Revizaun orsamentu estadu tenke justu, igualitáriu no sustentavel.

Link to this blog in English.

Dadaun ne'e, Parlamentu Nasional debate proposta alterasaun ba Orsamentu Jerál Estadu ba tinan 2021 hodi bele enfrenta kalamidade rua husi pandémia Covid-19 no inundasaun semana kotuk. Bele hetan informasaun tan iha ne’e, inklui proposta lei.

Iha loron 12 Abril, La’o Hamutuk haruka submisaun ida ba Deputadu/a sira hotu. Versaun badak tuir mai:

Ami apresia Governu Timor-Leste nia esforsu no servisu maka’as ba medida preventiva hotu-hotu ne’ebé ho objetivu atu hakotu kontaminasaun surtu Covid-19 iha ita nia rain, no atu responde lalais ba dezastre naturais ne’ebé Timor-Leste foin hasoru. Kalamidade inundasaun ida ne’e hatudu frakeza iha ita nia infrastrutura, no hamosu pergunta importante kona ba oinsá mak Timor-Leste bele suporta povu no oinsá atu hamenus impaktu husi dezastre naturais iha futuru.

Atu responde ba situasaun ida ne’e, Governu no Deputadu sira presiza avalia fali proposta alterasaun ba Lei Nu 14/2020 kona ba OJE 2021. Liu husi karta ida ne’e, ami hakarak hato’o ami nia hanoin kona-ba oinsá mak OJE 2021 retifikativu bele haktuir prinsípiu justisa, igualdade no sustentabilidade.

Ami sujere katak Governu bele aplika fali ideia Subsídiu Uma Kain la’ós ho baze ba sira ne’ebé tama iha lista Seguransa Sosiál de’it, maibé halo mudansa balun atu asegura katak ema hotu hetan benefísiu ne’ebé hanesan hodi atinje justisa sosiál iha implementasaun subsídiu estraordináriu, ami sujere atu:

1. Kalkula montante subsídiu bazeia ba númeru membru uma kain, laho referénsia ba ema nia saláriu ka rejistrasaun ho Seguransa Sosiál.
   
   
2. Konsidera katak cerca sanitária husi Estadu Emerjénsia no dalan nasionál ne’ebé hetan estraga halo susar ba hirak ne’ebé mak presiza halo viajen ba munisípiu seluk atu hetan apoiu husi família, presiza inklui sira ne’ebé hela iha fatin aluga ka fatin ne’ebé independente husi família, hodi bele asesu mós ba subsídiu estraordináriu.

Ami apresia katak iha versaun primeiru husi alterasaun ba OJE 2021 ne’ebé Governu hato’o ona ba Parlamentu, Governu propoin atu muda fundus husi projetu no atividade balu, inklui alokasaun Fundu Infrastrutura nian ba Aeroportu no Projetu Tasi Mane, no alokasaun liu husi Dotasaun ba Governu Tomak ba viajen ba nasaun seluk, atu finansia medidas foun liu-liu atu responde ba situasaun hafoin dezastre naturais.

Hodi bele muda alokasaun ba reparasaun emerjénsia no intervensaun saúde no ekonómiku sira. Posibilidade atu halo levantamentu estraordináriu husi Fundu Petrolíferu mak hanesan opsaun ikus, karik laiha rekursu ne’ebé sufisiente husi fatin seluk.

Ami sujere atu maximiza transferénsia husi projetu sira ne’ebé atu finansia projetu ba iha atividade no prevensaun urjente sira, inklui haforsa no hakbiit liu tan koordenasaun di’ak iha liña Ministériu sira no parseiru dezenvolvimentu sira atu bele minimiza duplikasaun iha despeza atu apoiu povu no hadi’ak infrastrutura.

Ami hein katak Governu no Parlamentu Timor-Leste sei foti medida no desizaun ne’ebé matenek hodi garante katak povu hotu, inklui povu ki’ik sira, bele kontinua moris iha kondisaun lahó preokupasaun no mós la monu ba kondisaun grave ne’ebé rezulta husi pandemia no inundasaun ida ne’e.

Ba ita-boot nia atensaun, ami nafatin hato’o obrigadu barak. 

Budget revision should be just, equitable and sustainable.

Liga ba artigu ne'e iha Tetum

Parliament is currently discussing a proposed revision to the already-enacted General State Budget for 2021 to address the simultaneous calamities of the Covid-19 pandemic and the widespread flooding in Timor-Leste last week. More information, including the proposed law, is available here. 

On 12 April, La’o Hamutuk sent every Member of Parliament a submission (Tetum original), of which the following is an abridged translation:

We appreciate the Timor-Leste Government’s efforts to prevent and eradicate the Covid-19 virus, and its rapid response to the recent natural disaster. These floods show how weak our infrastructure is, and raise important questions about how to support our people and reduce impacts from such disasters in the future.

To respond to this situation, Government and Parliament should re-evaluate the proposed revision to the 2021 State Budget. We suggest the following ways the rectified budget can implement principles of justice, equality and sustainability.

La’o Hamutuk supports the proposal to provide an extraordinary subsidy to the population. However, we believe it would be better not to use Social Security System data as the basis for distributing this subsidy, because:

1. The Social Security System does not include many vulnerable people, and the current situation makes it very difficult for them to register.
   
   
2. It would be unjust to increase inequality by giving greater support to people who already have more money than to people who do not yet participate in the formal economy.

Timor-Leste has a large gap between those who receive salaries and most “little” people who support themselves in the informal sector or are unemployed. This subsidy is intended to ensure that everyone can sustain their lives during these difficult times. We don’t think the state should distribute different amounts to different people before we can assess the impacts of flooding and the state of emergency on each household. People who used to receive large salaries don’t deserve more support than those with lower incomes – their basic needs and human rights are the same.

To achieve social justice, we recommend using concepts from last year’s Household Subsidy, adapted to ensure that everyone receives the same benefits:

1. Calculate the amount of the subsidy based on the number of people in each household, without regard to their salaries or Social Security registration.
   
   
2. Considering that it is difficult to travel to other municipalities, the system should also include people who live in rented housing away from their families.

We appreciate that the proposed revision sent to Parliament last month would finance the new emergency measures by reallocating funds from other budget lines, including airports, the Tasi Mane Project and international travel.

Now that the situation has become more challenging, we suggest re-assessing the budget to see what else can be delayed or cancelled. If these is not enough to meet increased spending needs, an extraordinary withdrawal from the Petroleum Fund could be done as a last resort.

We all know that Timor-Leste may not be able to pay for basic services by 2030, when the Petroleum Fund could be empty. Therefore, we need to use the Fund’s limited resources wisely and carefully for essential needs.

We also suggest better coordination between line ministries and development partners to minimize duplication of emergency spending.

We hope that Timor-Leste’s Government and Parliament will take strong measures and make wise decisions to guarantee that all our people, including the “little” ones, can continue their lives without worrying about falling deeper into peril from the pandemic and the flooding.

Thank you for your attention.