Virgílio Simith

Virgílio Simith

Virgílio Simith , fighting name Cranek , is a politician from East Timor . He is deputy party chairman of the Congresso Nacional da Reconstrução Timorense (CNRT).

Career

During the battle with the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, Simith was the commander of FALINTIL in the Dili region and from 1998 secretary of the Conselho Nacional de Resistência Timorense (CNRT), the umbrella organization of the East Timorese resistance.

In 1999, Simith was director of the Dili Provincial Museum, which was burned to the ground on September 4th by pro-Indonesian militias during Operation Donner . In the first government of East Timor under Marí Alkatiri , Simith began to rebuild the museum as State Secretary for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports . On 26 July 2005, he was Secretary of State for Region II ( districts Manatuto , Manufahi , Ainaro ), the Office of Culture Secretary of State was then vacant. Simith was replaced in this office by Adriano Corte-Real when José Ramos-Horta was sworn in as the new Prime Minister on July 10, 2006 .

Virgílio Simith (left) with other CNRT officials with President Francisco Guterres (2020)

In August 2007, Simith became State Secretary for Culture in the government of Xanana Gusmão . On August 8, 2012, he was appointed Vice Minister for Primary and Secondary Schools. With the government reshuffle on February 16, 2015, Simith resigned from the East Timorese cabinet .

Simith was initially party spokesman in the Congresso Nacional da Reconstrução Timorense founded by Gusmão. In 2017 Simith was elected deputy chairman of the CNRT at the party congress.

In the parliamentary elections in 2017 did not run Simith. After the dissolution of parliament in 2018, however, he took up position 16 in the new elections on May 12th of the Aliança para Mudança e Progresso (AMP), to which the CNRT also belongs, and moved into parliament. For the Eighth Government Simith was nominated for the office of Minister for Fighters of National Liberation Affairs. But President Francisco Guterres rejected him for the post. The reason should be allegations that Simith issued forged documents in his previous office.

Awards

Simith is the holder of the Ordem Nicolau Lobato .

Web links

Commons : Virgílio Simith  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website of the State Secretariat for Culture (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Robyn Sloggett: Trust me, I'm an expert , August 25 - September 8, 2003, UniNews Vol. 12, No. 15, University of Melbourne
2. ^ Northern Illinois University: On the Road to full independence: UNTAET administration
3. ↑ Viki Riley: Husi Bei Ala Timor Sira Nia Liman: From the Hands of our Ancestors Art and Craft from Timor Leste , Arena magazine, June 2009
4. ^ Website of the government of Timor-Leste: I Constitutional Government
5. ↑ CNRT website: Profile of Virgílio Simith (Portuguese). (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on February 5, 2016 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  
6. ↑ Lusa: Xanana continua presidente do maior partido de Timor-Leste, Kalbuadi eleito secretário-geral , May 1, 2017 , accessed on May 1, 2017.
7. ^ Election lists for the 2018 parliamentary elections
8. ↑ GMN-TV: TDD sei hasai mandadu kaptura Gastão Sousa , October 8, 2017.
9. ↑ Jornal da República : Edition of December 20, 2006 , accessed on March 23, 2018.