DILI, 17 March 2026 (TATOLI) – Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão has continued the third phase of nationwide working visits to municipalities, traveling to Lautém and Baucau on March 16–17 to assess preparations for the implementation of local government.
The visits are part of an ongoing decentralization process under Law No. 3/2016 on Local Power and Administrative Decentralization, with the government evaluating institutional, administrative and financial readiness at the municipal level ahead of the planned rollout in 2027.
The program allows the government to monitor service delivery, identify gaps in coordination and strengthen local execution capacity.
In Lospalos, Lautém municipality, Gusmão met with municipal authorities, local leaders and community representatives, stressing that local governance must focus on development and poverty reduction.
“Receiving local power is not to rule, but to develop the territory and reduce poverty. Lautém has great potential to grow together, but it is necessary to work in unity. I call on the intellectuals of Lautém to return and help prepare and contribute to the development of their municipality,” the Prime Minister said.
He highlighted Lautém’s potential across several sectors, including minerals, agriculture, tourism, fisheries, culture and small industries.
During the visit, Gusmão inaugurated the Lautém One-Stop Service Center, aimed at improving public access to essential services such as passports, identity cards and criminal record certificates. Authorities also distributed identification documents, including a lifetime identity card to a person with disabilities, and provided transport equipment to support service delivery.
The Prime Minister also opened a new Municipal Directorate building for Transport and Communications in Lospalos, designed to improve working conditions for staff and enhance services to the public.
Gusmão’s program in Lautém included attendance at the closing of the Avô Nana Lautém 2025 Rotating Cup, a community sports initiative bringing together youth from across the municipality. He linked the event to promoting social cohesion, friendship and youth development.
In Baucau on March 17, the Prime Minister chaired a working session reviewing the results of the Minimum Conditions Assessment and the municipality’s readiness to assume local governance powers.
He stressed that decentralization requires a citizen-focused approach and called for stronger preparation in financial management, procurement, monitoring, record-keeping and accountability mechanisms.
During the visit, Gusmão also handed over sports equipment, including balls and gear, to the municipal authority in Laga administrative post.
At both meetings, Minister of State Administration Tomás do Rosário Cabral presented technical recommendations based on the assessment, including strengthening institutional capacity, ensuring compliance with administrative and financial procedures, updating municipal data and improving transparency, planning and monitoring systems.
The visits are part of the government’s direct oversight of municipal preparations for the implementation of local government in 2027. The third phase of the program is set to continue next week with a visit to Viqueque municipality.
TATOLI
