Kmanek Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan

Flag of the KHUNTO

Kmanek Haburas Unidade Nasional Timor Oan KHUNTO ( German : Enrichment of the National Unity of the Sons of Timor ) is a political party in East Timor . She has close ties to the Korka martial arts group .

history

KHUNTO election campaign 2012 in Dili

KHUNTO tour after a crisis discussion with President Francisco Guterres (January 23, 2020). From left: Luís Roberto da Silva , Armanda Berta dos Santos , Francisco Guterres, José Agustinho da Silva and António Maria Nobre Amaral Tilman

Second national congress of the KHUNTO on the resolution of the new alliance (March 6, 2020)

Delegate at the
Second National Congress

The party was officially registered on June 22, 2011.

In the parliamentary elections in 2012 , the KHUNTO failed with 13,998 votes (2.97%) on the three percent hurdle as the fifth strongest party nationwide. In her stronghold Ainaro she received 1,264 votes, which corresponded to a share of 5.09%; in Manatuto with 1,085 votes even 5.33%. KHUNTO also received over 3% in the districts of Aileu (3.95%), Baucau (3.08%), Bobonaro (3.17%), Ermera (3.05%), Lautém (3.01%) and Liquiçá (3.19%).

In the presidential elections in East Timor in 2012 , KHUNTO supported the FRETILIN candidate Francisco Guterres , but in 2017 it supported his competitor António da Conceição from the Partido Democrático (PD). While Guterres finished second in 2012, he won the 2017 elections ahead of Conceição.

In the parliamentary elections in East Timor in 2017 , the KHUNTO was the smallest party to enter parliament with 6.43% of the vote . She now has five seats there. A minority government consisting of FRETILIN and PD was formed . On the day the coalition agreement was signed, the KHUNTO withdrew its commitment to participate due to internal party disputes, but promised the minority government support in parliament. However, FRETILIN, PD and KHUNTO were already missing two votes in the election of the President of Parliament Aniceto Guterres Lopes (FRETILIN) on September 4th, so that Lopes defeated his predecessor Adérito Hugo da Costa (CNRT) with just one majority . After the dissolution of parliament and the calling of new elections in 2018 , the three parties of the AMP decided on February 1, 2018 to work together in the election campaign. For this, the alliance was renamed Aliança para Mudança e Progresso .

On October 6th, the 35 MPs from CNRT, PLP and KHUNTO sent a letter to President Francisco Guterres expressing their willingness to "offer an alternative solution for a government" to ensure "peace, stability and development". Guterres is criticized for recognizing a minority government instead of “looking for a solution that a majority government would have made possible”. On October 8, the three opposition parties declared the establishment of the bloc "Oppositional Alliance of the Parliamentary Majority" ( tetum Aliansa Opozisaun Maioria Parliamentar AOMP ), with which they want to control the work of the government. On October 12th, CNRT, PLP and KHUNTO officially signed an agreement to form the new Aliança da Maioria MP .

In the parliamentary elections on May 12, 2018, the AMP managed to win 34 of the 65 seats and thus an absolute majority in parliament with a share of 49.6% (309,663 votes).

PLP leader Taur Matan Ruak was sworn in as Prime Minister on June 22, 2018 and now led the Eighth Constitutional Government of East Timor . However, President Francisco Guterres (FRETILIN) rejected most of the CNRT's ministerial candidates and two of the KHUNTO's candidates for “ethical reasons”, which is why they could not be sworn in. In the following months, vice ministers and ministers from other departments headed the missing positions, which increased the CNRT's displeasure. At the end of 2019, MPs from the CNRT made Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak jointly responsible for the fact that after 18 months the candidates were still not in office. On January 17, 2020, the government's proposal for the 2020 budget failed again in parliament. Only the 13 MPs from PLP and KHUNTO voted for the draft. 15 opposition MPs voted against, the CNRT coalition MPs and the rest of the opposition members abstained. Taur Matan Ruak then declared the end of the AMP.

On February 22nd, CNRT, KHUNTO, PD, UDT, FM and PUDD signed a coalition agreement to form a new government. On February 24, 2020, Taur Matan Ruak submitted his resignation as Prime Minister to the President, but remained Prime Minister in office. But President Guterres neither accepted the resignation nor dissolved parliament. He also did not respond to the opposition's proposal to appoint Xanana Gusmão Prime Minister.

For their part, PLP and FRETILIN founded a platform to counterbalance the new alliance. When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in East Timor , a state of emergency was declared. Taur Matan Ruak therefore withdrew his resignation on April 8th. On April 27, the new alliance wanted to fail the government's request for an extension of the state of emergency in parliament, but the KHUNTO MPs voted in favor of the extension, contrary to the requirements. On April 29th, the KHUNTO officially left the alliance and on April 30th the government proposed five FRETILIN and one PD members to the president to fill the vacant positions in the cabinet.

ideology

KHUNTO supporters at an election campaign event for António da Conceição in Maliana 2017

KHUNTO has made the fight against corruption the core of its program. The party combines the democratic system with traditional Timorese beliefs as interpreted by ritual and martial arts groups in recent years. Although almost all East Timorese profess the Catholic faith, these ideas are widespread. Voters declare their loyalty to the party with a "blood oath" (juramento) . If it is not observed, according to the belief, the oath-breaker threatens misfortune, illness and death. Conversely, politicians are obliged by the oath of their electorate to help them with problems and not to enrich themselves through political offices. Fewer details of the implementation of political goals are relevant for the electorate than the trust that is placed in KHUNTO members. In the event of a government takeover, the party has the goal of making state officials swear a juramento so that in the event of corruption they would have to fear punishment from supernatural forces. KHUNTO supporters do not see the already common vow on the Bible as being so effective, because according to the Christian faith, punishment for wrongdoing only takes place after death in the afterlife.

The loyalty of voters through the oath seems only partially successful. According to a party leader, 89,000 voters took the juramento ahead of the 2017 parliamentary elections , but KHUNTO only received 36,547 votes. On the one hand, the votes came from the ranks of unemployed young people who see no prospects and are often supporters of various martial arts groups, but the majority of the votes came from the rural regions of the country.

Members

Vice-President Olinda Guterres and General Secretary José Agustinho da Silva in front of the KHUNTO office in Dili (2012)

The party's president is Armanda Berta dos Santos . She is the wife of José dos Santos Naimori Bucar , leader of Korka and party co-founder and official advisor (Consilhero maximo) of KHUNTO.

The first general secretary of KHUNTO was António Verdial de Sousa . He was later replaced by José Agustinho da Silva . For this António Verdial de Sousa became the party's first vice president. Second runner-up was José Cardoso (a Korka member from Viqueque), third Olinda Guterres . António Maria Nobre Amaral Tilman was appointed first Deputy Secretary General, João Zacarias second and Luís Roberto da Silva third . José Turquel became National Adviser. Later, Olinda Guterres became second Vice President, Luís Roberto da Silva first Vice Secretary-General, João Zacarias remained second and António Maria Nobre Amaral Tilman third.

At the Second National Congress of KHUNTO in March 2020, the board was newly elected. Armanda Berta dos Santos was confirmed as party leader until 2024, as was José Agustinho da Silva as general secretary. First Vice President was Nicolau Lino Freitas Belo , second Joaquim Gusmão Martins , third Pedro dos Reis and Sílvia Hornay fourth deputy. The new first Vice Secretary-General was José Turquel, second Abílio Xavier Lebo and third Zeto Patrício.