Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers Swears in New Commissioners of the Public Service Commission
On November 11th, 2025, at the Government Palace, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, swore in the new Commissioners of the Public Service Commission (CFP), Agapito da Conceição and Jorge Paiva Araújo, appointed by the National Parliament under the terms of Resolution No. 47/2025 of October 15th.
In his speech, Minister Agio Pereira stressed that the inauguration “strengthens trust between institutions and reaffirms an essential principle of the democratic rule of law: a public administration serving the public interest.”
The minister emphasized that the selection of commissioners by the National Parliament “gives the act enhanced legitimacy and a healthy institutional balance,” adding that the occasion celebrates ‘not only individual achievements, but also a collective commitment (...) to a depoliticized, professional, impartial and outcome oriented public service.’
Agio Pereira also stressed that “appointments, promotions and evaluations should be based on merit, competence and integrity, never on political affiliation, personal proximity or momentary convenience,” reminding us that “the CFP is the guardian of this ethical boundary.”
Referring to the growing responsibilities of the State, the Minister highlighted the need to modernize and professionalize public administration, stressing that ‘public administration reform cannot be just a slogan’, but instead ‘a work agenda’ to ensure ‘regulatory simplification, eliminate unnecessary formalities, reduce the number of documents, standardize forms and guide public services towards results’. 
The Minister also recalled that Timor-Leste's full membership of ASEAN imposes increased responsibilities and requires the public service to align itself with “regional standards of governance, service delivery and administrative interoperability”, advocating technical and linguistic training for State officials and the adoption of modern, digitized administrative practices. 
“A depoliticized and professional administration is the best guarantee for (…) quality public policies. This is how we protect today's achievements and prepare for tomorrow's victories,” he said, concluding with a message of confidence to the new commissioners, wishing them “courage and wisdom” to serve the State with integrity and dedication, and renewed the Government's commitment to serve with dignity and efficiency." 
Agapito da Conceição and Jorge Paiva Araújo expressed their commitment to perform their duties "with the utmost impartiality, dedication and responsibility, always taking into due consideration the interests of the State, the Government Programme and the values of public service” and undertook to “work in defense of the public interest and serve the community and the people with impartiality, honesty, professionalism and correctness, safeguarding the higher interests of the nation”.
The two new commissioners are now beginning a five-year term of full-time service, scheduled to end on November 10th 2030, strengthening the composition of the Public Service Commission, the body responsible for promoting merit, impartiality, and transparency in the management of the State's human resources. 
The ceremony was attended by the Vice-President of the National Parliament, Duarte Nunes, the Deputy Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice, Rigoberto Monteiro, the Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Rui Pereira, the President of the CFP, Agostinho Letêncio de Deus, CFP Commissioners Anita T. R. de Jesus, Fausto Freitas da Silva and José Telo Soares Cristóvão, the Inspector-General of the State, Francisco de Carvalho, the Secretary-General of the National Parliament, Edgar Martins, Father Bonaventura Magno, the Chief of Staff of the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Vítor Maia, and the Director-General of Administration of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Pedro Feno, among other representatives of the CFP and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. 
