The Draft Law on the State Budget for the financial year 2014 is analysed and discussed in its general terms from January 9 to 11 in the National Parliament.

The proposal was presented in plenary on August 9 by the Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, who, in his speech, stressed the importance of growth and consolidation of democracy in Timor-Leste, for the analysis of the budget: “We want the 2014 State General Budget to reflect the various perspectives in Timor-Leste, so as to create a consensus that allows us to talk about a participative democracy”.

The Prime Minister noted that although the international context is challenging, Timor-Leste has managed to grow and, above all, has prepared a plan – the Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 – that allows the nation to pursue its goals and vision.

“With this plan, we want to make use of this favourable wind in order to achieve a development that is primarily inclusive and sustainable.

It must be inclusive in order to respond equally to the needs of every Timorese citizen, from the coastal communities to the mountains in the countryside.

It must be sustainable because it cannot respond only to the immediate needs of our population. Instead, it must respond to our long term vision, so as not to jeopardise resources for future generations”.

The Prime Minister also stressed that the State Budget is committed to accuracy, accountability and transparency and stated, “consequently we propose a 2014 State General Budget of $1.5 billion. This is in line with our execution capacity, our pressing development needs and the need to control inflation”.

While there is reduction in the budget compared to the previous year, the priority for the V Constitutional Government remains social expenditure and infrastructure. “The four Ministries with the most significant financial contributions are the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health”, stated the Prime Minister, announcing increased allocation for the sectors of health and education.

The draft law is voted in its generality on Saturday, January 11, which will be followed by the debate of each sector’s budgets over a maximum duration of ten days.

It should be recalled that the debate was initially scheduled to take place in December 2013, but was delayed so that the Prime Minister could attend the funeral of the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela.

As in previous years, the debate is transmitted in its entirety by RTL and TVTL.

(To access the Press Release of the meeting of the Council of Ministers that approved the State Budget Draft Law for 2014 click here).