Taur Matan Ruak

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Taur Matan Ruak (2018)

Taur Matan Ruak ( tetum for "two sharp eyes" , Portuguese name : José Maria Vasconcelos , born October 10, 1956 in Osso Huna , Baguia administrative office , municipality of Baucau / Portuguese Timor ) was President of East Timor from 2012 to 2017 . Until October 6, 2011 he was the military commander in chief of the East Timor Defense Forces with the rank of major general. Before that he was the last in command of the FALINTIL , the military arm of the East Timorese resistance against the Indonesian occupation (1975-1999).

Taur Matan Ruak has been Chairman of the Partidu Libertasaun Popular (PLP) since May 20, 2017 and Prime Minister of East Timor since June 22, 2018 . In June 2020 he also took over the office of Minister of the Interior .

Career

Colonial times

The Pousada de Baucau (1970)

Taur Matan Ruak was born in Osso Huna, near the town of Baguia , in the east of what was then the colony of Portuguese Timor. In 1960 Taur Matan Ruak moved with his uncle to Dili , where he attended elementary school from 1963 to 1968.

In Baucau , Taur Matan Ruak got a job in the Pousada de Baucau in 1971 at the age of 15 . Just 18 months later, he organized the first hotel workers' strike against unjust employment. Ruak demanded a raise, better food, and respect for the employees. He did not achieve his goals. Taur Matan Ruak attributes this to the fact that the court in Dili sided with the employers.

In early 1973 Taur Matan Ruak got a job at the Hotel Resende in Dili. Here too he organized a strike against working conditions in 1974. This dispute also ended unsuccessfully before the court in Dili. During this period, other personalities who later played a role in politics fought for workers' rights, such as José Ramos-Horta and Xanana Gusmão .

After the Carnation Revolution in Portugal in 1974, the decolonization process began. After a brief civil war , the left-wing FRETILIN prevailed and began to set up an administration. Taur Matan Ruak joined FRETILIN at this time. On November 28, the FRETILIN leadership proclaimed East Timor's independence from the colonial power of Portugal.

Occupation time

Taur Matan Ruak at the 25th anniversary of FALINTIL (2000)

After the conquest of Dilis by Indonesia on December 7, 1975, nine days after independence was proclaimed, Taur Matan Ruak went to the mountains as a member of the FALINTIL to fight the invaders. At that time the FALINTIL was still the party army of the FRETILIN. As a FALINTIL fighter, Taur Matan Ruak was involved in battles with the Indonesian army in Dili, Aileu , Maubisse , Ossu , Venilale , Uato-Lari and finally Laga . At the end of 1976 Taur Matan Ruak received his first command. He became head of the Centro-Leste sector with its center in Venilale .

From 1977 the Indonesian army began to deliberately destroy FALINTIL bases. On November 22, 1978, the last resistance base fell on Matebian . Taur Matan Ruak was among the fighters whom Xanana Gusmão reassembled the next day on Monte Legumau to reorganize the guerrilla war . In December 1978, the head of the movement, Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, fell . Gusmão became the new chief of FALINTIL and led the main resistance in central Timor, while Taur Matan Ruak was sent to the east to wage guerrilla warfare there. While Taur Matan Ruak was looking for FALINTIL survivors of the Indonesian Army's extermination operation (ABRI) , he was captured by Indonesian soldiers in Ossu on March 31, 1979 . 23 days later, Taur Matan Ruak managed to escape. One of his companions who was unable to escape was later executed in Uato-Lari .

In March 1981 Taur Matan Ruak became assistant to the FALINTIL Commander-in-Chief Xanana Gusmão and was responsible for operations in the Eastern and later in the Central Sector. In 1983 Taur Matan Ruak took over the strategic planning of command operations in the Ponta Leste sector, the easternmost part of Timor. Between 1984 and 1986 he served as a military advisor for commando operations in the western sector. In 1985 Taur Matan Ruak was appointed Deputy FALINTIL Commander in Chief and after 1986 he was responsible for all command operations in East Timor. In November 1992, Gusmão was captured by the Indonesians. Ma'huno Bulerek Karathayano took over leadership until his arrest in 1993, while Taur Matan Ruak became Chief-of-Staff. Karathayano was captured in 1993 and his successor Nino Konis Santana was killed in an accident on March 11, 1998. Now Taur Matan Ruak became the commander of the FALINTIL.

In 1999 the FALINTIL ended the armed resistance and on August 30th the people of East Timor voted in a referendum for independence from Indonesia. The United Nations dispatched an International Reaction Force ( INTERFET ) to maintain peace and order after pro-Indonesian militias terrorized the population. FALINTIL did not intervene in the conflict, in accordance with the ceasefire commitments. East Timor came under UN administration and was being prepared for independence into which it was released in 2002.

Defense Forces of East Timor

Major General Taur Matan Ruak (2009)

On August 20, 2000, the FALINTIL was converted into the new East Timor Defense Force. Taur Matan Ruak was appointed commander in chief and brigadier general. As of 2009, Taur Matan Ruak was major general . In early 2006, almost half of the armed forces deserted after complaints about unfair treatment in the army were unsuccessful. Taur Matan Ruak then dismissed the 591 soldiers, which led to protests that later turned into violence. This is considered to have triggered the worst unrest in East Timor since independence, as a result of which 150,000 East Timorese had to flee their homes, more than 37 people died and Prime Minister Marí Alkatiri had to resign. The ethnic conflict between eastern and western East Timorese emerged openly. The United Nations recommended a preliminary investigation into Taur Matan Ruak in a report on the 2006 riots. He and two ministers are said to have been responsible for distributing weapons to civilians who were used against the rebels. The report concluded that Taur Matan Ruak had failed to prevent the riots. The shooting of unarmed police officers by soldiers on April 24 could not be charged to him. The ministers had resigned before Alkatiri and were sentenced to prison terms in 2007. Taur Matan Ruak has not been investigated.

On September 2, 2011, Taur Matan Ruak submitted his departure from the armed forces. After more than 30 years as a soldier, he finally wanted to become a civilian. The handover to Major General Lere Anan Timor took place on October 6th.

President

Taur Matan Ruak at the East Timorese Independence Day 2015 celebrations in Oe-Cusse Ambeno

On October 10, his birthday, Taur Matan Ruak announced that he would run in the East Timor 2012 presidential election . In the first round on March 17, 2012, he received 25.71% and thus finished second behind the FRETILIN candidate Francisco “Lú-Olo” Guterres . The second round took place on April 16. Taur Matan Ruak won 61.23% of the vote. On May 20, 2012, Taur Matan Ruak was sworn in as president.

After FRETILIN was also involved in the government with the reshuffle on February 16, 2015, there was no longer any opposition in the East Timorese national parliament . Since then, at the latest, Taur Matan Ruak has seen himself as a corrective antithesis to parliament and government (quote: “Since there is no opposition party, the president takes on the role.”). He vetoed the 2016 budget. Too many large projects are being carried out and too little is being done to improve basic services for the population; FRETILIN itself had previously criticized the CNRT , PD and FM government . Parliament unanimously rejected the president's veto.

President Taur Matan Ruak visiting Irabin de Baixo (2015)

At the beginning of 2016 there was a dispute over the military commander in chief . The government and parliament proposed an extension of the term of office of Lere Anan Timor , but Taur Matan Ruak appointed Filomeno Paixão as the new Commander in Chief of the East Timorese Defense Forces (F-FDTL) . The government and parliament viewed this decision as a breach of the constitution. Calls for impeachment proceedings against the president were heard from the ranks of the MPs. Taur Matan Ruak justified his decision in a speech to parliament on February 25, stating that otherwise there would have been a transport backlog in the F-FDTL. In the same speech, he accused the ex-prime ministers and party leaders of CNRT and FRETILIN Xanana Gusmão and Marí Alkatiri that relatives would be preferred by them in government contracts. The same behavior would have led to the overthrow of the Indonesian dictator Suharto . Taur Matan Ruak also made allegations of corruption against FRETILIN chairman Francisco “Lú-Olo” Guterres. The president also criticized the planned major projects in Oe-Cusse Ambeno and on the south coast. Instead, more money should be invested to improve the quality of life of the population. The Tribunal de Recurso de Timor-Leste decided after an appeal to the government that the decision was about the military commander "characteristic of the political function of the exercise of power" of the president, and therefore dismissed the request for a temporary injunction against the appointment Paixãos back . The court could not take action against a political act, even if it might be illegal. Therefore, the court declared that it had no jurisdiction. On April 15, a new government proposal was published that Pedro Klamar Fuik would become the new Chief of Staff . On the same day Taur Matan Ruak accepted the proposal, but the exact procedure for the handover had not yet been decided. Since the CNRT was of the opinion that the PD had supported the president in the conflict, it terminated the coalition with it. In parliament, the PD members were elected from the presidium, the cabinet members of the PD declared their departure from the party.

Taur Matan Ruak managed, as he had promised, to be the first president to visit all 442 sucos in the country during his tenure. According to Matadalan online , Taur Matan Ruak used his business trips around the country to build his popularity for the later general election.

prime minister

Taur Matan Ruak when he was sworn in as Prime Minister in 2018

Taur Matan Ruak was said to be very close to the PLP, which was newly founded in December 2015, from the start. On March 3, 2017, Taur Matan Ruak confirmed previous suspicions that he would run with her in the parliamentary elections in East Timor on July 8, 2017 to become prime minister. In December before, he had already rejected another candidacy in the previous election of the president . As long as he was president, he was denied political work within a party. Only membership in one party was allowed. The handover to his elected successor Francisco "Lú-Olo" Guterres took place at midnight on May 20, 2017. In the afternoon, Taur Matan Ruak was elected party leader at the first national congress of the PLP.

In the parliamentary elections in East Timor in 2017 , Taur Matan Ruak took first place on the list of the PLP and thus entered the national parliament as a member . However, on September 6, he renounced his seat in favor of Signi Chandrawati Verdial .

In the 2018 parliamentary elections , Taur Matan Ruak represented the PLP in the top three of the Aliança para Mudança e Progresso (AMP) and moved into parliament at number 2 on the AMP list. Three weeks after the early elections, the AMP nominated Taur Matan Ruak as its candidate for prime ministerial office. Taur Matan Ruak renounced his seat in the national parliament at the first session on June 13th. On June 22, 2018, Taur Matan Ruak was sworn in as Prime Minister and heads the Eighth Constitutional Government of East Timor . After this failed in 2020 with its budget in parliament, Taur Matan Ruak submitted his resignation on February 24, 2020. Due to the impending COVID-19 pandemic in East Timor , Taur Matan Ruak withdrew his resignation on April 8, after consultation with President Guterres.

There was a change in the coalition and a restructuring of the government. The CNRT dropped out and the FRETILIN entered. A representative of the PD also received a post. Taur Matan Ruak also took over the office of Interior Minister on June 24, 2020.

Family and miscellaneous

Taur Matan Ruak and his wife Isabel da Costa Ferreira (2013)

Taur Matan Ruak is the oldest child of António de Vasconcelos and Albertina Amaral. He has five sisters and two brothers. The brother Francisco de Vasconcelos has been a member of the national parliament for the PLP since 2018. Like his late brother Agostinho de Vasconcelos, Francisco is a civil pastor. The cousin Francisco Maria de Vasconcelos is the civilian chief of staff of the President Francisco Guterres and was head of the Protestant Church in East Timor (IPTL).

The family is generally Protestant. But Taur Matan Ruak switched to the Catholic faith when he married the lawyer Isabel da Costa Ferreira . Until 2006 she was Deputy Minister of Justice and Human Rights Advisor to the first Alkatiri government . Together, Taur Matan Ruak and Isabel da Costa Ferreira have two daughters and a son.

Taur Matan Ruak belongs to the Naueti ethnic group and speaks Naueti , Makasae (the two main languages ​​of his homeland), Tetum, Portuguese and has taught himself English .

Taur Matan Ruak has received the Ordem de Timor-Leste (Collar 2009 and Grand Collar 2017), the Ordem da Guerrilha (2006) and the Medalha Halibur (2008).

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Taur Matan Ruak  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Infopress: Timor-Leste: PR Taur Matan Ruak termina mandato mas deve candidatar-se a PM , March 17, 2017 , accessed on March 17, 2017.
  2. ↑ “Chapter 7.2 Unlawful Killings and Enforced Disappearances” ( Memento from November 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 2.5 MB) from the “Chega!” Report of the CAVR (English).
  3. ^ Channel News Asia, September 2, 2011, Timor Leste army chief resigns ahead of polls
  4. ↑ Abola, October 10, 2011, Taur Matan Ruak é candidato às próximas presidenciais ( Memento of October 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ STAE: Rezultadu Provisorio Total Huosi 13 Distritu . Archived from the original on January 13, 2013 ; accessed on January 4, 2016 .
  6. ↑ a b Southeast Asia Globe: No end to Timor-Leste's political infighting , May 20, 2016 , accessed May 23, 2016.
  7. ↑ Timor Haunian Doben: Presidente de Timor-Leste vetou proposta de Orçamento Geral do Estado para 2016 , December 29, 2015 , accessed on March 1, 2016.
  8. ↑ SAPO Notícias: PR timorense exonera chefe das Forças de Defesa, nomeia novo comandante , February 9, 2016 , accessed on March 1, 2016.
  9. ^ The Age: Impeachment calls heating up in East Timor , February 22, 2016 , accessed March 1, 2016.
  10. ↑ Speech By His Excellency The President Of The Republic, Taur Matan Ruak, To National Parliament On The Dismissal Of Major-General Lere Anan Timur , February 26, 2016 , accessed March 1, 2016.
  11. ↑ RTP: Mudança de comando militar timorense está dentro das competências do PR, diz tribunal , March 8, 2016 , accessed on March 8, 2016.
  12. ^ Press release by the President of East Timor from April 15, 2016 ( memento from April 16, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on April 16, 2016.
  13. ↑ SAPO: Novo comando das forças de Defesa timorenses representa "transição geracional" - PR , April 15, 2016 , accessed on April 17, 2016.
  14. ↑ Timor Agora: Ministro da Educação timorense fica no Governo para garantir "estabilidade governativa" , May 7, 2016 , accessed on May 8, 2016.
  15. ↑ a b Matadalan online: Taur Harii Partidu Tanba Kauza Lei Pensaun Vitalísia , November 21, 2015 ( Memento of December 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on December 11, 2015.
  16. ↑ Timor Agora: Taur: “Hau nia Partidu Mak PLP, Prontu Kompete CNRT-Fretilin” , March 5, 2017 , accessed on March 5, 2017.
  17. ↑ Timor Post: Adérito Soares Lidera Partidu Libertasaun Popular , December 11, 2015 , accessed on December 11, 2015.
  18. ↑ Tatoli (ANTIL): Taur Rekoñese Tama PLP Hanesan Risku , May 20, 2017 , accessed on May 20, 2017.
  19. ↑ La'o Hamutuk 2017 Timor-Leste Parliamentary Election - List of Parliamentary slates from all parties , accessed July 14, 2017.
  20. ↑ Tatoli: Taur Matan Ruak Renunsia Kargu Deputadu , September 5, 2017 , accessed on September 11, 2017.
  21. ^ Election lists for the 2018 parliamentary elections
  22. ↑ e-global.pt: Timor-Leste: Taur Matan Ruak nomeado primeiro ministro timorense , June 1, 2018 , accessed on June 5, 2018.
  23. ^ Tafara: Xanana TMR La Partisipa Iha Plenaria. Fidelis Sira Hakarak Fo Opurtunidade Ba Deputadu Jovens , June 13, 2018 , accessed on June 13, 2018.
  24. ↑ Tatoli: Prime Minister Taur Resigns, Clearing the Path for New Coalition Government , February 26, 2020 , accessed February 26, 2020.
  25. ↑ LUSA: Última Hora - Covid-19: PM timorense retira pedido de demissão apresentado a 22 de fevereiro , April 8, 2020 , accessed on April 8, 2020.
  26. ↑ Prime Minister of East Timor: Estrutura orgânica do VIII Governo Constitucional toma de posse completo-re estruturado 2020 , June 24, 2020 , accessed on June 25, 2020.
  27. ^ East Information Service: Lista PLP, Taur ho Nia Alin tama Numeru Kiik , June 12, 2017 , accessed on July 18, 2018.
  28. ↑ a b Tempo Semanal, July 14, 2011, Political Earthquake: Major General Taur Matan Ruak to Run for President.
  29. ↑ dnoticias.pt: Estanislau da Silva é o novo PM de Timor , May 19, 2007 , accessed on March 22, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Taur Matan Ruak
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Vasconcelos, José Maria (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION East Timorese President, former freedom fighter and Commander in Chief of the Defense Forces
DATE OF BIRTH October 10, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Osso Huna , Baguia Administrative Office, Baucau / Portuguese Timor