PD Manifesto

THE PD MANIFESTO

The struggle of the liberation of East Timor has entered into its phase of liberating the nation and the people from poverty, illiteracy, ignorance and injustice, remnants of colonialism and foreign occupation. Because of the difficulties inherited from post-colonial and post-occupation and pressures resulted from the globalization, the process of the struggle for the liberation of the people from colonial and foreign occupation vestiges above mentioning is far more difficult than the struggle for the liberation of the country.

To fight against all the vestiges above mentioning and to reduce the negative impact on the process of the liberation of the nation, each and every citizen shall have its own appropriate space and make itself avaible to participate actively in this process. The history of the struggle of the liberation of the people has shown that an active and creative participation of every sector of East Timorese society in the uprooting of the shortcomings and to overcome obstacles that hinder the achievement of the national objectives is indispensable.

Without ignoring the sacrifice of our heroes and martyrs and determine to uphold their ideals of the struggle of the national liberation, and concious of the limitations that the nation is facing, and binding to the commitment of the sustainability of the national liberation, some of the citizens of Timor Loro Sae decided to establish the Partido Democratico (PD) with the following objectives:

1. Developing a participatory democracy and respect of human rights - the right to participate in the political decision-making process at every level of the system in order to guarantee a clean transparent and accountable government. Establishing a representative institution that accommodates the aspirations of the people, and developing a clean, independent and accountable judiciary system.

2. Developing a market economy with a selective intervention of the government suported by a third party in order to involve every citizen as subject and object of the economic development.

3. Developing an education system which guarantee equal opportunity and accessible to all citizens of Timor Loro Sae as well as providing opportunity for the participation of the East Timorese citizens in the management of economic development of the country.

4. Developing a social system that ensures social welfare, harmony and solidarity amongst citizens.

5. Developing a security and defense system that guarantee the protection of the territorial sovereignty and integrity of Timor Loro Sae with the purpose to create necessary conditions for peace, social tranquility, that ensure national stability.

6. Developing an active foreign policy in the spirit of cooperation and solidarity aiming at the promotion of international peace and stability.

Every act which threatens and endangers national security will be countered on the basis of the laws in order to ensure a free, democratic and sovereign society of Timor Loro Sae in accordance with socio-cultural values, internal and external factors which influence the process of the liberation of the people.

Dili, 24 May 2000

PD Organizers, Fernando "La Sama" de Araujo, President Mariano "Assanami" Sabino Watumi Sa, Secretary General