Timor Leste 's ruling party gathers as president hopes to put end to crisis
You can read the article here. The links to related news to help you understand the article better can be found on the page itself.
I kind of admire Timor Leste because they persist to be independent. They could have given up and just be ruled by Indonesia. They did not. They did not turn back at all. Their effort to build a strong nation seems like a fantasy to most. It just seems to be impossible. However, are they really working towards it? Read the following comment, "We are trying to convene a meeting, but we don't have enough people". What do you think about it? To me, it implies that some of the people in the ruling party just cannot be bothered. That is not the attitude that Timor Leste needs right now. Look at the people themselves. "Rival factions of the country's security forces battled each other and gangs waged warfare on the streets". As if it is not enough to have political problems but social problems are springing up now. With a lot of Timorese fleeing their homes, what is going to become of Timor Leste? A country not only needs stable governance but also people. I am placing a strong emphasis on people. Decisions are made by people. Decisions are full of consequences that can prove to be disastrous. In the words of Rahimah Rahim, a contestant of Singapore Idol, "If I make one wrong move then, that's it." In this case, if since the election upsets the people, they are going to continue on rioting until they get what they want. A bit selfish on their part.
I think Gusmao is a good president. He really is trying very hard. Ensuring that civilians do not posess weapons is a good move. Smart. Start with internal security. A way to get Timorese to return to their homes. It saddens me however, that he wants to step down. Goes to show how humble he is. Undoubtedly, Timor Leste needs leaders like him. With his resignation, the future of Timor Leste becomes blurred. Think about it, why does a great leader like him quit? Maybe he cannot take it anymore? Does that mean that conditions in Timor Leste is never going to improve? This article raises so many questions that it is giving me a headache.
posted by Unknown @ 8:55 pm
5 comments
5 Comments:
Strife and the spewing of civil unrest is the last thing that any country would want to be drowned in. Sadly, Timor Leste has become an unwanted victim to such a nightmare. If the country is to survive this, the leaders must do something about it. They should not be afraid to make firm decisions and force Timor Leste out of this pothole by any possible means. It is simply hard to believe that the Timorese have to endure waking up to the sounds of gunshots in the air and cries for help. It is unimaginable as to the amount of violence that the people in Timor Leste are exposed to almost every day. It is unmistakable as to the amount of unrest growing in the country, and the mere thought of it is already enough to send alarm bells ringing.
Even though the strife and civil unrest is still present, it is however a relief to know that efforts are also still being made to suppress the overall situation one step at a time. One most noticeable figure at this point in time would be President Xanana Gusmao, who is optimistic that the week-long crisis will soon subside. Who better than the president himself to set about getting things back into order? Arnold H. Glasgow, a psychologist, once said that one of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. In the case of President Gusmao, he has managed to isolate the cause of the problem a hand and has set about to do what is needed to calm the situation and overcome it. This strategy has already proven to work for Gusmao, as armed civilians are slowly turning in their weapons. Perhaps one of the key advantage that he has would be his personality and character, one which exudes patience and calmness. He takes the time to visit refugees and consoles them, and also finds out about their current state. At the same time, he conducts his own routine checks in certain areas to root out more armed civilians and to ultimately, restore order back to Timor Leste. And above all, he is not ashamed of admitting openly what went wrong. "We are elected by all of you and we have made a mistake because all of you have suffered and we have failed to provide stability and security for you," he said as he urged people to remain calm and not stoke any more violence.” If only other leaders were to be like him, they too will be able to handle situations like these better and know what the people need.
If Timor Leste is to progress as a nation, everyone needs to work together. There should be common bonds between people, not common lines of hate which has separated them. There should be the will to work hard to achieve their goal of moving forward, not individual perceptions of what they should work for and sparking riots. Even if people like President Xanana Gusmao step up to reform the country, the impact would only be minimal if the people do not co-operate. All the hours and days invested in attempts to bring the country out of this pothole would have gone to waste. For atleast once, the people should drop their differences and work together to ensure a future for their country. For atleast once, they should realise why the government is trying so hard to do the things that it is doing. Atleast once…
hey people, seriously i have nothing to say about this reading log man, i have a MAJOR problem with politics and i barely understand it... :(
i'll go do some research and get back to this later! :DD
I agree with Mel about the corruption that exists as Timor Leste is still a young nation. At this point in time, the country is most vulnerable as it has just gained independence and have plenty of issues to settle.
It is an uphill task no doubt about it and they certainly do need some help. Perhaps neighbouring countries and even ASEAN can all lend a hand just like what Australia is doing. In order to progress, I feel that the country must first rally its people together and unite them. Only then, can they acheive things. If the people are disunited and care only for their own well-being, it can only lead to the country's sinking further into their problems.
Of course a good, upright leader is extremely vital in situations such as this (not that a lousy leader is acceptable in other circumstances) as his leadership skills would definitely play a huge role in bringing his country out of the rut they're in and move on to greater heights. Timor Leste has already come a long way since seeking independence from Indonesia. It is really sad for them as they seem to be accosted with countless obstacles ever since they became an independent nation.
It is unfortuante that they were badly hit during the 2004 Tsunami, driving the country into greater poverty and destruction. The civil unrest and violence in the country does nothing but only adds on to the burden of the government.
Hence, I feel that the most important thing the country can do now is to lay down their weapons and put aside their differences. Seek help if need be and be accepting of each other's ideas and beliefs. They have already come a long way and put in so much ever since they have gained independence. It will be a pity to throw all these away after all that they've achieve.
Hopefully the Timorese will realise this soon and unite together, support their government's efforts and strive towards peace and prosperity. No one is really to blame for the problems they are facing now as they are all greenhorns but it will be their own fault if they decide to pursue their own selfish desires and lead their potentially properous country to its own downfall.
In my point of view, I feel that politics in other countries seems like a show to the rest of the world. It is the war between two politicians that provided show of the behaviour of themselves as well as the people of the country, to the people from non affected countries.
In the case of Timor Leste, I feel that the people should not riot everyday just to have Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri step down. This is a civilize world, so why must people be on the streets all day long holding banners or perhaps, posters that show their unhappiness and anger. Shouldn’t they be working hard to improve the economy rather than wasting time on someone who just would budge to give up his seat as a prime minister?
Moreover, being a leader of the country, a Prime minister should be one who is able to control the country with much pride as well as authority. One can never be a good leader if you do not possess much support of your followers. My point made is that since Gusmao is the one that the person in Timor Leste wants as a leader, why must Alkatiri hold on to his position when in reality he knows it does not exist. Rather than affecting the country’s economy, he should just give up his place or perhaps, he should prove his usefulness by restoring peace back to Timor Leste.
Lastly, I would like to compare the situation with that of Thailand’s and Taiwan’s politics. In this article, we have a clear situation of who should be the one, but in the case of Taiwan and Thailand, perhaps we know who should be taking over but unfortunately, the citizens themselves aren’t clear. Take Thailand for example, seriously Thaksin isn’t as bad as they accuse him of, but they just don’t get it that there isn’t such a thing as free lunch in the world whereby economy will still prosper when there is free rider service happening around. In the case of Taiwan, to me, its just a never ending politicians’ fight. Therefore, in conclusion, for the case of Timor Leste, I feel that perhaps, other countries’ leader, while viewing such a situation occurring in other places, should reflect on themselves as well.
As aptly quoted by the president himself, Xanana Gusmao, the reason that caused much chaos which resulted in the displacement of 145 000 Timorese after more than 2200 UN Peacekeepers were called in to restore calm is that the government themselves have failed to provide both political and social stability and security.
This is evident in respect to the civil strife that occurred since May as despite corruption was at stake, a government should be efficient enough to take charge of issues that threaten a country’s stability and security because these factors are the markers of economic growth; of which without political control, a young country like Timor Leste would likely face difficulties of establishing itself a marketable economy as foreign investors would be discouraged to enter with such issues taking place.
In seeking to remedy the situation, Gusmao has called in the ruling Fretlin party to consolidate and name a new prime minister in replacement of Mari Alkatiri, who was believed to have caused the civil unrest towards his refusal of stepping down as prime minister.
In my opinion, since it is the people that the government are concerned with, they should make the citizens cast their vote on who they feel would be most deserving to take over the position as prime minister. Perhaps the most credible candidate to take over can effectively be justified through actions, not just words, where the people make the choice of who is next.
This would in turn avoid the anticipated controversy if the Fretlin central committee were to vote and decide amongst themselves of who to replace Mari Alkatiri.
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