“We will create a commission consisting of our own police, the National Republican Guard (GNR) of Portugal, and the Australian Federal Police (AFP),” Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão told reporters following a weekly meeting with East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta at the Presidential Palace in Dili.
The government suspended the recruitment process for new police officers to “ensure transparency, legality, and credibility in the recruitment process, considering the doubts and concerns expressed by candidates and various entities regarding compliance with certain requirements and the regularity of specific stages of the competition.”
The executive also decided to restructure the Monitoring and Oversight Commission, incorporating independent national and international members, and to conduct a thorough review of all stages of the recruitment process.
According to Xanana Gusmão, the commission will carefully analyze the existing shortcomings over 20 days so that the government can later decide whether to repeat the process. Dozens of young candidates protested on Monday outside the Government Palace, demanding the cancellation of the recruitment process due to allegations of favoritism.
The human rights organization HAK, the Forum of Non-Governmental Organizations of East Timor (FONGTIL), and Hali ba Dame (HABADA) also called for the cancellation of the recruitment of 400 new cadets for the PNTL, citing family favoritism.
In the National Parliament, the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), led by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, as well as members from the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) and the Popular Liberation Party (PLP), expressed concern over the recruitment process and urged the government to take into account the young people’s worries.
The National Police of East Timor opened positions for 400 cadets, receiving thousands of applications from young candidates.
