LU-OLO: “NATIONAL CANDIDATE TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC FOR ALL THE PEOPLE.”

MESSAGE FROM FRANCISCO GUTERRES LU-OLO

“NATIONAL CANDIDATE TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC FOR ALL THE PEOPLE.”

SECOND ROUND CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

DILI, 29 MARCH 2012

To all the people of Timor-Leste whom I love and respect.

Comrades “Buiberes and Mauberes.”

The Appeals Court recently declared the results of the first round Presidential election for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. As all of us heard in the Court’s announcement, I won the first round.  This is what all the people of Timor-Leste who voted on the 17^th of this month decided.

First I would like to give my thanks to the people of Timor-Leste who voted for me rather than for other candidates. I want to thank the women and men, the youth, the veterans, people of the towns and villages, people of the mountains and coast – all those who showed their confidence in me to be the President of the Republic. 

I would also like to thank all of FRETILIN’s cadres, militants and supporters for their efforts to open the way for my successful campaign. 

I would also like to express my love and appreciation for the support of my Buibere comrade and wife, Cidalia and my three children, Olo Kai, Eldino and Felezito Samora.

I want to thank the other candidates as well, especially those who campaigned with full respect of people’s rights and freedoms, without use of intimidation or threats to make people fearful.

I would like to thank those from other political parties who supported my candidacy.

I am able to stand here today and make this declaration because of all your work and support.

We started walking on this road to Aitarak Laran last January with great hope and confidence that many people would join together with us.

I was not wrong.  We are many now, who walk together and I am confident that even more will join us on the final walk to victory on the 16^th of April.

For this reason, I want all our beloved people of Timor-Leste, to clearly hear, that I, Francisco Lu-Olo Guterres, am ready and determined.  That I feel even stronger and with greater inspiration to step forward to the second round election on the 16^th of April and to win.

Many fellow Timorese voted for me in the last election.  According to the CNE, 133,635 people voted for me.  I know also that more than 150,000 did not vote for various reasons that we have heard already.

I would like to appeal to those who did not vote in the first round to please vote on this coming 16^th of April.  Your vote is your secret and your right.  There is no one in the world who can know how another person has voted.  There isn’t anyone who can know who you voted for.  Your vote is important because the future of your country is in your hands through your vote, which is your right, in this second round election.

Again I ask those of you who did not vote in the first round, to please vote in the second round on the 16^th of April.

As many of you have heard already, I have my Election Campaign Platform which is my vision of how I would fulfill the role of President of the Republic for All the People.

This Election Campaign Platform gives my promise to all the people of Timor-Leste as to what I would do as President of the Republic to strengthen peace and stability, to strengthen national unity, to embrace all the people, so as to be the President for all people.

This is my electoral commitment, my vision as to how to be the Head of State of RDTL in everyone’s interest.  I declare that I am ready right now to sign this commitment to demonstrate that I will fulfill all my promises in this document.

I have already said many times in many places during the first round campaign, and I repeat now:  as President of the Republic:

I guarantee to strengthen Peace and Stability in our land and among us.

I guarantee that we can bring a development that is balanced and sustainable.

I guarantee that we all give due respect the Constitution and Laws.

I guarantee national unity, unity of the State, territorial integrity, independence and national sovereignty.

I will gather all the people, no matter their political party affiliation, socio-economic status, religion, ethnicity or race.

I guarantee unity of the state and the unitary character of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

I will not enter into different political party disputes and I will serve as President for all, a Head of State that follows the legal pathway.

I will protect the Constitution: respect the laws, rights and values of all the people as per the law and Constitution.

I will stand firm with moral integrity and policies in order to represent the nation with dignity inside the country and overseas.

I will seek ways to help people understand each other and find consensus within society as a moderator, referee or “Lian-Nain”.

I will commit myself to developing good relations with other nations of the world, in particular with our neighbours, Indonesia and Australia.

I will always respect the most important and sacred principle which demands that state institutions must cooperate and be in solidarity with each other.

I will cooperate with all the state institutions, in particular the Government and National Parliament.

I promise to fully cooperate with whoever leads the RDTL Government or National Parliament.

I will be a Head of State who will always act in accordance with the Constitution and Laws in force in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

I will respect the power and role of other sovereign organs.  I will firmly respect the independence of the Courts.

I will use my position as Head of State to reinforce justice so that there is justice for all people.

I will guarantee a strong Defense and Security Force which respects the Constitution, the law and citizens’ rights protected in the Constitution.

I will embrace and guarantee cooperation among all Timorese.  I will encourage everyone to discuss with each other and to find ways to understand each other.

I will call attention to all political parties to find sound solutions which resolve national problems and strengthen our democratic state under the rule of law.

I will do everything to guarantee a dignified solution for veterans, the elderly, widows and orphans so as to give them their full rights and economic security. 

I will give all of my attention to the issue of our Veterans and National Liberation Combatants from our struggle for independence with great respect and a high sense of responsibility.  I will improve their living standards and resolve the problems that have prevented a full recognition of their participation in the resistance.

I will guarantee a positive environment for sustainable and fair development.  I will do everything in my power so that the State can bring social and economic benefit to all who need assistance.

I will guarantee that all the people will have access to education, vocational training, health services and employment opportunities to fight against poverty; for every household and person to have access to basic sanitation, clean water and electricity and that I will defend social and economic inclusion.

I will give my full attention to the issues of youth and gender balance - equity between men and women.

I will defend the Constitutional principle of freedom of religion and guarantee these rights are fully protected in the future.

As President of the Republic, I will work together with all society to build a solid front to fight against domestic violence and sexual abuse – especially sexual abuse of children and pedophilia.

I will defend the people, especially children, for their right to healthy living regarding health care and social development, in particular maternal and infant care to reduce mortality rates and accompany the children up to school age because this is of interest to the nation and the people.

The state must guarantee children under five a balanced a healthy diet and all of society must contribute to help so that our children can grow and be healthy.  I will guarantee my support to improving child nutrition.

I will give special attention to endemic and infectious diseases.   I will mobilize the state and all of society to help each other to combat and prevent tuberculosis, malaria, dengue, HIV and AIDS.

I will guarantee development that reduces poverty and seeks to meet the Millennium Development Goals. 

I guarantee to all people that when they choose me as President of the Republic, it will mean opening the road for peace and stability and closing the road to those who continue to threaten us with crisis, or those who want to intimidate us, buy us or try to win people through illegal means.

I promise to all, and to all Timorese that when you place your trust in me for the second round, I will commit myself completely to fulfill all my promises.

All the people of Timor-Leste whom I love and respect; I know that you want to look forward and not look back to the past.  In the week after the first round election, my campaign team and I have received and spoken with many people who want to give their support to me in the second round.  These include many of those who were candidates themselves in the first round and those who are from other political parties.  Some stand together with me today.

I want to state now, with them as my witness and all the people of Timor-Leste listening, that I will fulfill all of my promises which have brought you all to stand together with me and support my candidacy.  I guarantee that together we will step forward on a new road to find solutions for the major national issues that face us as a people and as a state in the next five years and beyond.

When we started last January, I declared that I would be the candidate from FRETILIN to be the President of the Republic for all the people.  Today I feel confident to declare that I am now the “national candidate to be the President of the Republic for all the people”.

My deepest thanks to all of you and a warm embrace to all the people of Timor-Leste, whom I love and respect.