East Timor independence hero Xanana Gusmao resigned as prime minister on Feb. 6, stepping down ahead of an expected restructuring of the government next week.
February 06, 2015 | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DILI, East Timor–East Timor independence hero Xanana Gusmao resigned as prime minister on Feb. 6, stepping down ahead of an expected restructuring of the government next week.
The former guerrilla leader spearheaded East Timor’s drive for independence when Indonesian rule ended in 2002. He was the new country’s first president, holding that position from 2002 until becoming prime minister in 2007.
East Timor voted overwhelmingly in 1999 to end 24 years of brutal Indonesian occupation that had left more than 170,000 dead, but the country has struggled to develop economically. About half of its 1.2 million people live in poverty.
An adviser to Gusmao, who did not want to give his name because he’s not authorized to speak publicly about the resignation, said Gusmao felt now was the time to pass the responsibility of governing to the next generation.
He said it was part of a restructuring of the government that is expected to be announced next week. Under the proposal, the Cabinet would be reduced from 55 to 34 ministers and would become more inclusive, with opposition members among those appointed.
A government statement said that Gusmao, 68, submitted his resignation to President Taur Matan Ruak.
“Recently the prime minister encouraged all members of government to work calmly in this time of transition until the new government is sworn in,” the statement said.
The move was expected as local media reports said Gusmao had advised fellow lawmakers that he would step down.
If his resignation is accepted, Gusmao is expected to maintain a role in government, perhaps as a coordinating minister, the adviser said, but the aim is for a generational transfer.
The adviser said that Gusmao, the president and lawmakers are discussing who will be the next prime minister but that it was unlikely to be announced before next week.
Former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta was not expected to be in the new government, the adviser said.
East Timor was a colony of Portugal until it declared independence in late 1975. It was then invaded and occupied by Indonesia until a U.N.-backed referendum in 1999 led to it becoming a sovereign state on May 20, 2002.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS