Government of Timor-Leste

The Secretary of State for the Council of Ministers and

Official Spokesperson for the Government of Timor-Leste

Díli, February 2, 2010

Ministerial performance measures increased in 2009

The Secretary of State for the Council of Ministers Ágio Pereira has confirmed that the performance measures for ministerial capacity increased across 2009; delivering more services to the nation than all previous Governments combined.

Withstanding the self-serving continuum of criticism from some members of the Opposition; the Xanana Gusmão Government has not only delivered a solid social and economic agenda through the 2009 State Budget but has proven good governance through a series of transparency measures mid-term. The 2010 State Budget is set to build upon these achievements.

Pereira explained “While the Council of Ministers faced several challenges in the first half of the five year mandate, including lack of data from no formal handover, a highly politicized public service, lack of oversight in processes and an unstable security environment; the Government has now firmly established a climate of peace and stability which has enabled key legislative and regulatory precedents to be implemented that have increased the Government’s capacity across ministries and enabled an attractive environment for international investors.”

Further decentralization to line ministries will increase output but will also include additional mechanisms for checks and balances with the establishment of a Technical Secretariat for Procurement and also the Commission of Accompaniment that will serve as an oversight committee for the procurement process.

These measures are being implemented after significant training, research and discussion amongst the Council of Ministers and ministerial staff to determine the best way forward for more transparent and accountable systems.

The budget execution rate as of January 29, 2010 across the Government was 89%, expected to increase after the books close in February, allowing for payments on goods and services delivered before December 31, 2009. Outstanding budget execution results include the Ministry of Social Solidarity (98%), Ministry of Economy and Development (97%), Ministry of Education (96%), Ministry of Agriculture (98%), Ministry of State Administration (94%) and Ministry of Health (88%).

Capital investment expenditure across Government reached 83%, the Minister for Infrastructure’s final budget execution rate was 87% (including an execution rate of 86% on capital works), dispelling rumors circulated about the budget execution of the Ministry of Infrastructure. All budget execution rates are calculated in real time on the FreeBalance system which documents every payment to vendors; a process which is currently being updated for public access via the internet.

Secretary of State Pereira said “The Xanana Gusmão Government has had to cope with a continuum of corruption allegations by Opposition; the use of corruption allegations is a very specific technique used by many opposition parties in developing nations with political sensitivities to discredit and disenfranchise democratically elected Governments.’

‘In these situations the public does not know whether the allegations are warranted or unwarranted; which is the point; the accused do not have the same opportunities to defend and the damage is significant, quick and effective, especially if the accusers themselves claim not to have evidence to support their allegations.’

‘However, the Xanana Gusmão Government transforms this into a positive by looking at all possible opportunities in systems, processes and mechanisms to ensure transparency; so that allegations, speculation and innuendo is replaced by real time information and oversight which will be impossible to challenge. We have engaged world-class technical assistance to implement and continue to improve upon the technical capabilities of domestic policies like the Civil Service Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission. All these policies will benefit the country through better governance and will have significant impact on ensuring public confidence; however, there is little doubt that the Government and the Ministers themselves are producing results; yielding the highest performance measures since independence.”