Government criticized over East Timor<\/p>\n
By Ridwan Max Sijabat and Laurenco Vicente Martins<\/p>\n
DILI, East Timor (JP): The United Front for East Timor
\nAutonomy (UNIF) criticized the government on Monday for doing too
\nlittle in the province over the past 23 years.<\/p>\n
UNIF Chairman Titu Batista told visiting Golkar Party Chairman
\nAkbar Tandjung and his entourage that East Timorese people were
\ndisappointed with the present government for its failure to carry
\nout development programs to improve their welfare.<\/p>\n
"The past 23-years, government in the province has been
\ncorrupt. It never seriously accelerated economic development
\nwhich would have allowed the province to emerge from backwardness
\nin many sectors.<\/p>\n
"Prevalent corruption and collusion have made East Timor lag
\nbehind other provinces. The way the local government ran its
\nadministration spread hatred among the majority of people,"
\nBatista said.<\/p>\n
UNIF is the umbrella organization for prointegration groups in
\nthe former Portuguese colony.<\/p>\n
It was the first visit ever by a Golkar chairman in the run-up
\nto the Aug. 30 popular consultation. Akbar was the third party
\nleader to set foot in the former Portuguese colony since the June
\nelections after Abdurrahman Wahid of the National Awakening Party
\nand Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle.<\/p>\n
More than 451,000 East Timorese in and outside the half-island
\nterritory have registered to cast their ballots to choose whether
\nto remain part of Indonesia under a wide-ranging autonomy scheme
\nor be separated.<\/p>\n
Batista said that UNIF and many other student and youth
\norganizations in the province were also disappointed with the
\ncentral government for failing to take action against corrupt
\nofficials and to boost development programs in the province.<\/p>\n
"Such conditions shall no longer be tolerated in the future...
\nThe next administration and development program must serve the
\ninterests of people in the grassroots, the majority who live in
\npoverty in rural areas across the province," he said.<\/p>\n
Jose Tavares, UNIF secretary general, said the central
\ngovernment and the next People's Consultative Assembly should
\nrespect whatever choice East Timorese voted for in the self-
\ndetermination ballot on the province's future.<\/p>\n
Tavares, the son of Joao Tavares, chairman of the
\nprointegration Forum for Unity, Democracy and Justice (FPDK),
\nwarned that East Timor would fall into a new form of colonialism
\nif the East Timorese people reject the offered greater autonomy.<\/p>\n
"Besides, East Timor will turn into a battle field and
\nbloodshed is imminent if the greater autonomy is rejected," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Golden chance<\/p>\n
Akbar hailed the ballot as a golden chance for East Timorese
\nto show the world that they were an integral part of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
"To the ruling party, the special autonomy is the sole option
\nfor the troubled territory," Akbar said.<\/p>\n
But Akbar said Golkar would recognize whatever outcome of the
\nUN-supervised self-determination vote provided it runs in a
\ndemocratic, free, fair and honest manner.<\/p>\n
Akbar called on security authorities to maintain the order to
\nallow people to exercise their rights to vote. He also urged for
\nan overwhelming disarmament of both the pro and antiintegration
\nsupporters before the end of the campaign period on Aug. 27 at
\nthe latest.<\/p>\n
"Everybody must help create a situation conducive for East
\nTimorese to cast their votes in accordance with their
\nconscience," Akbar said.<\/p>\n
He also criticized UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) for its
\nalleged favoritism to proindependence group in carrying out its
\nduties.<\/p>\n
"There has been a tendency that certain UNAMET staff fail to
\nmaintain neutrality, for instance by recruiting local staff from
\nantiintegation group.<\/p>\n
"UNAMET also tends to exaggerate the nature of incidents,
\nblame them on prointegration groups and protect antiintegration
\ncadres at its offices," Akbar said.<\/p>\n
He said he would lodge an official protest over UNAMET's
\nalleged partiality.<\/p>\n
Akbar did not meet with UNAMET chief Ian Martin, who was in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
On the first of his two-day visit, Akbar also met with
\nCommittee for Peace and Stability (KPS) members. The Golkar
\nchairman is scheduled to visit Dili Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes
\nBelo before returning to Jakarta on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
UNAMET restated on Monday its grave concern about a series of
\nviolent acts attributed to prointegration militia and Indonesian
\nMilitary. Its spokesman David Wimhurst told a regular media
\nbriefing that UNAMET staff had also been attacked and threatened.<\/p>\n
Wimhurst said UNAMET had reported the cases to the UN
\nsecretary-general in New York.<\/p>\n
Another protest was filed against UNAMET by the government
\ntask force for popular consultation in East Timor, which alleged
\nthe mission unfavorably selected observers who will monitor the
\nAug. 30 ballot.<\/p>\n
The protest followed UNAMET's refusal to accredit some 30
\nnongovernmental groups, including one from PDI Perjuangan, to
\nmonitor the vote process. The mission reportedly found the groups
\nrepresented the Indonesian government's interests.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-criticized-over-east-timor-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}