Speech of the President seeking a second term as President of RDTL

Speech announcing the decision to run for office as President of the Republic for a second term (2012-2017)

Dili, January 31, 2012

My beloved people of Timor,

Today I would like to announce to all the Timorese in our holy land and abroad, my opinions and my decision, as a citizen, regarding the presidential elections on March 17, 2012.

In May 2007, when the people entrusted the heavy cross of President on my shoulders, I thought of serving for a period of 5 years, one single term. Maybe you still remember my words during the 2007 campaign:

If the people elect me as President, the people place a heavy cross upon my shoulders that I will carry daily for five years. If the people do not elect me as President, it will also be good because I will not take the office of President, but will have my freedom.

On May 20, 2007 I took the great cross that the people put on my shoulders. I carried it daily, from station to station. I fell in one of the stations on February 11, 2008, I got up and kept going from district to district of our beloved country, in an even better and spirited way.

I took the challenges of President to unite the people, heal the Armed Forces and the Police Forces. I accepted the difficult tasks of the Presidency to heal the wounds in Timorese families, communities and villages. I took the difficult task of President to restore faith and hope to the people, faith in the State, faith in the future, so that the people would dream again, dreams of peace, of a better life, in peace and love.

I know that I am not a person who knows everything, nor am I exempt from mistakes. I don’t promise heaven, I don’t promise a garden scented by flowers, with mountain roses, like in Hatubuilico. Even the best roses have thorns that can hurt us if we are not careful.

For five years as President, we had some accomplishments together, but a lot is still to be done. I am talking about poverty, about those in need. I am talking about the mothers and fathers who live in the small villages of this nation, who sleep under the clouds, on wet cold floors, on moldy bamboo beds and on old mats.

But I am not knowledgeable and strong enough to take you out of poverty in such a short time. I promise you peace, I promise the mothers that their villages, the roads through which you they daily carry wood, water, vegetables, their children, will be safe and peaceful. I have not yet accomplished these dreams.

But some of the good things our people have, were collectively created by us. We helped each other, we planted the seeds of peace that are now growing, flowering, producing still green, but maturing, fruits.

In the last few months, hundreds of Timorese, young and old, rich and poor, leaders of other countries, big or small, strong or week, all talked to me more than once, asking me to serve as President for another five years.

I heard your opinions, I heard theirs, and I heard our friends in other countries. A few months ago I thought of retiring, giving way to one of our brothers to sit in the Presidential Palace, to run our beloved Timor-Leste.

When I heard that our brother Taur Matan Ruak, a veteran and national hero, was running for President in 2012, I thought the best was for me not to seek reelection to give way to our brother Taur.

Another hero, our brother Francisco Guterres Lu’Olo, President of FRETILIN, recently announced that he too was running for President.

Over the last 10 years, our brother Taur Matan Ruak led FALINTIL-FDTL. For 5 years, our brother Francisco Guterres Lu’Olo led our National Parliament. Our brother Lu’Olo is from a poor, simple, humble family. He sacrificed, returned to school, enrolled in UNTL and got a Law Degree with excellent marks. He is an inspiration to us all.

These two brothers come from poor families, but have their dignity and self-confidence. These two heroes, who abdicated their youth, lived in the jungle, in caves, stood on the top of our mountains, carrying the flag of freedom, faced grave danger daily and ate nothing but sago, cassava, kumbili, yam, sometimes nothing at all, got sick and shed blood.

Brother Fernando Araújo Lasama, President of PD, President of the National Parliament, also aims for the office of President of the Republic. We can say that brother Lasama is still young, but he also has a long political experience, as President of PD for 10 years and President of the National Parliament for 5 years.

So, when hundreds of Timorese asked me to seek a second term as President, I gave it much consideration, I assessed everything, I assessed what was said, my will and the will of the people and the national interest.

My thoughts and feelings did hesitate about running against brother Taur or brother Lu’Olo,. What is my decision? To run or not to run for the 2012-2017 term?

Today I entered the Church of Santo António de Motael to pray and ponder. The words I heard in my conscience were:

Make yourself available to the people – and the people, based on hundred-year-old experience will choose the leader they trust, the leader they like.

I will run for office and it is up to the people to decide. But I will not engage in campaigning. The people know me – during the occupation I was the voice of the people, the shadow of the people in the world; I became Minister for Foreign Affairs for many years, during the 2006-2007 crisis I became Prime Minister and finally President, until now.

I will not campaign against other candidates because I am not better, nor smarter than my brother candidates.

During the coming weeks, I will only release a statement with my thoughts, my program for 2012-2017. I will continue to work at the Palace and visit various areas as I have always done in the past, but I will not engage in campaigning.

I can tell you today: should the people choose another candidate, I will support our new President in whatever way he may want and ask. He will not be alone.

So, my beloved people, choose a candidate you trust, a candidate you truly like. Be not afraid because we will stand by him. When we welcome the President elect with open hearts and stand by him, our democracy will become better and it will have strong roots like those of the sacred banyan tree.

END

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