Portugal sells its soul to Angola

Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho attended talks in Luanda, Angola's capital, last Thursday to discuss the country's offer to help the former colonial power out of its debt crisis. Angola had previously announced its intention of buying Portuguese government bonds and shares in its energy companies. Daniel Oliveira warns the premier not to enter a pact with the devil in his blog Antes pelo Contrário: "Angola is one of the world's main oil exporters and one of the richest countries in Africa, however it ranked 148th in the Human Development Index and two-thirds of its population live on two dollars a day. Economic crimes and violent crimes are part of everyday life, and the Angolan economy is dominated by the mafia. ... The deal is bad for Portugal and bad for Angola. Here it would ensure the 'criminalisation' of the economy while there it would lead to the embezzlement of state funds - in a country that urgently needs to improve the living standards of its citizens. ... Angola looks like the hen that lays the golden eggs but by maintaining a promiscuous relationship with the dictator in Luanda we are selling our souls to the devil."

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