National Member of Parliament, MP Arão Noel de Jesus Amaral said the National Parliament has approved the government’s proposal to extend the mandate of the current xefe suku’s (local leaders) mandate until October 2016.
MP Noel added that according to Community Leadership Law No. 3/2009, the new suku election ought to take place in October 2015 but it has been postponed for next year because the government intends to make changes to the current election system.
“The government submited the proposal to the parliament and it’s been approved so an extension was granted to the mandate of the xefe sukus until October 2016,” said MP Amaral at the National Parliament, Dili.
However, the Deputy President of Commission A (constitution, Justice, public administration, local leadership and anti-corruption affairs) said the government has not yet submitted the proposal to the commission of the alterations to the Local Leadership Law so that it can be discussed at the plenary.
He added, the commission intends to change the packet system and the community leaders are included in such new structure to ensure the local administration can be controlled by the administrators on the municipalities and to ensure greater financial responsibility.
“The candidates can be autonomous but, the budget management will be under the packet order system because thus far local leaders had full control of their finances and did as they wished.”
Meanwhile a Representative of Paz and Dezarrolu (PyD) organisation, Xisto Goncalves agreed with the election system which will be developed by the government but cautioned that it must be a process that safeguards democratic values.
“The concept have to value the country’s democratic principles,” stated Goncalves.
He also urged the government to treat the xefe sukus equally and not to discriminate when it comes to facilities and other resources because the sukus in the capital are better resources than the sukus in the rural areas.
