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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on March 9th, 2022
The Council of Ministers met, at the Government Palace, in Dili, and approved the draft Law Proposal for the second amendment to Law number 10/2004, of November 24th, Law of the Health System, presented by the Minister of Health, Odete Maria Freitas Belo. The current Health System Law, apart from the first amendment made by Law 24/2021, on November 19th, limited to what is necessary to provide the legal system with norms that allow for an adequate response to the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, outside the framework of the constitutional exception of the State of Emergency, still requires amendments, to reflect the new framework of the system, and it is expected that the law now amended, may constitute a guiding instrument to ensure the best health promotion and protection for the Timorese.
The draft Government Resolution, presented by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Culture, Longuinhos dos Santos, regarding the National Day of the Tais was approved. As established by the National Parliament, this day will now be celebrated annually on December 14th. This Government Resolution determines that the National Day of the Tais will be celebrated, namely, with the realization of relevant celebratory, recreational and informative activities related to the protection and enhancement of Tais.
The Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of State Administration, Miguel Pereira de Carvalho, for the first amendment to Decree-Law No. 12/2018, of April 25th, on the extraordinary allowance to members of the Election Administration Bodies. With this amendment, the Director-General of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) will now receive an allowance equivalent to that of the President of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) for each day of activities in which they participate throughout the electoral period. Those hired specifically to support the preparation and conduct of the electoral event, with short-term contracts of up to six months, which ended immediately after the publication of the Supreme Court of Justice ruling with the election results, should not benefit from the extraordinary allowance, given that the object of their contracts is exclusively to support the preparation and conduct of the electoral event, and to that extent, there is no extraordinary increase in work for them.
The draft Government Resolution also presented by the Minister of State Administration, for the appointment of Domingos Soares to the position of Municipal Administrator of Ataúro, in a secondment regime, for a three-year term, starting from the date he takes office, was also approved.
Also under the proposal of Minister Miguel Pereira de Carvalho, the Council of Ministers decided to authorize the procurement procedure of an International Public Tender, for the awarding of a public contract for the construction of a new building for the Manatuto Municipal Administration. The building will have three floors, about 20 offices and will allow approximately 200 people to work simultaneously. Construction is expected to start in October 2022 and be completed in May 2025.
The Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of the Interior, Taur Matan Ruak, and by the Vice-Minister of the Interior, António Armindo, for the creation of the 112 number, as the single national emergency number. This emergency number is free of charge, covers the entire national territory, and allows access to the various emergency systems, namely those coordinated by the Timor-Leste’s National Police, the National Ambulance and Medical Emergency Service, and the Fire Brigade.
The Council of Ministers deliberated to accept the invitation to participate in the World Expo 2025, which will be held in OSAKA, Japan, between March and November 2025, according to the project presented by the Minister of Tourism, Commerce and Industry, José Lucas do Carmo da Silva. Timor-Leste’s participation in this event will be an opportunity of excellence for the promotion of bilateral commercial and cooperation relations between Timor-Leste and Japan, as well as in the diffusion of national distinctive projects in Asia and the world.
Also approved was the Government’s draft Resolution on the donation of one million five hundred thousand US dollars to the United Nations World Food Program to be used in humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people. According to the United Nations, more than 1.25 million people affected by the conflict have fled the country, causing the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War.
The Minister of Finance, Rui Augusto Gomes, made a preliminary presentation on the project of the new Procurement and Public Contracts Legal Regime. The aim is to create a new legal regime that is clearer, simpler, more objective, rigorous, and transparent, to promote the economic and social development of the country.
Lastly, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Territory, José Maria dos Reis, presented to the Council of Ministers the Schedule of projects financed by the Infrastructure Fund, the respective evaluation process and the priorities and budget projections for 2023. END