“Without Oe-Cusse Ambeno, Timor-Leste would not exist”
The Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, stated that: “Without Oe-Cusse Ambeno Timor-Leste would not exist”. This statement was made during a reflexion on the History of the Nation and the Resistance, at the time of the consultation on the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) in the Pante Macassar sub-district, Oe-Cusse Ambeno District, on the 14th of August.
The leader of the IV Constitutional Government made it known that, during the time that he fought in the mountains, a letter from Oe-Cusse Ambeno was directed to him, expressing the will of the local population in staying firm in the fight against the occupation. This determination was the reason Oe-Cusse Ambeno didn’t stay behind in the resistance’s reorganization. In what concerns the preoccupation felt by the community regarding the fact that António Aitahan Matak belongs to the People’s Council for the Defence of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (portuguese acronym CPD-RDTL) and to the Homage Commission, the Prime Minister explained that only the Homage Commission sustains the legal principles to find solutions for the veterans issue.
The Pante Makassar sub-district Administrator, the community leaders, the Church representative, civil society, businessman and the youth presented to the Prime Minister and delegation, their concerns and needs for the region. Highlights are the concerns regarding the precarious state of basic infrastructures in general, in particularly the bad state of the roads, the necessity for bridge construction and the positioning nets along the riverside bed. Potable water channeling was also requested, electricity installation, telecommunications lines, the housing construction for the needy, the reparation of data about elders and mentally and physically challenged persons, the support to the promotion of equality, the creation of youth training centres, attribution of subsidies to rehabilitate the local church and help for the development of small industries.
In his response, the Head of Government said that “when we want a development with success, we need to have strong infrastructures at national level, including roads, electricity, communications, airport, port and urban infrastructures. The political frame until 2020 will guarantee the quality of Timor-Leste’s infrastructures, at a national level, until the end of that decade. On electricity in Timor-Leste, we are developing a modern electricity grid, able to supply the whole of the national territory, with a minimum of 1 Gigawatt, which should be installed up to 2020, This distribution grid will supply energy to all districts, besides other resources such as natural gas. The electrification of more isolated communities can be done through technologies not included in the network: solar and wind energy, biogas, hydropower energy and other options, according to what is more appropriate”.
This consultation about the NSDP, in Pante Macassar, also counted with the participation of the Secretary of State of Agriculture, Marcos da Cruz, the Secretary of State for Public Works, Domingos Caeiro, the Secretary of State of Electricity, Water and Urbanization, Januário Pereira, the Secretary of State of Culture, Virgílio Smith, The Secretary of State for Livestock, Valentino Varela, the Portuguese Ambassador, Luís Barreira de Sousa.
