full peace in all facets of their lives, but 22 years have passed without us being able to end hunger, 22 years is more than enough time to produce food in abundance, no matter how many subterfuges are found", she criticized.

Florbela Malaquias, in her speech to the plenary, also expressed solidarity with the UNITA deputies, whose caravan was attacked on April 3 in the Angolan province of Cuando-Cubango, resulting in some injuries, and condemned the "gratuitous violence".

"This was not supposed to happen in the middle of April of peace. It is up to us to remember and recommend that peace must be taken care of because it is never guaranteed", stressed the parliamentarian.

Nimi a Simbi, who spoke on behalf of the FNLA and the PRS (Social Renewal Party), also expressed solidarity with the deputies of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA, the largest opposition party), asking for "accountability" from the perpetrators of the act.

Read Also: Arbitrary arrests and police violence in Angola continue to be a concern (Portuguese version)