Consulado Reage à Crítica da Imprensa Sobre o Comportamento do Ministro Victor Borges

BOSTON- O Consulado Geral de Cabo Verde em Boston, em reacção ao artigo "Governantes cabo-verdianos desprezam ou temem imprensa comunitária nos EUA", publicado a 12 de Fevereiro pelo jornal electrónico visãonews.com e considerando ser necessário repor a verdade dos factos, informa o publico em geral e a Comunidade Cabo-verdiana em especial do seguinte:

1. O Ministro do Negócios Estrangeiros, Cooperação e Comunidades, esteve em Massachusetts, nos dias 9 e 10 de Fevereiro, proveniente de missões oficiais a Cuba e à República Dominicana, a caminho de Washington DC, onde tinha por missão liderar a delegação de Cabo Verde às Primeiras Consultas Bilaterais entre Cabo Verde e os Estados Unidos da América. A passagem por Massachusetts, como o Senhor Ministro frisou nos vários encontros, foi conseguida no quadro de uma agenda muito apertada, para proporcionar mais uma oportunidade de diálogo com a importante comunidade cabo-verdiana desta área. Assim, foi agendada, de entre outros encontros, uma reunião com os líderes das associações cabo-verdianas, evento esse, inicialmente previsto para ocorrer no sábado, dia 9.

2. No dia 29 de Janeiro, foi amplamente distribuído um comunicado de imprensa com informação actualizada sobre a nova data e local desse encontro, devido a uma alteração no horário de voos, tendo deixando claro que a referida alteração deixaria menos tempo para os encontros programados. No entanto, os pedidos recebidos de agendamento de entrevistas com o citado governante foram atendidos.

3. A ver pelo artigo, o jornalista do Visão News esteve presente no encontro, o qual foi aberto à imprensa, onde todos tiveram a oportunidade de ouvir o ministro e usar da palavra. O jornalista da Visão News também o fez. De notar ainda que nenhuma conferência de imprensa estava programada

4. Imediatamente a seguir ao encontro e antes de partir para Washington na mesma tarde, o ministro Victor Borges tinha agendado encontros em Boston com políticos estaduais e federais.

5. O Consulado Geral, que considera a imprensa da Comunidade um importante recurso que esta mesma Comunidade possui, para a sua informação, formação e desenvolvimento, reitera, para terminar, a sua habitual e comprovada disponibilidade para responder sempre com prontidão e com base no respeito mutuo, a todas as solicitações e interpelações da imprensa, em prol da Comunidade.

This meeting was opened to the press but the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities, Mr. Victor Borges, wasn't.

Like Pedro Chantre who wrote an article about his behavior, I am disappointed of what the Minister did and other CV politicians have been doing to the community media when they come to the US.

If you invite the media to a meeting, you must take time to address their questions and concerns. That's just the expected press standards here in the USA.

Someone needs to teach our politicians the rules of the press here because we cannot allow this to happen again.

Please Mr Web Master translate what was said by the Consul General into English. It will have so much of an impact on the greater majority of people who speak english. Just as we heard the Minister speak in English last Sunday in Dorchester.

One of the important things that he said: "Was that we are in the USA and we should try to learn the language and become more involved into what is best in the USA in terms of education higher education. That we should not be only 100% only for Cabo verde".Paraphrasing of course.

That does not mean you give up on your culture and your history,and love for Cabo verde, we must never forget we are children of the ancestry of Cabo Verde. Cabo Verde is West Africa in the Atlantic Ocean.
Your children are born here they graduate from high school here and they graduate from college here they become citizens of United States and many of them speak only english and they know little of Criolu and many no longer speak Portugeses.

This is the reason we ask if you want too reach the majority of the people
write in the language of the country you are in. Then we would have all the facts and we would not have to guess or paraphrase.

The people who came to this country 30 years ago there children speak english and they are not immigrants they are citizens of this country or what ever country they are in. Immigrants are those who recently came and are not citizens and if you are; they should be working to become citizens of that country. That works to help Cabo Verde because you will have some influence in the politics at local,state and federal level.It would mean you could petition or lobby in behalf of Cabo Verde for assistance.

If you work here and pay taxes here and your buying your home here,and many of your children have served in the military and even lost their lives in Viet Nam or in the middle east( Iraq) or what ever place was the war in the last 30 years. They are for most part United States citizens.

We are Caboverdianos Americanos of the United States.
As they say in the 82 Air Borne: " We are all Americans and Proud To Be"
Air Borne Drive On!!
No Pintcha!
Perhaps my english and vocabulary is not that of Harvard but I think I make my point and those of you who know english better then I, then you can write it better.
Thank you for your kindness.
Deus Ku Nos.
Manu Salah


PS
By the way The Minister was running late and had to meet with other dignitaries,Governor and Congressman and was more then sorrow he could not stay to talk with the press or the people longer,those things do happen. I was the one who pushed him along so he would not be late. No one needs to teach him about protocol or correct etiquett,that was a cheap short against the Minister. This man travels all around the world talking to Heads of State it was a blessing that he took time out of his busy schedule to talk with us,and he did a great job.He spent one hour or more with us. If the press wants more be in touch with the consulate Generals office.