In a political statement in the Timorese parliament, the leader of the party's parliamentary bench, Aniceto Longuinhos Guterres Lopes, stated that, in order to "move forward", it is necessary to consider the importance of the values defended by the founding parties of the nation, which on Monday marked 22 years since the restoration of independence. The Fretilin deputy, leader of the Timorese opposition, was referring to the values defended by the Democratic Social Association of East Timor (ASDT)/Fretilin, namely "unity, social justice, civic participation". "In order to continue moving forward, we need to honour and consider the importance of those values, unite to face the challenges and make East Timor a place where everyone can contribute to the collective well-being", the deputy stressed. Aniceto Guterres Lopes admitted that the country has made progress, but many challenges, "complex and multidimensional" remain, and that the principles defended by the founders are being affected by the "practice of corruption, lack of transparency and concentration of political and economic power in the hands of a group of people". Specifically, the deputy referred to the poverty rate, which "places the country as one of the poorest in the region", to the human capital development index, which he also considered very low, to the serious nutritional problems that affect the population, especially children. "We have a consumer economy that imports more than it produces. Our [oil] fund is decreasing as we face the demographic challenge and limited economic capacity", said the deputy. According to the Fretilin deputy, in order to move forward East Timor needs to "defend the democratic rule of law" through cooperation between sovereign bodies to "repel attempts at interference and absolutism" and combat corruption. Aniceto Guterres Lopes also asked Timorese politicians to reflect on what has been done well and badly and what needs to be done, after 22 years of restoration of independence. Finally, the deputy asked everyone to "return to the values that led to victory in the struggle for independence", mainly to unity, because the country faces many challenges. "Unity means that there is a common goal and a clear political strategy", he said, regretting that Timorese oil has only served to enrich a group of people while the "majority continues to depend on luck". Read Also: Ship that caused the fall of the Baltimore bridge will be removed on Monday (Portuguese version)