|
Angola Civic Action and Veterans' Groups
Like those of many other developing countries, Angola's
armed
forces were intended to play an important role in nation
building
through civic action programs. The Constitution, in fact,
specially
assigns "production" and "reconstruction" duties to FAPLA.
In the
late 1970s, FAPLA units were encouraged to grow their own
food and
to undertake civic action, emergency relief, and public
construction projects. However, such tasks were given only
nominal
attention as the war intensified.
Veterans of the liberation struggle and families of
those who
died in that protracted conflict enjoyed "special
protection" under
the Angolan Constitution, but this status was not further
defined.
The rapidly expanding pool of war veterans in the 1980s
could make
a substantial contribution to national reconstruction and
development if their political, ideological,
organizational,
social, and technical skills could be mobilized or
channeled in
such directions. However, the continuation of the war and
the
absence of information about their postservice occupations
and
activities precluded observation of veterans' actual roles
in
society. The MPLA-PT did attend to veterans' interests
through
party and government organs. As noted earlier, veterans
were
eligible for party membership, and a high government post,
the
secretary of state for war veterans, was also dedicated to
veterans' affairs. The Angolan War Veterans Committee,
with
government endorsement, sought aid from the Soviet Union
and
presumably other potentially sympathetic international
donors.
Data as of February 1989
|
