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has
more than often provided skills, manpower and equipment in the repair of roads,
buildings and other infrastructures. The
PKF has the capability to facilitate and assist the holistic strategy in its
AO’s where security threat is predominantly near to zero. Security ConsiderationsWith
the low level security risk obtaining in the present environment
presently characterized by an extravagant estimate of 50 militia who may
still be unaware of the present positive
developments, there still is no reason for PKF to let loose its guard.
There are few considerations which would lead us to believe that
PKF’s role on security is much more needed ahead and even after ET has
completed traversing its political path at the tail end of 2001, due to these
two major considerations:1)
Political Transition 2) Security Transition. The
timetable for the transition phase provides for ET’s
election for a
constitutional assembly to draft the constitution
in July and its subsequent ratification by the people in a referendum in
August, next year. The election of
the executive leadership will come
towards the end of next year which
only then transition shall be completed to full independence. During these major political periods of the new ET,
a secure environment is paramount which the PKF must ensure together with
Civpol for the conduct of an orderly, peaceful, credible and clean
elections. “Security
transition is another consideration that is presently being worked out by UNTAET/ETTA
and the PKF for the formation of the Defence Force of ET.
Without internal and external security, all our efforts to develop ET
will be in vain. The creation of
the Defence Force is an essential
part of ET’s transition. A
King’s College study recommended a light infantry force of 1,500 regulars with
a phased approach to reach that number over 3 years, and for 1,500 reserves,
with the FALINTIL as the core of the force, has been approved by CNRT (National
Congress), the FALINTIL(armed unit of the struggle) and ETTA. A number of countries have expressed interest in
providing experts and capacity building for the Defence Force during a donors
conference involving 12 countries in
the third week of November.”(Press
Statement, OCPI, November 23, 2000) Rising
Expectation Syndrome
Given
ET’s artificial economy at present which is basically propped up by UN
expatriates, the so-called
“Rising Expectation Syndrome” among the populace may yet be a serious
consideration after the timetable for self-governance is completed. This economic bubble is artificial that it may explode right
in the faces of people who will
assume the responsibilities later.
Getting
all acts together after UN is a general apprehension.
One way may lead to another is a rational conclusion.
The people of East Timor through the perseverance of the Falintil
and the momentum of world opinion have somehow pushed this nation to a
point that almost starts from the beginning. However, the point of no return
that apparently is ab initio can never be absolute. Because of the so-called Rising Expectation Syndrome (RES) is
becoming endemic in the present environment.
With the rate of things are going, there are few indications which may
just be insignificant to have an overall impact on the present effort but likely
would create a dent on any UN
magnum opus in the long term. The
blue print of the United Nations in East Timor provides for the transition for
self-governance. With the
necessary societal
infrastructures being revved-up, some indications show that some people are
becoming restless and even more impatient with results basically on labor and
employment and even morality. Of
course the primary stakeholders in
the forthcoming are the people themselves An inverse equation between RES over the actual delivery of government translates into the amount of willingness of people to be governed. This situation breeds power struggle so much so that a group not necessarily growing from the residue of the past struggle may blow the wind of insurgency and gradually repeating the same cycle of struggle which may now be tainted not only by the conviction of being independent but is indispensably founded on ideological imperatives. Dependency Avoidance
Classical as well as contemporary thoughts are ready tools that give us a paradigmatic understanding of the interplay of key components in nation-building. Suffice is to say that nothing can be tailored fit to assume the blueprint of any developmental scheme. True enough, nations who rose from limbo to primary dominant developmental trendsetters have one way or another, but more often than not, have different historical experiences either one of becoming nostalgic or just one of the frightening and detestable nightmare at Elm Street.Colonial
regimes, however, in between lucid periods in history almost share a common
ground like East Timor (the whole Timor island for that matter), had been
selfishly protective of their colonial
interest by playing gods or sorcerers
on people long drawn to complacency and subservience. As a result,
the colony had been denied and suppressed of
its natural essence of any
freedom of existence. The Timorese
people were taught to be the servants of their masters for 500 years. So much so
that the dependency attitude has the propensity to drive people to mendicancy.
Donations
and doleout are not uncommon in devastated nations. The United Nations’ scheme
of things provide for a recurrence of dependency.
The feeling of being
helpless after the angst and pain is perfect
for any short and comforting assistance.
It is normal that there is a period of mourning.
The grief of the past is
psychologically healthy if the people takes it as a positive challenge to start
rebuilding their wasted lives.
The way it looks, we have a situation ripe of contrasting realities. The UNTAET is attempting to remove any traces of dependency but apparently leaving a satellite of varied interests . Generally, it remains skeptical on the capability of the new nation to row itself to navigable waters even after establishing full independence. On the one hand, the aspiring leaders of the new nation are adamant to be involved in the decision-making structures in the transitional government to which they personally feel being left out and only guessing in the dark. There has also been few reports of graft and corruption in the present basically being introduced by the bidding of contracts, which could exacerbate what is still considered as weak infrastructures of self-governance. (Lusa News, December 6, 2000) Emerging Environmental
Change The UNSCR 1319 strong message in October was loudly heard by and between the concerned parties responsible in the establishment and maintenance of a secure ET environment. In
fact, the PKF robustly responded with its instructions by
adopting an amplified ROE to counter and contain
what appeared to be recalcitrant stance from the militia elements. It has
given teeth to our operations by
giving the PKF the right to fire at any militia on
site showing hostile intent.
This has proven to be a deterrence from their ambitious and hopeless bid
to destabilize ET. PKF
has maintained constant coordination
with the Government of Indonesia through the
monthly Commanders Conference to determine areas of common concern with
the overall priority of stopping once and for all
the militia threat. It’s a
positive sign and we too are glad
when the TNI (Indonesian Armed Forces) obeyed
the instructions of said resolution by conducting an unrelenting crackdown
on the militia which was next to ideal.
We cannot be skeptical
that within their side in NTT,
they are doing their part. We can
only be sorry that the manslaughter against
unarmed UNHCR volunteers in September at Atambua had to happen before some
people begin to realize
where they have faulted. There
have been noticeably encouraging results from established points
of agreement with the TNI in the
maintenance of security especially along the border with NTT and the
safe conduct pass of refugees spontaneously returning or organized
movements to ET. Better Things to Come- a personal noteBeing the Force Commander of this multi-national force in East Timor, Lt. Gen. Boonsrang Niumpradit like any other optimist views that East Timor has nowhere to go but to move forward towards full independence (as scheduled). With 24 nations committing their forces on the United Nations Peacekeeping Force under his command, we would like to inform the people of East Timor and the world as well that we cannot afford to be remiss with our mandate to secure the road to independence of this one great nation. More
important as life itself, I
for one and your sons, daughters and parents
are proud members of this global concern. They are doing a great job 24-hours a day and enjoying the feeling that
they are serving well alleviating
the pain that has remained etched into the
eyes of East Timorese especially the children. We are helping in whatever
we can to improve life through our pure resolve in the vast reconstruction of
this once troubled nation. As
we keep on maintaining a secure environment, the Peacekeeping Force continues to
live up with the ideals of the United Nations for peace and security, so that
the children of today may benefit the future. We don't see it as an added
responsibility but purely of human conviction to lend a helping hand to those in
need. We
are making it a moral responsibility to preserve life and humanity as we
continue to display our courage and dedication towards that end. We
fervently hope that for all our sincerest intentions, we are doing the right
thing for the people of East Timor. We wish everyone the best things to
come now and in the future! Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year!
Nota
Bene: The
Author is a professor in Political and Social Sciences at the University of the
Philippines, Clark and presently serving as a peacekeeper whose personal view
does not necessarily perceive any official stand.. It’s
a ticklish issue!
Understanding
the cultural myth of East Timorese people is no different
from understanding God’s
creation. One doesn’t need to
wonder why some people are white and some are
black, or some are tall and some
short, or some are pretty and some are not, and other contradictions that you
may have not. One
common complaint and some are unfounded of
people working for the UN in East Timor is the ability of people to
assimilate with the prevailing development scheme due to
incoherent or inconsistent attitudes by
the recipients. This is vice
versa that either camps can be faulted. In
the first place there are peculiarities of each to consider.
Most of the UN workers for instance come from diverse experiences and
training who may find themselves with
the people
with more or less homogenous cultural
underpinning, such that it messes-up the serene nature of their existence by
failing to understand, accept or accommodate them.
The feeling of superiority and racist they are (some), are
largely contributing to an obtaining impression of skeptics from
either camps. One
existentialist Rene Descartes (1596-1650) had said, “I think therefore I
am”, after he had wondered on the nature of his existence.
Some people just don’t
simply understand. Are we here to
superimpose the kind of understanding that we want to have?
Would it make it work for UN workers to listen first to what these people
simply want? Are we doing
justice to the people we ought to serve? For quite a time do we really
understand and make do positively with that understanding of them?
Understanding
in all fronts is the key in this mission. It
evokes compassion, accepting, sympathetic, kind, thoughtful, caring and love.
Some people just don’t understand what they are doing.
It’s not us for them to understand but for us to understand
them. Frankly I for one have few
reservations on them but I can assure you that it’s not that essential as to
fail me in my mission. Altruistically, the way it should be, we are here not to
lay waste and extravagance, not to
think like big heads or high
strung, not a battle of the brain
or any contest of sort, but to feel
within and be with them and agree on what
we can do to alleviate their lives. Or else, you may just be
one who tries to be busy with “much ado about nothing”. Where
do you belong?(irs). Timorization:
Quo Vadis? (Where
is it going?) The
Timorese people are inured by nature with the hardies of life. From the past
nightmare of violence and deconstruction, the same people remain faced with
another challenge from which depends their dream of a better life and at least
comfort , and security from wants or other life inequities. Themselves is where
theirs depend and not what others can do for them. I
have gone to places around the country, in
at least 60 percent by now. I have
seen some of their faces, how they live, how the kids play (if at all), and so
many other questions that bring someone near them.
It’s so quiet in the villages as if time is
not moving if not slowly. It
suggests a typical place on earth
that has remained untouched by change or the kind of development
that our contemporary time has
never tread. It’s really hard though talking to them in a language they seem
to little understand. But
one can see the look of innocence right between their eyes.
That kind of glow and energy that
envelop their humanity as if courting
all the power of “Eugene” (cartoon character with ultra-transcending powers)
to rise from oblivion but produces
a collage of
reality and fantasy which
somehow disturbs the water that
is beginning to develop a clearer and more distinct picture. I’ve
taken pictures and video shots suggestive of their nature, culture, customs and
traditions, basically the way
people live, their faith and so on
but not sufficient enough to cover
all. I begin to notice the contrast
of people distinctly in terms of status particularly in Dili suburb. Normally
at early morning and late
afternoon, I see a kid or two walking in stride with their mother carrying on
their head what looks to be a firewood for them to use.
It’s so touching that a lot of children not only here are being
deprived of the natural environment of a child at play. Instead, we can see them
heavily burdened with adult responsibilities that they can’t indispensably
avoid.
One
striking though is the appearance
of a free-wheeling culture where one can see some people driving
along in BMWs, Mercedes, Volvos, Japanese cars and other types. Some would pass
at you like rally drivers or that of the formula ones.
I’m beginning to think of getting a life insurance as soon as I can at
least before getting hit by
some “professional drivers” who
only know best how to accelerate on
the gas and play with the steering wheel, and no stopping, as if everyway is
a right of way or a freeway. If
a society has let this to happen with their children then it might be
that God himself didn’t want it to happen.
Primeval as it is but
poverty is killing humanity. It
eats so much that precious time and energy laboring solely
on the residual needs of
survival next to free air. It
precludes any surplus value for leisure or at least
the time to laugh and smile
at their
mistakes. It
is unnatural because poverty is an
artificial creation that runs
counter to the advancement of any systemic dimensions. Its perennial nature
gobbles up any fate left and serves
as a fodder by people who
capitalize on its misery and misfortune under
the color of messianic appeal. This
is one thing that society must resolve initially and concomitantly with any
reconstruction effort. Under the
principle of deconstruction, it is easier though to rise from the rubble with
new beginning from almost a clean slate than the energy and time
that entail in modifying any system previously erected which didn’t work
in the first place. In point,
this is the right moment where new ideas could take its desirable form.
But it must be away from the convenience of retrofitting only the
obsolete. By this,
if there should be a beginning, it must start right. One
fundamental that churns out and
assures an activity to
be sustainable is the capacity or capability of people to take part in its
execution. If and when
for instance an economic activity must prosper,
the people themselves must be empowered to participate in its
fundamentals. Employment for one
which would provide the life-blood of the new economy.
Entrepreneurs must be also willing to take the risk of providing basic
goods and services. The wedding of
business and job is unquestionably
significant and welded because one
partakes the misery of the other. East
Timor like in the Dili area, one doesn’t fail to notice the emerging business
climate. As of yet, although it is hardly surviving, at least, a class of people
have the courage to place their
bets with double or nothing. But how long that this survival state
can be overcome. Capital formation is basically
dependent on savings. There must be
savings. But could there be without the infrastructure
that takes in employment? Come
to think of it, I don’t believe that these
people are totally broke. Half is half but I strongly believe that
a majority of them has one way or another accumulated
some savings to stake in this beginning. Government
revenues may not be enough to accommodate all the needed employment to
jump-start the capitalist economy.
The prospects of oil revenues might just be the saving grace.
This newly independent nation is believed to have
a bounty of oil deposits which might just be more than enough to feed its
people. There are also traditional
sources of revenues which could be developed
to sustain high export earnings. Coffee beans, I can only mention a few. But
it must be a right start! This
brings us to the issue of Timorization which should be
properly tailored to fit the seam of
the given society. It
can’t be denied that the United
Nations is doing a great job assisting
in every aspect the establishment of the
needed infrastructures first in the
area of administration that translates into other state acts (jure imperii)
and processes which serves as the
cornerstone of the post-struggle
society. But there are other
ramifications that must be keenly addressed to. Little by little, things are
taking shape in the political, economic and social orders. One thing we can
agree with is that this transition
is not fast enough in order to transform the dream
into a reality, while it
remains to hurt the people
who by observation and empirical confirmations are left untouched while nothing
seems to guess what they really want. It
brings us to look into the supra-structure that holds the given society altogether. It’s that binding factor, the cohesive social fabric that
wields loyalty and obedience among these people.
Freedom, that’s for sure and religion, too!
I consider both as interlocutory essentials that
produce undesirable outcomes if not
placed in their proper perspective.
For one, freedom can be
self-defeating if it gives one the wrong choice of
enjoying by doing nothing
that translates to no less than laziness. Religion
is another which either reinforces
a fatalistic following or a
positive conviction on the Golden Rule of helping others.
Brother, I can say this
straight in the eye, that God only help(s) those who help themselves.
Though it may be a great consolation as it is said, blessed are the poor for
they will seek the kingdom of God. But
I do believe in the power of prayer! May
they always believe in what they can do best for these people. May
there be unity of efforts to transform them to be useful citizens of their
future. May
they maintain their strong faith to
build a better nation for posterity sake. May
they not be lured by any bold inequity
but to stand with fervor and
without abandoning to serve their
own people. May
they move forward to nothing of
self-interest and ambitions but
purely of personal conviction to lead them thus
gaining an equally sovereign stature
to which they can be proud of in the family of nations. And
to all, that no one shall lay waste
again on this nation! By
these, only God knows where is it going! Truth,
Reception and Reconciliation- Nothing
to loss, everything to gain Setting
out straight once and for all the truth, that it may set them free. As
if the truth will liberate one’s
ignorance and conscience that eventually teach the mind that what has been done
can no longer be undone. The harm has been done that acceptance and
understanding exact in the human a godlike compassion for which
Barabas (that whatever name he is famous of) the thief had never pass the
chance to delve into his soul. Jesus said these words to the thief on the cross
"Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke
23:43)". Asking and forgiving
is a dichotomy that comes after the truth has been uncovered. Unless the
truth comes to shore, it cannot be fished out in the troubled water. For only
then that it serves its true meaning to whom it finds its course. The
creation of the Commission for Truth, Reception and Reconciliation in East Timor
is a positive move which cannot be used primarily to exact responsibility from
last year’s violence here. The
idea has been awaiting formal approval and it hopefully will buckle up to work
as soon as it can. It may
also seem not envisioned to
thresh out retribution on actions committed even beyond any pecuniary estimate.
For this reason, it would seem advantageous
because it will do away any idea of long, tedious and circuitous
legalities that is surely
an unwelcome sight especially a judicial system at its infancy. It
is thus aptly called the Commission for Truth, Reception and Reconciliation. As
it suggests, I can only guess its
import and signification to be bereft of any double understanding of its true
nature and intention. It sets out a
reasonably acceptable formula between any adversarial contentions, it may
be evidentiary but yet would be hardly proved without delay or
perpetual cleavage. I
can understand that the Commission might just be another administrative
commission without being clothes with quasi-judicial function. As such, it can
only function as an open
confessional box while receiving the truth with avid reception, by what it
decides under any discretionary power may recommend to whoever would be the
Chief Executive for any pardon. If
and when it is clothes with the quasi-judicial
function, it should be acting both as an investigative independent commission
and concomitantly as a commission which can mete out appropriate punishment
commensurate with any acts or omissions considered to be violative to any
established human law. Be that as it may, it can actually receive the truth in
the form of complaints or any voluntary confessions , as it is, it can
provide for any reconciliation,
otherwise retribution. We
can only infer at the moment what is it like to be.
Surely, it may filter out
the truth and only act on those
within its jurisdiction to pass upon to the maximum of light or less serious
crimes. Serious crimes would therefore be classified and decided upon by another governmental entity which is likely be the judicial courts.
Less serious offenses can be considered in the light of its nature,
circumstances and other facts surrounding it.
But for all intent and purposes, it is very hard to determine any hard
and fast rule to distinguish personal crimes from crimes in pursuit of political
objectives. In other countries of
the world, crimes of political nature have been looked upon with less disfavor
than the former. It
might be that the Truth, Reception and Reconciliation Commission is
shying away from any connotation attributed to the absolute sense of Justice.
Justice means meting upon the guilty the commensurate punishment as a
retribution of the harm done on his fellowmen.
But Justice also exacts the proper protection on the accused of all
available defenses to preserve his innocence like the due process of law,
speedy trial, to be heard by himself and counsel, equal protection under
the law and many more judicial concepts in the long tradition of any civilized
society. It
would be discouraging for a new nation-state to be preoccupied fending things
that divide them more than courting things that united them. This is an unlikely
situation. It is in the highest
order for national unity to be real through
the channels of accepting and forgiving and thus only then everybody can
become a hero of their country’s future. For
what can a man reap wallowing
itself into misery by what has been
done on him if not to rise from it
and continue believing that there is yet another chance to embrace life and all
its misgivings. A
friction that needs to be oiled The
take-off of reconstruction just at the edge of
a post-conflict situation is a crucial
period that serves to
test the validity of
systemic theorizing vis-à-vis
pragmatic application. There is an
attitude towards expediency and simplification that sometimes over-shadows scalar
priorities and even lineal foundations. Shortsighted unidirectional
appreciation or acceptation of multi-pronged
realities is an extravagant effort
that leads to chaos and wastage. In
the race of time, sometimes there are societal
variables that implode either due
to systemic incompatibility or extinction, leaving trails
of undiluted residue which can be an irritant in the lacunae of
reconstruction in the long run. Contrasting
realities in East Timor should
provide the policy-makers a reasonably intelligent
comparative perspective that can be
a crystal ball in looking at
the most highly probable outcome.
And having forewarned of such are morally responsible
in charting a brighter destiny that may not only be immediately
appeasing the discontent of the
rowdy but should be
perpetually acceptable by
the greatest number and the greatest good. The
socio-cultural perspective is one interesting look.
The suprastructure of society becomes the societal fabric that binds
spontaneously or produces logical
patterns of agreement and disagreement. In
this society, it serves as an epitome of both
colonial tradition and limited
modernity. Religion for one. The
influence of religion is far
reaching and transcendental, which serves as
a “dot exe” command for
defining bono et malo.
So far, it has become the best source of consolation in any period of hardship
or survival. It sets the standard
of decency and morality. The zealot and the green-eyed may take it against
adventurism and liberality. When it nurtures norms and traditions, it may
look-upon deviant objectivity as a
self-defeating partner. In
almost every modern- state, there is a well-settled rule on the
separation of Church and State. This
is a situation in a stable society
but is unlikely in
a state of transformation
and even in recovery. Religion dilutes itself into politics the moment she perceives her flock to be in trouble.
Her role in this society has been very visible. It has taken the cudgel
as a source of enlightenment in all
periods of persecution. But she may
find debate with Simon’s
Value-Fact Dichotomy with respect to urgency and practicability especially when
she comes in contact with the liberal western influence. The
social chasm of tradition
and modernity is a paradigmatic dysfunction
that gives rise to
social friction. The two distinct colonial periods in this society have
produced two opposing cultures. It
has the long enduring colonial
precepts of dependency while another
became strong believers of freedom and self-determination. The remnants of
dependency may still be classified as traditionalist and colonialist . Both
may be perceived to remain
loyal to the grandeur of colonial past while peevishly accepting
the in-roads of
contemporaneous thinking or in-disguise of
other appellations. The latter may just be another thing of the past
which may evolve in disguise into something
of chameleonic strategy. The color
of politics more often than not
takes form out of necessity of power ambition which is
better than be left out into oblivion. The vehicles of advocacy like
social movements and political parties emerged and adopt dynamically by way
of identification, renewal,
modification or permissible
abrogation or rescission of binding ties, through separation or association. What may be looked upon as impertinent advocacy today may
just be the saving grace which essentially determines patterns of loyalty ahead.
Obtaining
realities today in the immediate environment are suggestive of
societal showdown between tradition
and modernity. This can be said in
the social suprastructure, e.g. church, family, media, education, culture and
tradition. The recent clash between the students and law enforcers is indicative of a
restless society trying to assert
its identity. It is an identity that has long been suppressed during the periods
of upheaval. A suppressed culture
that is released from bondage as a
prize of painful victory. What has been preserved as a tradition has its own
followings while on the one hand there is the younger generation who has moved
closer to the skin of nationalism and the
cloth of freedom. It is a new kind
of relationship that has been honed from its unhappy dependency which can
readily transform into a cryptonic force with an ultra-keen sense of
determining the appropriate
nourishment of their nationalistic fervor while slowly imbibing with suspicion
any high-handed foreign action. This kind of empowerment is readily reinforced
by the instant influx of
high-consumption culture thus creating
an irreversible contrast from the old school. An uncontrolled scenario is
most likely when tradition and modernity should meet head-on. Another
point to consider is national identity. The solidification of national identity
spawns wider cleavages through which dissent, resentment, discontent, hatred,
discrimination and unrest may take its life
and become a modus vivendi of the restless and impatient.
There is a society with a strong homogenous origin that is awaiting specific
performance by deliverance from the importunes of justice and poverty. The
contingency has not yet ceased even by the happening of the resolute condition
of independence. It
may take the form of a different struggle which is no longer a fight
of self-determination but a brewing debacle on how do go about it within
and by and among the people who had
somehow placed a high stake of their lives and comfort during the struggle. This
changing role in the
post-conflict situation is yet another sensitive issue.
One may claim to have a better right of the ivory tower.
Others may have their own stories to tell. In the making of
a greater nation, traditional roles
who have found fulfillment in doing non-traditional roles would now
become more assertive of holding on
to it and may sought
a well deserved place in the
societal infrastructure. Looking at
it, accusations are lodged by and
among the institutions
which have at least shared a common understanding of self-determination. They
may have special reasons for submitting
now to the people a cause of action
in the determination of who has the
better right of this and that. A
slight provocation may just lead to a catastrophic proportion. The raving
concern here is the
propensity of people to attract
public indignation even with the slightest provocation or from an insignificant
routine. Crowd of people can easily
built-up among the people. This can
be due to efforts of recognition or
just being assertive that they
are in control. This has happened
so many times before which even led to some painful deaths or injuries. The
post-referendum was an exercise of a
fatalistic illogic not necessarily a by-product of religious overtures. This is
the social entrapment of “Kuyog and Bahala Na.” (Bandwagon and Come
what may) This
fatalistic dysfunction is scary
that even the “Guns of Navaron” can
be of no match at all. In other missions, it happened amidst strong military
show of force. The crowd can swell
in their own delight that civilian
authorities may not be able to control that even a military intervention may
just be equally ineffective to quell a daring and rampaging civil unrest. The
“use of force and the use of deadly
force” as permitted under established Rules of
Engagement would be an
extreme situation. The caveat though is “handle with care.” This is true in
a situation where people stopped
listening and that they only wish to listen
to their voices of public outcry for some short of expectations within this
timeframe or born out of resentment against
improper decorum or simply what is not
customarily acceptable. Like any other people in the world,
they seem to dislike being dictated too. With
all honesty and candor, the
conductor like in a symphony must orchestrate with dexterity
what produces a euphonic melody that brings out the
balance of indigenous tete-a- tete
foreign legacy. It is
therefore very crucial to know the
difference between what is revered and contingent or
between what is dictated and
essential. It
lingers on… The
Bedrock of East Timor- The
Fundamentals of Political Science 11 Political
Science 11 deals on the
fundamentals of an entity called a State which is the primary object of politics. In most recognized
universities of the world (University of the Philippines is one), it preserves
its original course signification and nomenclature.
Other advance courses in Political Science are numbered in ascending order like 11, 14,
151, 152, 160, 190 and so forth.
These numbers only present the degrees of difficulty in course analysis
and specialization but all partake the same object of intellectual theorizing which is politics per se.
Basically
politics is a struggle for (of) power. It naturally and spontaneously developed
and curbed from the desire of humankind to establish power and obedience.
In the political curtain, one can see the cast of actors performing
distinct and interweaving roles- primary and secondary, leading and
rendering, assent and
dissent, elite and counter-elite.
In plain, the appearance of one
makes the indispensable appearance of the other through a
relationship continuum that
range in between nurturing
or winning to abandoning or defeating.
The push and pull that make up the
political equation provide
a balancing contrast of political reality. It’s like a wheel that may either roll from left to right ,
at rest and otherwise-the spokes representing the varied societal interest, the
center being the common good while
those on top of the wheel represent those in
power. If it sets in motion, the
balance of varied interest which is neither heavy on one side
creates a steady cruise that
eventually renders
insignificant who stays on top or at the bottom for as long as it confides with
Newton’s Law of Motion. If it would be at rest, it
must not take so long because those at the bottom may just can’t endure
the heavy toll. So that, naturally it makes everyone happy when the whole
society is at least moving slowly but steadily. In
another view, they may just be
centrifugal and centripetal forces that keep it intact and moving steadily in a
spin - the center
being the common good, the centrifugal (outward) force being
the divergent interests and the centripetal (inward) force being the
converging political institutions or processes as defined in the Constitution.
This
newly emerging nation-state provides us the best
course review of Political Science 11.
Academically, nation and
state are distinct political concepts which
may not be used interchangeably. I am more
confident as of yet to refer her as both not to confuse
but to give it a general understanding of her present status prior to the
happening of conceptual prerequisites to statehood. At
present, there’s no doubt that East Timor is a nation. A
nation refers to people with more or less common understanding,
racial origin, homogenous culture and tradition,
vision and way of life and living together.
So that there can be a
nation without a state (The Palestinian Paradox). But
can there be a state without a nation?
What
is then a State? It is a well
settled intellectual usage and understanding that the term State owes its
vivid signification from other
political concepts in Political Science 11, namely: people, territory, government, independence, civilization and
recognition. As
it is, a State is defined, thus: as a group of people, more or less
numerous, capable of procreation and of self-defense, living on a definite
territory (which must be on land, and not the sea), possessed of a government to
which the inhabitants render habitual obedience, and such independence from
external control as would enable it to conduct its external and internal affairs
without unreasonable intervention from other groups,
and prides to have a certain degree of civilization as well as enjoying
recognition by the Family of Nations. Be that as it may, such definition
encompasses the Majority and the Minority Schools of Thought. The latter school puts
importance on civilization and recognition in addition to the other
elements. In
the instant case, East Timor possesses some but not all the elements enumerated
as of yet. For one, a government is yet to be in place which is equally
important for governance whereby her aspirations could well be crystallized for
her people’s benefits. The ramifications of government have yet to be
institutionalized in the proper forum particularly through the exercise of the
right suffrage by her people in a free, honest, fair, and clean election.
Of course, a peaceful one is the Gordian knot that runs around the
process. It
can be gleaned from the time-frame
to achieving full state status that the
other requisites are being substantiated. Highly
important and no non-sense of it
all though is the drafting of a Constitution.
Constitution is the quintessential framework that serves as the basic law
and is the highest law of the land from which the relationship- rights, duties
and responsibilities,
state principles, people’s aspirations and other political institutions
are embedded and embossed in a
single piece of document called the Constitution. The
drafting of a Constitution is the highest act of statesmanship for it reflects
the true heart and soul of the people who wanted it for their own people.
In a sense, it’s a double or nothing proposition that must reflect the
whole gamut of self-determination.
The metes and bounds of
state and governance must be clear but not necessarily a straight-jacket
that would not allow any dynamism. It
has to be responsive with the ebb and flow of the times but must be solidly
embedded by strict constitutional guidelines for any future amendments. It
is well said that a good Constitution is one that is stable and visionary such
that the foresight necessarily include future realities. One such Constitution
is one
embedded framework of the present leader of the New World Order i.e., the
United States of America, that since its ratification and adoption after
her “Gone with the Wind” epic of the North and South sometime in
1787, has rarely been modified.
Thus far, the number of amendments
is something that a three year old
kid can still count on the fingers. (From 1791,1st Amendment to 1971,
26th Amendment). (The US Constitution has 4,400 words. It is the
oldest and shortest written constitution of any government in the world, which
was signed by only 39 men during a constitutional convention in Philadelphia
when the US population was only 4 million. It is now more than 250 million.)
One
area of concern is the concept of Sovereignty.
It carries with it the sense of self-determination
of people and their willingness to harness and preserve its legacy, free
from unsolicited intrusions and thus
manifests the desire to intercourse with, by
and among equally sovereign nations. It gives
full meaning to the concept of Independence that without which is as good
as nothing. On the principle of equality of nations,
neither size or capacity of East Timor
may disqualify her from sharing due
respect with the sovereign equality
of nations. It
is an intellectually reasonable opinion, if not at its best that
putting in place the constitutional framework of this emerging
nation-state, a prelude to full
statehood by the would-be framers , must devote
to full-brain power to arrest in clear and simple terms what is best for
their country. We
are hoping for the best among the
88 of them
who must be enlightened not by narrow or parochial interests but
must always take into account as their
highest motivation to be the entire
liberation of this country from the vestiges of
machination or exploitation. Salus
Populi est Suprema Lex!
(The welfare of the people is the Supreme Law). N.B.:
The author is a professor in Political and Social Sciences at the
University of the Philippines (Clarkfield) and is presently serving as a
peacekeeper in his capacity as public information officer. (Feb. 27, 2001) What
people can do but take for granted…
“We must act now because it is the right thing to do. We must act now because we have other things to do,” said US President George W. Bush lately during his State of the Union in Congress. In Darwin, there’s a saying that goes, “Not today, not tomorrow (but now).” In
the premier University of the Philippines, a timeless adage goes, ”Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?” (If not today, when will there be?)
A
Spanish adage almost shares the same thought, “Do not put on tomorrow what you
can do today,” (as if maniana habit
has nothing to do with one’s legacy.) And
countless more reminders on people’s struggle
with time and almost loss that zeal and energy to put up what
can be accomplished now. But
Sun Tzu, the great Chinese strategist may not fully agree along this line. He is
more of a realist than a fatalist because he makes sure everything is in their
proper perspective, meaning if circumstances do not allow, then he has its fall
back position and wait for the ripe and right moment to unleash its power or
grab an opportunity at the first instance. In short, he emphasizes right timing
in every execution by way of
rushing if the situation allows or retreating if it need be. The
Book of Eccleciastes would even
consider that everything has its right place in the right time. “To every thing there is a
season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A
time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that
which is planted; A
time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A
time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A
time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to
embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A
time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A
time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A
time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (3:1-8)
There
is a time to be merry, there is a time to be sad. There is time for almost
anything. In
times of peace, people find time to
disagree with one another on what to
do with it. In
times of war, at least everyone must agree that it should be over soon. Rome
was not built in one day. Even the
Great Pyramid of Giza was neither. Had
they ever not cast the first single stone,
there would have been no great civilization to speak of. We
cannot just rely on what other people can do for us.
“Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man
should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring
him to see what shall be after him?” (3:22) Now
is a time to get all acts together to crystallize what
they would deem best for their own people. But
there can’t just be lip-service to erect monuments. In
most democratic countries especially in the so-called
TWCs (other political writers use the term “Developing Countries”),
they toy around the concepts
of democracy by consenting to Machiavelian precept of the “end justifies the
means.” While they would invoke
democracy as a government
system, they are tempted with too much freedom to play tricks on the
electoral system through shenanigan
forms like vote padding, vote
buying, vote switching, vote shaving, etc. Sometimes the credibility of
elections have become at its worst. The
beauty of democracy is the people’s empowerment to
choose among themselves who would be their leaders through the
institution of elections. So that
the exercise of the right of suffrage is the most sacred act of a citizen who
partakes in charting his/her country’s destiny.
But it’s not simply a matter of choice.
Ideally, as in the United States, the voters are guided not by the
popularity of personalities like in a beauty contest but are guided by the
concrete course of actions, party platforms,
and sort of advocacies by the
respective competing partisanship during the process.
If everything losses
originality then by the tested character of the
personality to lead his people unselfishly and without any hint of negotiorum
gestio (unauthorized management) or solutio indebiti
(unjust enrichment). (Roman Law) But
it would take awhile to reach political maturity.
Some countries after having
been independent for many years ago and remained
wallowed in the morass of poverty are
generally those countries whose
leaders are either corrupt, whose civil
servants are consenting and whose
people are tolerating. Unlike
the US, some democratic countries have popularly adopted the multi-party system.
Sometimes this is good because it
can accommodate as many varied
interests as there are. Isn’t it in diversity there’s unity? But
more often than not, multi-party system
would encourage different coalitions and oft-crossing of party lines or
turncoatism. So that, anyone can
put up a political party over night
and still can court a coalition of parties under her umbrella.
Whatever
party system one country has, political
maturity is vital.
It relies on the ability of her people to look into and behind what is
being presented to them as would be panacea for all their troubles.
Popularity counts in an election but sometimes it does not do good without
clear-cut party principles and convictions. Sometimes,
the beauty of democracy is its irony. It does not serve its purpose when the people are not given
enough choices or when its outcome would have been manipulated.
It happened in some countries only to find themselves being duped and
before they can make a step
forward, more often than not, they
made two step backwards. Sometimes,
it’s better to learn from others mistakes than committing the same mistakes by
themselves. The pain could be minimized if not avoided. And
soon East Timor will find her
rightful place in the Jeffersonian tradition of a democratic country. It’s
now or never!
N.B.:
The author is a professor in Political and Social
Sciences at the University of the Philippines
(Clark Field) and is presently working as a peacekeeper in his capacity as
public information officer, PKF. (Mar 2, 2001)
Different
ways of doing things, it leaves others to experiment
In
this United Nations mission, it
looks like a rendezvous of all
sorts. The “East meets West.”
And the “North meets South.” Such
dichotomies implode into altruism but more often than not one thinks superior
over another. Certainly,
the peculiarities
of every contributing nation
is something to consider. The same is true with the seriousness of interest that
a participating nation posits and defends.
It can’t just be true that everyone has an equality of intentions
though it may be prima
facie similar. The
meeting of used to be dichotomies
in this post-modern times is not unusual. No
system has yet an exclusive claim of an absolute application or operation
in the bid of achieving
a perfect percentage of success in any working environment. It leaves no
doubt to different approaches but sometimes becoming self-serving. In
a far reaching report of the Panel
on the United Nations Peace Operations 2000 while
reverberating the Secretary General’s initiative to reach out,
people working in the system have
been reminded “to constantly keep in mind that the United Nations they serve
is the universal organization. People everywhere are fully entitled to consider
that it is their organization, and as such to pass judgment
on its activities and the people who serve in it.”(Italics
supplied) In
that same report, it says “[F]urthermore, wide disparities in staff quality
exist and those in the system are the first to acknowledge it; better performers
are given unreasonable workloads to compensate for those who are less capable.
Unless the United Nations takes steps to become a true meritocracy, it will not
be able to reverse the alarming trend of qualified personnel, the young among
them in particular, leaving the Organization. Moreover,
qualified people will have no incentive to join it. Unless managers at all
levels, beginning with the Secretary-General and his senior staff, seriously
address this problem on a priority basis, reward excellence and remove
incompetence, additional resources will be wasted and lasting reform will
become impossible.” (Italics
supplied) Paving
the basis of this discussion, now
certain observations are in order.
There
are peculiarities of the mission as there are
many troop contributing nations. The
employment of naked force at least receives a unison understanding in the height
of self-defense or self-preservation. But in the applications of doctrines for one,
it makes some areas of
disagreement. Two
sides of the equation seem to disagree with all decency as to what is
in or not. This
is where the North learns from the South. Sometimes
people just may think that security
is maintained and sustained by the number of war machines and bold show of
military muscle. In a low intensity conflict, the rats are hiding while the cat
is there. Can you now
imagine what’s going to happen when the cat is away? The
establishment of a lasting solution to this rouge conflict for sure
is not how many rounds are fired, how
many mounted patrols are accomplished or how many men are deployed. The
root of
all evil here is not its
expediency but the gradual
acceptance of a reality by
the same people whose only difference is by virtue of an accidental twist
on how their birth land can be
assured of prosperity. It is
by the love of each camp of a nation to attain security and comfort
but only met headon by nationalist fervor on the one hand and a fanatic illusion on the other hand. It
must be underlined here that nothing can create a better solution
other than a true sense of
reconciliation that by itself is the highest virtue of
Christianity, of loving and
forgiving. In the same manner that the principle of peaceful co-existence and
unreserved accommodation make-up
the fabric of this peacekeeping
mission. In
the conduct of peacekeeping operations, a long lasting legacy where the center of gravity is the people themselves as its
beneficiary. I mean people in general of East Timor to include those who had
opted to lay down their arms in
order to face the new challenge of rebuilding
the same territory which they
too had fought for. The
military component would not serve its purpose of maintaining a secure
environment if the people
themselves remain ignorant of the true intention and
on the most probable outcome of all this UN energy.
The employment of conventional means therefore holds no water to contain
any hardcore fanatic of any “sanamagan”.
Rapid deployment in small tactics is most likely but can’t be
sustainable to court the other side to a “win-win” situation. So that appeal
to humanity may just
be perfect
and gives more meaning to
any UN strategy. If
there would be any win-win situation, there should be a true reconciliation. If
in one way one dangles on them the carrot while at same time prying on them with the stick then sincerity could never be
achieved. In any conflict
situation, a resolution is underway when both groups can sit down (though this
would not mean recognizing their belligerency status) and meet at the middle.
That is if a lasting solution is attainable.
In most countries, a total eradication of the conflict is not highly
probable if and when those involved do not acquiesce
to any form of compromise.
If
this does not happen, it is
indispensable that East Timor will continue to be vigilant along its shared
border with the West and would waste enough
of its energy patching-up any leak on the border even
after any United Nations cradle. Boarder
incursion is most likely not an uncommon reality,
a would be trial balloon to experiment on the rigidity of any
defense in-depth. Because
there are no signs that they may
be giving-in. “The War of the Flea” would be
a wasteful extravagance on the defender (East Timor).
It is a mindset that would be awaiting the right moment to seize after thinking
that they are not forgiven. What
could be the most reasonably
acceptable formula to avert a conflict situation to drag on may be for years
does not require a genius in us to ponder on.
In
a meeting held in late February in
Singapore among 20 intellectuals led
by David Malone, president of the New York-based International Peace Academy
they are in agreement and
recognized that “Asia is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of troops to
the UN’s peacekeeping efforts and the region should have a greater voice in
deciding how operations are run,” The meeting which was organized by Simon Tay,
chairman of Singapore Institute of International Affairs and an independent
Member of Parliament who
said the delegates agreed that the U.N. needed to improve peacekeeping efforts
in Asia, was held to debate on the
a UN Report in August last year
recognizing the failure of peacekeeping in
Rwanda and Bosnia. Sometimes,
it’s not worth watching too much “Rambo” movies.
It was a lesson in Vietnam. Ideological
conflicts separated North and South Korea. Cambodia had her own story.
Philippines has her own.
Malaysia was and Indonesia is again
nursing her own. Thailand had it
too. The crux of it all
is that a group of people who
may be drowned with any illusionary grandeur i.e. ideology,
cannot just be desiccated by any “Inspector
Gadget” or conventional mindset. It took years of fierce fighting but only to
realize McGyver’s dictum
that even what seems to be an impregnable fortress is not impregnable
after all.
The
Paradox in the Bible between brothers Cain and Abel must find no place
in East Timor. All Timorese has a
perfect common origin and who has all the rights
to enforce possession and ownership of this territory in rem (
enforceable against the whole world) but may
just not have full enjoyment
of it by leaving others
their usufruct
enjoyment. Worst though
should a conflict drags on, everything becomes res nulius ( property of
no one). Even
high walls along the border would not engender
security, unless the people would “kiss and make-up” which must constitute the denouement leading to
a resolution as in a Shakespearean plot
of “So much ado about
Nothing.” It’s
an irony that with all these high-tech tiny
tweeny witty,
communication is filled with trash
and not a single iota of understanding.
N.B.:
The author, an avowed Bosconian is a professor in Political and Social Sciences
at the University of the Philippines (Clarkfield) and is presently serving as a peacekeeper in his capacity as public
information officer. (March 8, 2001) The
Media Environment in East Timor East
Timor before or after the landing of peacekeeping forces has had its share of
the limelight not only in the context of its violent realities but also in the
unfolding drama of its ushered-in independence. It remains to be
a work in-progress awaiting completion by numerous stakeholders who are tied up
with the basics of nation-building. The final test though is in the waiting- to
see East Timor a truly independent state with all the amenities of political,
economic and social self-governance. There
have been contradictions within the present environment and even more serious
ones outside about the true face of
things obtaining presently. There
have been tales openly criticizing the efforts of the UN-led
administration while
peacekeeping gains especially in the border appear unchanged.
This kind of impression will do more harm than good especially when its
advocates succeed in railroading the truth. It
brings us to closely engage with the
legitimate and sole advocate of public
information which is the media. By
all its strength or weaknesses, the media remains the bulwark of freedom of
speech, of expression and of the press. This
is the primary concern of this paper – to be
able to get a clearer picture of the emerging media environment in East
Timor to serve as a policy guidepost particularly in the peacekeeping operations
to achieve the best possible
coverage of intra-peacekeeping activities and inter-agency operations. It
is always safe to assume that the media will do anything they can to get into
the real story - good or bad. The media may also be keen on getting
“nice-to-know” stories in the absence of
“explosive” ones. And it may also
be antagonistic to insistent “praise releases” from
the peacekeeping fronts.
Another point to assume would
be the media may totally loss interest on peacekeeping efforts when things are
getting right i.e., by the time peacekeeping role
holds no more significance in East Timor. Four
months close to the second anniversary of the 1999-referendum in East Timor,
nothing is more up-beat and appealing nowadays than the uncertainty of
the period-leading to full
independence. This is the normal
course of events since the entire focus is the
first political run of the people to choose their leaders as members of
the constituent assembly to draft the constitution. This may happen in August 30.
This attention would unlikely change in
the succeeding months whether
the outcome is favorable or not. Media attention may just be glued to election
related incidents or some systemic
dysfunctions in the process. It
always pays to be on guard for media opportunities despite the seemingly less
attention being infused to peacekeeping role.
This does not mean that peacekeeping is in a bad shape but rather the
supporting role it opted to play in
the succeeding political exercises as well as during
sparse rioting in some areas, is putting
peacekeeping image in a safe mode. Logistical
support may not land on the
front page than a story of violence may had.
But the failure of the Civpol during a civil unrest may
just be an unpleasant story to drag along the peacekeeping force to the grill.
So that being on the
subsidiary role is not an assurance that would insulate us from the prying eyes
of the media. What
is concrete at present is the
strong ties this headquarters is maintaining with the media.
The good working relationship we are enjoying with them is a teamwork
responsibility and an achievement of the peacekeeping
effort as a whole. This can be gleaned by their eagerness to
publish the other side of peacekeeping i.e. humanitarian projects and
assistance to the people of East Timor. While they may be interested with
security issues, nothing can be had about it
which is unusual from the ordinary since early this year (except for the
latest grenade throwing incident
at the TCL on 29 May 01). When
nothing seems to be going on, they may just be more interested on our failures
regarding individual discipline and the like.
The success of security or
peacekeeping operations can hardly be quantified
in contrast with the number of encounters with rogue militias in East Timor, so that a good story that appears in the papers may just be a headline
about sightings or presence of militias in East Timor.
Zero sightings or militia incidents do
not attract media attention more
than an extreme case of indiscipline among thousands of
peacekeeping forces. The
bare truth is the media simply gets
the news when it is interesting or simply ignores it when it is not.
But sometimes, the media has its color which is just the opposite of
“cold neutrality” and objectivity. It
is just fit to consider the nature, character, organization, ways or means,
competence and other inherent factors that make-up the whole spectrum of a
powerful institution like the
media. By
and large, the media finds a healthy existence in a democratic society.
Closed societies have also their own
but not as open as
“western media”. In
the present environment, it cannot
be denied that the
prevailing media takes its form from its western counterpart.
This is especially true with the international wires and agencies like
the Reuters, CNN, Associated Press, ABC, Lusa, Agence France Presse, etc.
On the one hand, the local media takes its silent beginnings with the
basic of newswriting or reporting and sometimes ends up asking too many questions or even
too often arguing with the subject during press conferences and
interviews. The
anatomy of ET media, for purposes of convenience is
made-up of foreign and local media. It has been observed that
each has its line of interest but such interest has not been
confrontational but rather reinforcing with each other.
This is only naturally logical since foreign media caters to
international audience while their local counterpart gets more interested in
making their own people aware
of the quotidian tasks of
society. Before the UN-led mission in
East Timor, it was said that media coverage was one-sided. “Unfortunately,
yet predictably, there was one-sided
media coverage (sic) of the crisis in East Timor by major media
institutions in the West (especially from nations that continuously supported
the often brutal regime). Most mainstream coverage failed to trace back the root
causes for such gross violations (i.e. the fact that East Timor has oil, timber
and other rich resources and that Indonesia is strongly anti-Communist, which
has helped western backers ignore brutal crimes and therefore continue
"business as normal").” (The Mainstream Media and East Timor,
www. Globalissues.com/Geopolitics/East). The
ET environment
now serves as a good media project.
It makes a good source of internal
and external beats something of that type that commands
a pervasive awareness on the
people and the very stakeholders
of the United Nations’ mission. It
provides a showcase of
unity, diversity and contrast. Unity
for one is the immediate concern in
the present environment. Interesting
stories that warrant media attention are the
nation-building activities of stakeholders and the people themselves.
This is the reason why a news report regarding mis-coordinated efforts
which lead to wastage and
inefficiency in the UN mission as a whole attracts severe criticism and opens up
further discordant attitude towards the
capacity of said mission to
seize the situation and respond to its legal mandate. The prying eyes of the media is always watchful not on the
things that we can do but more often than not on things that we cannot do.
So that extraordinary stories even which are
indirectly relevant to our mission becomes more interesting than the
primary task of maintaining security. Diversity
is the prevailing mode of
acceptance and accommodation. In
this mission, the media is aware of the diversified nature of
culture and the “different ways” of doing things.
Both foreign and local media may just be interested in the ability of the
peacekeeping mission to delve into, assimilate and co-exist with the
people in the given environment. It
somehow portrays a true commitment
of people serving in the mission as can be perceived by the media the beauty of
people who are culturally
diverse in working together to
achieve a common purpose. In
this media environment, cultural differences can either evoke sympathy or
apathy but the final measure is
when the people themselves has made
a story on the good side we have been doing on them to the media. The
other factor is its contrasting reality. While it is true that everyone wants a good media exposure in
every thing each does, we cannot
tell the media exactly to come up with our
stories. The media
may just be sensible to our accomplishments but sometimes consider such
as insignificant especially when the whole UN mission in the environment is
underfire. And sometimes even if things are turning out right as a whole,
what we may consider as big story in our own concerns may hardly find
space in the media. It is because
the media is more concerned on issues of wider impact that bears on macroscopic issues than that detailed mundane
accomplishments. Although each participating nation or stakeholder has its media
concern, the truth is the media thinks of the systemic whole in addition to
freak daily bickering and squabble in the immediate environment. Foreign
media in particular is more professionally equipped in terms of experience,
training, and objectivity. This can be observed in the manner they would conduct
themselves in any media opportunities to the end product
that may appear in the news
and broadcast. But one can easily sense their political color
in their presentation when it leaves an audience to easily conclude and
put the axe on somebody’s head. While
they may present two sides of the coin, objectivity losses its essence the
moment it presents a conclusion. As
one may observe, an objective news leaves
others to speculate and make one’s own judgment.
This has happened in the
past on the way they treated the
present media showcase. The
easy access of foreign media to hi-tech “tools of the trade”
makes them more formidable than their counterpart.
Much of their stories would render a greater impact
on world opinion which would take pressure on policy holders and makers
whoever they be. Just lately,
Reuters an international wire agency came up with its own story quoting a
UN Report depicting the increasing violence in East Timor (18 May 2001).
CNN appears also appeared with a broadcast (28 May 01) of
the same story a week later but treated it
as something related to economic difficulties or unemployment and makes
comment on its impact in the up-coming political exercises leading to full
independence. There were other stories about
the increasing violence in
East Timor which
may put in question the ability of the UN-led mission to maintain
law and order. This
greater impact on international audience would
render nugatory if not sparingly the achievement
of peacekeeping mission in maintaining
security in East Timor. It would
not be the Civpol who would bear the lasses when
law and order breaks down pervasively but the peacekeeping force because of our greater mandate of
national security. One thing may just lead to another. But one good thing to
capitalize on at present is the
humanitarian aspect of making
employment possible to local populace through peacekeeping sponsored
livelihood projects and the like. In
contrast, local media consisting of print, radio and television (a web
site called EastTimor.com run by
Timor Aid is in addition but only
features links to several agencies) enjoys a smaller coverage and have their own
difficulties. But such situation does not however take for granted its
significance in the immediate environment. Basically,
the local media has yet to be felt since the spate of violence
and destruction in 1999. Although
not young in its inception, it can just be said to be figuratively “rising
from the ashes.” In the inaugural
congress of the Timor Lorosae Journalists Association (TLJA) which gathered East Timorese journalists in Dili from 10-14
January this year, they declared “their desire to build an independent and
free press for their new nation out of the ashes of destruction left behind by
the militia violence in September 1999.” (Brochure on Local Media in East
Timor prepared by UNTAET/ETTA).
At the end of the congress, a code of ethics was adopted with their aim of the
highest standard of professional integrity, training and conduct in the
profession. It calls on them to be fair in their news coverage, avoiding
discrimination “based on political orientation and refrain from accepting
gifts and payments from outside parties.” (Supra). In
Dili, there are only two tabloids
which are gaining daily circulation namely, As
a matter of fact, Xanana Gusmao ,
East Timor independence leader called on the local media to play a significant
role in the forthcoming political
processes in ET. He said, “I want the press to socialize the elections.” "The
press must help motivate all Timorese people to take part in the 30 August
election," said Xanana. Xanana wanted radio to at least devote 5 minutes to
election coverage and the print media to allocate half a page daily." (Timor
Post, 24 May 01). It
has been observed that the local media is too emotional in treating issues
especially those which have a profound impact in the on-going reconstruction of
their new nation. In press
conferences, they often appear to be leading in the open forum
by almost raising follow-up questions to the detail which bespeaks their
avid interest for local news and
issues to the point of being argumentative. This is a fact which a media handler
must live up with next to language barrier. Also
taking the forefront in media-building
is UNTAET per se. The UN-led
mission maintains and runs publication of print, broadcast and television. Tais
Timor, a bi-monthly UNTAET tabloid is produced by OCPI’s publication branch.
It carries nation-building messages from social, economic and political
“nice-to-know.” Although it is not a propaganda machine but can be a source
of good entertainment and a collection of feature articles on East Timor daily
scenes. There
are five FM radio stations and one AM station
in East Timor (See Local Media in ET, a brochure).
In addition, there is UNTAET-Radio which
broadcasts on the hour news in four languages (Bahasa, Tetum, English and
Portuguese) and music personality
formats. (See Untaet-Radio Program Schedule). It has a coverage that
reaches most of the districts in East Timor. On
the one hand, in the absence of
a satellite decoder installed, there
is TVTL that carries East Timor news, Indonesian news and BBC news . This
channel can be viewed in Dili
with just a “rabbit antennae” installed.
It also features nation-building
messages as well as favorite
cartoons. (See TVTL Schedule on Intranet). I
overheard a comment which says “if you don’t give them anything, they have
nothing.” Truly, nobody gets the news if we don’t give the news. If
there’s nothing in the news, then it is best
to give them to fill-up spaces. This
is the kind of observation that runs along the corners of Dili but of course
from the standpoint of a foreign
observer. The thing is the
local media is generally
young. Being young has its
own failings. It can be said to be
still striving to “rise from the ashes” and
still groping to find its
way in the new democratic media
environment. As
can be further observed, there are other limitations
that the local media must overcome,
namely, professional training and
competence, language barrier, resources, audience,
and the future.
While
asserting itself into the mainstream of the new nation,
the local media is caught in
the middle of society in transition. The establishment of the TLJA is a positive
step at least to provide a common direction
among themselves. The laissez
faire of information in the new democratic set-up is a big challenge
to local media. This is good for
them as they find good
interaction much less competition with
others. The
local media can be a strong premise to muster
positive public opinion which is paramount
in nation-building. Has it achieve
that far to mold the East Timorese people to act constructively
in the villages to far nook and cranny of this emerging state?
To think in the affirmative, there
would not be any reason why
people could not be more civil as they must in achieving full
independence. As
a tool for public opinion, the
local media must not only take a proactive role to help the people
to have a better judgment on issues but
more importantly must
identify itself as the “watch dog” of excesses in authority without fear or favor. The
issues of justice, reconciliation, security, unemployment, morality, culture,
political transition, economy and a plethora more
are issues that preoccupy
not only the local media but the people.
The local media would not only limit itself as a purveyor of straight news but also go out its way to present
constructive messages to hone
a strong resolve on the people to work
together for their country’s future. As
a personal note, the media
environment in East Timor provides
a rendezvous of interests from
diversified stakeholders in the transition process, to the point
that others would try to outsmart one
another. It provides an easy access
to incite world attention through the
foreign news services. On the one
hand, it provides a hodgepodge of
information about what who does and what who does not.
Sometimes it has little bearing on how the people can improve their
lives. As
PI practitioners, it is a perfect
opportunity therefore to come up with projects
that give them a sense of
self-respect and an assurance of an improved life in the future.
The local audience in the
present environment are too preoccupied rebuilding their lives that constructive
undertakings which can have an immediate impact on their misery would certainly
be long remembered. It is
not a contest of how many press releases appear in the news but a greater impact
is achieved as well when
it is the people themselves would know us by
what we do and make us known. On a final note, the media is not an enemy but a
temporary ally. A
word of caution would be:
Don’t be too eager to queue for your
press releases but neither do
you go slow to identify the
deserving or plainly rectify mistake.
N.B.:
The author is a professor in Political and Social Sciences
at the University of the Philippines (Clark Field) and is presently
serving the Peace Keeping Force as
public information officer at the headquarters. This paper was delivered
during the 2nd PI
Conference 0n 7 Jun 01 at PKF Hqs. Putting
one's life on the line so that others may live! There
are 24 nations committing their forces under the United Nations Peacekeeping
mission in this part of the world. As
proud members of this global concern, we are helping in whatever we can to
improve life through our pure resolve in the vast reconstruction of this once
troubled nation. As
we keep on maintaining a secure environment, the Peacekeeping Force continues to
live up with the ideals of the United Nations for peace and security, so that
the children of today may benefit the future. We don't see it as an added
responsibility but purely of human conviction to lend a helping hand to those in
need. We
are making it a moral responsibility to preserve life and humanity as we
continue to display our courage and dedication towards that end. We
fervently hope that for all our sincerest intentions, we are doing the right
thing for the people of East Timor. We wish everyone the best things to
come now and in the future! Happy
New Year to the world! |
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