On May 20, 2011, Timor-Leste celebrated its 9th Anniversary of the Restoration of Independence.
The ceremony was presided by the President of the Republic, José Ramos-Horta, and counted with the participation of the President of the National Parliament, Fernando Lasama de Araújo, the Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and the President of the Court of Appeal, Claúdio Ximenes. Other individualities such as the Guinea-Bissau Prime Minister, Carlos Gomes Júnior, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luís Amado and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs from Australia, Alexander Downer, were also present.
After the raising of the flag ceremony and the military parade inspection by the Head of State, José Ramos-Horta referred that “in a balanced view, I conclude that these have been years of progress and development.
The life of the people continues to be difficult, poverty continuous to be heavy. But most families live better than nine years ago”. And he still noted that “the Health system we are building from scratch, has vaccinated, up to 2009, 80 thousand children (…). In 2010 we’ve reached goals for the detection and cure of tuberculosis that were established only for 2015.
The same has happened with the goals regarding infant mortality under 1 year and up to 5 years. Leprocy has been practically eradicated from the country. In the five years until 2009, maternal mortality was reduced by 1/3 (…). The combat to infection and treatment of HIV/Aids is ensured, for free, by the State, as a Government priority (…).
At the Education level, we received a destroyed school system. Today we have more than 1100 schools working in the whole country. In the primary school and second and third cycles of the basic education, the percentage of school applications increased from 60% in 2007 to 83% in 2010. We are making a big effort to quickly train national staff – in Timor-Leste and abroad, with scholarships in several areas.”
In the scope of the commemorations, the Timorese State decorated personalities such as the Guinea-Bissau Prime Minister, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Coordinator of the Literacy Program from Cuba, Horges Salvador and Armindo Maia, the first Rector of the Timor Lorosa’e National University, with the Medal of the Timorese Order.
Besides the medal of the Timor Order, other medals of Merit were also attributed to Paul Coblan, representative of the Australia Veterans; Kim Si Zuan, soccer coach from the Timor-Leste Youth Centre, Luis Humberto Soriano, Colombian Professor that, with a donkey, distributed books to children; Miguel Maia, Vice-Rector of UNTL; Romana Oliveira, pre-school teacher in Dili; Maria do Rosário Leão, basic school teacher in Ermera, Amândio Mendonça, catholic high-school teacher in Canossa; Clementina de Almeida, technical-vocational teacher in Dili and Marciana de Graça, teacher in the sub-district of Atsabe, Ermera.