In 2013, the National Parliament of Timor-Leste only managed to approve two new pieces of legislation – the Capital Money Laundering Law and the President of the Republic Organic Law.
Member of Parliament MP Antoninho Bianco said the National Parliament only approve two new laws because the government failed to submit any additional law proposals to the parliament.
“The Capital Money Laundering law was an initiative from the Commission itself and the President of the Republic Organic Law came from the government,” MP Bianco said in parliament.
The MP added the parliament was ready to approve other laws but no other law proposals were put forward by the government.
“In 2013 the government focussed on doing community consultations,” said also MP Bianco.
Other parliamentary laws pending debate include the Decentralization Law even though a draft proposal was consulted with communities across all 13 districts.
A few new pieces of legislation were introduced into Parliament in December 2013 but not yet discussed due to Parliamentary recess and also the 2014 State Budget discussions. Some of these new laws include the Careers Regime Package Law, the Land and Property Law and the Social Communication Law.
“Those laws haven’t yet been debated because in December we had to debate first the 2014 State Budget,” said MP Bianco.
Meanwhile MP BrigidaCorreia recognized in 2013 only two laws were approved.
“We made revisions about the general accounts of the State and other laws and international agreements” she said.
According to MP Correia, two laws are very important and need to be debatedurgently – theAnti-corruption Law and the Land and Property Law.
Meanwhile MP AraoNoe, Member of Commission A, recognized that in the third mandated legislature, not many laws were passed.
“We only approved the Capital Money Laundering and Financial Terrorism Law, but we haven’t done if for the other laws,” MP Noe said.
In relation to the many laws pending debate at the National Parliament MP Noel said this is because the government did not submit proposals on time to Parliament.
“Parliament accepts, analyses, discusses, approves new lawsand then the President promulgates the validity of the law based on the system that run,” MP Noeadded.
Meanwhile Deputy President of Parliament MP, Adriano do Nascimento, did not comment about the issue, because it was the duty of each MPs to create law project.
“I can create, but I cannot generalize it; that is the duty of each MPs to create laws,” he said.
