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Júlio Sarmento da Costa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Sarmento and the second or paternal family name is Costa.

Júlio Sarmento da Costa
Costa in 2020
Minister for the Affairs of National Liberation Combatants
In office
29 May 2020 – 1 July 2023
Prime MinisterTaur Matan Ruak
Preceded byOffice re-established
Succeeded byGil da Costa Monteiro "Oan Soru" [de]
Member of the National Parliament
In office
2017–2018
Secretary of State for the Combatants for National Liberation Affairs
In office
8 August 2012 – 16 February 2015
Prime MinisterXanana Gusmão
Preceded byMário Nicolau dos Reis
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Personal details
Born(1959-07-20)20 July 1959
Horai-Quic [de], Ainaro, Portuguese Timor (now East Timor)
Died24 May 2024(2024-05-24) (aged 64)
Dili, East Timor
Political partyDemocratic Party

Júlio Sarmento da Costa (20 July 1959 – 24 May 2024), also known by his nom de guerre Meta Mali, was an East Timorese politician and a member of the Democratic Party (PD). From May 2020 to July 2023, he was Minister for the Affairs of National Liberation Combatants, serving in the VIII Constitutional Government of East Timor led by Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak.

Previously, between August 2012 and February 2015, he was Secretary of State for the Combatants for National Liberation Affairs, and in 2017–2018 he was a Member of the National Parliament.

Political career

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2007–2018: Candidate, Secretary of State and parliamentarian

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In the 2007 East Timorese parliamentary election, Costa was nominated in the unwinnable 22nd place on the PD list, and was not elected.[1]

In the 2012 parliamentary election, Costa was in 13th place on the list and narrowly missed out on a Parliamentary seat, despite the waivers of some of those who had been higher in the list.[2] In any case, he would have had to forego any such seat, as on 8 August 2012 he was sworn in as Secretary of State for the Combatants for National Liberation Affairs in the V Constitutional Government, headed by Xanana Gusmão.[3][4] On 16 February 2015, his tenure in that position came to an end due to a government reshuffle.[5]

In the 2017 parliamentary election, Costa was placed in 8th position on the PD list. Although the PD won only seven seats, one of its candidates, António da Conceição renounced his seat, and Costa succeeded him. On 6 September 2017, the second day of the ensuing Parliamentary session, Costa was elected a First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament.[6][7] During that session, he was also a member of the Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security (Committee B).[8] In the 2018 parliamentary election, Costa was in list position 7, and again missed direct entry into Parliament, as the PD won only 5 seats.[9]

2020–2023: Minister

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On 29 May 2020, as part of a restructuring of the VIII Constitutional Government, Costa was sworn in as Minister for the Affairs of National Liberation Combatants in that government.[10][11][12]

Soon after taking that office, Costa announced that his ministry would be distributing a survey in communities across the country, to collect data on those who had died during East Timor's war of liberation. The government had decided to collect that data to enable the names of the deceased to be included in monuments that would be built throughout the nation.[13][14]

In July 2021, Costa publicly lamented the inadequate state of East Timor's public hospitals [translation]:

"Many seriously ill people including veterans have to be referred to overseas hospitals to have their health checked because in Timor Leste there is no international standard hospital including Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV)".[15]

He went on to observe that the government through the Ministry of Health was therefore forced to spend a lot of money to pay for aeroplanes, hospital fees and accommodation costs for the safety of its people.[15]

In September 2022, while giving a speech at the inauguration of a monument in the village of Leolima, Hato-Udo, Ainaro municipality, Costa commented as follows about young persons who participate in East Timorese ritual arts groups [de] [translation]:

"I believe that all young people can follow the various martial arts but at the same time you should also take part in unifying activity to create a memory for us in the future."[16]

In 2023, Costa was unsuccessful in proposing to the Council of Ministers that US$500,000.00 be allocated for spending on schooling and healthcare for children of veterans. However, during a speech delivered in Baucau municipality in February 2023, he pledged to continue to press the issue.[17]

Later that month, Costa called on all veterans, youth, and students to participate in Veterans Day on 3 March 2023, to honour and respect veterans who had put their lives at risk fighting for East Timorese independence. He also asserted that [translation], "We need to inculcate patriotism and nationalism in our children in order to promote peace and stability in the country."[18]

Maia's tenure as Minister ended when the IX Constitutional Government took office on 1 July 2023. He was succeeded by Gil da Costa Monteiro "Oan Soru" [de].[19]

Death

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Costa died on 24 May 2024, at the age of 64.[20]

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ "Lista de Candidatos Partido Democratico (PD) ba eleicoes parlamentares 2007-2012" [List of Democratic Party (PD) candidates for the 2007-2012 Parliamentary elections]. Democratic Party (in Tetum). 25 May 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Lista kanditatura Partido Democratico (PD) Ba Eleisaun Parlamentar 07 Jullu 2012" [List of candidates Democratic Party (PD) for the Parliamentary election 07 Jullu 2012] (in Tetum). Comissão Nacional de Eleições. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Swearing in of the V Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  4. ^ "V Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  5. ^ "VI Constitutional Government is sworn-in". Government of Timor-Leste. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  6. ^ Chatarina, Julia (6 September 2017). "PD-KHUNTO Okupa Kargu Vise Prezidente PN". Tatoli website (in Tetum). Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  7. ^ Chatarina, Julia (7 September 2017). "Membru Governu Jestaun Husu Substituisaun iha PN". Tatoli website (in Tetum). Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Comissão de Negócios Estrangeiros, Defesa e Segurança" [Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security]. National Parliament of East Timor (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  9. ^ "AVISO LISTA DEFINITIVA DE CANDIDATURAS ELEIÇÃO PARLAMENTAR 12 de Maio de 2018" [NOTICE DEFINITIVE LIST OF CANDIDATES PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION 12 May 2018] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Government of East Timor. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  10. ^ Colo, Cipriano (29 May 2020). "Eight New Members Sworn into TL Cabinet". Tatoli. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Structure of the VIII Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Timor-Leste's Eighth Constitutional Government (updated 17 July 2020)". La'o Hamutuk website. La'o Hamutuk: Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  13. ^ Marques, Osoria (14 July 2020). "Governu Prepara Formuláriu Rihun 10-Resin Atu Fahe ba Uma-Lisan iha TL" [The Government prepares more than 10 Thousand Forms for Distribution in Households in TL] (in Tetum). Tatoli. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Memorialization: MACLN prepares survey". Casa dos Timores. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  15. ^ a b Sousa, Camilio de (21 July 2021). "MAKLN: sick veterans were always referred to overseas because of hospitals". Tatoli. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  16. ^ Magno, Moisese da Silva (9 September 2022). "Meta Mali Husu Joven Sira Bele Tuir Artes Marsiais Oi-oin, Presija Mantein Unidade – Radio Comunidade Maubisse Mau-Loko" [Meta Mali Reminds Young People Engaging in Various Martial Arts of the Need to Keep Unity]. Radio Comunidade Maubisse Mau-Loko (in Tetum). Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  17. ^ FV (13 February 2023). "Meta Mali sei la Taka Dalan ba Veteranu 0-3 no 4-7 nia Oan Hakarak ba Eskola" [Meta Mali's goal is not to hinder the 0-3 and 4-7 veterans' children's wish to go to school.]. Radio Comunidade Lian Matebean (RCLM) (in Tetum). Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  18. ^ Martins, Filomeno (23 February 2023). "Timor-Leste's veterans deserve honor and respect". Tatoli. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  19. ^ Martins, Filomeno (30 June 2023). "The list of structure of IX Constitutional Government announced in Official Gazette". Tatoli. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  20. ^ Antigu ministru asuntu kombatente libertasaun nasionál “Meta Mali” hakotu iis iha HNGV (in Tetum)
  21. ^ "Decreto do Presidente da República Número 54/2006 de 17 de Novembro de 2006" (PDF). Jornal da República (in Portuguese). 1 (22). Government of East Timor: 1612–1614. 20 December 2006. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
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