Meeting of the Council of Ministers on July 29th, 2020
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Eighth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on July 29th, 2020
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace, in Dili, and analysed the presentation by the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, on the political-legislative options underlying the amendment proposal to the Law no. 7/2009, of 15th July, which creates the Civil Service Commission. The options presented, under the Public Administration Reform, are justified by the objective of improving the way the public sector is managed and operates, making it more efficient and effective.
The Government approved the Decree-Law project, related to the Organic Law of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Social Communication, presented by the Minister, Francisco Martins da Costa Pereira Jerónimo. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Social Communication is the government department responsible for the design, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of the policy, defined and approved by the Council of Ministers, for the social communication area and for parliamentary affairs. In particular, this Ministry is responsible for ensuring regular coordination with the National Parliament and representing the Government in the Representatives Conference of Parliamentary Benches and in the plenary sessions of the National Parliament, when the Prime Minister, or the competent Ministers due to the matter, are absent. This Ministry is also responsible for proposing the policy and drafting the necessary legislation and regulations in the social communication area, exercising superintendence and supervision over the State's media, and coordinating the dissemination of information on Government programs and actions.
The Minister of Finance, Fernando Hanjam, presented the Decree-Law project, approved by the Council of Ministers, regarding the first amendment to Decree-Law no. 28/2019, of 25th September, on the Organic Law of the Ministry of Finance. This amendment integrates the National Procurement Commission in the Ministry of Finance and changes its attributions to include the provisioning procedures, according to the new Organic Law of the VIII Constitutional Government. With this Decree-Law, the organic units, and the management and leadership positions denominations are also corrected, in order to standardizing them. The Ministry of Finance is the governmental department responsible for the design, execution, coordination and policy evaluation, defined and approved by the Council of Ministers, for the planning and annual monitoring of the budget, and public finances areas.
The Council of Minister decided to authorize an agreement signature between the Government of Timor-Leste and World Bank, regarding a financial contribution from the Fund to the Global Partnership for Education and gave full powers to the Minister of Finance to sign the agreement. The Fund for the Partnership of Education aims to strengthen the educational system in developing countries, in order to dramatically increase the number of children with access to school and training. The World Bank financial contribution aims to finance a project to strengthen the school system (in terms of facilities, directors and teachers training and school supplies) that will be implemented by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
The Government approved the appointment of Florentino Mateus Soares Ferreira to the President of the Directive Council of the National Petroleum and Minerals Authority (ANPM) position, for a term of four years. The ANPM acts as a regulatory institution for the petroleum and mineral resources sectors and industries.
Lastly, the Council of Ministers approved the short term measures to mitigate the impact of the economic crises resulting from COVID-19 pandemic, within the Economic Recovery Plan scope. These short term measures have, as main goals, support citizens basic needs satisfaction, support informal sector workers, keep jobs and income, and keep companies in the market.
Therefore, the Government decides to give a set of essential food and personal hygiene items, to be called “basic basket” or, alternatively, a purchase voucher for the corresponding goods, to be given to all citizens or residents in Timor-Leste, and the goods in question should be, preferably, of national or local production.
The companies and other employers in the private sector will have support through the creation of a monthly subsidy, of pecuniary character, to be attributed, during five months, to the employers that resume their activity, regularly, without suspension or reduction of working normal hours, and who are registered in the social security system and in tax administration, and also entities that, even if are not in a position to resume regular activity, are integrated in the tourism sector.
Employers are also exempt from the obligation to pay social contributions, relating to part under his responsibility, during a period of six months.
Support for workers in the informal sector is also set up, through the creation of a subsidy equivalent to 60% of the conventional remuneration value, that constitutes the contributory base of the first level of the optional membership to the Social Security Contribution Scheme, during the months of October, November and December. In order to have access to this support, beneficiaries must register with Social Security, in August and September 2020, on the condition that they make the payment of their social security contributions during the following three months, counted after the granting of the last instalment of the subsidy. END
