Meeting of the Council of Ministers of October 10, 2018
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers of October 10, 2018
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and analyzed the presentation by the Minister of Transport and Communications, José Agustinho da Silva, on the project for maritime transport along the north coast of Timor-Leste. This project results from the cooperation between the East Timorese Government and the German Government, initiated in 2004, for the development of maritime transport and maritime infrastructures. The main component of this project will be the construction of a new passenger ship for the maritime connection of the entire northern coast. The project also includes, with the support of the Government of Japan, the construction of a new passenger terminal in Dili and the rehabilitation of the infrastructures of the terminals of Oe-cusse and Ataúro.
The Minister of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, presented the proposal, approved by the Government, of the Decree-Law on the organic of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (PCM), a central government department whose mission is to provide support the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister, to promote interministerial coordination of the Government, as well as the legislative procedure of the Government. The new structure of the PCM is necessary following the creation of the Ministry of Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs, which inherited some of the roles that belonged to PCM, but also from the experience of more than ten years with the previous structure, which warrants, in some situations, to seek to simplify services by eliminating some intermediary structures that prove to be unnecessary, but also to go further, by providing new services that lead to a better and more efficient functioning of the Government for the benefit of the population. It also seeks to improve services provided by PCM, especially to other ministries, as the PCM is, by its nature, an instrumental ministry, which provides services to other ministries.
The Government approved the proposal for a Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, on the organic law of the Ministry of Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs, a governmental entity responsible for the design, execution, coordination and evaluation of policy, defined and approved by the Council of Ministers, concerning the development, harmonization and consolidation of the legal system, judicial reform, parliamentary affairs and the media.
The Minister of Transport and Communications presented the proposal for a Decree-Law relating to the first amendment to the Decree-Law that approved the civil aviation bases law. The Decree-Law approved by the Council of Ministers determines that the classification of international airport will now be carried out through a Government Resolution, based on a proposal of the member of the Government responsible for transport.
The Council of Ministers also approved a resolution of the Government concerning the attribution of the name "hinode-bashi" which means sunrise bridge in Japanese, the third bridge over the Comoro river, whose design and construction was donated by the Government and People of Japan.
Members of the Government signed the second phase of the Maubisse Declaration on the package of measures to ensure the principles of inclusion, tolerance and gender equality. This set of measures, foreseen in the National Strategic Development Plan and reflected in the Eight Constitutional Government Program, represent government action across the entire Executive to strengthen the capacity and socio-economic power of women and people with disabilities.
The Council of Ministers approved the Government Resolution on the donation to the Republic of Indonesia for support in the response to the destruction caused by the earthquake with a magnitude 7.5 on the Richter scale and the tsunami that hit the island of Sulawesi on 28 September of 2018. The Government approved the amount of US $ 750,000 to support the response to existing needs after the destruction cause by the earthquake and the tsunami that followed.
Finally, the Council of Ministers approved the Government's Resolution to approve a contract for the acquisition of participatory interests and rights in the Greater Sunrise field, Timor-Leste's participation in oil operations and transfer of said participatory interests and rights to Timor Gap, EP or its subsidiaries for hold and management thereof in the name and on behalf of the State of Timor-Leste. ENDS
