[permaculture-oceania] Timor article on energy politics

[Tom Duncan]

Hi Permies,
Thought this was a well thought out piece on Timor and the energy politics 
underlying the current Timor conflict. As we are faced with the prospects of 
energy descent, we are also faced with a descent into politically and 
corporate sanctioned violence.

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Timor
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Three years ago, I wrote a piece talking about attempts to oust
Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri in East Timor, then a new struggling
independent nation. I wrote that I believed the US and Australia
were determined to oust the Timorese leader, due to his hardline
stance on oil and gas, his determination not to take out
international loans, and their desire to see Australia friendly
President Xanana Gusmao take power.

Three years later, I am unhappy to say that the events I have
predicted are currently taking shape. The patriotic Australia
media, that has unquestionably fallen into line over every part
of John Howard's Pacific agenda - including the Solomon's
excursion - is now trumpeting the ousting of Alkatiri, a man who
has gamely defied Australia's claims over it's oil and gas, many
of the paper's foreign editors clearly more in tune with the
exhortations of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade than the sentiments among Timorese.

I arrived in Dili just as the first riots broke out on April 28
this year- and as an eyewitness at the front of the unrest, the
very young soldiers seemed to have outside help - believed to be
local politicians and 'outsiders'. Most onlookers cited the
ability of the dissident soldiers to go from an unarmed vocal
group, to hundreds brandishing sticks and weapons, as raising
locals' suspicions that this was not an 'organic' protest. I
interviewed many people - from Fretlin insiders, to opposition
politicians and local journalists - and not one ruled out the
fact that the riots had been hijacked for 'other' purposes. The
Prime Minister himself stated so. In a speech on the 7th of May,
he called it a coup - and said that 'foreigners and outsiders'
were trying once again to divide the nation. I reported this for
ABC Radio - and was asked if I had the translation wrong. I
patiently explained no - we had carefully gone through the speech
word for word, and anyone with any knowledge of Timorese politics
would understand that is precisely what the Prime Minister meant.
No other media had bothered to go to the event - the Australian
media preferring to hang out with the rebel soldiers or
Australian diplomats that all wanted Alkatiri 'gone'.

Since his election, Alkatiri had sidelined the most important
figure in Timorese politics - President Xanana Gusmao - and the
tension between the two has been readily apparent. Alkatiri, has
a different view to Gusmao about how the country's development
should take place - slowly, without 'rich men feasting behind
doors' was the way he described it to me, a steady structure of
development the way to develop a truly independent nation. His
ability to defend Timor's oil and gas interests against an
aggressive Australia and powerful business interests, and his
development of a Petroleum Fund to protect Timor's oil money from
future corruption never accorded  with the caricature created
by his  Australian and American detractors of a 'corrupt
dictator.'

The campaign to oust Alkatiri began at least four years ago - I
recorded the date after an American official started leaking me
stories of Alkatiri's corruption while I was freelancing for ABC
Radio. I investigated the claims - and came up with nought - but
was more concerned with the tenor of criticism by American and
Australian officials that clearly suggested that they were
wanting to get rid of this 'troublesome' Prime Minister. Like
Somare, he was not doing things their way. After interviewing the
major political leaders - it was clear that many would stop at
nothing to get rid of Timor's first Prime Minister.
President Xanana Gusmao, three years ago, did not rule out
dissolving parliament and forming a 'national unity government'.

Gusmao and his supporters (including Jose Ramos-Horta) have
privately called Alkatiri an 'Angolan communist' with his idea of
slow paced development not something Gusmao and his Australian
supporters agree with. Other than that, it is hard to work out
why President Gusmao would allow forces to unconstitutionally
remove this Prime Minister. In Timor, many see Gusmao at fault
here, for disagreeing with the Prime Minister over the sacking of
the soldiers (it should have been resolved in private) while
others see him as the architect of the whole fiasco, his
frustration with his limited political role allowing him to be
convinced by his Australian advisors to embark on a needlessly
bloody coup.

In the last few days we have heard from young Timorese writers
currently at the Sydney Writer's Festival. They have a different
take from the Australian media on what is happening in Timor.
Take this quote by one young writer:

'. it is suspicious and questionable. It is difficult to
analyse why Australia wants to go there. I think it is driven by
concerns over Australia's economic security, including the oil
under the sea, rather than concern for the people of East Timor.
'I am scared it is less about East Timor's security than
Australia's security and interests.'

Gil Gutteres, the head of Timor's journalists association TILJA
similarly last month said old style fears of communism, and
economic interests of Australia were driving the anti-Alkatiri
campaign, and were behind the violence.  In fact, there is
hardly a person in Timor that doesn't understand that this is
about big politics - helped by internal figures wanting to
control the oil and gas pie.

And yet the Australian press is full of 'our boys' doing us
proud.  This does not equate with sentiment on the ground, or
answer the question as to where the rebel forces could have
received support for this foolhardy campaign that has led to many
Timorese being frightened, distressed and homeless.

Just this evening, witnesses spoke of Australian army personnel
standing by while militia fired on a church in Belide. During the
early violence, not one UN soldier intervened to stop the small
band of rioters, and the recent actions of the Australian troops
add fuel to speculation that they are letting Timor burn.

Alkatiri, for his part is refusing to step aside, saying that
only Fretlin, his party, can ask him to resign. If he does go,
the Timorese have the Australian media to thank for their
unquestioning support of this coup. Perhaps they can explain to
the starving citizens (that were already ignored by Australia for
25 years) why Australia now controls their oil and gas. More
importantly, the politicians in Timor that have been party to the
violence will have to explain to the people their involvement in
this latest chapter of its traumatic history.

Maryann Keady is an Australian radio producer and journalist who
has reported from Dili since 2002. She is currently a
professional associate at Columbia University's Weatherhead
Institute looking at US Foreign Policy and China.