DILI (TOP) – The walk out from the plenary session of the National Parliament (PN) was not the first time carried out by the Timor-Leste’s lawmakers in September 2020, but it happened when the FRETILIN party was still as an opposition party.
After the FRETILIN government led by Prime Minister Mari bin Amude Alkatiri fell from the throne of power in 2006, from then on, the people's representatives from his party always used political tactics to walk out and chose to reject including rejecting to ratify the maritime border treaty in 2019.
This tactic transmitted to MPs from the CNRT party who also decided to walk out of the plenary session hall before the President of the Republic Francisco Guterres Lú-Olo delivered remarks opening the third legislation for the fifth legislature.
"I think you know the position of the CNRT faction regarding the legality of the National Parliament, for that today the CNRT faction will enter the plenary session of the National Parliament. Because we want to take the opportunity to convey our position to the President of the Republic to hear firsthand the concerns of the CNRT faction, ” said the Deputy Chairperson of the CNRT Faction, Patrocínio dos Reis Fernandes to reporters in the hall of the CNRT faction of the National Parliament, Dili, Tuesday, September 15, 2020.
The politician from the CNRT party from the municipality of Manufahi is not satisfied with asserting that a democratic state needs to be built based on laws.
"We must not build a country that was purchased at a sacrifice only for the benefit of a few people. After coming to power, we trampled on all the laws that are the legal basis for this country, therefore, we thought that there is no need to take part in legalizing sessions that have no legality value”.
Meanwhile, President of the Republic Francisco Guterres Lú-Olo said it was not a problem for him.
"The President of the Republic came to the National Parliament as a sovereign organ to open the legislative session, now whether they are abandoned or not, that's their problem", said Lú-Olo.
