15 September 2012

MP says promotions in police force tainted by nepotism

ETLJB 15 September 2012 - A member of the East Timor National Parliament has criticised recent promotions in the police force as unfair and tainted by nepotism.


MP Moniz Maia from the opposition Fretilin party was reported in The Dili Weekly on 12 September as saying that
“no consideration was given to the length of service, or academic qualification. Rather, what we have observed is that most of those promoted were members of the police force during the Indonesian occupation. That is nepotism. Some of our graduates who hold university degrees have been overlooked for others without qualifications. This concerns us gravely.”

According to the MP Maio, the Senior Command of the PNTL should give preference to young officers who have clearly demonstrated intellectual capacity.

But the East Timor National Police General Commander, Commissioner Longuinhos Monteiro, said that the process of promotions within the police force was the responsibility of the Government and the Public Service Commission supervising the promotion process.

“It is not up to me to explain and I would like to say simply that in my perception and in the spirit of national unity people should not be pigeonholed or referred to as former Indonesian police nor should references be made to the past,” said Commissioner Monteiro.

He hopes the Commission undertook this recruitment activity in a professional manner and whether people lamented or not this was a separate issue because the commission was simply complying with the rules defined by Government.

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