Maria Domingas Fernandes Alves (born 28 November 1959),[1] nickname Mana (sister) Micato[2]: 62 [3] or Mikato,[4] resistance name Beta Mau,[5] is a women's rights activist, former resistance fighter, civil servant and non-party politician from East Timor. From 2007 to 2012 she was Minister of Social Solidarity.
Maria Domingas Fernandes Alves | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Director, Office for the Promotion of Equality | |
| In office May 2002 – June 2006 | |
| Minister of Social Solidarity | |
| In office 8 August 2007 – 8 August 2012 | |
| Succeeded by | Isabel Guterres |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 November 1959 Laclo, Manatuto, Portuguese Timor |
| Profession | Women's rights activist, civil servant |
Early life
editAlves was born in Laclo, Manatuto.[1][2]: 62 Her father was chief of a sub-district in Portuguese Timor, and then a member of the parliament of Manatuto during the Indonesian occupation of East Timor.[2]: 62 Alves attended the Liceu Dr. Francisco Machado, Dili.[2]: 62 She is married to Jacinto Alves,[1] with whom she had four daughters and a son.[2]: 62
Resistance careers
editDuring the Indonesian occupation of East Timor (1975-1999), Alves was one of the main female leaders of the resistance movement, especially around Laclubar and Laclo.[2]: 62 She participated actively in the Organização Popular de Mulheres Timorense (Popular Organisation of East Timorese Women) (OPMT), the women's organization of FRETILIN.[2]: 63 [3][6] In 1978, Alves and her husband were arrested in the mountains and taken to Metinaro for interrogation.[1] They were released after about sixteen days, and sent to Dili,[1] where Alves worked as a civil servant in the Indonesian Industry and Trade Authority from 1983-1999.[2]: 63 In 1997, she co-founded the women's rights organization Forum for Communication for East Timorese Women (FOKUPERS),[2]: 63 [3][7][6] and campaigned for independence in the run-up to the 1999 East Timorese independence referendum.
Political career
editIn 2000, Alves organized the first National Women's Congress.[2]: 63 In the interim government under United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), Alves became a gender equality adviser on September 30, 2001.[2]: 63 The same year, Alves was selected by Rede Feto, a network of about 15 women’s organisations, to stand as an independent candidate in the first parliamentary elections,[2]: 30, 62 [8]: 81 but she was not elected to the national parliament of East Timor.[2]: 62 [3][8]: 82 Instead, she became an adviser to the Prime Minister on promoting equality,[2]: 63 [9][7] and in 2002, she was appointed director of the Office for the Promotion of Equality,[2]: 63 [3][8]: 84, 163 a role she held until June 2006, when she was the first holder of public office to resign during the 2006 East Timorese crisis.[1][2]: 63 In 2005, Alves was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her role in the independence movement and her work for the rights of women.[7] From May 2005 to 2007, Alves was an appointed member of the Council of State (Portuguese: Conselho de Estado), which advises the President of East Timor.[10]
From 8 August 2007 to 8 August 2012, Alves was Minister of Social Solidarity in the IV Government of East Timor, with Xanana Gusmão as president.[7][11] In 2012, under a new government, it was reportedly proposed that she would be appointed Minister of Defence and Security,[4] but according to press reports, President Taur Matan Ruak, who was a former military commander in chief of the army, opposed her appointment.[4][12] Alves allegedly rejected a return to her old ministerial post because of the "insult".[4] On October 23, 2012, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão was finally sworn in as Minister of Defence.
Alves was appointed a commissioner of the Civil Service Commission (Comissão da Função Pública) on 29 May 2015.[13]
Awards
editOn November 28, 2006, Alves received from the government the Nicolau Lobato Order for her participation and contribution to the liberation of East Timor.[5]
Publications
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f See, Bridgette (January 2007). "Peace Activist". Timor Leste Now & the Future. Unicef Timor-Leste: 14–15. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Ospina, Sofi; de Lima, Isabel (2006). Legge, Michele; Parkinson, Chris (eds.). Participation of Women in Politics and Decision Making in Timor-Leste: A Recent History (PDF). Dili, East Timor: United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Gabrielson, Curt (1 February 2002). "East Timorese Women On Their Way Up" (PDF). ICWA Letters. No. CG-14. New Hampshire, US: Institute of Current World Affairs. p. 2. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d Gunter, Janet (9 August 2012). "East Timor: President Rejects Woman Defense Minister". Global Voices. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Decreto do Presidente da República Número 54/2006 Condecorações a atribuir aos Combatentes da Libertação Nacionala 28 de Novembro de 2006" (PDF). Jornal da República (in Portuguese). 1 (22): 1613. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ a b UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (11 October 2001). "GOVERNMENT ADVISOR ON PROMOTION OF EQUALITY SWORN-IN". UNTAET Daily Briefing. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d Costa, Monica (2017). Gender Responsive Budgeting in Fragile States: The Case of Timor-Leste. Routledge. ISBN 9781315283074. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ a b c Cristalis, Irena; Scott, Catherine; Andrade, Ximena (2005). Independent Women: The Story of Women's Activism in East Timor. CIIR. ISBN 9781852873172. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ "II UNTAET Transitional Government". Government of Timor Leste. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ "REPÚBLICA DEMOCRÁTICA DE TIMOR-LESTE PARLAMENTO NACIONAL RESOLUÇÃO DO PARLAMENTO NACIONAL NO. 7/2005" (PDF). Ministry of Justice, Government of Timor Leste (in Portuguese). 10 May 2005. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ "IV Constitutional Government". Government of Timor-Leste. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ Whittington, Sherrill (2015). "Women in Postconflict Decision-Making". In Baksh-Soodeen, Rawwida; Harcourt, Wendy (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Transnational Feminist Movements. Oxford University Press. p. 754. ISBN 9780199943494. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ "New team for the Civil Service Commission sworn into office". Government of Timor-Leste. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2019.