Also below: LUSA: National
Council Rejects Bill on Constitutional Commission
Dear friends,
... As you have likely already seen, things are moving very quickly on this issue, and not in the direction we had hoped. I’ve pasted in the UNTAET media briefing from today below.
With the news of the defeat in yesterday’s NC vote, the working group is trying to think strategically about where we can go from here. Unfortunately, there seems to be little room to argue alternatives. ...
Thanks again for your assistance in lobbying and as a resource of information.
Pam
The draft regulation was defeated with five votes in favor, seven against and eight abstentions. The main idea was to establish a formal mechanism to consult the East Timorese people at district and sub-district levels and to provide their input to the Constitution Assembly to be democratically elected on 30 August.
Aniceto Guterres, National Council representative for NGO’s, presented the motion, noting the broad support of NGOs for the proposal and its implementation.
The proposal was presented as having the support of civil society in general and was backed by members of the Committee on Political Affairs, among them CNRT and National Council President Xanana Gusmão.
UNTAET was also supportive of a formal consultation process, and will now look at other options.
The Council resumes its works on 2 April.
Pamela Sexton, La'o
Hamutuk
The East
Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis/
Instituto
ba Analiza no Monitor Rekonstrusaun Timor Lorosa'e/
Institut Pemantau dan Analisis Rekonstruksi
Timor Lorosa'e
P.O. Box 340, Dili, East Timor (via
Darwin Australia)
Mobil phone: (61)(0408)811373
Land phone: (670)(390)325013
laohamutuk@easttimor.minihub.org
Tetum and English editions of our Bulletin
are available at our website
http://www.etan.org/lh
East
Timor National NGO Forum
Umbrella agency for East Timorese Non-Government
Organisations (NGOs)
VISION: To contribute to the building
of a pluralist, democratic, just and sustainable East Timor through the
development of a strong, independent and responsible civil society committed
to upholding and making real in the daily life of the community, both village
and urban, the full range of human rights so that all East Timorese, particularly
the poor and disadvantaged, can enjoy the fruits of liberation and development
in an East Timor forever free.
MISSION: To realise its vision
by promoting a culture of learning, cooperation, partnership with the community
and respect for human rights and good practice amongst East Timorese NGOs
and between them and other development actors, both domestic and international,
and by serving as a collective, independent voice for the rights and needs
of the community.
VALUES AND PRINCIPLES: a rights
approach to development; inclusiveness, participation; accountability;
gender balance; respect for the environment; non-party political; non-sectarian;
good governance; volunteerism.
E-mail: etngocentre@hotmail.com
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/etngoforum/index.html
La'o
Hamutuk: East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis
La'o Hamutuk (Tetum for Walking
Together) is a joint East Timorese-international organization that seeks
to monitor, to analyze, and to report on the reconstruction activities
of the principal international institutions. It believes that the people
of East Timor must be the ultimate decisionmakers in the reconstruction
process and that the process should be as democratic and transparent as
possible ...
East Timorese staff: Inès
Martins, Benjamin Sanchez Afonso;
International staff: Pamela
Sexton, Mark Salzer Executive board: Sr. Maria Dias, Joseph Nevins,
Fr. Jovito Rego de Jesus Araùjo, Aderito Soares
International contact: +1-510-643-4507
Email: lh@etan.org Homepage: http://www.etan.org/lh
La’o Hamutuk Bulletin: http://www.etan.org/lh/bulletin.html
Tetum:
(the most common East Timorese
language)
La’o
Hamutuk, Instituto Timor Lorosa’e ba Analiza no Monitoring Reconstrucao
Saida
mak La’o Hamutuk? La’o Hamutuk organizasaun klibur Ema Timor
Lorosa’e no Ema Internacional ne’ebe buka atu tau matan, halo analize ho
halo relatorio kona ba hahalok (actividade) instuisaun internacional ne’ebe
oras ne’e haknaar iha Timor Lorosa’e, liu-liu hahalok sira ne’ebe iha relasaun
ho rekonstrusaun fizika no social Timor Lorosa’e nian. La’o Hamutuk
fiar katak Povo Timor Lorosa’e mak tenke hakotu iha procesu rekonstrusaun
ne’e nia laran no procesu rekonstrusaun ne’e tenke demokratiku no transparante
duni.
Local Contact: P.O. Box 340,
Dili, East Timor (via Darwin, Australia) Mobile: +61(408)811373;
Land phone: +670(390)325-013
International contact: +1-510-643-4507
Email: laohamutuk@easttimor.minihub.org
Homepage: http://www.etan.org/lh
Boletim La’o Hamutuk: [Tetum PDF
format]
Vol. 1, No. 3. 17 Novembro 2000 Hari Sistema
Saude Nasional iha Timor Lorosa’e: http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/LHbul3tm.pdf
Vol. 1, No. 2, 17 Julho 2000 Protesaun
ba meio ambiente iha TL: http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/bulletin02tetum.pdf
Vol. 1, No. 1, 21 Juñu 2000 Rekonciliasaun:
http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/bulletin01tetum.pdf
East Timor’s National Council rejected Tuesday a draft bill regulating establishment of the National Constitutional Commission envisaged in the election law approved earlier this month.
The regulatory bill was the first entirely prepared by the political affairs committee of the Council (transition legislature). It was rejected by eight votes for, five against and eight abstentions.
The proposal was submitted by Aniceto Guterres, a Council member representing a non-governmental organization, and follows the approval last March 13 of the law regulating the election next Aug. 30 of a Constituent Assembly, which will have 90 days to debate and approve a national constitution.
Article two of that law states that the Assembly, charged with preparing East Timor’s future constitution, should “take into due consideration the results of consultation” undertaken by the Constitutional Commission.
The “independent” commission rejected on Tuesday would have been responsible for consulting residents of all districts of East Timor on the constitutional process and preparing a final report for submission to the Assembly.
Members who rejected the commission during the Tuesday Council debate
questioned both its relevance and the costs involved.
Cipriano Pereira of the Fretilin party called the commission “unnecessary”,
adding that there were doubts about whether it was “necessary or a political
maneuver”. He specifically criticized a section of the proposed law establishing
a national planning commission to coordinate the commission’s work.
Aniceto Guterres was surprised at the bill’s rejection, saying it would transmit the message that the transition body “doesn’t want to consult the people”.
Independence leader Xanana Gusmao stressed that the people must be consulted on the constitutional process. He also rejected allegations of political manipulation and once again criticized the territory’s political parties.
“It is unacceptable that every[th]ing raised by us should be taken as being political manipulation”, he told Lusa.
Gusmao also criticized Fretilin for announcing publicly that the party would back him for president.
“I have already said I will not be a candidate. I have no interest whatsoever in being president. They’re the ones making maneuvers”, he said.
JBC
-Lusa