[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 4, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1757-E1758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ARISTIDES PEREIRA, A PIONEER FOR DEMOCRACY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 4, 2011

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, sadly, last month, the world 
lost a great leader in the fight for freedom and democracy. Aristides 
Pereira was the first President of the Republic of Cape Verde. His work 
on behalf of the right of all people to self-government began more than 
sixty years ago, when he joined in the fight for independence for Cape 
Verde from Portugal. In 1956, he joined Amilcar Cabral in founding the 
African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and 
became General Secretary of the party in 1973. In 1975, the efforts of 
these patriots came to fruition, and after the change in regime in 
Portugal that ushered in democracy in that country, Cape Verde became 
independent. In recognition of his great leadership, Aristides Pereira 
was the first President of the Republic of Cape Verde. He remained 
President of Cape Verde until 1991, when he was defeated for the office 
in a multi-party election by Antonio Mascarenhas Monteiro.
  At that point, Aristides Pereira performed his third great service 
for the cause of the right of people to self-governance. His first 
effort was his leading role in the effort to win independence for his 
country. Next he served as its first President for sixteen years and 
helped establish it as an independent nation. Paradoxically, his third 
great service was when he was defeated for reelection and accepted the 
result of a democratic process and retired.
  Sadly, Mr. Speaker, there have been too few examples of well 
functioning democracy in many of the nations of the world that received 
independence after World War II, and we have seen recent sad examples 
in Africa of presidents refusing to accept the electoral results that 
were unfavorable to them. In many cases, those voted out of office 
after a long period were the leaders of independence movements, as was 
President Pereira. So the contrast between him and, for example, Robert 
Mugabe, is a very strong one. Aristides Pereira set a very important 
example of acceptance of democracy, even when its particular results 
were adverse to his own personal standing.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, Cape Verde stands as a shining example of 
democracy and of the way in which democracy and responsible economic 
development complement each other. While Cape Verde was not endowed 
with great natural resources, it has been a success story economically 
as well as politically, refuting those who believe that economic 
development can only come at the expense of democratic governance. The 
economic success of Cape Verde within this democratic framework--again 
the precedent set by Aristides Pereira--has been recognized by both 
Republican and Democratic administrations in the U.S. Under President 
Bush, Cape Verde was in the first group of countries to receive funding 
under the Millenium Challenge Commission, and under the Obama 
administration its great economic responsibility has been recognized 
and it has continued to be one of the stars of that program.
  Mr. Speaker, the career of Aristides Pereira is an inspiring one. He 
committed himself early in life to the fight for the right of people to 
self-government and remained a leader in that fight by his deeds, by 
his example and by his dignified presence in his country for a period 
exceeding sixty years.
  Mr. Speaker, I join the people of Cape Verde in mourning the passage 
of a great leader, and in the pride they are entitled to take in his 
career and in the record of full acceptance of democratic self-
government that is part of Aristides Pereira's legacy.

[[Page E1758]]



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