East Timor presidential candidates in public debate
East Timor presidential candidates in public debate
Agence France-Presse, Dili, East Timor
East Timor's two presidential candidates held their first public debate on Thursday, three days before an election which marks the final step in the territory's long and bloody road to independence.
Independence hero and overwhelming favorite Xanana Gusmao, and his rival Francisco Xavier do Amaral, took turns answering questions from the audience on how they would guide the world's newest nation.
"The president should be able to guarantee that the laws and regulations are implemented," Gusmao told the audience.
Analysts say Gusmao, if elected on Sunday as the largely ceremonial head of state, may have a tense relationship with the territory's biggest party Fretilin which will form the future government.
Amaral said a president "should be an intermediary between the government and the people."
The two, who on Friday will wind up their four-week campaigns, tackled a wide range of subjects -- from how they view the importance of amnesty for reconciliation to their priorities in bringing stability in every field.
Sunday's vote will be only the third in the history of the territory, which spent more than 400 years under Portugal followed by 24 years of enforced Indonesian rule.
A UN-organized vote for independence in August 1999 triggered a wave of bloodshed and destruction by pro-Jakarta militias in which whole towns were destroyed and forced some 250,000 people took refuge out of the province.
Last August East Timorese voted for a future parliament, with the veteran pro-independence Fretilin securing 57 percent of the vote.
Gusmao, in shirt and tie, appeared much more relaxed than a suited Amaral.
Gusmao, 56, said participation by the people was a priority in deciding on development. Amaral said his priority would be national stability before anything else.
Both called for East Timor, as a new and small country with limited resources, to develop ties with the world after independence on May 20.
Amaral also stressed the need for good relations with giant neighbors Indonesia and Australia. Gusmao has made similar calls in the past.
"Differences of opinion is the essence of democracy," said Gusmao, vowing to continue his campaign to reconcile pro- and anti-independence factions.
"Let history be history," said the former anti-Indonesia guerrilla chief who spent seven years in a Jakarta jail. He added that justice should be meted out to those who deserve it but did not elaborate.
In his campaign statement Gusmao has said he will press parliament for an amnesty law allowing him to revoke the jail terms of those convicted following the wave of militia violence in 1999.
His firm stance in favor of amnesty would put him at odds with Fretilin and other parties who strongly oppose amnesties for those involved in the bloodshed.
Near the debate venue, some 200 university students angered by their inability to attend the event due to space constraints staged a noisy free-speech forum in a courtyard.
Amaral, 66, had nine days as East Timor's first president in 1975 before his term was interrupted by Indonesia's invasion.
This week the underdog candidate told AFP he is "not fighting to win or lose" but for principles like peace and human rights.
Meanwhile, a minister said on Thursday the East Timor's new government will give refugees until the end of this year to return home from Indonesian West Timor and elsewhere.
"We will give them until the end of December," said Chief Minister Mari Alkatiri, who will become prime minister after independence on May 20.
Alkatiri said some of the tens of thousands still in West Timor were unsure whether to come back because their homes had been occupied by others. Others were not well informed about the situation in East Timor.