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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers of November 8, 2017
The Government met at the Government Palace, in Dili and approved the first amendment to Law no. 13/2016, of December 29, which approves the General State Budget for 2017. Several factors guided the drafting this Budget by the Ministry of Planning and Finance. First, a new policy and the need to respond to the Seventh Constitutional Government organic structure. At the same time, the urgency of ensuring compliance with already assumed commitments, together with the intention to improve the formulation and implementation of public policies and strengthen the long-term development plan. The executive’s objective of expenditure containment was also a key part of the equation. Thus, the total estimated revenue is $1,874,400,000 dollars (one billion, eight hundred and seventy-four million, four hundred thousand dollars). The proposal will be presented to the National Parliament tomorrow, November 9.
The organic law of the Seventh Constitutional Government was also approved. The document, presented by the Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri, and the Legal Support Unit of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, defines the structure of the Executive and the distribution of the competencies of the various Ministries and Secretariats of State. The changes, in view of the previous government structure, aim to give more efficiency and value to public and human resources in the process of modernization that the Seventh Government wants to establish in its institutions. There are no longer co-ordinating ministers, whose coordination responsibilities return to the Prime Minister, supported by new ministers integrated into the structure of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, which now has specific responsibilities in areas such as National Security, Border Delimitation and Governance. The Ministry of Planning and Strategic Investment has also been extinguished, with almost all of its functions being assured by the new Ministry of Development and Institutional Reform. The Ministry of Planning and Finance takes full responsibility for budget planning. Some areas gain autonomy, such as the new Secretary of State for Veterans, which now lies under the direct dependency of the Prime Minister, demonstrating the relevance that the Government attributes to National Liberation Combatants. Youth, now associated with Labour, is directly dependent on the Prime Minister. The Secretary of State for Sport and Promotion of High Competition has also been created. This new organizational structure is fundamental to the implementation of the transformation agenda created by the Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure that the State and Public Administration are efficient, effective and oriented towards quality results.
The Government also approved the allocation of road rehabilitation and maintenance in the municipalities outside Dili to the winner of the tender financed by the European Union Fund and managed by the Asian Development Bank.
The Council of Ministers analysed the changes to the Seventh Constitutional Government Program to decide on specific and detailed issues identified by the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit team that is preparing the document, under the direction of the Ministers in the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Adriano do Nascimento, and Planning and Finance, Rui Gomes. The Program is guided by the Strategic Development Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals, favouring a policy of economic diversification that provides for financial independence from oil revenues. The inclusive vision of defending justice and promoting prosperity, expressed in a document of rigor and detail, will allow the Government to respond to the concerns raised by the Parliamentary Members during the first assessment carried out last month in the National Parliament. The Program will again be presented to Parliament later this year.
The Minister of State Administration, Valentim Ximenes, provided an update on the organization of celebrations of the 42nd anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence, proclaimed on November 28, 1975, by Francisco Xavier do Amaral.
The Prime Minister informed the members of the Government that the landing to inaugurate the new runway of the International Airport of Oe-Cusse Ambeno will occur on the 24th of this month. ENDS