PRIME MINISTER'S AND PRESIDENT'S SPEECHES EMPHASIZE ECONOMIC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000161 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EFIN PGOV KDEM TT SUBJECT: PRIME MINISTER'S AND PRESIDENT'S SPEECHES EMPHASIZE ECONOMIC GROWTH, ELECTIONS REF: A) DILI 35, B) DILI 21, C) DILI 101, D) DILI 134 DILI 00000161 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. Summary: Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri and President Xanana Gusmao on April 4 addressed the annual Timor-Leste Development Partners Meeting. Alkatiri used the forum to announce a new approach to economic growth and poverty reduction. He stated that the "fight against poverty must be seen by all as a national cause" and presented an aggressive public investment strategy aimed at raising the annual economic growth rate from the current 2.3 percent to seven percent. According to Alkatiri, this strategy is reflected in the Government's proposed Fiscal Year 2006/2007 budget, which at $230 million will be approximately $100 million more than the 2005/2006 total. (Note: The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. End note.) President Gusmao, in a speech that followed Alkatiri's, touched on a broader range of topics. Of particular note were his comments regarding the investment strategy described by Alkatiri, which he praised while cautioning against the potential for corruption, and the concerns he expressed about the upcoming elections, particularly with respect to the need for a powerful and independent oversight mechanism and for public consultation and debate on the Electoral Law. End summary. New economic growth strategy emphasizes government "investment" with international contractors -------------- -------------- ¶2. In a speech titled "Decision Time", delivered at the opening session of the annual Timor-Leste Development Partners Meeting, Prime Minister Alkatiri presented a new strategy for achieving accelerated economic growth, stating that, "the fight against poverty must be seen by all as a national cause." Alkatiri began by defending the Government's record of development achieved to date, citing improved statistics in a number of areas. However, he then stated that maintenance of the current rate of economic growth, especially given the population growth rate, is unacceptable as it will essentially guarantee the continuation of extreme poverty. In order to actually alleviate poverty, he argued, it will be necessary to achieve an economic growth rate of seven percent a year. "[W]e now stand at a crossroads: on one side we have the sustained strong economic growth as a driving force to take us away from poverty; on the other, we have the maintenance of the current growth levels~should annual economic growth remain at 2.3%, it will lead to the increase of the number of poor people in Timor-Leste." ¶3. To achieve the target of seven percent annual economic growth, Alkatiri stated, "we have no choice but to try to turn the State into the engine, the locomotive of the Timorese economy." The Government's budget proposal for FY2006/2007 therefore includes a 75 percent increase in public investment to over $82 million, most of which is targeted for infrastructure projects (schools, roads, electricity, etc.) Noting that the Timorese private sector does not yet have the capacity to absorb the volume of work that this budget allocation represents, he said that the Government will therefore "open the doors, by way of international public tenders, to foreign investors who wish to operate here." However, he emphasized that the procurement conditions will be designed to ensure that a large proportion of the jobs created by the investment go to Timorese and that the Timorese private sector is developed in the process. To this end, he stated, the Government's construction contracts with foreign companies will require that 50 percent of the workforce be Timorese and that large projects have a minimum of 30 percent of the value subcontracted to Timorese companies. ¶4. In connection with the public investment plan, Alkatiri also briefly mentioned the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) as a potential source for "consolidating the effort being made by the State Budget," reporting that the Government hopes to negotiate a $350 million MCA Compact. ¶5. Alkatiri also addressed "regional asymmetries" in wealth distribution, that is the gap between incomes and quality of life in the capital versus the mostly rural rest of the country. Noting that "poverty in Timor-Leste is clearly a rural 'illness'" he stated that, "a substantial part of the projects we intend to execute during the coming years will be directed to the interior districts." The emphasis of these projects, he said, will be to create stronger regional capitals or "poles of attraction" so that people will be able to sell their products within their regions rather than by travelling all the way to Dili. To this end he emphasized the importance of local DILI 00000161 002.2 OF 003 governance structures and also stated that the Government plans to establish a Rural Credit Bank to expand access to credit in rural areas. ¶6. Alkatiri also touched on several hot-button political issues. He noted that recognition and compensation for veterans remain a top priority and that the Government stands ready to implement the new Veterans' Law as soon as it is promulgated. He also commented on the recent dismissal of nearly 600 striking members of the armed forces (FDTL) saying that in the decision to dismiss the soldiers "the principles of legality and discipline prevailed" but that "this does not mean that no attempts will be made to correct the alleged root causes". Alkatiri also touched on the Penal Code and the criticism it has received for its criminal defamation provisions (see Ref A),commenting that "The last few months were also besmirched by an intense campaign to discredit our Penal Code, subtly transforming it into a mere defamation law." President emphasizes election oversight structures -------------- -------------- ¶7. In his speech following the Prime Minister's remarks, President Gusmao touched on a broad range of topics, including the need for continued UN assistance after UNOTIL departs in May, the 2007 elections, veterans issues, the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) report, the Government investment program announced by Alkatiri, and the dismissal of 591 soldiers from the FDTL. The President responded positively to the new Government investment program announced in Alkatiri's speech. However, he called attention to the need to ensure access to information for both investors and the public in the process, stating that procurement "must be structured in a way that provides transparency and public scrutiny". ¶8. Regarding the national elections required by the Constitution in or before May 2007, the President took this high profile opportunity to reiterate concerns that he has previously expressed regarding the Government's approach to election planning to date. Specifically, he emphasized the need for a National Election Commission (CNE) "with appropriate competencies, operating in total independence and with the necessary funds to efficiently oversee and cover the process." He also stressed that the Electoral Law must be developed through a process of intensive consultation and debate to "ensure a truly democratic process". (Note: During last year's local elections, the CNE received very limited resources to carry out its oversight work. As regards the Electoral Law, it is so far being drafted by the Government with no public consultation. See Refs B, C and D. End note.) ¶9. Reaction from international participants toward the Prime Minister's new economic strategy was generally positive. Several international participants also expressed agreement with the President's concerns about the national elections. Particularly noteworthy were the frank remarks of the representative of the European Union, who expressed the view of many international participants in the conference when he asked that Prime Minister Alkatiri "please not be defensive" about suggestions for ensuring the fairness and openness of the election process. ¶10. On behalf of the United States delegation, Ambassador Rees said that the United States shares the Government's concerns about poverty in East Timor and welcomes the Government's renewed commitment to strategies designed to reduce poverty. Ambassador Rees congratulated East Timor on its selection as an MCA eligible country and noted that addressing obstacles to poverty alleviation is the central goal of the MCA process. He added that U.S. democracy and governance programs in East Timor will be focused primarily on the elections, including activities to enhance the capabilities not only of government institutions but also of non-government actors including independent news media. Ambassador Rees added that U.S. assistance for the elections would be directed not only to the Government-controlled electoral administration but also to the independent oversight commission, and that it would be designed to promote not only technical capabilities but also "the policy environment that will ensure a fully free and fair election." ¶11. Comment: The Prime Minister's new economic program got a far more enthusiastic reception from the conference participants than it subsequently got from Timorese observers, who generally DILI 00000161 003.2 OF 003 dismissed it as "an election year speech for an election year budget." Whatever the motivations behind the proposed dramatic increase in government spending on programs to help the poor and build East Timor's infrastructure, the country will be fortunate indeed if these measures are the only ones the Government takes in an effort to increase its advantage in the elections. As President Gusmao and the EU representative suggested, however, the Government may well have some far more problematic election-year ideas up its sleeve. End Comment. REES