A Member of National Parliament praised village chiefs from the 442 villages across the 13 districts for carrying out their work efficiently and effectively, despitethe limitations they face. 
MP Manuel Gaspar da Silva Soares said the community complained too much about the work of village chiefs.
“They cannot take the initiative alone without creating the appropriate conditions, and I’ve seen their work is efficient and effective,” he said in the National Parliament.
He said as a representative of the people, it was necessary to monitor projects at the grassroots level.
“When I go into the field, I’m accompanied by local community leaders and they do their work to the best of their ability,” MP Soares said.
He said village chiefs wanted to do a lot but the government didn’t create the conditions for them to be able to.
“We cannot put the blame on our village chiefs because everything depends on their roles,” he said.
Meanwhile Kaikoli Village Chief Hipolito Marques Sarmento said his mandate as village chief started on December 19 in 2009 and until now he’d managed to fix the village office and drains in Kaikoli.
“More or less I have done it, and now in 2013 the road is running,” he said.
He said during his mandate he also managed to resolve issues for people with disabilities and orphans.
“I think there are a lot of things to be done in the village but the government says everything can’t be done at once, so if we do it step by step and we will get there,” said Village Chief Sarmento.
He said he received different concerns from the community and he continued raising these concerns with the government, but there was no response.
“My concern is there is no clean water for them and this is what I’m planning, and I’m also trying to get rubbish bins,” he said.
He said when his mandate finishes in 2015 he won’t have resolved all the community’s concerns, but a new mandate would be given to continue to complete this task.
“In 2015 if they don’t elect me, I will still work with the new village chief and continue working for the community,” he said.
On the other hand, the General Director of the Secretariat of Technical Administration for Elections (STAE) Acilino Manuel Branco said STAE hadn’t prepared their technicians, as it was a long way away.
“Currently we are not certain about this yet,” he said.
