[Kabar-indonesia] The Australian: It's a Shambles and Alkatiri Will Fight [+'Would Paralyze Govt']

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

also: Alkatiri's resignation 'would paralyse Govt'

The Australian
Thursday, June 22, 2006

Comment

It's a Shambles and Alkatiri Will Fight

by Mark Dodd 

THERE is no argument; Mari Alkatiri has to go.

The Prime Minister is deeply unpopular and loathed by the influential 
Catholic Church, which represents more than 90per cent of East Timor's 
one million people. 

But be warned: Alkatiri is a fighter and he will not go down without 
a struggle. 

And evidence that his lieutenants allegedly armed sympathetic civilians 
to enforce his Government's writ point to dangers ahead. 

Is he corrupt? As revealed in The Australian last year, his brother, Bader 
Alkatiri, was given a monopoly weapons import licence by the Government. 
Critics complained that parliament was not consulted and were promptly 
told by the ruling party to shut up. 

Alkatiri's leadership style was worryingly autocratic for an emerging 
democracy and, in the words of a World Bank report, was growing 
increasingly out of touch with the people. 

In recent years, he was no friend of a free and unencumbered media. 
East Timorese newspapers and reporters critical of his policies were 
threatened with closure or defamation proceedings. 

But Australian diplomats liked him. A former Australian ambassador 
to Dili once told me that, faced with a dearth of suitably qualified public 
administrators, Alkatiri was well briefed and his political antennae finely 
tuned to deal with the fraught Timor Sea oil and gas negotiations. 

And what to make of his mooted replacement - Nobel peace prize 
laureate and present Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta? 

Ramos Horta already has a lot on his hands, having just added to 
his impressive portfolio the title of Defence Minister. 

There may be questions on his commitment to the job and his people. 
Barely a month ago, Ramos Horta was trumpeting his credentials as 
the next replacement for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. 

Out of the shambles that is East Timor, only one man has emerged 
with his credibility intact - President Xanana Gusmao.

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ABC
June 22, 2006

Alkatiri's resignation 'would paralyse Govt'

East Timor Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri will know today if he has enough 
support in the governing Fretilin Party to remain in power despite a request 
to resign.

President Xanana Gusmao has told Dr Alkatiri he no longer has confidence 
in his leadership after accusations he recruited a civilian hit squad to 
eliminate 
his opponents. 

It is understood Mr Gusmao offered Dr Alkatiri an ultimatum: resign or be 
sacked. 

Estanislau da Silva, who is the Agriculture Minister and a senior Fretilin 
official, says if Dr Alkatiri resigns, so will the government.

Mr Silva says the Government and Parliament would be paralysed if 
Dr Alkatiri is removed from power.

"If Mari Alkatiri resigns at the moment, the entire Government will have 
to go because he was the one who formed the Government," he said.

"The entire Government [will have] to go and then of course there is no 
one to defend the Budget that we have submitted to the Parliament.

"Then there is a possibility that the Parliament can resign as well."

Dr Alkatiri will discuss his future with Fretilin officials this morning and 
senior ministers tomorrow.

Mr da Silva says ultimately, Fretilin will decide Dr Alkatiri's fate. 

"It's not a matter for him as Mari by himself to decide, because we nominated 
him and he was elected recently," he said.

"Because now it is the national political commission and we later on call the 
Fretilin central committee to decide to have a formal Fretilin position on 
this issue."

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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