East Timor: between despair and hope

In May 2002, the first democratically elected president of the Republic of East Timor stood before his people and spoke of his hopes for the future of a newly independent nation.

He spoke of a future based on human rights and the overcoming of poverty. He spoke of the pride the East Timorese had in themselves at being able to forge their own future. He spoke of a commitment to see the end of suffering for his people. He could see no point in being independent if it did not lead to a better life, free from poverty, free from injustice and suffering. He had a vision for a nation united in friendship after so much conflict in his country's past. He expressed the hopes of all his people.

This was May 2002, just four short years ago.

Little did he realise that shortly before the fourth anniversary of independence, his country would once again be thrown into despair. The memories of the violence and destruction which followed the transition from Indonesian rule were still very fresh in the minds of the East Timorese people, and the threat of violence once more breaking out in the newly independent nation was enough for people to be re-traumatised.

The population of the capital, Dili, began to leave in large numbers as the threatened violence loomed. Would the dreams of a proud and independent people be shattered so soon? It seemed as though history was about to be repeated, plunging East Timor once again into chaos.

In 1975 East Timor seemed poised to gain its independence once the Portuguese colonial rulers departed. This was not to be. Indonesia invaded East Timor and tried to subdue the local people determined to have their independence. At least 100,000 East Timorese were killed as a result of the 25-year occupation by the Indonesian military. Many continued to struggle for independence, despite many governments turning a blind eye to what was going on in this small territory.

Finally in 1999, as a result of international as well as internal pressure, the then President of Indonesia , B. J. Habibi, agreed to allow the East Timorese to choose for themselves whether they wanted to remain as part of Indonesia or to become independent.

The Indonesian military and locals loyal to Indonesia tried to put pressure on the local population to vote to remain as part of Indonesia . Many local people were subject to violence, threats and intimidation. Despite this, the local people courageously turned up on polling day and voted overwhelmingly for independence.

What happened next was horrific. Those in favour of staying with Indonesia , probab ly backed by the Indonesian military, went on a rampage of killing and destruction. Thousands were killed, many thousands more fled the violence, buildings were destroyed and infrastructure ruined. It would take several days before an international force under the United Nations would arrive.

In the meantime the destruction continued. Finally, once the peacekeepers arrived, the mayhem ceased. The United Nations stayed until May 2005 helping East Timor to get back on its feet. At that time, this century's first new nation looked set for a bright future. So what went wrong?

The recent violence was triggered by the dismissal of almost half the soldiers from the East Timorese armed forces. There were demonstrations and disturbances, especially in Dili. All of a sudden people from the community, especially young men, also became involved in the unrest.

Eventually, these disturbances became more violent and many houses were destroyed. Unarmed police were killed and the people began to leave their homes to seek safety in the villages outside the capital or around churches and religious congregations.

These events seem to suggest that the United Nations peacekeepers were withdrawn too soon. Perhaps the new nation was unprepared for such events, the structures not sufficiently in place to deal with conflict. Once peacekeepers returned to East Timor , things settled down quite quickly.

Nation building is no easy task and a government made up of former guerrillas and fighters, unused to being in power in a new democracy, has much to learn. Nation building of course, is not just about keeping order on the streets. It is about building a future for the people, about giving them hope.

A recent United Nations report showed that East Timor, after four years of independence is the poorest country in South East Asia and it is actually getting poorer. About 40 percent of the population live i n severe poverty and half of the population do not have access to clean water. Unemployment is up to 40 percent among urban youth and employment opportunities decreased markedly when the United Nations withdrew in 2005. Illiteracy is around 60 percent of the population and health services are patchy with immunisation of children at very low levels.

Most of East Timor 's income comes from agriculture. Most of the population lives as subsistence farmers. Coffee is the largest export crop but its price on world markets has fallen substantially. The one hope for income in the future is revenue from the substantial oil and natural gas reserves under the Timor Sea . The income flow from this resource was delayed due to Australia 's hard-line position on who should get the major share of the revenue from a resource that is located closer to East Timor than it is to Australia . It might be argued that an earlier and fairer settlement of this dispute would have seen East Timor in a much more stable situation this year with a real chance to be less dependent on foreign aid money and more able to make a real difference to the lives of its people.

At the present time, many thousands of people remain in makeshift camps still too afraid to go home. They are not only afraid of possible violence and unrest but are also afraid to return to the harsh life they lead. At least in the camps they receive food, clean water and some sense of security. The challenge now is for the international community to ensure that conditions improve for the East Timorese so that they no longer have to fear the return of violence or to fear hunger, lack of clean water, disease or lack of hope for the future. Nation building is about building hope for the future.

Caritas Australia is committed to the assistance of those who were forced to leave their homes but is also committed to the long-term development of the country. For further information visit: www.caritas.org.au/emergencies/eastTimor.htm