Prime Minister (PM) Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão has said the National Development Agency (ADN) was established to avoid budget wastage. 
PM Gusmão said there was a perception in the community that ADN was ineffective and robbed other ministries of funds.
“You know that I will resign but our jobs are not running well therefore ADN is now observing the projects,” PM Gusmão said in a press conference at the Government Palace,Dili.
He said thatin five years of the IV Constitutional Government, a lot of money had been spent on projects but unfortunately the projects were of poor quality, therefore the National Parliament said it was a waste of money.
PM Gusmão emphasized that ADN was established not only to control concrete projects only, but BOQ as well.
He used the Loes bridge, which was repaired but fell into disrepair soon after as it could not handle the weight of traffic, as an example.
The Prime Minister said he contacted the company that carried out the initial work on the bridge and told them to take responsibility for the shoddy work, or the government would withhold payment.
“I told them that you’ll be paid once you have repaired the bridge,” the PM said.
ADN deputy director Alex Sarmento said law decree 11/2011 allowed the ADN to make inquiries into and certify any project.
“For the time being, we cannot conduct supervision because we haven’t got enough staff,” Sarmento said.
He said supervision, in which observation was undertaken every day,was different from inspection which was done periodically.
Commission E (for infrastructure, transport and communication affairs) member MP Paulino Monteiro said PM Gusmao established ADN to monitor the quality of projects.
“One of the ADN’s important roles is to manage the budget to pay for the projects,” MP Monteiro said.
He said ADN demolished poor quality projects everywhere.
“Public works also havetheir own labour code law on how all projects should be done of a good quality,” he said.
He urged the companies to run the projects well in order tocontribute to the nation’s development.
MP Manuel Castro agreed with ADN’s work in demolishing the poor quality of projects and said ADN should continue supervising projects.
He said the supervision needed to be conducted from the beginning of projects rather than simply demolishing the finished projects, as doing so was a waste of state money.
He said every year, the state spent money on projects but many were of poor condition.
He used the road from Dili to Baucau as an example of a poor quality project.
