The leader of Cabo Verde's MpD party, Emanuel Barbosa, has accused the government of favoring party affiliation over competence and merit in public appointments and hiring. This statement was made during a parliamentary debate on Transparency and Governance, proposed by the PAICV party. Barbosa questioned the criteria guiding the executive's decisions, advocating for equal opportunities based on merit, not political connections.
Barbosa emphasized that the state should not be a partisan employment agency, and the national budget should not be used as a party's payroll. He also criticized the reallocation of 21,000 contos within the Prime Minister's office, with 18,000 contos dedicated to supporting non-governmental organizations. The MpD leader called for transparency in the allocation of funds, questioning which organizations would receive support, the amounts allocated, and the activities they would fund.
The UCID party, represented by João Santos Luís, also stressed the need for meritocracy in governance. Luís argued that public positions should be filled based on competence, experience, and objective criteria, rather than party loyalty. He questioned the criteria used in replacing public institution leaders and called for clarity on whether appointments were based on merit or partisan trust.
João Santos Luís considered the government's transparency portal, launched in January, insufficient. He advocated for additional transparency instruments, such as the Anti-Money Laundering Law and the National Strategy for Preventing and Combating Corruption. Luís asked for concrete guarantees that the government would prioritize transparency and meritocracy in its actions.
The PAICV party, through its leader Carla Lima, announced that audits were underway in all ministries, with results to be made public. Lima justified the need for reorganizing public finances due to the budgetary situation inherited by the current government. She explained that the previous executive had altered the national budget, depleting funds in several ministries by May.
Carla Lima also highlighted the need for clarification on decisions made over the past decade, including contracts with confidentiality clauses and opaque addenda. She cited specific cases, such as the acquisition of a coast guard aircraft, the management of INPS assets, and the CV Interilhas contract, which require further explanation.
The debate on transparency and governance in Cabo Verde highlights the need for accountability and merit-based appointments in the public sector. The opposition parties, MpD and UCID, have expressed concerns about the government's priorities, while the PAICV has promised to address these issues through audits and transparency measures.
Key points
- The MpD party accuses the government of prioritizing party affiliation over merit in public appointments.
- The UCID party calls for meritocracy in governance, based on competence and objective criteria.
- The PAICV party announces audits in all ministries, with results to be made public.
