EAST TIMOR WILL RISE FROM THE ASHES
Andy Alcock Information Officer CIET (SA) Inc
All who have visited East Timor since last year's referendum with the
ensuing mass murder and destruction report of the chaos and horrifying
living conditions for people now. While not denying the magnitude of the
problems faced by the East Timorese, this article will attempt to show that
not only will this tiny nation rise from the ashes, its leaders are an
inspiration to the region.
The East Timorese are not having it easy with 70% of their infrastructure
destroyed, an eighth of the population trapped in West Timor, 90% of the
people unemployed, many exposed to dengue, malaria, intestinal and other
diseases; large numbers starving because of inadequate food supplies and
regular attacks from across the border and the regular excavation of mass
graves.
In terms of actual financial wealth, East Timor would have to be at rock
bottom of the world's development charts. At a recent CIET public meeting,
Helder da Costa (a member of the World Bank assessment mission to Timor in
1999) and Michael Sullivan (from Flinders University) talked of the
problems facing Timor.
Both were positive about the long term prospects. The country is
economically viable with oil and minerals reserves both on land and in the
Timor Gap. Also there are good prospects with tourism and agriculture.
Before the occupation, Timor was a popular tourist destination and had a
flourishing agriculture sector - especially its famous Arabica coffee
industry.
Obviously, East Timor will have to avoid following some of the damaging
models of development that the IMF and the World Bank like to impose on the
Third World eg the neoliberal strategy of slashing public sector agencies.
Another positive for Timor is the performance of their leaders in the face
of present adversity. They make our political leaders (both government and
opposition) look as though they are desperately in need of charisma and
compassion transplants!
Terry McCarthy in Asia Magazine of 20 March 2000 in an article Rising From
the Ashes speaks of Xanana Gusm�o as the charismatic former guerrilla
leader who is bringing hope that his beloved East Timor will finally be
freed from centuries of fear.
He goes on to describe a situation he witnessed in Dili.
A woman in black whose husband and brother were killed by the Indonesian
military's militia last September was waiting for Xanana Gusm�o who was
working his way through a crowd. When he reached her, she threw her arms
around him and sobbed uncontrollably on his shoulder. Gusm�o held her for
some time, all the while talking to her in a low, soothing voice. Then he
reached up and gently wiped the tears from her face, kissed her on both
cheeks and moved on.
"......something remarkable is happening in that half of the island," says
McCarthy.
"Gusm�o, 53, a former guerrilla leader and political prisoner, has tapped
into reserves that are out of reach of the World Bank or the International
Monetary Fund, reserves of willpower and pride the people themselves barely
knew existed. Combining the authority of Nelson Mandela and the charisma of
Che Guevara, Gusm�o has been travelling the country, spreading his vision
of the future".
Wherever he goes, he preaches a message of forgiveness and reconciliation
which has been picked up by East Timorese at home and in the diaspora. Last
October, I had the honour to meet Xanana when he visited Melbourne.
While he was speaking to a huge gathering at Melbourne Town Hall, I was
informed that there were probably a few former militias amongst a number of
refugees. In mock seriousness, I suggested that they had better take care
as we would take some disciplinary action against them. A young women of my
acquaintance who left Timor 21 years ago aged 9 months, chided me saying
"Xanana has told us that we must forgive!"
A few weeks later on ABC's Lateline, a journalist interviewed a Timorese
teenager who was bedridden with a leg fractured by militia machine gun
bullets. During the incident, his father who attempted to protect him was
shot dead in front of him. His mother and sister were dragged away and he
had not heard of them since.
When this young man was asked what should happen to those who had inflicted
the tragedy on him and his family, there was no hesitation, "They should be
forgiven," he said.
Of course, not all East Timorese feel the same about forgiveness and
reconciliation, but Xanana and Jose Ramos Horta have great influence over
the grass roots. Last month when Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid
visited Dili, an angry crowd gathered at a public ceremony to protest the
murders and the disappearances of their relatives and friends during the
Indonesian occupation.
The Timorese leader immediately jumped off the platform and worked his way
through the crowd pleading and reasoning with people. Single-handedly, he
pacified several hundred people.
Jose Ramos Horta told the people that Gus Dur (Wahid's nickname) was a long
time friend of East Timor as he had always supported their independence
struggle. Later the Indonesian President was moved to visit the Santa Cruz
cemetery, the site of the 1991 Santa Cruz Massacre, lay a wreath in memory
of those who died and apologised on Indonesia's behalf for the 25 years of
occupation
Xanana and other East Timorese leaders are reviving the spirits of a people
who have endured unbelievable horror for the past quarter of a century. It
is true to say that the determination of the East Timorese to be free as
expressed through the struggle of the CNRT and FALANTIL have been an
enormous inspiration to the democracy movement in Indonesia, the resistance
(OPM) in West Papua as well as to other movements and peoples around the
world.
I believe that the reason for Timor's inspiration is because people in the
countries of the region are sick and tired because of the inhumane and
callous economic rationalist agendas of so many of their governments. They
see the approach by the East Timorese leaders gives some hope that the way
forward does not have to rely on callous exploitation of people.
The two regional leaders who are making the greatest effort to promote
human rights and meet human needs are Xanana Gusmao and President
Abdurrahman Wahid.
After 450 years of repressive Portuguese colonialism & 25 years of
Indonesian genocidal terror, the East Timorese people have finally won
their independence. Their struggle is not over, however. Over 100,000 East
Timorese refugees trapped in West Timor by the TNI and its militias need to
be returned home. The attacks in the border region must be stopped. The
people of the world's newest nation desperately need to rebuild their
lives, their homes and their industries. There is still great suffering and
there will be great political ferment. But there is great hope.
The UN and nations that sought to profit from Indonesia's occupation have a
moral obligation to assist the East Timorese make their hope of a viable,
free and new nation come true.
Andrew (Andy) Alcock
Information Officer
CIET (SA) Inc
Phone: 61 8 83710480 (home) 61 8 82053259 (work)
Pager: 61 8 82734382
Facsimile: 61 8 82236509
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
GLOSSARY
CIET (SA) Inc Campaign for an Independent East Timor South Australia Inc
CNRT (Conselho Nacional da Resistencia Timorenses)
- Council of National Timorese Resistance
FALANTIL (Forcas Armadas de Libertacao Nacional de Timor-Leste)
- Armed Forces for the Liberation of East Timor
OPM (Organisasi Papua Merdeka) Free Papua Movement
TNI (Tentera Nasional Indonesia)
the National Army of Indonesia
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