Unemployment a major concern in East Timor<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Dili<\/p>\n
Life is hard in East Timor despite three years after it voted to
\nbreak away from Indonesia, unemployment remains a serious problem
\nplaguing the country's former province, currently under the UN
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
Most of the local workforce are jobless due to the limited
\nvacancies and lack of business capital on their part.<\/p>\n
Victor Diaz Quintas, head of Fuiloro-Lospalos in Lautem
\nregency, said that East Timor seceded from Indonesia in 1999,
\nsocial problems began to confront local residents with
\nunemployment and economic problems becoming firm.<\/p>\n
\"All jobs are controlled by Untaet (the United Nations
\nAdministration for East Timor). Here, job opportunities are hard
\nto find, while people have to work hard to fulfill their daily
\nneeds,\" he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Victor hopes local authorities will manage to tackle the
\nunemployment problem after the definitive government is formed in
\nthe next few months. East Timor will be declared a full
\nindependent state on May 20.<\/p>\n
A similar grievance was expressed by head of Bahu village
\nFrancisco da Costa in Baucau regency. He said unemployment tops
\nthe social problem in the territory.<\/p>\n
Though public activities are carried out normally, local
\npeople struggle to survive.<\/p>\n
Ironically, many residents in the districts of Baucau,
\nViqueque and Lautem are forced to barter goods because dollars
\nare hard to find, which is the official currency in East Timor.<\/p>\n
\"Frankly speaking, we have difficulties in finding dollars.
\nSome of our community members have to exchange chickens with rice
\nor vise versa because there is no money. Others barter goats with
\npigs,\" Francisco said.<\/p>\n
\"It's not hard to obtain food because we have plots of farm
\nland,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He admitted that many of the workforce in his region cannot
\nfind employment in government agencies due to their inadequate
\nskills which are required for the jobs.<\/p>\n
\"Most of our youths are jobless. There are no employment
\nopportunities, as almost all the local government agencies are
\nmanned with foreign staff. Maybe, our youths do not have adequate
\nskills to apply for the jobs,\" Francisco said.<\/p>\n
Secretary General of the Timor Socialist Party Avelino M.C. da
\nSilva has been alarmed by the current situation, in which social
\nproblems remain a headache in the newly-independent country.<\/p>\n
Citing no official data on the number of jobless in the
\n800,000-populated country, he predicted that at least 30 percent
\nof the population are unemployed.<\/p>\n
He urged the upcoming definitive administration to prioritize
\nthe handling of unemployment and economic problems.<\/p>\n
\"To maintain security and prevent unforeseen social upheavals,
\nthe government should be able to provide protection and job
\nopportunities for its people. So, the state economy will grow
\nnormally,\" said Avelino, a former political prisoner.<\/p>\n
Pro-independence leader Alexander \"Xanana\" Gusmao, the
\nstrongest presidential candidate for East Timor, pledged on
\nMonday to improve the people's welfare, should he win the
\nelection.<\/p>\n
\"We have to start development from the low level. Hopefully,
\nbetween 15 and 20 years the people will be able to have their own
\nhouses. There will be no jobless and our economy will be better,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Baucau Regent Marito Reis, meanwhile, said the presence of
\nUntaet in East Timor was aimed only at stabilizing the situation
\nand protecting the local people.<\/p>\n
\"The Untaet comes here not to carry out development
\nactivities. They just want to protect people who faced terror
\nfollowing the 1999 independence ballot, and to prepare East Timor
\nto be a democratic state that highly respects justice and truth,\"
\nhe said in his campaign speech in Lautem.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unemployment-a-major-concern-in-east-timor-1447893297",
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