TL kontinua iha nivel insufisiente ba Indise Transparénsia Orsamentál

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OBS 2015: Timor-Leste kontinua iha nivel insufisiente ba Indise Transparénsia Orsamentál – Governu kontinua taka informasaun ne’ebé sidadaun sira presiza atu komprende no influensia uza osan públiku nian.

Relatóriu global ida ne’ebé independente tebes hetan katak Timor-Leste kontinua limita fahe informasaun ba públiku no haklekar sai katak sistema kontabilidade orsamentál nasaun nian ne’e fraku teb-tebes.

International Budget Partnership (IBP) nia relatóriu ba Open Budget Survey 2015 fó sai katak Timor-Leste falla atu aumenta maka’as nia esforsu ba transparénsia nian kona-ba fahe nia informasaun orsamentál ba nia sidadaun sira. Ne’e mak relatóriu ba dala lima hosi IBP, relatóriu ida ne’ebé independente tebes iha mundu, ne’ebé mai hosi survey ne’ebé komparativu duni kona-ba transparénsia orsamentál, ho partisipasaun sidadaun, no instituisaun monitorizasaun sira ne’ebé independente iha prosesu orsamentál. Kombinasaun hosi komponente sira ne’e mak sai tiha pillar importante ba sistema kontabilidade orsamentál nian.

Hosi avaliasaun ba nasaun 102, Survey 2015 nee hetan katak Timor-Leste seidauk hadi’ak natoon atu muda sai hosi kategoria médiu iha Índise Orsamentál ne’ebé Nakloke “Open Budget Index (OBI)”, ne’ebé uza kritériu sira ne’ebé internasionalmente koñesidu atu fó pontuasaun transparénsia nian ho eskalaun hosi 0-100. Nasaun ne’ebé hetan pontu 61 ba leten iha OBI mak bele konsidera nudár nasaun ne’ebé fornese informasaun ba públiku ho sufisiente.

Timor-Leste nia pontuasaun OBI nian iha 41, katak Governu nia informasaun orsamentál ba públiku limitadu tebes. Governu la fó informasaun ne’ebé sufisiente ba sidadaun sira atu nune’e sira bele komprende didi’ak orsamentu no mós atu halo Governu sai kontavel. Timor-Leste iha fatin kategoria médiu iha OBS 2010 no 2012 tanba Governu la publika Pre-Budget Statement (Envelope Fiskál no Orsamentu Sirkulár), Analiza Semestral ba Orsamentu (Mid-Year Review), no la iha inkonsistensia ba publikasaun Relatóriu Trimestral (In Year Report) no Matadalan Sidadania nian.

“Bainhira Governu laiha kontabilidade iha nia orsamentu rasik, entaun susar tebes ba povu Timor-Leste atu bele garante katak sira nia osan ne’e sei uza ba sira nia moris di’ak,” tenik Juvinal Dias, Peskizadór ba asuntu ekonomia no rekursu naturais iha La’o Hamutuk, ne’ebé hala’o peskiza ba Timor-Leste. “Governu loloos tenke publika relatóriu orsamentál trimestral no annual nian tuir tempu, loke partisipasaun públiku nian ba prosesu preparasaun orsamentál nian, no prosesu diskusaun orsamentál labele taka ba públiku, hanesan tinan rua ikus ne’e hala’o hosi Komisaun Eventual.”

Jerálmente, OBS 2015 ne’e hetan katak nasaun 98 hosi nasaun 102 ne’ebé hetan avaliasaun ne’e menus sistema ida ne’ebé adekuadu atu asegura katak osan povu nian ne’e uza tuir dalan ne’ebé efisiente no efikás. Nasaun 98 ne’e falla iha mínimu pillar kontabilidade nian ida hosi pillar tolu seluk (transparénsia, partisipasaun públiku, no fiskalizasaun ne’ebé forte); no nasaun 32 hosi nasaun 98 hirak ne’e monu iha pillar tolu ne’e tomak. Sistema kontabilidade orsamentál ne’ebé fraku tebes iha mundu tomak hatudu hela ameasa ba implementasaun akordu internasionál sira ne’ebé importante, hanesan Nasoins Unidas nia Meta Dezenvolvimentu Sustentável ne’ebé hein atu deside iha Konferénsia Klimátika iha Paris iha 2015.

Iha Pillar primeiru Transparénsia, iha nasaun 24 de’it mak lakon eskalaun ida hosi eskalaun hat ne’ebé iha. Sira nia pontuasaun ne’e liu 60 hosi 100 iha OBI, no nasaun hirak ne’e fó informasaun ne’ebé sufisiente ba nia sidadaun sira ne’ebé bele ajuda sira hodi tau matan ba Governu ne’ebé uza povu nia osan. Ne’e aviza mai ita katak, nasaun 78 seluk , inklui Timor-Leste, ne’ebé fó informasaun orsamentu ne’ebé insufisiente sai uma ba 68% populasaun mundu nian. Nasaun 17 hosi nasaun sira ne’e mak la fó informasaun natoon ka laiha duni informasaun orsamentál ba sira nia sidadaun.

Maski nune’e, estudu ne’e identifika katak transparénsia orsamentál ne’e jerálmente hetan mudansa – deskobrevimentu foun sira ne’e konsistente ho relatóriu anterior sira. Rata-rata pontuasaun OBI nian sa'e to 45. Iha duni progresu ne’ebé forte, partikulármente entre nasaun no rejiaun balu ne’ebé antes ne’e la transparente, inklui Repúblika Kyrgyz (ne’ebé nia OBI ne’e sa’e besik dala tolu), Tunisia (nia OBI efetivamente sa’e dala haat), no Áfrika Osidentál Française.

Bainhira ita junta tiha nasaun sira ne’ebé nia transparénsia fraku ne’e sai ida, ne’e hanesan hamenus oportunidade partisipasaun no tau matan povu nian. Ho pontu 60 ka menus iha parte survey ida ne’e, iha nasaun 95 hosi nasaun 102 mak falla atu fó oportunidade ba partisipasaun públiku nian. Tuir mai, survey mós hetan katak peskiza lejizlativa nian no kapasidade analitiku, no mós kualidade sistema garantia iha maioria órgaun auditoria nian ne’e fraku, hodi fó ameasa ba abilidade instituisaun tau matan sira atu bele efikás hodi asegura povu nia osan.

Timor-Leste nia pontuasaun 10 kona-ba oportunidade ne’ebé Governu fó ba partisipasaun públiku nian iha prosesu orsamentál nian. Ho hanoin atu haforsa Timor-Leste nia instituisaun fiskalizasaun formal sira, pontuasaun ba lejizlatura iha 45 no pontuasaun ba instituisaun supreme ba audit nian ne’e 83. Figura sira ne’e bele hetan mudansa di’ak liután bainhira Governu envolve partisipasaun povu nian bainhira prepara orsamentu estadu nian, Parlamentu tenke garante katak diskusaun no debates orsamentál ne’e sai nakloke liu, katak la uza ona Komisaun Eventual atu deside orsamentu estadu nian. Aleinde ne’e, Governu tenke publika relatóriu audit Tribunal das Contas nian kompletu ne’ebé inklui deklarasaun finanseiru sira ba públiku.

Bainhira ita kombina pillar tolu ne’e tomak, iha de’it nasaun hat hanesan Brazil, Norwegia, Áfrika du Súl no Estadus Unidus mak fó transparénsia orsamentál ne’ebé sufisiente, estabiliza oportunidade ne’ebé sufisiente ba partisipasaun públiku nian no iha instituisaun formal sira ne’ebé halo fiskalizasaun ne’ebé adekuadu.

Pelu kontráriu, survey ne’e hetan katak nasaun 32 mak la sufisiente iha pillar tomak kontabilidade nian. Númeru nee inklui nasaun lubuk ne’ebé konsistente hodi la fó ka laiha duni informasaun orsamentál nian, hanesan: Aljeria, Bolivia, Cambodia, Xina, Giné Equatorial, Fiji, Iraq, Myanmar, Qatar, no Saudi Arabia.

“Públiku presiza asesu ba informasaun orsamentál no oportunidade atu partisipa iha prosesu orsamentál nian. Fiskalizasaun hosi lejizlatura sira no instituisaun auditoria sira ne’ebé la’o hamutuk ne’e sei kontribui ba uza osan povu nian sai kontavel liu,” tenik Warren Krafchik, Diretór Ezekutivu International Budget Partnership. “Haburas órgaun evidénsia nian indika ‘check and balance’ fó rezultadu di’ak ba povu, espesialmente sira ne’ebé kiak ka vulneravel tebes.”

Maski nune’e, progresu substansial bele atinje lalais. Porezemplu, survey hetan katak maioria nasaun sira ne’ebé menus transparente ne’e loloos prodús sira nia informasaun orsamentál ne’ebé signifikante ba sira nia uzu internal; rezultadu boot bele hetan liu hosi kustu ki’ik ida liu hosi publika dokumentu sira ne’e iha Governu nia website.

Meius no mekanizmu atu estabelese pillar kontabilidade orsamentál hirak ne’e loloos iha liman hela. Maibé ikus mai, atu promove transparénsia, partisipasaun no fiskalizasaun ne’e besik sempre fila ba kestaun vontade polítika.

“Timor-Leste nia progresu ne’ebé fraku ne’e fó preokupasaun boot ba ita nia sistema orsamentál nasionál nian atu sai transparente no kontavel liu,’ hateten Juvinal Dias. “Governu tenke foti pasu sira tuir mai atu bele halo mudansa ida ne’ebé rápidu liu hanesan publika informasaun orsamentál nian ba públiku, loke oportunidade ba partisipasaun povu nian iha prosesu halo orsamentu estadu no haforsa fiskalizasaun orsamentál nian hosi órgaun lejizladór no auditoria nian”.

Ita boot bele download verzaun PDF artigu ida ne'e iha Ingles ka Tetum, ka relatoriu global ka Timor-Leste husi Open Budget Survey tinan 2015 iha Ingles.

TL falls short on budget transparency index

Liga ba artigu ida ne'e iha lingua Tetum

Timor-Leste falls short on global budget transparency index—the government continues to deny citizens the information needed to understand and influence the use of public money

Major independent global report finds that Timor-Leste continues to make only limited information available to the public and reveals that overall country budget accountability systems are deficient 

Timor-Leste failed to increase the amount of national budget information it provides to citizens enough to be considered sufficiently transparent, according to the International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Survey 2015. The report, the fifth of its kind, is the world’s only independent, comparative survey of budget transparency, citizen participation, and independent oversight institutions in the budgeting process. Combined these components are the main pillars of accountable budget systems.

Assessing 102 countries around the world, the 2015 Survey finds that Timor-Leste has yet to improve enough to move out of the middle category on the Open Budget Index, or OBI, which uses internationally recognized criteria to give each country a transparency score on a 100-point scale. For a country to be found to be providing the public with sufficient information, it needs to score above 60 on the OBI.

Timor-Leste’s OBI score of 41 means that the government makes limited budget information publicly available, it does not provide citizens with sufficient information to fully understand the budget and hold the government to account. Timor-Leste has placed in the middle category in the 2010 and 2012 rounds of the Open Budget Survey because the government is not publishing Pre-Budget Statements (Fiscal Envelope and Circular Budget) or Quarterly Budget Analysis (Mid-Year Review), and there have been inconsistencies in the publication of the Quarterly Reports (In Year Report) and the Citizen Budget.

“When the Government lacks accountability in its budget, it is very difficult for the people of Timor-Leste to be able to guarantee that their money will be used to improve their lives,” said Juvinal Dias, Researcher on Economy and Natural Resources with La’o Hamutuk, which conducted the research for Timor-Leste. “The Government should publish quarterly and annual budget reports on time, and open the budget preparation process for public participation – the discussion process for the budget should not be closed to the public, as the Ad-Hoc Committee has done for the last two years.”

Overall, the Open Budget Survey 2015 finds that 98 of 102 countries surveyed lack adequate systems for ensuring that public funds are used efficiently and effectively. The 98 countries fall short on at least one of the pillars of accountability (transparency, public participation, and strength of oversight); 32 of these fall short on all three. The widespread lack of strong budget accountability systems poses a threat to the implementation of critical international agreements, such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the international agreement that is expected at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference.

On the first pillar of transparency, a mere 24 countries—less than one in four— score over 60 out of 100 on the OBI and thus provide citizens with sufficient information to enable them to monitor the government’s use of public money. Alarmingly, the remaining 78 countries, including Timor-Leste, that provide insufficient budget information are home to 68% of the world’s population. Seventeen of these countries provide scant or no budget information to their citizens.

However, the study finds that budget transparency is generally improving—a finding consistent with previous reports. The average OBI score has increased to 45. Progress was particularly robust among some countries and regions that were previously not as transparent, including the Kyrgyz Republic (its OBI nearly tripled), Tunisia (its OBI effectively quadrupled), and Francophone West Africa.

Compounding the widespread lack of transparency that nonetheless remains is a similar lack of opportunities for public participation and oversight. With scores of 60 or less on this part of the survey, 95 of 102 countries fall short in providing opportunities for public participation. Further, the survey finds that legislative research and analytic capacity, as well as quality assurance systems in most national audit bodies, are lacking, severely compromising the ability of oversight institutions to be effective guardians of the public purse.

Timor-Leste scored 10 on the opportunities the government provides for public participation in budget processes. With regard to the strength of Timor-Leste’s formal oversight institutions, the score for the legislature was 45 and the score for the supreme audit institution was 83. These could be improved if the government encouraged the public participation in the preparation of the budget, if Parliament guarantees that budget discussions and debates are more open, and if the Eventual Commission can no longer make the final decision on the budget. In addition, the Government must publish complete audit reports for the Court of Accounts, including financial declarations to the public.

Combining all three pillars, only four countries, Brazil, Norway, South Africa, and the United States, provide sufficient budget transparency, establish sufficient opportunities for public participation, and have adequate formal oversight institutions.

In contrast, the survey finds that 32 countries are insufficient on all three pillars of accountability. These include a number of countries that have consistently provided scant or no budget information at all: Algeria, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Iraq, Myanmar, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

“The public needs access to budget information and opportunities to participate throughout the budget process. Coupled with oversight by legislatures and audit institutions this contributes to a more accountable use of public money,” said Warren Krafchik, Executive Director of the International Budget Partnership. “A growing body of evidence indicates such budgetary checks and balances yield better outcomes for people, especially those who are poor or vulnerable.”

However, substantial progress can be achieved quickly. For instance, the survey finds that most of the least transparent countries actually produce significant budget information for their internal use; major gains could be made at little cost by just posting these documents on the government website.

The means and mechanisms to establish these budget accountability pillars are readily at hand. Ultimately, advancing transparency, participation, and oversight almost always comes down to a question of political will.

“Timor-Leste’s lack of progress in making our national budget systems more transparent and accountable is of great concern,” said Juvinal Dias. “The government should take the following steps toward rapid improvement: make budget information available to the public; make opportunities available for public participation in the budget process; and strengthen fiscal oversight by the legislator and auditor.”

Download a printable PDF version of this article in English or Tetum, or the global or Timor-Leste-specific reports from the 2015 Open Budget Survey in English.