Minister of State and of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and
Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste
Díli, March 26, 2015
Program endorsed after constructive debate in National Parliament
Yesterday the Program of the Sixth Constitutional Government was endorsed in National Parliament. The Program will guide the activities of the Government for the next two and a half years.
Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, H.E. Dr. Rui Maria de Araújo commented that “the deliberations on the Program of the VI Constitutional Government were imbued with great sense of State from the Members of Parliament and from all members of the Government” and expressed thanks “for all interventions by the distinguished Members of Parliament that enriched the debate with perspectives that are very useful for the way in which the program of the VI Government will be implemented and for whole of Government performance.”
The presentation, debate and endorsement took 15 hours with 38 interventions from Members of Parliament and 34 interventions from members of Government. On Wednesday evening all four party Presidents expressed their appreciation of the Program.
In this constructive process questions were raised about the ambitious nature of the Program. The Prime Minister, understanding these concerns noted, “the Government thinks we must believe in ourselves, continue to move forward because together we can build the nation from the base so to make changes to our beloved Nation Timor-Leste.”
Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste, Minister Agio Pereira said “it is true that the Government has ambitions for the development of our country, ambitions that are already expressed clearly in our Strategic Development Plan. Now is the time to rise to those ambitions, focus on implementation, remove the “roadblocks” and do what is necessary to get results in the next two and a half years. This will require us to work together, embrace change when it is needed and above all else prioritize the interests of the Nation.”