Dili, 14 April 2025 – The Deputy Ombudsman for Good Governance, Rigoberto Monteiro, delivered a presentation at the regular meeting of inspectors and auditors held at the Auditorium Hall of the Ministry of Finance in Aitarak-Laran. The theme of the session was “Quality Public Service Delivery through Good Governance Practices.”
In his presentation, Deputy Ombudsman Monteiro elaborated on the concept of good governance and the quality of public services, highlighting current challenges and trends related to human rights violations and governance failures, as well as the root causes, impacts, and strategies for intervention.
“Public administration forms the foundation for delivering services to our citizens. However, providing services alone is not sufficient. Without embedding governance principles in our work, achieving quality service and systemic coherence becomes difficult,” said Deputy Ombudsman Monteiro during his remarks.
He emphasized that inspectors play a critical role in upholding good governance by adhering to principles such as visionary leadership, responsiveness to community needs, participation, transparency, equality, inclusivity, efficiency, effectiveness, and control mechanisms.
“Control is a core function of inspectors. Professionalism must be guided by technical competence and integrity,” he stressed. “Accountability and justice are the essence of governance. When inspectors and public officials uphold these principles, we ensure fairness and quality in service delivery.”
Monteiro highlighted that inspectors have the legal competence to oversee and ensure proper administrative and procurement processes, and that building fair and transparent systems is fundamental to strengthening governance.
He further underlined that all public policies should be inclusive and human rights-oriented.
“When we talk about service quality, we must ask ourselves: what are we truly offering if the services are not accessible, fair, or effective?” he questioned.
Reflecting on data from the Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice (PDHJ), Monteiro reported that from its establishment in 2004 up to 2024, the institution registered 3,962 cases, with 61% related to good governance violations. Of the remaining cases, 32% involved human rights violations that often stemmed from poor governance practices.
“Many public policies are not inclusive and fail to consider the consequences of human rights violations. Among the most common issues are mismanagement, abuse of power, and incompetence. The greatest violations come not from deliberate action, but from failing to fulfill responsibilities and enforce oversight,” Monteiro noted.
He offered a stark example, pointing out the inefficiency in public administration:
“If young people are forced to jump fences to process their citizenship cards, that reflects a serious failure in service management. This is where internal inspectors and oversight institutions must act—the frontline of accountability begins with the inspectors.”
Monteiro concluded by stressing the crucial role of inspectors and internal auditors in strengthening institutional capacity and ensuring equitable and effective public service delivery.
“If those in political power fail to deliver quality and fair services to the public, they are committing human rights violations against society.”
The seminar was officially opened by Vice Prime Minister Engineer Mariano Asanami Sabino, and was attended by high-level officials including the Inspector General of the State Inspectorate, Francisco de Carvalho, the Commissioner of the Disciplinary Portfolio, Agapito da Conceição, and inspectors from various relevant institutions.
This post is also available in: Tetun