The group also called for Mari Alkatiri to remain as President of the Special Administrative Region of Oecusse (RAEOA) when his contract expires July 30.
Arao Noe, President of National Parliament responded on Monday that Parliament would not reinstate regulation No3/2014, saying new proposals to regulate activities in the Oecusse special economic development zone were with the competency of the President of the Republic.
He said Alkatiri-who is also Secretary-General of the opposition Fretilin party - remaining as head of the project was also not a decision for National Parliament, stressing power stood with the Prime Minister.
A second petition with the same demands, signed by traditional leaders of Oecusse, members of civil society, and representatives from private sector, was submitted to the President of the Republic Francisco Lu Olo Guterres on Friday.
Antonio Lelan, a representative of the group, said “people had benefitted” from the project and wanted it to continue as it has been.
On June 17, the Alliance of Change for Progress (AMP) coalition government announced in a statement that it had proposed to the Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, not to renew Alkatiri's mandate as President of RAEOA and the Special Zone the Social Economy of Market (ZEESM).
The statement did not include justification for the decision but said the position had been unanimously approved by members of the AMP.
“The AMP reaffirms its position to comply with the 2018 electoral commitment, in order not to renew the mandate of the current president of RAEOA. We appeal to Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak to inform the President of the decision,” read the document.
Since Friday’s vote to abolish special regulations in Oecusse, Mariana Asanami, the President of opposition Democratic Party, has said he would rather Oecusse keep its regulations than exist under normal Timor-Leste Municipality law.
Since 2013, when the special economic development mega-project (ZEESM) was initiated the project has been under directive of a special regional governance structure (RAEOA) with one authoritative leader - Alkatiri – presiding over both the RAEO and ZEESM.
Amongst the criticism of the power arrangement has been that political issues are treated as technical matters, allowing technical specialists to lead in their resolution.
