Dili, July 17 2026 (Media Democracia) – Uniaun Estudante Universitariu Munisipiu Viqueque (UEUMV), Holds a Press Conference on the Fight Against Social Injustice That Occurs by State Organs Such As; the National Parliament and the Government.
According to spokesperson Merita da Silva Soares, UEUMV’s position is Maubere people and all social classes, let us unite our forces once again to oppose Decree-Law No. 17/2026 of May 5, Article 7, regarding acts and services subject to payment of fees. From the amounts of money stipulated, it creates discrimination and favoritism where the interests of those in power are placed above the national interests of all people.
“You can see in Tables 1 and 2 of that decree-law, that ordinary people processing documents such as for motorcycles and cars regarding license plate tax, for a definitive registration or original plate they pay $30 dollars for a car and $20 dollars for a motorcycle. But for political office holders, they only pay $7 for both definitive and provisional automobiles, in addition to that, regarding periodic inspection. Ordinary people pay $26.50 for a small car and $28 for a big car, plus an annual fee of $42. For a rental vehicle license its $70. For a big car/truck it’s a total of $140. But in the same situation, politicians only pay $14 for periodic inspection, and for a motorcycle they pay $7 even though they already receive large salaries.” said spokesperson Merita da Silva at Jardim 5 de Maiu (15/07/26).
At the same time, fuel prices have increased sharply at Pertamina, which further makes it difficult for poor and low-income people who are not getting enough income from the small businesses they run every day.
She also called on taxi drivers, drivers, and all the people to come together and stand firm to oppose these unfair decisions, and to ask the government and the state, especially the Ministry of Transport and Communications and DNTT, to abolish this law that isn’t pro-people.
“As we are all witnessing the real conditions that the Maubere people are facing, in a time when people’s economic development is struggling, daily income isn’t increasing, poverty, forced evictions, fuel prices rising, market necessities getting more and more expensive, low salaries, with all these things continuing to make life harder for ordinary people to meet their daily needs.” She stated.
Also, the Draft Amendment to the Penal Code of Timor-Leste regarding the Criminalization of Defamation and Insult, Decree-Law No. 17/2026 of May 5 regarding the establishment of fees relative to motor vehicles and cars, with a form of collection by the competent authorities to recover service costs provided in the public administration.
“We have seen and analyzed that the reasons mentioned in this decree-law are unreasonable and do not reflect the concrete reality of the people. The state makes many laws without looking at social realities. They only come out of a minister’s drawer to facilitate business owners, those in power, and rich people to operate in economic life to kill and destroy small business owners and the general public, so that there will be no more competition in the market. Because of this, we see that this law is no longer an instrument to liberate and improve people’s lives, but instead has become an instrument to colonize its own people. The state itself has become the hands and feet of the new colonizers.” She reported.
Tariff fees and their implications, through this decree-law, are anti-poor people. This is after the decision was approved in the Council of Ministers, and the decree-law was promulgated by the President of the Republic, published in the Republic Gazette, and within a few days DNTT immediately implemented the law with an urgent character, with no socialization at all to the communities. People are simply forced to submit, with no other exceptions.
So this decision has caused both support and opposition in public spaces, social media and elsewhere. On one side, some agree that fees must increase with the reason that this money will be used to develop other productive sectors that are not yet developed. On the other side, they disagree with this decision.
Because we see that this decision is like a noose around the people’s necks. In this capitalist society that prioritizes competition and the free market, doctrines and ideas about “justice for all and everyone is equal before the law” have become just beautiful words, utopia, or just a dream! This decree-law is an instrument of the rich class, which is used to suck and drain the people’s sweat and blood, to enrich the dominant rich class.
Therefore this decree-law is very unjust and inhumane. It is no different from the colonial policies of the past that came to rule, forcing people to work for the liurai and the forced labor, after which the results were collected by the liurai to enrich themselves. Today, people work with their own means and instruments of production, but then the state takes and seizes the results through legal decisions and gives them to minority groups, the economic and political elite.
With all these problems as the lament of the majority of the people, the Uniaun Estudante Universitariu Municipio Viqueque wants to align itself with EUTL to demand from State Organs:
Abolish the draft law criminalizing defamation and insult,
Abolish the law on freedom of assembly and demonstration (the 100-meter clause that EUTL had previously already agreed on with the National Parliament).
Tariff fees, rising fuel prices, the $4, law subsidy for political parties.
Invest the large State Budget in productive sectors.
Report By: Trainee Santina
Photo: Trainee Nicodemos