Government criticized over East Timor

Government criticized over East Timor

By Ridwan Max Sijabat and Laurenco Vicente Martins

DILI, East Timor (JP): The United Front for East Timor
Autonomy (UNIF) criticized the government on Monday for doing too
little in the province over the past 23 years.

UNIF Chairman Titu Batista told visiting Golkar Party Chairman
Akbar Tandjung and his entourage that East Timorese people were
disappointed with the present government for its failure to carry
out development programs to improve their welfare.

"The past 23-years, government in the province has been
corrupt. It never seriously accelerated economic development
which would have allowed the province to emerge from backwardness
in many sectors.

"Prevalent corruption and collusion have made East Timor lag
behind other provinces. The way the local government ran its
administration spread hatred among the majority of people,"
Batista said.

UNIF is the umbrella organization for prointegration groups in
the former Portuguese colony.

It was the first visit ever by a Golkar chairman in the run-up
to the Aug. 30 popular consultation. Akbar was the third party
leader to set foot in the former Portuguese colony since the June
elections after Abdurrahman Wahid of the National Awakening Party
and Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle.

More than 451,000 East Timorese in and outside the half-island
territory have registered to cast their ballots to choose whether
to remain part of Indonesia under a wide-ranging autonomy scheme
or be separated.

Batista said that UNIF and many other student and youth
organizations in the province were also disappointed with the
central government for failing to take action against corrupt
officials and to boost development programs in the province.

"Such conditions shall no longer be tolerated in the future...
The next administration and development program must serve the
interests of people in the grassroots, the majority who live in
poverty in rural areas across the province," he said.

Jose Tavares, UNIF secretary general, said the central
government and the next People's Consultative Assembly should
respect whatever choice East Timorese voted for in the self-
determination ballot on the province's future.

Tavares, the son of Joao Tavares, chairman of the
prointegration Forum for Unity, Democracy and Justice (FPDK),
warned that East Timor would fall into a new form of colonialism
if the East Timorese people reject the offered greater autonomy.

"Besides, East Timor will turn into a battle field and
bloodshed is imminent if the greater autonomy is rejected," he
said.

Golden chance

Akbar hailed the ballot as a golden chance for East Timorese
to show the world that they were an integral part of Indonesia.

"To the ruling party, the special autonomy is the sole option
for the troubled territory," Akbar said.

But Akbar said Golkar would recognize whatever outcome of the
UN-supervised self-determination vote provided it runs in a
democratic, free, fair and honest manner.

Akbar called on security authorities to maintain the order to
allow people to exercise their rights to vote. He also urged for
an overwhelming disarmament of both the pro and antiintegration
supporters before the end of the campaign period on Aug. 27 at
the latest.

"Everybody must help create a situation conducive for East
Timorese to cast their votes in accordance with their
conscience," Akbar said.

He also criticized UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) for its
alleged favoritism to proindependence group in carrying out its
duties.

"There has been a tendency that certain UNAMET staff fail to
maintain neutrality, for instance by recruiting local staff from
antiintegation group.

"UNAMET also tends to exaggerate the nature of incidents,
blame them on prointegration groups and protect antiintegration
cadres at its offices," Akbar said.

He said he would lodge an official protest over UNAMET's
alleged partiality.

Akbar did not meet with UNAMET chief Ian Martin, who was in
Jakarta.

On the first of his two-day visit, Akbar also met with
Committee for Peace and Stability (KPS) members. The Golkar
chairman is scheduled to visit Dili Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes
Belo before returning to Jakarta on Tuesday.

UNAMET restated on Monday its grave concern about a series of
violent acts attributed to prointegration militia and Indonesian
Military. Its spokesman David Wimhurst told a regular media
briefing that UNAMET staff had also been attacked and threatened.

Wimhurst said UNAMET had reported the cases to the UN
secretary-general in New York.

Another protest was filed against UNAMET by the government
task force for popular consultation in East Timor, which alleged
the mission unfavorably selected observers who will monitor the
Aug. 30 ballot.

The protest followed UNAMET's refusal to accredit some 30
nongovernmental groups, including one from PDI Perjuangan, to
monitor the vote process. The mission reportedly found the groups
represented the Indonesian government's interests.