Democratic Republic Of Timor-Leste Address

Address By His Excellency The Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao On The Occasion Of The Start Of The Socialisation Campaign OnSensus Fo Fila Fali Dili Convention Centre 4 November 2011

Your Excellency the President of the Republic
Distinguished Members of Parliament
Fellow Government Members
Illustrious members of the Diplomatic Corps
Your Excellency the Representative from UNFPA
Your Excellency the Representative from UNICEF
Representatives from Non-Governmental Organisations
Illustrious District and Sub-District Administrators
Illustrious Chiefs of Suco
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great satisfaction that I take part in this official launch of Sensus Fo Fila Fali. Following the large task conducted in 2010 by the National Directorate of Statistics, under the Ministry of Finance, to update statistical reference information on the demographic, economic and social aspects of our Nation, we have developed this project to socialise this important data. As such, I would like to start by thanking all those who supported this project, including the Government members involved and other State agencies, agencies of the United Nations and NGOs. I would also like to thank UNFPA and UNICEF for their technical and financial support.

Ladies and Gentlemen, As you know, a nation consists of a territory and its population. A government that does not know its population is a government that does not know the nation it is leading, which is a step towards failure. Any government has the need, in fact the duty, to know its population well.

This is why we give special importance to the results obtained by the 2010 census. In order to be able to implement better policies to serve our People, the Government must know how many we are, where we live and how we live!

Only by taking a real and objective picture of the population residing in Timor-Leste and by knowing the conditions in which we live can the Government plan and intervene responsibly, without relying on vague assumptions, in order to improve the living situation of the Timorese.

Therefore, the Census results will enable us to operate in a way that reflects the actual circumstances of the country, increasing the benefits to our People. How? By investing with greater efficiency in health, education, housing and other basic infrastructure. As such, the Strategic Development Plan launched in July uses the Census to substantiate the actual progress of the country and to define the policies and programs required for national development. The Plan represents the hopes and aspirations of the Timorese people in terms of national development for the next 20 years, focusing on three key areas: human capital, infrastructure and economic development. In short, our Plan is an integrated package of strategic policies to be implemented in the short, medium and long term, according to the needs of the country. Within a short term perspective, I would like to highlight the following goals:

• By 2015 we will have implemented a primary health care system. Each Suco will have its own health clinic, including a doctor and a nurse.

• By 2015 we will have quality basic education for 93% of Timorese children, and by 2020 we will ensure that all children complete secondary education. This vision will be achieved through an intensive stage of building schools, training teachers and implementing a social inclusiveness policy in education.

• By 2015 we will have eradicated illiteracy in all age brackets of the population.

• By 2015 we will have established a contributory social security system, ensuring pensions to all Timorese workers.

• By 2015 we will have build 55,000 new homes to support families throughout the country.

• By 2015 we will have rehabilitated all rural roads to be able to withstand all weather conditions and we will have fully rehabilitated all national roads. Our national road network will be completed by 2020 or earlier.

• By 2015 we will have exceeded the goal of having 75% of the rural population with reliable and sustainable access to drinking water.

• By 2015 the entire population will have access to electricity 24 hours a day.

• Farmers will receive seasonal subsidies and credits, which will enable us to considerably increase our agricultural productivity.

• By 2020, food supply will exceed food demand.

Ladies and Gentlemen, As you are aware, needs are not exactly the same in every region of the country and in every suco of Timor-Leste. For instance, in the suco of Nitibe we have already succeeded in eradicating illiteracy but we are still far from achieving agricultural productivity. On the other hand, in the suco of Holsa we have been improving agricultural productivity, particularly in terms of rice, however most people still cannot read and write. This is to say that no one knows the reality of each suco better than the local communities themselves. The social indicators contained in the Suco Reports, which are now presented individually and compared with the districts where they are located and with the country itself, enable the local leaders to identify their priorities and to plan accordingly. In this way we are returning to our People the precious results that have been obtained, in a format that is simple and user-friendly, so that the communities can know themselves better and become better able to contribute to their development. Today we are starting a process that will continue for the next six weeks, in which local leaders throughout the country will have the opportunity to learn more about their sucos and to achieve local development goals. Today we publicly recognise that a national plan would not make sense if it did not take into consideration the local involvement and input and if it did not rely on the active participation of all Timorese citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I trust that this challenge will be accepted with responsibility and commitment by community leaders, so that they may set clear goals for their communities, be involved in their implementation and ensure adequate monitoring. By working together, national and local interests can achieve great progress for our Nation. It is important to remember that the more we know about ourselves, the better we will be able to develop our communities. The Suco Reports and the workshops on Sensus Fo Fila Fali enable us to share knowledge ¡V and knowledge is the best instrument we have to make the changes that need to be made and develop the areas that great potential. As such, I officially declare the Sensus Fo Fila Fali socialisation process open across the country. I hope that you will make the most of this opportunity so that you may serve the Timorese population ¡V the greatest wealth of our Nation ¡V with commitment and enthusiasm. Our Census describes the way we are today. Let us work together to decide what we want to become in the future.

Thank you very much.

Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao

4 November 2011

ENDS

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