Olinda Morais (born September 22, 1951), whose resistance name was By Mally,[1] is a politician from East Timor.[2] She is a member of the Democratic Party (Partido Democrático) (PD).[2]
Morais was born in Loré, Lautém District, Portuguese Timor. She attended school only up to fourth grade.[2] Despite this, she became a teacher.[2] During the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, she fought against the invaders for fourteen years,[3] until the end of 1991.[1] Morais was married to Aluc Descart, a FALINTIL commander in the eastern region, with whom she had a son.[3][4]: 89–90 Rather than have their 17-month-old son living in the forest with the guerillas, they sent him to be cared for by family in Lospalos; however, he was adopted by an Indonesian colonel and taken to Jakarta.[4]: 89–90 Morais was not reunited with her son until 2003.[4]: 126
Morais was elected to the National Parliament of East Timor on 7 July 2012,[2] and remained a member of parliament until 2017.[2] She served as a member of the Commission for Ethics (Commission G).[2][5] In the 2017 elections, she was in position 33 on the ballot,[6] and was not re-elected.