José Reis
Reis in 2020
Deputy Prime Minister of East Timor
In office
24 June 2020 – 1 July 2023
Prime MinisterTaur Matan Ruak
Preceded byOffice re-established
Succeeded by
Minister of Planning and Territory
In office
24 June 2020 – 1 July 2023
Prime MinisterTaur Matan Ruak
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister for Governance Affairs
In office
3 October 2017 – 22 June 2018
Prime MinisterMari Alkatiri
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Secretary of State for the Coordination of Region I (Lautem, Viqueque and Baucau)
In office
26 July 2005 – 8 August 2007
Prime Minister
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Member of the National Parliament
In office
2001–2005
Personal details
Born
José Maria dos Reis Costa

(1956-02-05) 5 February 1956
Political partyFretilin

José Maria dos Reis Costa is an East Timorese politician, and a member of the Fretilin political party.

From June 2020 to July 2023, he was the more junior of East Timor's two Deputy Prime Ministers, and also the Minister of Planning and Territory, in the VIII Constitutional Government of East Timor led by Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak.

Previously, he served as a Minister, and as a Secretary of State, in earlier Constitutional Governments.

Early life and career

Reis is a member of a noble family from Bucoli in the Baucau Municipality of East Timor. During the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, he worked as an official in the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[1]

According to Australian journalist and author Jill Jolliffe, Reis's older brother, Vicente, "... was one of a group of radical students who ... studied in Portugal and [fell] under the influence of Marxist-Leninist ideas. Yet he [was] never ... connected with fanaticism, nor with the ill-treatment of alleged dissidents ... On the contrary, there [are] many stories of his role as a gentle teacher behind guerilla lines, and he ... died a lingering death from untreated wounds ..."[1]

Political career

Reis is a long time member of Fretilin. In 2001, he was elected as a Fretilin candidate to the Constituent Assembly of East Timor, from which the National Parliament emerged in 2002.[2][3][4]

On 26 July 2005, as part of a restructure by Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri of the I Constitutional Government in response to tensions within the Fretilin party, Reis was sworn in to one of five new positions in the executive, the key electoral role of Secretary of State for the Coordination of Region I (Lautem, Viqueque and Baucau).[5][6] He held that office until 8 August 2007.[7][8][9]

Reis's house was burned to the ground during the 2006 East Timorese crisis.[10]

On 3 October 2017, Reis was sworn in as Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister for Governance Affairs in the VII Constitutional Government.[11] He remained in that office until the formation of the VIII Constitutional Government on 22 June 2018.[12]

Following a change in the governing coalition, and the admission of Fretilin to the VIII Constitutional Government, Reis was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Territory in that government on 24 June 2020.[13][14]

In April 2021, Reis, in both of his official capacities, led the government's response to Cyclone Seroja and its associated rain and flooding, which he described as the worst incident in East Timor in 40 years.[15] As well as making a statement to the media,[15] he participated in a visit by government officials to the St John Paul II area at Tasitolu to observe the damage caused by the flooding and support its victims,[16] and, later, chaired an official meeting to analyse an interim report by a technical team that had surveyed the damage, and estimated repair costs at US$24 million.[17]

During July 2021, Reis, as extraordinary envoy of the President of East Timor, Francisco Guterres,[18] led an 18-member East Timorese delegation to the 12th Summit of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Portuguese: Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa, CPLP) in Luanda, Angola.[19] En route to the Summit, he paid a courtesy call to Lisbon, Portugal, where he met with Portuguese leaders to discuss the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries.[20] On 17 July 2021, in the course of a speech at the general debate of the Summit, he said [translation]:

"We need to move towards prosperity and we must do so without neglecting other CPLP objectives. In fact, the CPLP gets it right, based on the history, language and culture that make its members cohesive. If building requires looking to the past, looking to the future requires keeping our nature in mind."[21]

At the Summit, the member countries signed an agreement providing for mobility of doctors, business people and academics between them. Reis later confirmed that the East Timorese delegation to the Summit had addressed the preparation of the approved processes for the agreed mobilities.[20]

Reis's tenure as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister ended when the IX Constitutional Government took office on 1 July 2023.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 Jolliffe, Jill (2011). Finding Santana: A perilous journey in search of an East Timorese guerilla hero. Kent Town, South Australia: Wakefield Press. p. 104. ISBN 9781862549258.
  2. ↑ "LISTA ALFABÉTICA DOS DEPUTADOS". National Parliament of East Timor (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  3. ↑ "Deputados Legislatura 2002-2007". National Parliament of East Timor (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  4. ↑ Devereux, Annemarie (2015). Timor-Leste's Bill of Rights: A Preliminary History (PDF). Acton, ACT: ANU Press. p. 307. ISBN 9781925022391.
  5. ↑ "I Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  6. ↑ Nuttall, Ruth (2021). "Introduction". Political Continuity and Conflict in East Timor: A History of the 2006 Crisis. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 9780367647780.
  7. ↑ "II Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "III Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Gusmao sworn in as East Timor PM". BBC News. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  10. ↑ Maynard, Roger (28 June 2006). "Australian troops patrol East Timor capital". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "PR timorense assina novo decreto de nomeação membros do Governo, mais duas mulheres" [Timorese President signs new decree to appoint members of the Government, plus two women]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Lusa. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "Transitional Ministerial Administration". Government of Timor-Leste. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "Swearing-In and organic structure of the Eight Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. 1 2 Diela, Tabita (4 April 2021). "Floods, landslides, kill dozens in Indonesia and East Timor". Reuters. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  16. ↑ Piedade da Freitas, Domingos (6 April 2021). "Governantes visitam local de acolhimento de vítimas das inundações em Tasi-Tolu" [Government officials visit a shelter for flood victims at Tasi-Tolu] (in Portuguese). Tatoli. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  17. ↑ Gusmão, Antónia (19 April 2021). "CAFI analisa relatório técnico sobre danos causados pelas inundações" [CAFI Analyses technical report on flood damage] (in Portuguese). Tatoli. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  18. ↑ Freitas, Domingos Piedade (30 June 2021). "Presidente República nomeia José Reis como enviado extraordinário na Cimeira da CPLP" [President of the Republic appoints José Reis as extraordinary envoy at the CPLP Summit] (in Portuguese). Tatoli. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  19. ↑ Freitas, Domingos Piedade (5 July 2021). "Dezoito membros da delegação de Timor-Leste viajarão amanhã para participarem na Cimeira da CPLP" [Eighteen members of the Timor-Leste delegation will travel tomorrow to participate in the CPLP Summit] (in Portuguese). Tatoli. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  20. 1 2 Freitas, Domingos Piedade (6 August 2021). "Presidente da República valoriza trabalho da delegação de Timor-Leste na Cimeira da CPLP" [President of the Republic values the work of the Timor-Leste delegation at the CPLP Summit] (in Portuguese). Tatoli. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  21. ↑ Freitas, Domingos Piedade (21 July 2021). "CPLP deve prestar atenção à prosperidade, conjuntura atual e paz" [CPLP must pay attention to prosperity, current situation and peace] (in Portuguese). Tatoli. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  22. ↑ Martins, Filomeno (30 June 2023). "The list of structure of IX Constitutional Government announced in Official Gazette". Tatoli. Retrieved 1 July 2023.

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