Media Release - Lu-Olo pledges to heal divisions, respect constitution

FRENTE REVOLUCIONARIA DO TIMOR-LESTE INDEPENDENTE
FRETILIN

Media Release
4 April 2007

Lu-Olo pledges to heal divisions, respect constitution

Presidential candidate Francisco Guterres Lu Olo today pledged to strive to heal divisions and promote unity among all citizens of Timor-Leste (East Timor) regardless of geographical location and political affiliation.

“I will devote all my energies to wiping out the so-called east-west split that some people say runs through Manatutu,” the Fretilin-backed candidate told an enthusiastic crowd of more than 30,000 supporters in Dili. “Timor-Leste should be one country, our frontier is the border with Indonesia not Manatutu.”

Lu Olo, a former guerrilla fighter against Indonesian occupation who is now President of the National Parliament, said the so-called east-west division has been fostered from the top down by opponents of the Fretilin government.

“These divisions were artificially created and with goodwill and hard work can be brought to an end,” he said.

The big turnout at Lu Olo’s Dili rally disproved claims that Fretilin’s Dili organization had been dismantled due to the recent crisis and showed its support was not confined to the rural districts.

Lu Olo said if elected he would be a president for all East Timorese – not only Fretilin supporters.

He criticised some of his opponents for making rash campaign promises on matters that were under the jurisdiction of the parliament and the elected government, not the president.

“One of them even promised to send 100 tractors to Maliana,” he said.

“Some of my opponents don’t understand the constitution. They don’t know what the role of the president should be, and they don’t know which is their plate and which plates belong to other people.”

Lu Olo promised to respect the constitution and the separate roles of the presidency, parliament and judiciary. He also vowed to work to strengthen the system of justice.

For more information contact:
Jose Manuel Fernandes (official election representative of Francisco Guterres Lu Olo):
(+670) 734 2174 (Dili)
Harold Moucho (Lu Olo’s political advisor) (670) 723 0048
Arsenio Bano: (+670) 733 9416 (Dili)
Filomeno Aleixo: (+670) 724 3460 (Dili)