Lawmakers in one of the world’s poorest countries have scrapped plans for lavish spending on themselves amid days-long protests led by Timorese students.
Thousands gathered in the capital city of Dili on Monday to protest the planned expenditure of US$4.2 million on SUVs for National Parliament members, reports Channel News Asia. The budget item was approved last year with the tender for 65 Toyota Prado SUVs due to be completed this month.
The move sparked widespread anger in a country where more than 40 percent of people live below the poverty line, striking many as a symbol of injustice. “Many people viewed that public officials, particularly the legislators, are not living in the same condition as ordinary people,” Caetano Correia, economic faculty dean at Universidade da Paz, told reporters. At least four people were injured when police fired tear gas at the crowd in response to several protestors throwing rocks.
As protests continued into Tuesday, lawmakers unanimously voted to scrap the planned purchase, shifting to “maintenance and efficient use” of vehicles already in the MPs’ use. Protestors remained, one telling the AFP that they needed to stay to “make sure my tax money is not going in the … wrong direction.”
[See more: Timor-Leste revs up spending in spite of World Bank calls for restraint]
The student-led protest quickly turned its sights on lifetime pensions. A 2006 law holds that former MPs are entitled to pension equivalent to their salaries. Parliament issued a statement on Wednesday announcing it would take steps to annul the law following a meeting with representatives from the demonstration.
“If they don’t comply with the agreement, we will hold bigger protests,” Cristovao Mato, 27, one of the representatives, told reporters. An AFP reporter counted some 2,000 demonstrators gathered near the parliament building earlier in the day.
While there was some damage to government buildings, burned tires and rocks thrown during the three-day protest, Timor-Leste seems to have avoided the deadly anti-government fury flaring across Asia.
