FRENTE REVOLUCIONÁRIA DO TIMOR-LESTE INDEPENDENTE
FRETILIN
Media Release, 15 July 2008
FRETILIN condemns secret Timor Sea gas deal
FRETILIN today condemned a secret deal by Xanana Gusmao’s de facto AMP government to give a foreign oil company the exclusive right to market petroleum from the Greater Sunrise Field in the Timor Sea.
FRETILIN said the multi-billion-dollar deal again raised questions about malpractice and maladministration within the Gusmao administration and demanded that details and copies of the agreement be made public.
FRETILIN parliamentarian and former Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Jose
Teixeira said: “From the little they have told us, the government has given the exclusive right to market petroleum from the Greater Sunrise Field to a single foreign company without an open tender.
“It is internationally recognized best practice that deals such as this should not be secret. Only by treating them with the utmost transparency will you safeguard against corruption,” Teixeira said.
“To pick a company that will do the best job for Timor-Leste requires an open and competitive tender process. The government did not do this and we demand that they be held publicly accountable for their actions.
“The public has the right to know what price the company will pay for obtaining these exclusive rights, exactly how Timor-Leste will benefit from this deal, and exactly what other concessions the government has given this foreign company.
“This contract involves billions of dollars because the marketing company is responsible for finding buyers for our petroleum who will sign long-term contracts with the government of Timor-Leste.”
Teixeira added that the deal also threatened Timor-Leste’s reputation as a favourable investment environment for the exploration of petroleum resources.
“Without naming the company, we are aware it has its own interests in the Timor Sea Joint Petroleum Development Area. The company also does not have any interests in any upstream activities such as processing and refining.
“However, it seems this company may also have been granted participatory rights in any LNG plant which will be built in Timor-Leste.
“This raises potential for conflict of interest which prejudices the rights of other existing contractors in the
“I have asked the de facto government twice in parliament and twice in meetings of the Natural Resources Parliamentary Committee to be transparent and make the agreement public.
“However, on each occasion Secretary of State for Energy and Natural Resources Alfredo Pires has refused to do so, stating that the documents are a government secret.
“I don’t accept Mr Pires’ response and I don’t believe that the people of Timor-Leste, who demand transparency and accountability from government, accept that the details of this deal should be kept secret.”
Teixeira repeated FRETILIN’s public declaration of November 2007 that because it does not accept the legitimacy of the AMP Government, all agreements entered into by this government, especially those relating to sovereignty and natural resources, would be considered on a case-by-case basis when FRETILIN returns to government.
“That consideration would necessarily involve examining the transparency and commercial propriety of natural resources agreements,” he said.
Note: As the former Minister for Energy and Natural Resources under the leadership of former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, Jose Teixeira was instrumental in establishing in Timor-Leste a petroleum regime which has been applauded by industry experts and the international community as a world leader in transparency. In 2005-2006, Teixeira oversaw what has been widely acclaimed as the most transparent international bid round for acreage blocks in Timor-Leste’s exclusive offshore areas.
For further information contact: Jose Teixeira +670 728 7080
Nilva Guimaraes +670 734 0389
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FRENTE REVOLUCIONÁRIA DO TIMOR-LESTE INDEPENDENTE
FRETILIN
Media Release, 13 July 2008
FRETILIN demands President, Vice Presidents and Secretaries of Parliament release documents on purchase of luxury vehicles for MPs
FRETILIN parliamentary group deputy leader, Francisco Miranda Branco today demanded that the President, Vice Presidents and Secretaries of the National Parliament (known as the
‘Parliamentary Administration’) provide copies of the contract and Commitment Payment Vouchers (‘CPV’) for the proposed purchase of luxury 4 wheel drive vehicles for members of the national parliament.
“Despite repeated calls to do so by our party group, and the National Unity Party group, the Parliamentary Administration have thus far failed to divulge to us copies of the contract and CPV documents. This is not a particularly difficult request, nor does it involve matters that are secretive to either them or the ministry of finance. There is no reason whatsoever not to release the documents we have requested,” said Branco.
According to Branco it is very important for the copies of the documents that were requested to be urgently made public because a controversy is currently raging regarding this issue, and there have even been demonstrations demanding answers to questions like how much these luxury vehicles will cost the state, and where the budget to pay for them exists or will exist.
“It is extremely important to all of us MPs and for civil society to see with our own eyes the details so that we can inform the public of the truth of the matter. Otherwise, this matter will remain a matter of controversy. The continued failure of the Parliamentary Administration to provide us with copies of the documents requested has led many people to conclude that there is no transparency in the management of the parliament’s finances. We tend to agree and ask the administration to quickly reform themselves in this regard,” Branco added.
This week the national parliament will commence to debate the Revised Budget from the de facto AMP government, which seeks to increase the current budget by 122%.
“It is they in the AMP who have defended the purchase of these luxury vehicles. But those parties who have questioned it are unable to obtain the documents regarding the proposed purchase or the documents filed with the ministry of finance. This shows yet again that the AMP regime is not transparent in its administration and does not have the political will to manage the budget and its spending with the minimum of transparency, because they cannot even do something as easy and simple as provide documents that are public and not confidential in any way.
“If they cannot be trusted to show transparency with such a small matter, how can we trust them to execute a budget which is 122% bigger than the existing budget transparently? This is the people’s money, not the administration’s or the parliament’s. Because of this we all have a right as the peoples’ representatives to access the detailed information regarding the process of the proposed purchase,” Branco concluded.
For further information contact: Jose Teixeira +670 728 7080
Nilva Guimaraes +670 734 0389
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FRENTE REVOLUCIONÁRIA DO TIMOR-LESTE INDEPENDENTE
FRETILIN
KOMUNIKADU BA IMPRENSA
13 Julhu, 2008
FRETILIN Ezigi Meza Parlamentu Nasional Fo Sai Kopia Surat Kontratu no CPV Kona Ba Sosa Kareta ba Deputadus
Vice Chefe Bankada FRETILIN, Francisco Branco ohin ezigi dala ida tan ba meza parlamentu nasional atu fo sai kopia dokumentus kontratu no CPV sosa kareta ba deputadus parlamentu nasional.
“Maske ami nia bankada, no bankada PUN mos ezigi ona dalan rua ba meza parlamentu nasional atu fo sai dokumentus kontratus hirak nee, no CPV, meza seidauk hatan ba ami nia pedidu. Buat nee laos buat susar ida, no mos laos buat segredu ba meza deit ka ministeriu finansas. Ida nee Povu nia osan, no mos osan neebe ami deputadus hotu hotu envolvidu iha laran. La iha razaun ida atu la fo sai dokumentus hirak neebe ami husu,” tenik bRANCO.
Tuir Branco, importanti duni atu hetan dokumentus hirak nee tanba iha polemika barak neebe mosu iha komunidade nia leet kona ba, no manifestasaun mos mosu, kona ba osan hirak mak kareta hirak nee sei kusta ba estadu, no orsamentu mai husi neebe.
“Importanti duni ita deputadus hotu hotu, no sosiedade sivil bele hare ho matan rasik detalhus hirak nee atu bele informa povu tomak. Se lae, ita sei dun malu nafatin no konfusaun sei mosu tanba dadus konkretus la too ba publiku. Tanba nee mak hau dehan, importanti no urgenti duni sira fo sai dokumentus hirak nee.”
“Meza nia falansu atu fo sai kopias dokumentus neebe ami husu, halo ema balun iha komunidade hanoin ona katak parlamentu nasional la iha liu transparensia. Ami mos konkorda no husu meza atu halo mudansa lalais ba lalaok hanesan nee,” Branco hatutan.
Aban, Segunda-Feira loron 14 Julhu, Parlamentu Nasional atu hahu diskusaun kona ba Orsamentu Retifikativu tuir neebe governu de facto AMP nian buka atu amuneta orsamentu geral estadu nian 122%.
“Sira AMP mak defendi liu sosa kareta nee. Maibe ami bankadas neebe kestiona sosa kareta nee labele hetan nem kopias dokumentus kona ba sosa kareta hirak nee no CPV neebe hatama ba Ministeriu Finansas. Nee hatudu dalan ida tan katak regime AMP nee la iha transparensia nem vontade politika atu halau minimu transparenti kona ba orsamentu no gestaun orsamentu, tanba sira labele halo buat ida kiik hanesa loke dokumentus neebe lolos dokumentu publiku, laos segredu.”
“Se ita labele konfia sira atu hatudu transparensia ho buat kiik hanesan nee, oinsa ita bele konfia sira ezekuta orsamentu ida neebe atu aumenta ba 122% bot liu tan ho transparensia. Nee povu nia osan, laos meza nian ka parlamentu nian deit. Tanba nee tenki hatudu momos ba povu nia representanti detalhas tomak kona ba prosesu sosa kareta,” Branco taka.
Kontactus: Jose Teixeira +670 728 7080 Nilva Guimaraes +670 734 0389
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