The Australian
Kirsty Sword Gusmao: Women suffering in silence
All voices need to be heard in rebuilding East Timor, writes Kirsty Sword Gusmao
July 07, 2006
Timor woman
Manacled by your misery
Timor woman
Your spirit bound in servitude
SO wrote my husband, East Timor President Xanana Gusmao, in a poem about women's experience of the 24-year war of resistance to Indonesian rule. As tens of thousands of East Timorese women struggle to take care of their families in Internally Displaced Persons camps across Dili, these words assume a new and tragic poignancy. Timor woman, once again a victim of the excesses and ambitions of men; Timor woman, once again widowed by a conflict not of her own making.
In speeches delivered to various conferences in Australia over the past year, I have made extensive reference to the significant gains made for women at the level of political participation and formal recognition of women's rights over the past four years since East Timor's independence.
An impressively high number of MPs in our national parliament are women. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its optional protocol was acceded to by our government within months of achieving independence, a draft of domestic violence legislation is on the verge of becoming law and a quota for women in suco or village-level councils was agreed upon last year.
And yet, it is sad and disturbing to note that, in a time of crisis and conflict such as East Timor is presently experiencing, the platforms that women have managed to acquire seem to come crashing down, their voices drowned out by the din of the political clamourings of male leaders and the roar of the machinery of a peace-keeping operation directed and driven by men.
They did manage to speak out briefly but strongly for peace on June 1 when about 100 women and children staged an action for peace in the courtyard of the Palace of the Government, to demand the restoration of law and order and to warn their leaders that they would not vote in the next elections for any individual or party that is not responsive to the aspirations of women and children.
Just over a week ago, with the prime minister on the verge of announcing his resignation and facing serious allegations of weapons distribution, a handful of male cabinet ministers began weighing up whether to tender their resignations. However, it was a brave East Timorese woman, Maria Domingas Alves, alias "Micato", former adviser to the prime minister on gender equality, who took the step first, citing reasons of being unable to serve the women of East Timor within a government "which no longer functions effectively".
It is telling that not a single East Timorese woman has solicited an audience with my husband nor has had her views sought on solutions to the crisis over the past few weeks. It has not been a deliberate act of exclusion, it just hasn't occurred to anyone in this intensely patriarchal society that women may have something important and useful to contribute to the delicate and vital processes of disarmament, reconciliation and peace-building.
At the same time a disproportionate burden of responsibility for mopping up the mess left by the conflict falls on the shoulders of women: the mothers struggling to provide their families with shelter, security, food and other basic needs in crowded IDP camps, the tireless Catholic sisters of various religious orders who, with no permanent security provided by the international forces and with limited resources, have opened the doors of their convents and colleges to many thousands of hungry and traumatised displaced people.
Women are uniquely placed to build peace and security, after all they value peace as the foundation for the survival of their families and communities, as the basic precondition for their children's education and prosperity. That they are virtually absent from discussions relating to East Timor's political future, reform of the security sector and negotiation of the mandate of a new UN mission in the country highlights the sad fact that women of East Timor have a long way to go in achieving their rights as equal and valued citizens of their new nation.
Security Council Resolution 1325 mandates UN member states and UN missions to be cognisant of the rights and special needs of women at times of war and conflict, and in efforts to restore peace and foster reconciliation. The Terms of Reference for the UN Needs Assessment mission presently visiting East Timor includes provision for a "gender dimensions" sectoral cluster that acknowledges the importance of hearing what women want from the fourth UN mission.
But since it sits alongside, rather than across, the other clusters, including security, governance, reform of the Timorese Defence Force and rule of law, I wonder whether its findings will be relegated to a footnote by the time the new UN mission is mandated. And more importantly whether the hopes and dreams of the "ordinary" girls and women of East Timor are reflected in this document and translated into concrete measures and commitments - by the UN and our new Government - to ensure that never again is the fear, violence and pain of the past months visited on the long-suffering women of East Timor.
Timor woman, my heart bleeds for you, my respect abounds for you.
Kirsty Sword Gusmao is the first lady of the Democratic Republic of East Timor and chairwoman of the Alola Foundation in Dili.
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quinta-feira, julho 13, 2006
O Artigo de Kirsty Sword Gusmao: Women suffering in silence
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Does mbak Kirsty know how many woman her husband had given children while he was a fighter in the resistance? Does mbak Kirsty recognize these children? Does President Xanana recognise these children? What about President Xanana's first wife, Emilia Gusmao who sufferred for 15 years in East Timor while her guerilla husband was fighting against Indonesian military? Did mbak Kirsty recognise this woman's suffering in her article? Did mbak Kirsty recognize the fact that this woman, Emilia Gusmao, did all possible, through lots of pains and suffering, to bring up President Xanana's children on her own? Who is mbak Kirsty referring to anyway? Her self? That she suffered like the Timorese women who were tortured, raped and murdered by the Indonesian soldiers? That she suffered like the other women whom her husband, the President of Timor-Leste, courted, bore them child and then abandoned while he was a fighter in the mountains? Or is mabk Kirsty talking about her sufferings in the hands of other Timorese men who she courted while working as Ruby Blade in Jawa? Come on. The Timorese women have suffered, but they overcame and today they are free. The last thing that they need is for a malae mutin to be their mouthpiece and highjack their bitter experiences. The least that mbak Kirsty can do is SHUT UP!
"I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains".......vomit vomit! Get off it! We Timorese women reject this drivel.
The Australian Women's Weekly
Issue cover dated July 1, 2006
Eyewitness: Heartbreak in East Timor
Kirsty Sword Gusmao, the Australian-born wife of East
Timor President Xanana Gusmao, gives a first-hand
account of her adopted country's descent into chaos.
I never thought I'd see this kind of turmoil and
violence in East Timor again - terrified families
fleeing with their meagre possessions, homes burning,
the looting, beatings and killings.
It's heartbreaking. You can't rationalise events such
as the murder of a mother and three children, who were
burned alive in their home because she was a relative
of a government minister. That mother died cradling
her youngest child in her arms.
I feel so deeply disappointed that four years into
independence, a process which was held up to the world
as a success story has come crumbling down. And I'm
angry, because it didn't need to happen.
Worst of all is witnessing 100,000 people, in fear of
returning home, living in refugee camps around Dili in
terrible conditions. Probably the worst is the
Obrigado Barracks, where 4000 men, women and children
are without adequate food or shelter, sleeping under
tarpaulins rigged up against fences. They've received
deliveries of rice, but with no firewood, they've no
means to prepare food for their families.
Health problems such as coughs, colds, fever, malaria
and gastro-intestinal infections, particularly in
children, are evident in the camps. Some people have
been living in these conditions for more than a month.
It's a humanitarian tragedy.
As First Lady, I feel so powerless. I went to five of
the camps on June 5 to distribute fruit and vegetables
that Xanana had organised from the countryside, but
it's the tip of the iceberg in terms of what's
required to sustain people.
Many people were calling out in anger and despair,
saying, "We've lost confidence in our leaders. We want
to go home, we don't want to suffer any more, we want
peace. Please tell them that."
My heart goes out to them because they don't deserve
this, particularly the women and children, who have a
hard enough life in normal circumstances, just to
survive and meet their basic needs. It's tragic to see
them cowed by fear, yet again, and having to struggle
to keep their children alive. It's distressing to know
that even teenagers have been involved in looting the
homes of their neighbours.
When my own children heard gunfire and grenades on May
25 and 26, it was hard to know how to handle it
because I didn't want to scare them.
Alex, six, Kay Olok, four, and Daniel, 18 months,
can't understand the complexities, naturally. Their
questions are in simple terms - are they good guys or
bad guys?
As their mother, it's important that I try to keep
things on an even keel, maintaining the normal rhythms
around them, while trying to maintain my equilibrium
as well.
Security has been boosted around our home. There are
between 30 and 40 police on duty, all of whom we have
to feed. In addition to his East Timorese bodyguards,
Xanana has Australian soldiers guarding him and Black
Hawk helicopters have been flying overhead.
Xanana is resilient, but this is probably the hardest
battle he's ever waged. He's shattered. He's shed many
tears, publicly and privately, and he's been very
angry, obviously, especially at the height of the
violence. He's been through trials before, but this is
different because the enemy is not the Indonesian army
of occupation, but forces within East Timor itself.
The night that he signed the papers authorising
international troops, I could still hear sporadic
gunfire. I was just getting the kids to bed when the
convoy of vehicles arrived, carrying the Australian
and New Zealand ambassadors, Foreign Minister Jose
Ramos Horta and assorted Australian Defence Force
officers. Xanana had tears running down his cheeks as
he put his signature to the papers, reflecting his
sadness at how bad everything had turned and the
tragic consequences for people. It was devastating to
acknowledge that East Timor needed international help
to solve its problems. At the same time, everyone's
extremely grateful that the peacekeepers are here.
Initially, I felt confusion and despair, but that
quickly gave way to anger. It's only a couple of
months ago that the chain of events was set in motion,
when the government sacked almost half the defence
force, the 600 striking soldiers known as the
Petitioners. On the surface, their grievances were
legitimate - they deserved attention, consideration
and resolution. One of the issues was that most of the
army bases are in the east and it's difficult for
soldiers from the west to afford to visit their
families, but the real problem was the lack of a code
of conduct and regulations within the defence force,
which would have nipped this in the bud.
Decisions taken by the government following on from
that had the effect of creating direct conflict
between the military and the police. The decision to
bring in the armed forces to quell the demonstration
outside the government offices on April 28 was a bad
one, given the armed forces were, themselves, at the
heart of the problem. This led to the defection of the
military police, who didn't agree with the response of
the armed forces. So then you have the army pitted
against the police, with shootouts on the streets
involving two institutions created to defend the
people, and the disintegration of civil order. Into
the vacuum came the machete-wielding gangs.
The gang violence is difficult to explain and
comprehend, but it's important for people in Australia
to realise that it hasn't been spontaneous. Once it's
investigated by an international commission of
inquiry, evidence will show that the worst of the
violence has been provoked. It's come about as a
result of the failure of the political process and
manipulation by a small group within the political
elite.
I can't even say it's a conspiracy right across the
governing party, Fretilin, but what's been guiding the
actions of certain senior members of the government is
not what's in the interests of the country, but what's
in the best interests of the party.
It's not for me to say whether the prime minister
(Mari Alkatiri) should resign. The only hope is that
he's honest with himself and with the people about the
root causes of this crisis.
It's Xanana's worst nightmare coming true ... he'd
been warning the government for months of a looming
problem and counselling them to take serious measures
to address the grievances of the Petitioners, but
wasn't heeded. As president, he has limited power
within the Constitution. He can be a voice of reason,
a figure of moral authority, but he has no real power.
For now, I'm living minute to minute, not planning,
trying to get back to the office, trying to organise
staff as they trickle back to work.
Three of my staff at the Alola Foundation have had
their homes burned.
Much of government isn't operating. Schools are
closed. A few little markets that were burned down are
starting to re-emerge - a sign of resilience, of hope
and also of necessity.
It's hard to predict when people will feel confident
to return to their homes and resume some kind of
normal life.
It depends on how things play out at the political
level. The rebel soldiers refuse to surrender and
begin the reconciliation process Xanana is calling for
until the prime minister resigns.
While this crisis is devastating, I don't see it as
the end of the road. The presence of international
forces has helped abate the worst of the violence. I
can still see houses burning around my office at Alola
and evidence of arms in the hands of civilians. It's
worrying.
Yet perhaps because every day I meet people who are
committed to the future and are positive, I'm not
awash with doom and gloom.
Ultimately, it's about how people are able to recover
from this and move on: that's what will determine
Timor's future. And they will recover from this, as
they've recovered before.
I'm still hopeful my children will be able to go back
to school in the next few months and that life can be
put back on track for them and for all Timorese. The
East Timorese are a peace-loving people who want the
best for their country.
For my husband, who feels everything so deeply,
another crisis does extract a toll, but how many tolls
his whole life has extracted! His life has been a
series of horrific blows, each followed by an almost
miraculous recovery. In that, he has a lot in common
with his people.
It sounds trite, but when your whole life has been a
struggle, you take this kind of thing in your stride.
I have asked myself: where have we come to? This is a
test, a very big test. But I don't think we've lost
the faith and trust of our friends in Australia, and
we can count on people being there for us.
- As told to Tracey Curro
- The Alola Foundation works for the advancement of
women in East Timor. Visit www.alolafoundation.org .
Oh assim não vale.
Então mas perderam a postura? Só agora é que vêm com isto? Afinal a resposta das senhoras timorenses aparece, o pessoal apoia, claro, está muito bem, não foge minimamente da linha partidária e agora conseguem meter o texto da pessoa que desde sempre têm caluniado?
Não deviam sequer metê-lo aqui e a fazê-lo bem o podiam ter traduzido para ao menos poder ser lido por pessoas de mais idade que não pescam o inglês mas que até poderia, assim, ouvir outro tom de abordagem sobre os acontecimentos. Pois que são evidentes são.
Dona Margharida, dê uma ajudinha e mostre qu até é uma pessoa moderada, que aceita diferentes opiniões sem dizer que A, B ou C mentem... quando a cor não agrada.
Hey what is Mbak?
Kirsty koalia Tetun diak, portuges mos diak, hanoin Timor-Leste tebtebes, liliu labarik sira no feto sira nomos mane ida, ne hotu hau fiar. Maibe lalika lori fali feto timor sira nia naran koalia, husik feto timoroan sira koalia rasik.
My mother sufferred in the years immediately after Indonesian invasion. Her husband was killed by the TNI 10 years later. Her son was imprisoned 7 years later and then disappeared. Then she took four us, we fled to Kupang, then Bali and finally Australia in 1996. In 2002 she returned to assist the independence. She is back here in Australia and she doesn't like Kirsty Sword Gusmao.
Kirsty is doing a good job in helping East Timorese women. But when it comes to women's suffering, I wish she would just stay out of it. She might be the first lady, but she doesn't represent us, Timorese women. Kirsty lives with her husband in relative comfort. The Timorese women are living in IDP camps.
Nunca houve muita apetência por parte de regimes comunistas (não levem a mal, claro que nem Alkatiri, nem Ana Pessoa nem, nem, nem o são... mas isso não é comigo) para lidar com os Direitos Humanos, com os Direitos Cívicos, com as Liberdades e com as garantias de segurança. Claro que os de direita nem se fala, é igual, ou digamos era. Agora disfarçam melhor, todos eles, claro.
Duma subtileza abismal, vêmo-los passar por cima e nem sabemos o que se passa, são piores que um Pinochet ou dois.
mbak = mana = sister in bahasa indonesia.
As condições de vida para as mulheres timorenses não são da responsabilidade do Presidente da República nem da 1ª Dama... são isso sim, total e exclusivamente do Governo desse mesmo país.
Que fez o mesmo durante estes anos para inverter a situação real descrita?
Ía começar a investir agora? Estavam a evitar endividarem-se para quê? Para manterem o poivo à míngua e tão pouco os timorenses precisam não é? Tenham mas é dó que quem tem andado a fazer política completamente baixa são exactamente aqueles que tudo fizeram para blindarem o Poder apenas para eles próprios!
Nunca ouvi Xanana Gusmão dizer que queria poder assim e assado, pelo contrário, sobre os membros do anterior Governo o que se ouviu? É vergonhos o nome da Fretilin em vez de se ter refeito da sua própria história heróica, se enterra com os radicalismos. Mudem meus senhores porque é insuportavel manter esta situação. E aí vai certamente tudo abaixo.
ba fiar fali malae kidun nakles bot ne halosaida? uluk iha jawa neba het tun het sae estudanti sira iha jawa ne kaaaa.......
Joao Boavida
Webcam man 'Aussie digger'
By Dave Donaghy
July 13, 2006
A MAN who placed a webcam in the change rooms of a popular north Queensland water park was an Australian Army soldier bound for East Timor, a court has heard.
Ian Douglas Johnston, 41, was charged by police on Tuesday with observing or recording in breach of a person's privacy after a webcam, linked to a laptop, was discovered in the change rooms of a Townsville park last weekend.
Johnston, who is a member of the Army's First Battalion, indicated to the Townsville Magistrates Court in a letter that he would plead guilty to the charges of observing or recording in breach of a person's privacy.
In the letter, he asked Judge Graham Hillan to excuse his absence from court as he was undergoing a medical examination in preparation for deployment to East Timor.
Judge Hillan accepted Johnston's explanation for his absence and ordered him to appear on July 18.
Comment from the Australian Defence Force was being sought.
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,19775811-5001028,00.html
Joao Boavida,
Hau la iha buat ida atu mete iha feto nia luta, no la apoio A ga B, mas se ita mane duni, to iha Kristy nia oin mak koalia. Panlero mak koalia deit husi kotuk. Be gentlemen dong!
Hau hanoin hau apoiu ho ida nebe fo nia respons ba iha Joao Boavida. At liu ke nudar mane ida hakarak mete asuntu feto nian iha site ida hanesan ne i ho emosional hasai lia fuan hirak nebe la diak. Hau hanoin tengke gentleman itoan i hatudu an hanesan ema matenek nain ida.
Hau labele fiar nee Joao mak koalia. Favor lalika koalia sala, respeita mos ema seluk nebe tama iha nee.
Joao karik sei lahakerek kirsty nia naran sal hela hanesan iha leten ne.
Ita haree hanesan iha kakutak foer, provokator balun maka uza ema nia naran nune. Favor ida la bele uza ema seluk nia naran. Iha ne iha mos anonymous i nusa mala la uza deit ida ne - karik se la brani dauk atu hatudu an?
Hau hamnasa tebes haree kritika sira ne'e ba Primeira Dama Kirsty. Imi fretilin radikal lahatene atu halo tan saida hodi kura imi nia fuan moras no stress ne'e be agora tolok tun tolok sae arbiru de'it ema ne'ebe imi haree fali hanesan imi nia inimigu. Ema sira ne'e laos inimigu maibe hakarak haree ita nia nasaun sai hosi raikuak ne'ebe imi nia nai ulun fretilin sira hatama timor ba.
Kirsty, nuda'ar Primeira Dama iha direito moral atu koalia hodi naran feto timor bainhira nia koalia ba rai liur hanesan mos Xanana reprezenta ita hotu, imi gosta ka la gosta, bainhira nia koalia ba liur.
Mak nee deit keta laran moras demais lae moras bele kona tebes imi.
se mak Joao Boavida ne? boa vida deit iha nebene?
Get lost Kirtsty...We dont need you...Only Xanana needs you.... write something about him.
Hei mano no mana balun....calma itoan. hau mos simu mana 13 sira nia hakerek no concorda. Ita bele la concorda ho malu maibe ita lalika tolok malu por favor. maibe Timor oan balun gosta liu hatun ema seluk. Ita tem que respeito ba malu. Ida nee mak hau nia critica bot ba PR Gusmao. Nia critica tun sai ba ema duni sira hanesa asu mak hau la gosta nia hahalok ikus liu. Uluk hau se hanoin diak ba nia maibe aspecto nee deit mak sai at ba hau. Hau harohan ba Maromak katak ema nia fuan hotu mak moras bele hetan pas no dame tamba ida nee mak ita nia povo precisa horas nee. Imi hotu mak hakerek iha leten contra ca ba favor ida nee ka ida neeba laiha consiencia itoan ba bele buka hare malu diak itoan? hau hanoin sei iha. Imi hirus, no laran moras hotu. hau compreende. Imi tem que fo sai horas nee, maibe la dun kleur imi tem que lao ba oin ho laran diak se nao ita nia rai se hetan odio malu barak liu aban bain rua. Por favor buka dame....buka pas.
Gile...betul. Gue jadi malu ternyata kok jiwa politik mereka itu masih kalah gede dengan biji gandum ya. Kok baku maki gitu yah...??? Ini kali baru namanya murid kencing berlari karena dasar gurunya kencing berdiri. Wah, wah...
Gue nggak memihak siapa-siapa ya - namun sepertinya tidak ada kekeliruan dalam apa yang diungkapkan Kristy. Kelompok 13 punya juga sebaliknya punya hak untuk berkomen namun inilah bagaikan ayam betina berkotek alias mau bertelor. Awas kalau telornya nanti menetas bukan jadinya ayam tetapi ular yang ganas karenya sifat induknya. Sabarlah and sadarlah........!!!
Um grande documentario sobre a LENDA VIVA de Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao.
Para os sortudos em melbourne poderao ver o grande lider que e Xanana Gusmao.
HERO'S JOURNEY, A
Timor-Leste/Singapore, 2006 (Documentaries)
2006 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
http://www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au/2006_Festival/film.php?film_id=6981
"Xanana Gusmão is a living legend. This poet-guerilla led the 24-year war against Indonesian occupation of East Timor, seven of those years from a prison in Jakarta.
While the word ‘hero’ is often bandied about indiscriminately in popular commentary, the leadership of Gusmão has been genuinely heroic, and galvanising.
Using President Gusmão as its narrator and guide, A Hero’s Journey details today’s East Timor through his eyes and, most significantly, through his heart. As filmmaker Grace Phan explains, the film is about the importance of the liberating force of forgiveness – “a notion which transcends all geographical, cultural and ethnic boundaries.”
Over the one-and-a-half years of the production, Phan and her crew scoured the length and breadth of East Timor’s rugged terrain to present this young nation – physically and through its people – in all of its grandeur and its fragility.
“This film is not about me. It is about the resilience of the people of Timor-Leste, the real people who lived for centuries with very little but unreservedly gave all the best they had.”- President of East Timor, Xanana Gusmão"
Lalika tau tan ida ne ona - hau haree orsida balun bele laran moras liu tan i bele mate deit.
Get lost Kirsty you are not an east-timorese, therefore you are not the first lady,
O Trabalho que a Fundacao Alola, fundada por Kirsty Sword Gusmao, fez ate a data para ajudar a emancipacao da mulher timorense e inegavel e incontestavel. Vou fazer um esforco por traduzir este artigo para beneficio dos que nao falam o ingles.
Ela enaltece as mulheres timorenses e por isso nao vejo razao para a criticarem das mais suja forma como o fazem aqui.
Kirsty disse: "Mulher Timor, o meu coracao sangra por ti, o meu respeito por ti enorme."
Estranho, muito estranho!
Porque será que a "nossa querida" Margarida agora não está disponível para a tradução do artigo sobre a 1ª Dama Kirsty Sord Gusmão ???!!!
Ja tínhamos visto que faziam jogo baixo e sujo mas, chegar a este ponto?...
Vá lá, tenham vergonham e emendem a mão.
Qual é a representatividade dessas 13 mulheres da Fretilin? Só arranjaram 13, entre tantos milhares?
E, elas vêm supostamente defender-se de quê?
Se eu bem percebi, acusam Kirsty essencialmente de não te estado em Timor durante os 24 anos da guerrilha.
Curioso, Mari Alkatiri também não...
Em que ficamos?
Vergonha, meus srs., tenham vergonha!
Tradução:
O Artigo de Kirsty Sword Gusmao: Mulheres sofrendo em silêncio
The Australian
Kirsty Sword Gusmao: Mulheres sofrendo em silêncio
É preciso ouvir todas as vozes na reconstrução de Timor-Leste, escreve Kirsty Sword Gusmão
Julho 07, 2006
Mulher de Timor
Esmagada pela tua miséria
Mulher de Timor
O teu espírito amarrado em servidão
Assim escreveu o meu marido, o Presidente de Timor-Leste Xanana Gusmão, num poema acerca da experiência das mulheres da guerra de resistência de 24 anos contra o domínio Indonésio. Quando dezenas de milhares de mulheres Timorenses lutam para cuidar das suas famílias em campos de deslocados em Dili, estas palavras assumem uma nova e trágica actualidade. As mulheres de Timor, uma vez mais vítimas do excesso e das ambições dos homens; Mulheres de Timor, uma vez mais feitas viúvas por um conflito que não criaram.
Em discursos que proferi em várias conferências na Austrália no ano passado, fiz referências extensas aos ganhos significativos das mulheres ao nível da participação politica e do reconhecimento formal dos direitos das mulheres nestes últimos quatro anos desde a independência de Timor-Leste.
Um impressionante elevado número de deputadas no nosso parlamento nacional são mulheres. A Convenção para a Eliminação de Todas as Formas de Discriminação contra as Mulheres e o seu protocolo opcional foi assinado pelo nosso governo poucos meses depois de ter conseguido a independência, uma proposta de legislação contra a violência doméstica está à beira de se tornar lei e concordou-se no ano passado numa quota para mulheres em conselhos ao nível dos sucos e aldeias.
E contudo, é triste e perturbador anotar que, num tempo de crise e de conflito como o que Timor-Leste experimenta presentemente, as plataformas que as mulheres tinham conseguido conquistar parecem terem-se partido, as suas vozes caladas pelo clamor dos líderes masculinos e pelo troar da maquinaria duma operação de manutenção da paz dirigida e conduzida por homens.
Conseguiram falar pela paz breve mas fortemente em 1 de Junho quando cerca de 100 mulheres e crianças encenaram uma iniciativa pela paz no pátio do Palácio do Governo, para pedir a restauração da lei e da ordem e para alertarem os seus líderes que não votariam nas próximas eleições em nenhum partido ou individuo que não responda às aspirações das mulheres e crianças.
À somente uma semana, com o primeiro-ministro à beira de anunciar a sua resignação e enfrentando alegações sérias de distribuição de armas, uma mão cheia de ministros masculinos do gabinete começaram a pesar se deviam apresentar as suaa resignações. Contudo, foi uma brava mulher Timorense, Maria Domingas Alves, a "Micato", antiga conselheira do primeiro-ministro nas questões de igualdade de género, quem deu o primeiro passo, citando razões de ser incapaz de servir as mulheres de Timor-Leste no seio de um governo "que já não funciona efectivamente ".
É revelador que nem uma única mulher Timorense pediu uma audiência com o meu marido nem deu a sua opinião sobre a solução da crise nas últimas semanas. Não foi um acto deliberado de exclusão, simplesmente não ocorreu a ninguém nesta sociedade intensamente patriarcal que as mulheres pudessem ter algo de importante e útil para contribuir para o processo delicado e vital do desarmamento, reconciliação e construção da paz.
Ao mesmo tempo um peso desproporcionado de responsabilidade na limpeza da confusão deixada pelo conflito cai nos ombros das mulheres: as mães lutando para dar às suas famílias abrigo, segurança, alimentação e outras necessidades básicas nos campos apinhados de deslocados, as incansáveis irmãs católicas de várias ordens religiosas, que sem segurança permanente das forças internacionais e com recursos limitados, abriram as portas dos seus conventos e colégios a muitos milhares de deslocados esfomeados e traumatizados.
As mulheres têm uma posição única na construção da paz e segurança, pois que valorizam a paz como a base para a sobrevivência das suas famílias e comunidades, como a pré-condição básica para a educação dos seus filhos e a prosperidade. Estão todas virtualmente ausentes das discussões sobre o futuro político de Timor-Leste, reforma do sector da segurança e a negociação do mandato duma nova missão da ONU no país o que realça o triste facto das mulheres de Timor-Leste terem um longo caminha a percorrer para conseguirem os seus direitos como cidadãs iguais e com valor da sua nova nação.
A Resolução do Conselho de Segurança 1325 mandata os Estados membros da ONU e as missões da ONU para reconhecerem as necessidades especiais das mulheres em tempos de guerra e conflito, e nos esforços para restaurar a paz e aprofundar a reconciliação. Os termos de referência para a missão da ONU de avaliação das necessidades que presentemente visita Timor-Leste inclui uma cláusula para um cluster sectorial de "dimensões de género " que reconhece a importância da quarta missão da ONU de ouvir o que querem as mulheres .
Mas porque está ao lado, não através dos outros clusters, incluindo a segurança, governação, reforma da Força de Defesa Timorense e a regra da lei, pergunto-me se as suas conclusões serão relegadas para uma nota de rodapé na altura em que a nova missão da ONU for mandatada. E mais importante se as aspirações e sonhos das mulheres e raparigas "comuns" de Timor-Leste estarão reflectidos neste documento e se serão traduzidos em medidas concretas e compromissos – pela ONU e o nosso novo Governo – para garantir que nunca mais o medo, a violência e a dor dos últimos meses seja visita das mulheres sofredoras há longo tempo de Timor-Leste.
Mulher de Timor, o meu coração sangra por ti, o meu respeito é grande por ti.
Kirsty Sword Gusmao é a primeira dama da República Democrática de Timor-Leste e directora da Fundação Alola em Dili.
"Se eu bem percebi, acusam Kirsty essencialmente de não te estado em Timor durante os 24 anos da guerrilha.
Curioso, Mari Alkatiri também não...
Em que ficamos?
Vergonha, meus srs., tenham vergonha! "
e estranho pk o propio Xanana, Ramos Horta e Luis Guterres tb nao....se comecarmos a citar nomes de pessoas k nao estavam no pais durante os 24 anos de guerrilha sera uma lista bem grande, mas isso nao significa ou denomina como a pessoa trabalha ou compreende a situacao e o povo de TL...
tenha o senhor vergonha (pelo menos tenha vergonha k a sua Primeira Dama e australiana e nao corre nem uma gota de sangue timorense nas veias dela...onde ja se viu isso...!?)
Para os alkatiristas que defendem a tolerancia maxima e defendem o Mari de toda a discriminacao por ele ser muculmano num pais maioritariamente catolico e triste e mesmo revelador ver a vossa baixeza moral quando se referem a Kirsty como o fazem. Shame on you! Tenham vergonha! Moe laiha!
Alguns com a devida idade e memoria dizem tambem que Mari Alkatiri nao nasceu em timor mas na indonesia onde os seus pais se refugiaram pela altura da invasao japonesa. O interessante e que a idade de Mari Alkatiri encaixa-se muito bem nessa versao do seu nascimento em terra alheia. Se for esse o caso e visto que os seus pais nao eram cidadaos naturais de timor tambem significaria que mari nao e timorense. Nao e assim? Interessante!
TRABALHEI HA 32 ANOS
COM A EMILIA GUSMAO
AINDA ME LEMBRO DELA
NOS SERVICOS DE EDUCACAO
FAZIAMOS OS VENCIMENTOS
P'RA CONTINUOS E PROFESSORES
JA LA VAO MUITO ANOS
NO TEMPO DOS MALAI SENHORES
EU,EMILIA,TERESINHA,E A PAIXAO
ERAMOS AUTENTICOS COMPANHEIROS
FAZ-ME AGORA MESMO LEMBRAR
DOS TRES MOSQUITEIROS
UM ABRACO
MAU DICK
Anónimo das 9:19:36 PM: Nunca o Mari Alkatiri fez qualquer referência à sua religião, nem a usou como arma de qualquer combate, algo que a madame Gusmão não se coíbe de fazer, tentando opor as mulheres timorenses aos homens timorenses. Ou é dos tais que acha que a madame está acima de todas as críticas, particularmente quando ingere de forma grosseira nos assuntos internos dum país de que não é cidadã? Eu acho que não e que quem vai à guerra dá e leva e já que foi a madame a primeira a envolver-se só pode esperar retaliações.
Krsity sword thinks she speaks for the East Timorese women... She doesnt even know what they have been through. The Women can speak for themselves!! Women rights were emerging in East Timor long before Kristy Sword came along!
ha tanta gente com tanto stress a ver os seus sonhos de 50-100 anos a desfazerem-se como castelos de areia ou de nuvens no ar.
O sr ou a sra fala cedo demais, mesmo antes das eleicoes! Ainda nao vos passou a doenca do primeiro partido e do maior partido timorense? 2+6=8, tao pouco! Tem de trabalhar mais, meus senhores!
O anonimo das 11:56 fala antes do tempo, deve jogar na equipa da Ana Gomes!
we should not talk about Mrs Gusmao in this way for one thing she is trying to do something for the women of Timor...yes is true that women's rights came a long time before the arrival of Mrs. Gusmao and that she is a bit out of order by trying to represent the women of a country that she pretends to be familiar with (in my opinion), but we should give it up to her for all the hardwork that she tryed to do for the TL women...
is true that in Timor-Leste i never heard about any Big project or propaganda about women's rights from the "Alola Foundation" or in that matter any other foundation in Timor-Leste (maybe it was just me),and still heard of women being beaten up and other women commiting suicide(killing herself and her 2 children) because she is scared of her husband...is quite sad
anyhow...stya well and keep up teh good work u'all
anonimo das 1:04:07 PM, voce deve ser o mais duro dos duros. Ainda contempla os 50-100 anos? outro arrogante!! Que tipo de democracia e que voces pregam que contemplam um partido politico governar tantos anos? Na verdade essa arrogancia so revela mesmo os vossos instintos ditatoriais e que tudo fariam para que assim fosse.
Esses bocas de "so a fretilin pode criar estabilidade ou instabilidade" "Se perder havera derramamento de sangue", etc,etc, afinal eram mais do que simples bocas. Tinham fundamento e havia planos, armas,....
Mas para vosso desgosto o povo timorense nao e assim tao parvo como voces pensam ser. Ditaduras? Pra o inferno!
Ainda esta para se ver quem ira ganhar
Ao poeta Mau Dick:
Gostei muito do seu poema. Conheci essa gente toda. Você de certeza que me conhece.
Gostava de trocar impressões consigo sobre esses tempos.
Por favor escreva-me para saieong@oniduo.pt
Parem de falar mal de uma mulher que luta pelos direitos do sofrido povo de Timor-Leste. Ela é uma mulher engajada sim, deixou seu país para assumir sua paixão por seu novo povo – os timorenses. Kirsty Sword Gusmão é engajada, articulada, decidida e bem-intencionada, basta ver o monte de entrevistas em prol de Timor-Leste que ela dá nas televisões e publicações mundo afora.
Além de primeira-dama, ela é uma porta-voz engajada e seus trabalhos estão aí a olhos vistos. Será que para ela provar que é boa ela teria que ir morar em um acampamento ou passar fome?? A coisa que os timorenses mais precisam agora é de união. Não queiram fazer da Sra. Gusmão uma Joana D’arc do século 21. Ou vocês prefeririam ter uma fútil Imelda Marcos como primeira-dama?? Sorte de vocês de terem a primeira-dama que têm, que se preocupa com o social e é uma excelente porta-voz da nação, um país que tem tudo para dar certo. Acordem para realidade e, por favor, sejam justos ao julgarem-na, ela é uma de suas melhores representantes, se não a melhor.
Infelizmente, parece que a Sra. Gusmão é uma daquelas coisas boas que a gente só dá valor quando perde.
Mes amis, à mon avis vous avez une femme de président au pouvoir qui semble réellement faire le meilleur pour sa jeune nation. La chose que la madame Gusmao en a plus de besoin maintenant c’est de l’appui des ses concitoyens. Alors marchez, marchez, elle a besoin de tous… pas de critiques qui n’ajoute rien !
Attention:
We visited Xanana, before, while he was in House Arrest. Xanana said that Kristy was his personal secretary.
Kristy knows who to take advantage - knowing that Xanana would one day be a big person in Timor-Leste, she quickly seduced him into marrying.
She is, I can say, an opportunistic person.
Timor-Leste's constitution does not recognise any position called 1st lady. There is no budget for 1st lady to excercise her duties as 1st lady like in other countries. So, that position never exist. Kristy happen to marry Xanana, the president. She calls herself, first lady. Has any government correspondence been addressed to her as Her Excellency, the First Lady of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste?????? Nope.
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