Monday 30 March 2015
Friday 27 March 2015
Facts and falsehoods about Timor-Leste
Ramos Horta wrote a very good response to an article http://news.asiaone.com/news/world/timor-leste-running-out-money publish in Asianone.com
Facts and falsehoods about Timor-Leste
José Ramos-Horta
https://www.facebook.com/
Once in a while a free-lance reporter drops-in in my country for 2-3 days inspection, talk to local "experts" and proclaim themselves satisfied with their findings and write up pseudo "objective" analysis.
The most recent case was a story that appeared in the Straits Times of Singapore signed by a junior free-lance reporter.
For his opinion piece he quoted an academic from London, a Ms Sarah Dewhurst, who proclaimed:
"Timor Leste is not going to become the next Singapore," said Ms Sarah Dewhurst.
That's quite a profound academic statement. Did anyone in Timor-Leste ever dreamed loud to be another Singapore?
Most probably Ms Dewhurst has not read the much-publicised TL Strategic Development Plan (2011-2030). There's no mention there of our aspiration to be another Singapore. It is modestly hoped that by 2030 Timor-Leste would have become an upper middle income country with an annual per capita of $10,000.00.
Showing off her "expertise" about Timor-Leste the said Ms Dewhurst, a consultant with the UK Foreign Office-funded Overseas Development Institute , added with obvious aplomb:
"They're not strategically located. They don't have the same level of educated populace".
Of course we don't have the same level of education of a Singapore...we are 10 years independent; Singapore is 40 years-old as an independent city-state.
And Ms Dewhurst added: "The climate is hot and arid". I wonder whether the lady has been to Maubisse, Hatubuiliko, Letefoho, Laklubar, etc where average annual temperature is 22 C in day-time and may drop as low as 10 C at night from May to September. And I am sure Ms Dewhurst was not in Dili at the time of her expert comments about TL weather: we have had almost non-stop pouring rain since New Year Eve. As of this writing TL is covered with lush green vegetation.
Ms Dewhurst seems to forget that Timor-Leste is barely 10 years independent. Yet the progress we have made since the 1999 scorch earth violence unleashed by departing Indonesian troops and their armed militia gangs, is simply impressive.
Incidence of Malaria is dramatically down as is child and infant mortality. TL has now more doctors as percentage of the population than most Asian countries, serving in every population center.
An often repeated falsehood is about high unemployment levels. I have seen some writers referring to "60 % unemployment"! This is just plainly an absurdity.
At least 70% of working-age people live off the land as subsistence farmers and supplying almost all the country's needs in fresh vegetable and fruits - and earn a modest regular income.
The civil service, including defence and security personnel, doctors, nurses and teachers number about 30,000.
The private sector (hotels, restaurants, telecommunications, banking, construction companies, large and small) employ close to 10,000 people who earn anything from $150/month to several hundred dollars or thousands a month. We must add to this the many thousands of small vendors in Dili and in other 12 districts.
Travelling around Dili and the districts I have noticed the large number of improved housing of many thousands of people; reliable 24-hr electricity now reaches 70% of the people; many thousands are given solar panels.
These facts, easily observed on the ground, suggest a different story from the one frequentely rehearsed by "experts" - a growing economy with more and more people fully or partially employed.
Hundreds of Timorese are graduating with BA/BSs and MAs/MSc in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Korea (South), China, Japan, Portugal, Brazil, etc.
But the education sector remains a huge challenge; the last 7 years has not seen much improvement in quality education and nutrition for the rural children.
More efforts are being put in rural development to improve agriculture output; communities access to clean water and improved sanitation.
The challenges remain; while progress is visible since 1999-2000 we could have achieved much more, particularly in the last 7-8 years, if much of the vast sums invested in public infrastructures had not been wasted through mismanagement, incompetence, negligence and corruption.
However, I have faith in the leadership of Dr. Rui Araujo, our new Prime Minister. We will see some results very soon - in stamping out corruption and waste; in improved services delivery in the heath and education sectors for the rural poor.
José Ramos-Horta
Facts and falsehoods about Timor-Leste
José Ramos-Horta
https://www.facebook.com/
Once in a while a free-lance reporter drops-in in my country for 2-3 days inspection, talk to local "experts" and proclaim themselves satisfied with their findings and write up pseudo "objective" analysis.
The most recent case was a story that appeared in the Straits Times of Singapore signed by a junior free-lance reporter.
For his opinion piece he quoted an academic from London, a Ms Sarah Dewhurst, who proclaimed:
"Timor Leste is not going to become the next Singapore," said Ms Sarah Dewhurst.
That's quite a profound academic statement. Did anyone in Timor-Leste ever dreamed loud to be another Singapore?
Most probably Ms Dewhurst has not read the much-publicised TL Strategic Development Plan (2011-2030). There's no mention there of our aspiration to be another Singapore. It is modestly hoped that by 2030 Timor-Leste would have become an upper middle income country with an annual per capita of $10,000.00.
Showing off her "expertise" about Timor-Leste the said Ms Dewhurst, a consultant with the UK Foreign Office-funded Overseas Development Institute , added with obvious aplomb:
"They're not strategically located. They don't have the same level of educated populace".
Of course we don't have the same level of education of a Singapore...we are 10 years independent; Singapore is 40 years-old as an independent city-state.
And Ms Dewhurst added: "The climate is hot and arid". I wonder whether the lady has been to Maubisse, Hatubuiliko, Letefoho, Laklubar, etc where average annual temperature is 22 C in day-time and may drop as low as 10 C at night from May to September. And I am sure Ms Dewhurst was not in Dili at the time of her expert comments about TL weather: we have had almost non-stop pouring rain since New Year Eve. As of this writing TL is covered with lush green vegetation.
Ms Dewhurst seems to forget that Timor-Leste is barely 10 years independent. Yet the progress we have made since the 1999 scorch earth violence unleashed by departing Indonesian troops and their armed militia gangs, is simply impressive.
Incidence of Malaria is dramatically down as is child and infant mortality. TL has now more doctors as percentage of the population than most Asian countries, serving in every population center.
An often repeated falsehood is about high unemployment levels. I have seen some writers referring to "60 % unemployment"! This is just plainly an absurdity.
At least 70% of working-age people live off the land as subsistence farmers and supplying almost all the country's needs in fresh vegetable and fruits - and earn a modest regular income.
The civil service, including defence and security personnel, doctors, nurses and teachers number about 30,000.
The private sector (hotels, restaurants, telecommunications, banking, construction companies, large and small) employ close to 10,000 people who earn anything from $150/month to several hundred dollars or thousands a month. We must add to this the many thousands of small vendors in Dili and in other 12 districts.
Travelling around Dili and the districts I have noticed the large number of improved housing of many thousands of people; reliable 24-hr electricity now reaches 70% of the people; many thousands are given solar panels.
These facts, easily observed on the ground, suggest a different story from the one frequentely rehearsed by "experts" - a growing economy with more and more people fully or partially employed.
Hundreds of Timorese are graduating with BA/BSs and MAs/MSc in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Korea (South), China, Japan, Portugal, Brazil, etc.
But the education sector remains a huge challenge; the last 7 years has not seen much improvement in quality education and nutrition for the rural children.
More efforts are being put in rural development to improve agriculture output; communities access to clean water and improved sanitation.
The challenges remain; while progress is visible since 1999-2000 we could have achieved much more, particularly in the last 7-8 years, if much of the vast sums invested in public infrastructures had not been wasted through mismanagement, incompetence, negligence and corruption.
However, I have faith in the leadership of Dr. Rui Araujo, our new Prime Minister. We will see some results very soon - in stamping out corruption and waste; in improved services delivery in the heath and education sectors for the rural poor.
José Ramos-Horta
Monday 2 March 2015
Ministry of Finance first coordination meeting
Ministry of Finance first coordination meeting
https://www.mof.gov.tl/ministry-of-finance-first-coordination-meeting/?lang=en
Ministry of Finance held its first coordination meeting, known as CCFM (Consultative Council of Finance Ministry) since the newly sworn-in VI Constitutional Government took office last week. The meeting, which took place on Wednesday, the 25 February 2015 in the Knowledge Centre, Ministry of Finance building, was chaired by Minister, Ms. Santina Cardoso and Vice Minister, Mr. Helder Lopes and attended by all DGs, DNs and managers and representative of development partners.
The meeting discussed a number of
important agenda items including the recent approval of VI Government organic
law and its implications to the structure and work of the Ministry, Government’s
100 days programs, rectification budget, fiscal reform and other routines
activities such as the preparation for the upcoming Yellow Road Workshop.
During the meeting Mr. Alberto Piedade
from the Training Centre delivered a presentation on the recently created
procedural manual for overseas training. The manual, he argued, will ensure
that any overseas training has “value added” and benefits the Ministry in term
of a better service delivery from those attend the training.
The CCFM is a coordinating meeting,
which runs every two weeks, allows DGs and DNs to report on the progress of
their activities, to identify and address as earlier as possible any bottleneck
they encounter, rather than leaving them to the last minute.
Once the meeting concludes, minutes of
the meeting and any relevant documentation will be drafted and compiled and
shared with DGs and DNs. They will serve as supporting documents for the
preparation of the Ministry official progress report.
Towards the end of the meeting, Minister
and Vice Minister urged the government officials to work harder to ensure a better
delivery of service to the people of Timor-Leste – END.
Enkontru koordenasaun da-huluk Ministériu Finansas nian
Ministériu Finansas halao enkontru koordenasaun da-huluk, ne’ebé hanaran CCFM (Consultative Council of Finance Ministry) hafoin VI Governu Konstitusional hetan tomada-de-posse iha semanaida liu ba ne’e.
Enkontru ne’ebé realiza iha Kuarta, 25 Fevereiru 2015 iha Salão de Saber, edifísiu Ministériu Finansas nian ne’e, lidera direitamente husi Ministra, Sra. Santina Cardoso no Vice Ministru, Sr. Helder Lopes no atende husi DGs, DNs, jestores no reprezentante sira parseiru dezenvolvimentu.
Enkontru refere diskute konaba asuntu importante sira lubuk ida, inklui lei orgânika VI Governu Konstitusional no ninia implikasaun ba estrutura no servisu Ministériu nian, programa loron 100 Governu nian, orsamentu ratifikativu, reforma fiskal no atividade rutina sira seluk hanesan preparasaun ba Yellow Road Workshop.
Iha enkontru ida ne’e mos, Sr. Alberto Piedade husi Sentru Treinamentu hato’o aprezentasaun ida konaba manual prosedimentu ida hodi tau matan ba treinamentu sira iha rai-liur. Tuir nia, manual ida ne’e sei asegura atu treinamentu hotu iha rai-liu fo “value added” no benefísiu ba Ministériu eim termu prestasaun servisu ida diak husi sira ne’ebé ba tuir treinamentu.
CCFM ne’e hanesan enkontru koordenasaun ida, ne’ebé halao semana rua dala-ida, fo biban ba DGs no DNs sira atu hato’o konaba progresu husi sira ninia atividade, identifika no buka solusaun ba problema sira ne’ebé sira hasoru.
Wainhira enkontru ne’e remata, direisaun ida sei prepara nota enkontru no kompila dokumentu relevante sira hotu, hafoin fahe ba DGs no DNs sira. Dokumentu hirak ne’e sei serve hanesan dokumentu baze ba iha preparasaun relatóriu ofisial progresu Ministériu nian.
Molok enkontru durante loron baluk ne’e remata, Ministra no Vice Ministru husu ba funsiunáriu sira hotu atu kontinua servisu maka’as hodi asegura prestasaun servisu ida diak ba povu Timorense.
Minister of Finance received a surprise visit from Commission C of the National Parliament
https://www.mof.gov.tl/minister-of-finance-received-a-surprise-visit-from-commission-c-of-the-national-parliament/?lang=tl
Dili
– On the morning 26 February 2015, members of the Commission C of the
Timor-Leste National Parliament made a surprise visit to the Ministry of
Finance. The delegation, which was headed by Pedro Mártires da Costa, president
of the Commission C, was received by Minister of Finance, Ms. Santina Cardoso.
The
visit started with the Minister of Finance and the Director of Treasury, Mr.
Agostinho Castro accompanying the delegation to inspect the works of front,
middle and back office of the Payroll Department under the Directorate General
of Treasury. The unscheduled visit was motivated by the lawmakers’ concern of
the “recent complaints” raised
regarding “the late payment of salaries
of some public servants”.
In
response to such concern, the Minister informed the delegation that “the government has put rules and
regulations, systems and procedures in place to ensure that the payment process is done in a timely, efficient and
effective manner”.
According
to the Law, line ministries are required to submit to the Ministry of Finance
the request and required documentations for processing payment of public
servants salaries no later than the 15th day each month. Late
submission will not be processed and deferred to the following month.
In
addition, the Minister mentioned that a “check
list” was created and distributed to finance officials in the line
ministries. The “check list” is a
comprehensive list of the crucial tasks in the payment process. It ensures that
no important step is forgotten. It helps improve efficiency by minimizing
mistakes and the time delay to rectify these mistakes.
The
Minister also shared with the delegation that regular training is provided to
the finance officials of the line ministries. The purpose of the training, she
said, is to help these officials to familiarize and improve themselves on the
use of FreeBalance system and its added features.
The
Minister further informed the lawmakers that the Ministry of Finance is going
to organize a national test to all public servants, agents and managers who
deal with public finance including procurement, public contract, assets and
logistics management. The test aims to evaluate the capacity of those finance
officials in the areas of arithmetic, analytical skills, mathematic
competencies, procurement laws and regulations, budgeting, financial and assets
management.
The visit, which lasted for about an
hour, ended with members of the delegation concluding that “the problem lies not with the Ministry of
Finance, but the line ministries” – END.
Ministériu Finansas simu vizita surpreza husi Komisaun C
Dili – Iha loron 26 Fevereiru 2015
dadér, membru sira Komisaun C husi Parlamentu Nasional Timor-Leste nian halao
vizita surpreza ida mai iha Ministériu Finansas. Delegasaun ne’e, ne’ebé lidera
husi Sr. Pedro Mártires da Costa, prezidente Komisaun C, simu direitamentu husi
Ministra Finansas Sra. Santina Cardoso.
Vizita ida ne’e hahú ho Ministra no Direitór Jerál Tezouru Sr. Agostinho Castro akompaña delegasun hodi halo inspeisaun ba servisu funsiunariu sira iha "front, middle no back office” iha Departamentu Pagamentu iha Direisaun Jeral Tezouru nia okos. Vizita surpreza ida ne’e mosu tamba deputadu sira preokupa ho “lamentasaun balun” ne’ebé diriji ba sira konaba “atrazu iha pagamentu saláriu funsiunáriu públiku sira balun”.
Hatán ba preokupasaun ida ne’e, Ministra informa ba delegasaun sira katak “governu estabelese tiha ona regulamentu, sistema no prosedimentu lubuk ida hodi asegura prosesamentu ba pagamentu halao ho maneira ida lalais, efikás no efisiente”.
Liña ministériu sira, tuir lei, tenki submete ba Ministériu Finansa pedidu no dokumentus rekezitus sira ba pagamentu salarial funsiunáriu públiku nian la liu husi loron 15 kada fulan. Submisaun ne’ebé tarde sei la prosesa no sei adia ba fulan tuir mai.
Ministra mos informa ba deputadu sira katak Ministériu kria no distribui tiha ona “check list” ida ba ofisial finansa sira iha liña ministériu sira. “Check list” ida ne’e hanesan lista kompriensiviu ida konaba servisu importante ne’ebé ofisial finansa sira tenkiser kompleta uluk iha liña ministériu sira molok lori mai iha Ministériu Finansa. Ho nune’é bele asegura no hadiak efisiênsia servisu liu husi hamenus salan sira no tempu ne’ebé lakon hodi hadiak salan sira ne’e.
Aleim de ne’e, Ministra mos fahe informasaun ba delegasaun sira katak Ministériu Finansa mos regularmente fo treinamentu ba ofisial finansa sira liña ministériu nian. Tuir nia, objetivu husi treinamentu hirak ne’e maka atu ajuda ofisial sira ne’e familiariza no hadiak sira nia-a’an konaba uzu sistema FreeBalance no buat importante sira seluk.
Ministra informa ba deputadu sira katak iha tempu badak Ministériu Finansa sei organiza teste nasional ida ba funsiunáriu públiku, ajente no jerente sira hotu ne’ebé iha kompenténsia relasiona ho finansa públika inklui aprovizionamentu, kontratu públiku, jestaun patrimôniu no jestaun lojístiku. Objetivu husi teste ida ne’e maka atu avalia méritu ofisial finansa sira ne’e nian iha area aritmêtika, kompeténsia analítika, kompeténsia matemátika, lei no regulamentu sira aprovizionamentu, orsamentu, jestaun finansa no jestaun patrimôniu.
Vizita ida ne’e remata ho membru deputadu sira konklui katak “afinal problema laos iha Ministériu Finansa, maibe iha liña ministériu sira” – REMATA.
Vizita ida ne’e hahú ho Ministra no Direitór Jerál Tezouru Sr. Agostinho Castro akompaña delegasun hodi halo inspeisaun ba servisu funsiunariu sira iha "front, middle no back office” iha Departamentu Pagamentu iha Direisaun Jeral Tezouru nia okos. Vizita surpreza ida ne’e mosu tamba deputadu sira preokupa ho “lamentasaun balun” ne’ebé diriji ba sira konaba “atrazu iha pagamentu saláriu funsiunáriu públiku sira balun”.
Hatán ba preokupasaun ida ne’e, Ministra informa ba delegasaun sira katak “governu estabelese tiha ona regulamentu, sistema no prosedimentu lubuk ida hodi asegura prosesamentu ba pagamentu halao ho maneira ida lalais, efikás no efisiente”.
Liña ministériu sira, tuir lei, tenki submete ba Ministériu Finansa pedidu no dokumentus rekezitus sira ba pagamentu salarial funsiunáriu públiku nian la liu husi loron 15 kada fulan. Submisaun ne’ebé tarde sei la prosesa no sei adia ba fulan tuir mai.
Ministra mos informa ba deputadu sira katak Ministériu kria no distribui tiha ona “check list” ida ba ofisial finansa sira iha liña ministériu sira. “Check list” ida ne’e hanesan lista kompriensiviu ida konaba servisu importante ne’ebé ofisial finansa sira tenkiser kompleta uluk iha liña ministériu sira molok lori mai iha Ministériu Finansa. Ho nune’é bele asegura no hadiak efisiênsia servisu liu husi hamenus salan sira no tempu ne’ebé lakon hodi hadiak salan sira ne’e.
Aleim de ne’e, Ministra mos fahe informasaun ba delegasaun sira katak Ministériu Finansa mos regularmente fo treinamentu ba ofisial finansa sira liña ministériu nian. Tuir nia, objetivu husi treinamentu hirak ne’e maka atu ajuda ofisial sira ne’e familiariza no hadiak sira nia-a’an konaba uzu sistema FreeBalance no buat importante sira seluk.
Ministra informa ba deputadu sira katak iha tempu badak Ministériu Finansa sei organiza teste nasional ida ba funsiunáriu públiku, ajente no jerente sira hotu ne’ebé iha kompenténsia relasiona ho finansa públika inklui aprovizionamentu, kontratu públiku, jestaun patrimôniu no jestaun lojístiku. Objetivu husi teste ida ne’e maka atu avalia méritu ofisial finansa sira ne’e nian iha area aritmêtika, kompeténsia analítika, kompeténsia matemátika, lei no regulamentu sira aprovizionamentu, orsamentu, jestaun finansa no jestaun patrimôniu.
Vizita ida ne’e remata ho membru deputadu sira konklui katak “afinal problema laos iha Ministériu Finansa, maibe iha liña ministériu sira” – REMATA.
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