Campaigning on the promises of swift action and change, the parties’ involved gained widespread support from Timorese youth.

But almost three weeks into the new government’s five-year term the country’s State budget and its program remain stalled along with twelve gaps in the Ministerial cabinet.

Gil Belarmini, a student from Dili University Student (UNDIL) International Relations Department, said students wanted their country to prosper and were concerned at the on-going political paralysis.

In January 26, 2018, President Francisco “Lo Olo” Guteres was forced to dissolve parliament to end a months-long political impasses that had plunged Timor-Leste into a post-election stalement since July 2017.

The comments come as former President José Ramos-Horta told GovInsider that Timor-Leste faced many challenges and needed to build its resilience.

“We still have extreme poverty and problems of food security. Many parts of the country suffer from endemic food shortage during the dry season,” Horta said.

Timor-Leste is importing more food today than it did a decade ago. “That’s a total failure, I would say, in agricultural policies,” Horta said.

Horta said gains in education had been made, but said abseentism and quality of teaching was an issue.

On a typical schooling day, over one-third of first graders and 25% of secondary school teachers do not attend school. “

According to the former President, expanding partnerships with the public sector was important to encourage development.

“We cannot expect everything to be done by the government,” he said.

Horta also cautioned against the conditions put on China’s $10 million of annual aid through the United Nations. Under the deal Timor-leste must buy Chinese goods and equipment, as well as hire Chinese workers.

Horta said the quality of some of the goods was “not always the best.”

Timor-Leste would be better off without these pre-conditions, Horta said.