15 of March of 2023Meeting of the Council of Ministers on March 15th, 2023Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on March 15th, 2023
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace, in Dili, and approved the draft Law Proposal, presented by the Vice-Prime-Minister and Minister of Planning and Territory, José Maria dos Reis, concerning the extraordinary compensation regime for construction works carried out without contractual formalisation.
Forty-four projects approved by the Infrastructure Fund Board of Directors were identified, which have never been formalised in a contract, whilst some of these projects have been executed. This draft Law Proposal aims to establish a fair compensation mechanism for the companies due to the construction work carried out, taking into account the costs incurred. The draft Law establishes a special committee to assess the construction works carried out and to submit a proposal for a transaction contract for each company. The effectiveness of the contract will depend on the prior express approval of the Chamber of Accounts.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, concerning the Regime of the Rights of holders and members of sovereign bodies and holders of political positions.
The purpose of this draft Decree Law is to complement the regimes established by Law no. 7/2007, of July 25th, which approves the Statute for holders of sovereign bodies, and Law no. 14/2009, of October 21st, which approves the Statute of remuneration of holders of political positions, concerning the rights of holders and members of sovereign bodies and holders of political positions. Furthermore, the objective is to guarantee the consistency and comprehensibility of the legal system, given that the two Government Decrees currently in force on this matter, which are expected to be revoked, are outdated, not reflecting the changes that have occurred in the legal system in the meantime.
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The draft Government Resolution, presented by the Minister of Interior for appointing Chief Superintendent Henrique da Costa to exercise the position of General Commander of the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL) for three years, was approved. Consequently, he was promoted to General Commissioner. With this Resolution, the service commission of the current General Commander of the PNTL, Commissioner Faustino da Costa, ceases.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Government Resolution, also presented by the Minister of Interior, to appoint Chief Superintendent Pedro Belo to exercise the position of 2nd General Commander of the PNTL for three years, being, as such, promoted to Commissioner. With this Government Resolution, the service commission of the current 2nd General Commander of the PNTL, Commissioner Mateus Fernandes, ends.
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The amendment of the draft Decree Law, presented by the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, regarding the second amendment to Decree Law 37/2022, of May 25th, on the end-of-year allowance to households, was approved.
Regarding the draft Decree-Law approved in the Meeting of the Council of Ministers on February 1st, 2023, it is now defined that the payment of the end-of-year allowance will be made from November 2022 to October 2023, being suspended during the period of the electoral campaign for the election of members of the National Parliament.
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Also, on the proposal of the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, an amendment to the draft Decree-Law was approved regarding the occasional support to the vulnerable.
Regarding the draft Decree-Law approved at the Meeting of the Council of Ministers on January 25th, 2023, it is now defined that the Decree-Law comes into force on June 1st, 2023.
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The Council of Ministers approved a legislative package presented by the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Armindo Maia, concerning the legal regimes of the national preschool, primary, and secondary education systems.
This legislative package aims to establish the national preschool education system and review the national primary and secondary education systems, regulating the main organisational issues of these levels of education and teaching within the national education system. The three diplomas establish the guiding rules, the planning of the network of educational offers, the administration and management regime of public establishments, the rules applicable to private and cooperative establishments, and their integration into the network of public service educational offers.
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The draft Government Resolution concerning the donation of US$ 60 thousand to the Permanent Representation of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno, was approved.
This measure strengthens the historical ties that unite Timor-Leste and the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, based on the common desire for self-determination, on the principle of solidarity with the struggle of peoples for national liberation and on the right to self-determination and independence, present in the Constitution of the Republic, in the Resolution of the National Parliament of solidarity and support to the Saharawi people, and in the fact that Timor-Leste has contributed, since 2011, to the functioning of that Permanent Representation in Dili, through the granting of an annual allowance for the exercise of its activities in Timor-Leste and the region.
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The Council of Ministers approved two draft Resolutions of the National Parliament, also presented by Minister Adaljiza Magno, for ratifying the Agreement on Air Services with the Government of New Zealand and for ratifying the Air Transport Agreement with the Government of the State of Qatar.
These Air Services Agreements with the Governments of New Zealand and Qatar aim to promote the development of competitive and innovative services and to ensure the highest level of safety, security and international protection. Cooperation in the area of civil aviation with these two nations is intended to bring benefits to all parties and contribute to the economic and social progress of Timor-Leste, especially in the tourism sector.
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Two draft Decree-Laws, presented by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pedro dos Reis, concerning Plant Health and Quarantine and Animal Health and Quarantine, were approved.
The draft Decree Law on Plant Health and Quarantine aims to protect plants and plant products from pests and diseases that may threaten these resources or the economy and negatively impact food security, cultivation areas or the natural environment. It is also intended to provide a clear, efficient and conducive framework for trade and business activities, empower public officials and facilitate private sector activities. This draft Decree-Law establishes the legal foundations for the import and export of plants, plant products and other regulated articles, sets a framework for domestic surveillance, defines procedures to respond to the detection of regulated pests and defines a general framework for phytosanitary measures. It also creates a framework to enable the implementation of the provisions by establishing the role of the responsible authority, its powers and how the rules are implemented. The framework established in this Decree-Law will be developed through regulations, which will define procedures and other technical details.
The Animal Health and Quarantine draft Decree-Law's main objectives are to protect animal health and ensure safe products of animal origin, prevent animal diseases and quarantine risks to public health and food safety, and provide a clear and efficient framework for trade and business activities. The diploma establishes general animal health measures and specific rules within aquaculture and aquatic animal health, defines functions for veterinary public health issues, regulates veterinary medicines and provides a system for the identification and traceability of animals. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will be responsible for ensuring the implementation of the measures throughout the national territory through regulations that will define procedures and other technical details.
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The Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, for the first amendment to Decree-Law No. 1/2017, of March 15th, which established the National Press of Timor-Leste, I.P. (INTL-Portuguese acronym).
This draft Decree-Law aims to provide the National Press of Timor-Leste with an organisational model suitable to the real and ever-changing needs of INTL, adopting a more flexible and dynamic model.
Recent legislation on the organisation of the State's indirect administration leads to a rethinking of the current organisational model of INTL to adapt it to current best practices. The internal organisation of the National Press of Timor-Leste follows the hierarchical model, whose main rules are defined in this diploma, but whose implementation will be the responsibility of the Government member in charge, who can best adapt the organisational model to the real and ever-changing needs of this public institute.
The diploma also assigns some new attributions and activities to INTL, namely the production of the embossing stamp, on an exclusive basis, for the official use of the direct and indirect administration of the State, as well as editing and printing ballot papers and identification and travel documents and other security documents, when expressly provided for in special legislation.
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Also approved was the draft Law Proposal, presented by the Minister of State Administration, Miguel Pereira de Carvalho, for the third amendment to Law n.º 11/2009, of October 7th, on the Administrative Division of the Territory.
This draft Law Proposal has as its object the establishment of new infra-municipal or second-level municipal administrative jurisdictions, all resulting from processes of scission of currently existing administrative posts.
The first change occurs in the current administrative post of Maubara, in the Municipality of Liquiça, which has an area of approximately 264 km2, corresponding to 48.7% of the municipality's territory, and a population of roughly 22,000 people. Thus, this administrative post is divided into two: Maubara, which has an area of 132 km2 and 12,194 inhabitants, and Loes, which has an area of 132 Km2 and a population of approximately 9,700 people.
The second change occurs in the current administrative post of Quelicai, in Baucau municipality, which has an area of 206 km2, corresponding to 13.7% of the municipality's territory and a population of approximately 17,471 people. This administrative post is divided into three: Quelicai, with an area of 46 km2 and 7.096 inhabitants; Old Quelicai, with an area of 80 Km2 and a population of approximately 5.998 people; and Matebian, with an area of 80 Km2 and a population of about 4.300 people.
Whereas an election process for the National Parliament is underway, and to allow the present and following Governments to plan and execute the necessary measures for the establishment and entry into operation of the new administrative post administrations and their respective bodies, the present Law Proposal shall come into force on January 1st, 2024.
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The Minister of State Administration, Miguel Pereira de Carvalho, presented the option for recognising new Villages (Sucos).
A presentation was given on the initiative to modify the ministerial diploma on the recognition of Villages (Sucos) and Hamlets (Aldeias) for the recognition of ten new Villages, to come into force on October 1st, 2023, to facilitate the access of the communities to the village centres, to bring the local authorities closer to the communities and to promote the development of these regions.
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Lastly, the Minister of Tourism, Trade and Industry presented the political-legislative options underlying the initiative to establish a Tourism Fund.
Establishing a Tourism Fund is an initiative to foster tourism in Timor-Leste, supporting investment in the sector and contributing to local entrepreneurship, job creation and poverty reduction. It is foreseen that the Fund will be managed by the Tourism Authority and endowed with administrative and financial autonomy, ensuring financial stability, sustainability and predictability of investments in tourism. Establishing the Fund is considered necessary, appropriate and urgent to ensure investment in the tourism sector and create investment opportunities for the national and international private sectors. The advantages of the initiative include increasing legality, legitimacy, transparency, predictability, competitiveness, sustainability, debureaucratisation and fostering business culture and entrepreneurship. END
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