Thursday, June 22, 2006
President Gusmão's indecision and rush to decision make him the biggest fool...
Prime Minister Alkatiri makes President Gusmao think twice
Today began looking very bad. The news was that on Tuesday June 20, the President sent an envelope to the Prime Minister containing a video tape of the June 19 4 Corners program from ABC TV in Australia, and a letter reaquiring him to resign by 5pm or he would be sacked. This amounts to a threat to breach of the Constitution. The 4 Corners program alleges that Fretilin created hit squads on the orders of Mari Alkatiri the Prime Minister and party general secretary.
Perhaps fortunately, the Prime Minister did not open the envelope until later that night, well after 5pm. However, the President had taken no action at the deadline.
A meeting of the Council of State was convened at about 10.30 am on June 21 - it is a 15 person adivsory council for the President and makes no decision. At the meeting, the President repeated his request for the Prime Minister to resign. The Prime Minister declined the request.
The President then said that if the Prime Minister would not resign, then he would resign. But the Prime Minister told him not to do that by any means, and that he would resign first. The Foreign Minister proposed that Alkatiri hand over to two Vice Prime Ministers.
The Prime Minister told that they had to realise that if he resigned under these circumstances that his whole government would resign, and the FRETILIN members would be antagonised, the Budget may not pass through the Parliament and the Electoral Law will be dealyed, and all in all this would not be good for the country or make things any better.
That prospect surprised both the President and the Foreign Minister.
The Prime Minister said that it was not up to him alone to decide whether to resign, and he had to consult with FRETILIN and with the Cabinet (Council of Ministers).
The meeting ended with the Prime Minister undertaking to inform the President of the decision after these consultations. The FRETILIN National Political Commission will meet on June 22 in the morning, and in the afternoon the Prime Minister and the President of the Parliament will inform the President of their views of the NPC. On Friday morning the Cabinet will meet. On Saturday the FRETILIN Central Committee will meet. So perhaps on Sunday or Monday there will be an announcement of the outcome of this process.
However, the psychology of the day went against the President. He has demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister two days in a row and he has not received it. Neither the President nor Foreign Minister were talking to the media or the Australian Embassy after the Council of State meeting today.
The Australian military has been more and more aggressive in telling people that Alkatiri is the 'ex-Prime Minister' or demanding that people tell them who they support. They raised the Australian Flag at the Non-Formal Education building at Vilaverde today, after stopping the Timorese flag from being raised. This compound is being used by the Education Ministry, and also used as a dormitory for some Australian soldiers.
On June 9 two Australian helicopters flew to Lospalos at the eastern end of the island to tell people there to support the President and oppose the Prime Minister. They were surprised by a very angry reaction and had to make a hasty departure.
The resigned Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato has been questioned by the police about the secret death squad allegations, but has not been arrested. He is at his home and has visited other homes in the area today, but he has Australian soldiers at his house. The Prosecutor-General said on TV on the night news on Juen 21 that there was an arrest warrant for Lobato but it had not been implemented. Lobato did not try to leave the country and was not stopped at the airport - all rumours.
At about 6pm on June 21, some people tried to burn down the Prosecutor-General's home, but the fire brigade put out the fire in time. There was a threat to burn his house on June 20. There is anger at him for not arresting the Prime Minister and not arresting Lobato. There were many homes burnt in Dili again this evening.
As far as I can tell from FRETILIN people, there is very strong support for Mari Alkatiri, and there is a determination to resolve the current tension with the President in a way which will uphold the Constitution, respect the position of FRETILIN, help to end the sustained period of crisis in the country, and really enable the 2007 elections to take place.
The danger is that the forces that want to change the government will not give up, especially now that they have pushed the President to the very brink of breaking the Constitution.
Peter Murphy
Dili, June 21, 2006
Today began looking very bad. The news was that on Tuesday June 20, the President sent an envelope to the Prime Minister containing a video tape of the June 19 4 Corners program from ABC TV in Australia, and a letter reaquiring him to resign by 5pm or he would be sacked. This amounts to a threat to breach of the Constitution. The 4 Corners program alleges that Fretilin created hit squads on the orders of Mari Alkatiri the Prime Minister and party general secretary.
Perhaps fortunately, the Prime Minister did not open the envelope until later that night, well after 5pm. However, the President had taken no action at the deadline.
A meeting of the Council of State was convened at about 10.30 am on June 21 - it is a 15 person adivsory council for the President and makes no decision. At the meeting, the President repeated his request for the Prime Minister to resign. The Prime Minister declined the request.
The President then said that if the Prime Minister would not resign, then he would resign. But the Prime Minister told him not to do that by any means, and that he would resign first. The Foreign Minister proposed that Alkatiri hand over to two Vice Prime Ministers.
The Prime Minister told that they had to realise that if he resigned under these circumstances that his whole government would resign, and the FRETILIN members would be antagonised, the Budget may not pass through the Parliament and the Electoral Law will be dealyed, and all in all this would not be good for the country or make things any better.
That prospect surprised both the President and the Foreign Minister.
The Prime Minister said that it was not up to him alone to decide whether to resign, and he had to consult with FRETILIN and with the Cabinet (Council of Ministers).
The meeting ended with the Prime Minister undertaking to inform the President of the decision after these consultations. The FRETILIN National Political Commission will meet on June 22 in the morning, and in the afternoon the Prime Minister and the President of the Parliament will inform the President of their views of the NPC. On Friday morning the Cabinet will meet. On Saturday the FRETILIN Central Committee will meet. So perhaps on Sunday or Monday there will be an announcement of the outcome of this process.
However, the psychology of the day went against the President. He has demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister two days in a row and he has not received it. Neither the President nor Foreign Minister were talking to the media or the Australian Embassy after the Council of State meeting today.
The Australian military has been more and more aggressive in telling people that Alkatiri is the 'ex-Prime Minister' or demanding that people tell them who they support. They raised the Australian Flag at the Non-Formal Education building at Vilaverde today, after stopping the Timorese flag from being raised. This compound is being used by the Education Ministry, and also used as a dormitory for some Australian soldiers.
On June 9 two Australian helicopters flew to Lospalos at the eastern end of the island to tell people there to support the President and oppose the Prime Minister. They were surprised by a very angry reaction and had to make a hasty departure.
The resigned Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato has been questioned by the police about the secret death squad allegations, but has not been arrested. He is at his home and has visited other homes in the area today, but he has Australian soldiers at his house. The Prosecutor-General said on TV on the night news on Juen 21 that there was an arrest warrant for Lobato but it had not been implemented. Lobato did not try to leave the country and was not stopped at the airport - all rumours.
At about 6pm on June 21, some people tried to burn down the Prosecutor-General's home, but the fire brigade put out the fire in time. There was a threat to burn his house on June 20. There is anger at him for not arresting the Prime Minister and not arresting Lobato. There were many homes burnt in Dili again this evening.
As far as I can tell from FRETILIN people, there is very strong support for Mari Alkatiri, and there is a determination to resolve the current tension with the President in a way which will uphold the Constitution, respect the position of FRETILIN, help to end the sustained period of crisis in the country, and really enable the 2007 elections to take place.
The danger is that the forces that want to change the government will not give up, especially now that they have pushed the President to the very brink of breaking the Constitution.
Peter Murphy
Dili, June 21, 2006
