The Minister for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agio Pereira, today, February 21, 2025, presided over the swearing-in ceremony of the Chairman and Members of the Board of Directors and the Statutory Auditor of the National Press of Timor-Leste, IP (INTL, IP). The event took place at the Government Palace in Dili. 

The following were sworn in: Jaime Fernando dos Mártires Carvalho, whose mandate as Chairman of the Board of Directors of INTL, IP was renewed, Pedro Sarmento, appointed to the position of Member and Vice-Chairman, António Marcos Alves, appointed Member of the Board of Directors, and Nelson Maria dos Santos Menezes, appointed the entity’s Statutory Auditor.

The ceremony began with the reading of the Government Resolutions and the Order Appointing the new members of INTL, IP’s Board of Directors, followed by the swearing-in of the inductees and the signing of the Term of Office.   On the occasion, the President of INTL, IP, representing those taking office, offered words of thanks, reinforcing the team’s commitment to serving the state with dedication and professionalism.

The renewal of the mandate of the Chairman of the Board of Directors is based on Government Resolution no. 4/2025, of January 24, which highlights the competence, impartiality and experience of Jaime Fernando dos Mártires Carvalho in leading the institution.   The Resolution stresses that “the current President of the Board of Directors of the National Press is fully articulated and aligned with the objectives of the tutelage for the development of this service and has demonstrated excellent competence, impartiality and non-partisanship as a civil servant”. 

In the pledge of honour made during the ceremony, the President of INTL, IP declared that he would “obey the Constitution and be loyal to the State and the Government in the exercise of [his] functions (…), perform official duties with impartiality, dedication and responsibility and always have due consideration for the interests of the State, the Government Program and the values of the civil service.”.

In his speech, the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers stressed the importance of INTL “in the dissemination of official acts and the production of documents of great importance to the state and to citizens” and said that “this moment marks the commitment of all of us who work here, of the government, to the modernization and strengthening of this entity, which is essential for official communication and the development of our country”. 

The Minister stressed the need to continue investing in the training of the institution’s human resources, “providing them with the necessary skills to face the challenges of this constantly evolving sector, which is becoming increasingly digital”.

 

He also expressed “full confidence in the capacity and competence of the Board of Directors and the Statutory Auditor, now in office, to lead this transformation and raise this institution to a new level of excellence.” 

Finally, Agio Pereira reaffirmed his “commitment to working with determination, with the new members of the INTL Board, to make the National Press of Timor-Leste a benchmark for quality, innovation and public service.”

The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Adérito Hugo da Costa, the Secretary of State for Equality, Elvina de Sousa Carvalho, the Secretary of State for Social Communication, Expedito Dias Ximenes, the President of the Civil Service Commission, Agostinho Letêncio de Deus, the Inspector General of the State, Francisco de Carvalho, the Director General of Administration of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Pedro Feno and the Chief of Staff of the Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Victor Maia.