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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers of July 8, 2020
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved a draft Government Resolution, presented by Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak, concerning the completion of the construction of the cargo and passenger ship “Haksolok”. In addition to its national nature and the public interest of improving and increasing national communication networks – through the improvement of connections on the north coast of the country – and in creating a link to the adjacent Indonesian islands, the project to acquire the Ro-Ro Ferry, has as main objective to reduce the isolation of the region of Oé-cusse Ambeno. The Resolution determines that the Special Administrative Region of Oé-cusse Ambeno (RAEOA) is the public legal person responsible for conducting the negotiation process and promoting the steps necessary for the completion of the construction of the ship “Haksolok”. The RAEOA bodies are also solely responsible for the commission of acts related to the management of the contract concluded with Atlanticeagle Shipbuilding for the construction of the cargo and passenger ship “Haksolok”.
The Council of Ministers approved a Resolution that has as its object the approval of the dismissal of Francisco da Costa Monteiro from the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Timor Gap – Timor Gas & Petróleo, E.P., and of the position of President of the Executive Board and the approval of the appointment of António José Loiola de Sousa to the same positions..
The President of the Commission for the Preparation of the Economic Recovery Plan, Rui Augusto Gomes, gave a presentation to the Council of Ministers on a set of recommendations for short-term measures, in the first phase of mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. During the presentation, the President of the Commission presented data on the international conjuncture, in which COVID-19 is affecting income worldwide, with the largest contraction in economic activity since the Great Depression in 1929, affecting health, causing directly and indirectly thousands of deaths, and education, with the closure of schools and the effective reduction in the number of children with access to education. The presentation also focused on the context of Timor-Leste, the diagnosis of the economic and social situation of the country before COVID-19 and the impacts of the new coronavirus in Timor-Leste. Although the measures adopted by the Government during the term of the State of Emergency have contributed to securing jobs and supporting businesses, as well as maintaining the consumption levels of workers and families, it is considered that there is a need to maintain or create new measures in 2020 to support the satisfaction of citizens’ basic needs, support informal sector workers, maintain jobs and incomes and keep businesses operating. The Government will continue to examine the Commission’s recommendations to decide which short-term measures will be implemented in 2020 to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
Finally, the Council of Ministers approved a draft resolution, presented by The Minister of Finance, Fernando Hanjam, on the final ceiling for the temporary budget allocation for the month of July 2020, with the amount set at US$120.7 million (including the payment of loans). ENDS