The President of the Republic of Timor-Leste swore in this Saturday the members of the IX Constitutional Government, affirming that he will supervise their performance and that those who do not adequately fulfill their duties will be replaced.
“I will monitor the performance of each ministry. Within a few months we will be able to make a first evaluation of the performance of each member of the replaced IX Government”, warned José Ramos-Horta.
“The mission of the deputies, members of the Government, advisers and employees is to serve the people, and they do so by executing the program approved by the national parliament with speed, competence and honesty”, he stressed.
José Ramos-Horta spoke before hundreds of national and international guests at the swearing-in ceremony of the 47 elements of the IX Government, headed by Xanana Gusmão, who thus resumes the duties he held at the head of the V constitutional Government.
The head of state left several recommendations to the Government and Parliament, calling on everyone to “serve with honesty, humility, professionalism, and contribute to the comprehensive and sustainable development of the country.”
And he recalled that Timor-Leste’s accession process to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is “a national strategic objective” that requires “mobilizing all the attention and national resources”, being the issue that “in terms of national and international politics (…) takes precedence over all other priorities”.
With regard specifically to the Government, Ramos-Horta called for strengthening sectoral and inter-ministerial coordination, under the leadership of Xanana Gusmão, seeking to meet the goals of the road map set by the regional organization for accession.
And the parliament recommended the creation of an “ASEAN Parliamentary Commission, to expedite the necessary legislative process, namely the ratification of treaties.”
He also asked the deputies, who began their term in June, for legislative authorization “to give the Government legal capacity to carry out all necessary legislative acts, such as the elimination of double taxation, investment protection, arbitration commission for the rapid and fair resolution of conflicts”.
“Everything possible must be done so that Timor-Leste’s formal accession to ASEAN takes place during the Indonesian Presidency, that is, in 2023,” he considered.
The importance of the accession process is recognized in the very structure of the Government, with the appointment of Milena Rangel as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for ASEAN affairs.
In his speech today, José Ramos-Horta reversed the usual greeting protocol, referring, after welcoming international visitors from several countries, to the “guests of honour”: hundreds of children, street vendors and other Timorese.
“Some humble representatives of the people are here as guests of honor of the President of the Republic. The fruits displayed in front of you were bought from “Ai-lebas”, “tiga wheels” [dois tipos de vendedores ambulantes]barefoot, malnourished, guests of honor of the President of the Republic”, he explained.
“Poor mothers, sales mothers, peasant mothers, mothers who are small merchants. Suco and village heads, teachers, academics, intellectuals, nurses, doctors, students, youth, are honored guests,” she said.
Representatives of various sectors of society often ignored those whom the leader considered “true heroes and martyrs, heroes in the struggle for survival and development, martyrs chained to secular misery.”
“Let’s learn to respect these wretches of society and apologize to them, apologize to them for our inability to have the proper intelligence and genuine dedication to effectively help them free themselves from the secular misery to which they are chained,” he said.
The head of state also left words of gratitude to the outgoing Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, who “knew how to remain calm and determined in achieving his government’s program” despite various crises, including internal politics, covid-19 , the Effects of the war in Ukraine and natural disasters.
The new Government, which formally took office today, is made up, for the most part, of elements that have already been in previous executives in Timor-Leste.
Among the most veteran of governance in Timor-Leste, the new minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, who was part of the last five executives (although the VIII only during part of his term).
The Government is made up of various elements that until now exercised functions in the Presidency of the Republic, among them the head of the Civil House, Bendito Freitas, who is the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Source: TSF
