Meeting of the Council of Ministers on April 9th, 2025
Presidency of the Council of Ministers
Spokesperson of the Government of Timor-Leste
Ninth Constitutional Government
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Press Release
Meeting of the Council of Ministers on April 9th, 2025
The Council of Ministers met at the Government Palace in Dili and approved the draft Decree-Law, presented by the Minister of Finance, Santina José Rodrigues F. Viegas Cardoso, to repeal Decree-Law no. 72/2022, of October 19th, on the Legal Regime of the Public-Private Partnership for Diagnostic Services.
Given that the implementation of the project related to the Public-Private Partnership faced delays and institutional difficulties, the Government decided to re-evaluate it and remove it from the priority initiatives. The Board of Directors of the Infrastructure Fund (CAFI – acronym in Portuguese) has already formalised this decision. Since the project has been definitively cancelled, repealing Decree-Law 72/2022 is necessary to remove interpretative doubts, guarantee legal certainty and eliminate no longer applicable rules.
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The draft Law Proposal, presented by the Minister of Justice, Sérgio de Jesus Fernandes da Costa Hornai, for the second amendment to Law 7/2022 of May 19th, which approved the Statute of the Public Prosecutor's Office, was also approved.
The purpose of this law proposal is to introduce a rule in the transitional and final provisions that allow the Attorney General's Office, through its management and disciplinary body, to appoint magistrates to the positions of Coordinating Inspector of Public Prosecutions and Coordinating Prosecutor of the Republic, even if they do not yet have the category or class specified in the Statute until the appropriate conditions are established. Until a competition is held, and magistrates are promoted to the category of Appeal Public Prosecutor, this amendment will also permit 1st Class Public Prosecutors to be appointed to positions that require that category, as stipulated by the Statute.
This amendment will also enable the Attorney General's Office, through its management and disciplinary body, to conduct a competition for access to the appellate prosecutor category in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic.
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The Council of Ministers also approved the draft government decree, presented by the Minister of State Administration, Tomás do Rosário Cabral, which regulates the ceremonial raising and lowering of the National Flag at official ceremonies commemorating the Proclamation and Restoration of National Independence.
This draft Government Decree aims to systematically establish the rules for the ceremonial raising and lowering of the National Flag, ensuring its execution with dignity, rigour and uniformity during the ceremonies celebrating the Proclamation of National Independence on November 28th, 1975, and the Restoration of National Independence, on May 20th, 2002.
The Decree establishes the National Flag Raising Corps (CIBN – acronym in Portuguese), made up of high school students of both sexes, who will be responsible for the technical and symbolic execution of these acts. It also defines the rules for holding the ceremonies, establishes criteria for selecting CIBN members, determines financial incentives for participants and specifies the protocol to be followed during the raising and lowering of the National Flag.
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The Council of Ministers approved the Government's draft Resolution, presented by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Culture, José Honório da Costa Pereira Jerónimo, for the appointment of members and the President of the General Council of the Polytechnic Institute of Betano (IPB – acronym in Portuguese).
The General Council, IPB's main governing body, is a collegiate body consisting of 13 members, as established in the institution's Statutes. Of this total, the Council of Ministers appoints three members. They must be external personalities of recognised merit, with no ties to the IPB or direct public administration, who are acknowledged in the religious, private, and professional circles relevant to the programmes offered by the Institute.
Thus, with this Resolution, the following individuals are appointed to the General Council: Brígida Antónia Correia, recognised for her merit among the professional orders and serving as President of the General Council; Inaciu da Kosta, acknowledged for his merit in the religious milieu; and Alberto Carvalho Araújo, noted for his merit in the private sector.
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The Council of Ministers also approved, at the Minister for Higher Education, Science and Culture's proposal, the draft Government Resolution to suspend the opening of new study cycles in higher education.
This government Resolution suspends the establishment or opening of new bachelor's, bachelor's degree, postgraduate, master's, and doctoral programmes in areas already widely covered by the existing offer at higher education institutions. The measure aims to avoid saturating the labour market with professionals in areas with enough graduates, promoting a better match between the educational offer and the country's needs.
The areas affected by the suspension include courses in Law or Law Science, Management, Accounting, Financial Management, Public Management, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Building Construction, Public Health, Nursing, Midwifery, Public Administration, Political Science, and International Relations. Higher education institutions will not be able to open new courses in these areas until the new legal diplomas on curriculum planning and the regulation of study cycles are approved. This Government Resolution also determines the immediate closure of unauthorised doctoral courses operating in the country.
This measure will remain in effect until the legislative procedures necessary for the complete regulation of higher education are concluded. This will allow for a reassessment of the available courses based on the needs of the labour market and the evolution of the education sector.
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The Council of Ministers has decided to authorise the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in higher education between the Government of Malaysia and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, granting full powers to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Culture to sign the agreement.
This memorandum of understanding seeks to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the higher education sector by promoting the exchange of students, teachers, and specialists, along with the development of joint programmes in various areas, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Educational Technology, and Recognition of Qualifications.
The Memorandum also establishes a Joint Working Group, responsible for coordinating cooperation activities and ensuring the effective implementation of the agreed initiatives. The initial duration of the Memorandum is five years, with the possibility of extension, and the financing of activities will be decided jointly, depending on resource availability.
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Lastly, the Council of Ministers approved the draft Decree-Law presented by the Minister of Transport and Communications, Miguel Marques Gonçalves Manetelu, for the establishment of “Cabos de Timor-Leste, EP” (CTL, EP), along with the approval of the respective statutes.
The establishment of CTL, EP aims to ensure the efficient and sustainable management of the new submarine fibre optic cable system, known as the Timor-Leste South Submarine Cable System (TLSSC), as well as the terrestrial fibre optic network owned by the state. This measure seeks to enhance national digital connectivity by promoting modern infrastructure that will enable access to high-speed internet and stimulate the digital economy.
CTL, EP will be responsible for operating, maintaining, and expanding the telecommunications network, including managing the TLSSC, which connects Timor-Leste to Australia's international Northwest Cable System (NWCS). The public company will also oversee the establishment of points of presence and distribution networks throughout the national territory, offering high-speed internet services to the entire population through the national telecom operators. END
