Lisbon – The Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor (Fretilin) threatened to abandon the Timorese Parliament by the end of the year, accusing the deputies of the parliamentary majority of complicity with the local government and a boycott of the initiatives of the opposition.

"Parliament has become an instrument of government, giving no chance to opposition questioning certain matters of national interest, as happened in the discussion of the General State Budget this year," the president of Fretilin, Francisco Guterres Lu'Olo told agency Lusa.

Lu'Olo accused members of the Alliance for Parliamentary Majority (AMP), led by the National Congress for Reconstruction of Timor-Leste (CNRT), the prime minister Xanana Gusmco, of "being accomplices of the government," which has prevented the Parliament of carrying out his duties in the legislature and supervision of the executive.

"A majority can support the government but support of the government does not mean making laws against the Constitution, not become an accomplice of a government that acts outside the law. If we do not correct these situations leave Parliament," he said.

The Fretilin, which won the elections in 2007 with no majority, holds 21 of the 65 seats in the National Parliament of East Timor and does not recognize the legitimacy of the executive led by Xanana Gusmco.

"If they continue like this, the decision may be tomorrow, could be the day after tomorrow, may be in a month, before the end of this year," he added, refusing to say whether an exact date.

Mobilization

The decision was taken on Saturday, during a meeting of the central committee of the Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor (Fretilin), which has also decided to organize the "March of Peace."

"We will mobilize the masses, the militants of Fretilin to fall someday," said Lu'Olo, explaining that the date of the parade depends on the conclusion of the "structural readjustment" of the bases of the party.

The mandate of the elected representatives responsible for local structures has ended. Fretilin is in the process of electing new leaders in 13 districts, 65 subdistrict and more than 400 villages.

So far, was elected 40% of local leaders and, according to the president of Fretilin, is completed only when the whole process is set to be the date of the march.

According Lu'Olo, a decision that left the meeting on Saturday are "political response" to the current situation of party government.

"Things are not going well. The government led by AMP said it did practically nothing and what is happening is that there is poor governance, there is corruption, collusion and nepotism abound in this government. Therefore, we take this decision as a political response," he concluded Lu'Olo.

[Unofficial translation from Portuguese posted by ETAN.]