Reporter Adroaldo “Saretukau” (Citizen Journalist)
In regard to political campaigns in the country, mostly politicians do not focus on their party’s programs to draw voters’ confidence in order to help improve the lives of the people, however they talk about the past as the most, blaspheme and underrate others. As such it does not givet the opportunity to the vulnerable people and the marginalized groups, namely vendors, ordinary people living in rural areas, people with disabilities and other minority groups to listen to the programs conveyed during the political campaigns.
A 60-year old vendor, Domingas de Sá from Baucau Municipality, the Administrative Post of Baucau Town, Caibada Village, sells goods in Dili, Atauro and Baucau regularly. He buys and sells seaweeds and basic staple foods. She brings basic staple foods to be sold in Atauro, once she sells them out, she strightly returns to Dili with seaweeds that she buys from Atauro and sells them in Dili to sustain her family as she is a widow. Therefore, she has no time to be present at political campaigns, but she only calls for an inclusive participation of elections for all the Timorese citizens, especially for the vulnerable people at grassroot.
“I do not follow the political campaigns, I sell goods for the people of Atauro here, no time to take part in the political campaigns. I want to follow it but I do not have time. I want it, but the time does not permit me to do so,” She said.
She did not really know the programs that the political parties conveyed in the campaigns because she was busy doing her business. “I did not follow it because at that time I had a round-trip from Dili to Atauro; therefore I did not really follow their program presentations.,” She said.
On the election day, Domingas de Sá did not vote based on the programs that the political parties presented in the campaigns, but she only voted for the political party that her father joined and fought for.
She called on the political parties that will win the legislative election this year to help improve their lives in the country, as it had been 20 years of independence their first generation were still experiencing many difficulties and there had been no change in the country, saying they were not happy with this situation.
She also called on the Government and political parties on how to help facilitate them to take part in the political campaigns in order to listen to their programs at once in a way that they could not leave their business activities. “So, I am calling on the Government and political parties when doing their political campaigns of the legislative election, it is better to conduct the political campaign at the market place, so that we can follow the programs that they present in the political campaigns. We sell goods and it is impossible for us to listen to your programs during the campaigns. This is a message to the politicians, the government officials and politicians should do their campaigns for the ordinary people at the market place, so that we can follow and listen to the programs of the political parties. So, this is my comment,” she said.“
Meanwhile, 35-year old Julião Mendes Perreira, who is a street vendor selling goods and coconuts at Praia dos Coqueiros and Jardim Motael, said they heard that during the political campaigns, the politicians, those who are currently in power promised to provide them with proper spaces, but they had never kept the promises made in the campaigns, saying no change had been made.
“We follow the political campaigns, they promised that they will provide us with proper spaces near the beach. But when they are in power, they change their mind, they want to remove us to Manleun and Taibesi markets. We disagree with this, the proper place for selling coconut is on the street near the beach. The place is not really good for us,” he explained.
He affirmed that during the campaigns period they only took part in the political campaigns, which were held near the place where they sold coconuts, they were not present at the campaigns that were far away from them, calling on the political parties to convey and talk about their programs that could help improve the lives of the people. “Like the campaigns in the municipalities, we were not able to take part in those campaigns. And if it is held in Dili, we can go and take part in it, adding that sometimes they follow the political campaigns on television.
Mr. Julião called on the Government officials to provide proper conditions for those who were doing small business in the country, saying they did not care about who the leaders were. “What we want is that those who are in power need to set up a proper place for us, so that we can remain calm, we do not want to go to any other places,” he said.
Meanwhile, civil society organizations’ response to the political campaigns that could ensure the vulnerable people’s participation in the campaigns, Director of HAK (Human Rights Association), Sisto dos Santos said the political campaign method itself had not been in favor of the vulnerable people as human, it had not been educative and healthy. According to HAK’s observation, the political campaigns that we had followed so far only underrated and unsalted one another, it did not sensitize the people by explaining their programs, which regarded the people’s well-being of the country.
“The late Borja da Costa said it was not enough to get the people’s votes, but we should also get the people’s soul. What kind of struggle do we need to do with the soul? Even we are not able to convince our hearth, our thoughts in order to stay away from a violent political campaign. Violence should not be about physical, violence of language with an unhealthy environment where we are not in favor of any more of our people as human, specially the vulnerable people, we made them to be more vulnerable and to be discouraged and made them lose hope in the future of the nation,” Director of HAK said.
Mr. Sisto stressed that the political parties had to talk about their programs and brought their programs to the people with the potentials that they had in their own municipalities, saying how the political parties that won the election could propose its programs that could help improve the lives of the people and respond to the people’s preoccupations, which regarded agriculture, irrigation that could improve the quality and the quality of productions. Adding that they did not talk about the poor condition of the schools, the stockout of medicines, no health posts, vendors’ small business and also issues of gender equality and other social injustice issues within the society.
“According to HAK’s viewpoint, which is more critical, since my intervention, we have degraded. Formally, we say that we are proud of the elections, but we cannot educate, we cannot convince, we are also not able to shape our society with a democratic vision, with a vision that the people have a good will to take part in the State building, for me it is disaster for our democracy,” he said.”
He explained that the politicians did not talk about clean water, women and children who suffered from malnutrition, saying whether the people wanted to take part in the campaign or not was not a metter, the most important thing was they had to talk about the programs that had a positive impact on the lives of the people.
“Wheter they take part in the campaigns or not, it depends on the possibility, say for instance, the ordinary people who will only waste time to follow the campaigns, who will feed their children, who is able if there is nothing in the kitchen to cook in a day or within two days. This is actually an economic issue, we have income problems within families,” he said.
He stressed that the vulnerable people felt the elections had not changed their living situation. They were apathetic as the political campaigns did not benefit them directly, not only this, but also the ordinary people because political parties talked a lot, but they had never concretized the people’s dream of better life, saying the elections were only for the well-being of the elite politicians.
“When our economic condition is messy, problematic, we cannot force it, we cannot push and encourage the vulnerable people, especially women and children, to get involved in politics as they cannot survive and live with their families,” he said.”
In relation to how the vulnerable people can listen to the political parties in the campaigns, Mr. Sisto urged the political parties to convey their programs, which were related to the well-being of the people, such as irrigation, help improve and control the domestic markets in a way that the local products are worth, improve infrastructure, roads and clean water, electricity in order that the people could take part in any event that happened in the country. Adding that it is not only in Dili, but also the people in the municipalities could learn from one another, including the broadcasting of educational tv programs.
“Transforming a society, it is not easy for the people to take part in the elections. Has there been a change? No! it is too far, we need to transform people because formal education in the country has failed.”
In response, President of the National Election Commission (CNE), José A. da C. B. Perreira, said voting was not an obligation, electoral registration was an obligation, saying CNE did everything through civic education to all parts and organizations in the villages in order to make the election successfully conducted. Therefore he said it was necessary to encourage all the citizens to take part in the election saying none of them were treated differently, however some certain citizens, namely people with disabilities had to be treated with a special treatment.
“That is why I think it necessary to give them opportunities, especially women, on the basis of this, CNE is working together with the country’s women organizations, not only to take part in the political campaign, but also motivate them to be included in the list of candidacy. It does not only mention that they are number three of the list to be nominated as members of the Parliament. It is good if the political parties place them in number one or two, the law does not prohibit that.”
“It is the way that enshrins in the law, but it is better to approach the women organizations, so that it can communicate with the political parties in a way that they can accommodate women’s participation to be more optimal and also give them opportunities to be more active as they are nominated and are potential to be nominated,” CNE President said.
In line with the vulnerable people’s participation in the political campaign, Mr. José said “CNE has a program called civic education, which also explains the role of the political parties, function of democracy in democratic countries. Why should there be an election, to whom election is conducted, what will they give to us because their votes also determine their future .”
He added that “civic education is currently being held, it is also for the country’s women. I am calling on all the populations, especially the vulnerable women, women in the rural areas, street vendors. They begin considering figures, the second is programs that the political parties convey in the political campaigns. Now you are going to vote for your future and better life and so among those political parties, which one can give you a better life. And also make sure those selling goods on the beach.”
In relation to the vendors that cannot be able to take part in the political campaigns to listen the political parties’ programs, CNE President said, “they organize themselves, they can also convey their ideas through the electoral bodies, so that the electoral bodies can transmit it to the political parties that there are group of vendors that cannot be able to take part in your political campaign because they have no time and it is also because of the distance they cannot be able to go to take part in the campaigns. So, we try to organize the political parties to have a meeting with them, although they are in small numbers either ten or five, so that the political parties can present their programs.”
Mr. José stressed that, they could have a meeting with the vulnerable people to explain all the political parties’ programs, ideology, when they were in power, not in power yet, what could they do if they are in power, saying CNE transmitted the information same as what they did for civil society organization, students and journalists. Adding that it was necessary not to leave others behind and give them equal opportunities to vote.
“Before political debate, we enterview those selling goods on the beach, other places, asking for their ideas about the political parties. We do not mention political party A or B, how is your opinion about this leader, what do you feel, what have they done for you, so these are all recorded and then we will play it during the political debate. It is a flashback for the political parties and leaders to make a self-reflection.”
Meanwhile, Justice and Human Rights Ombudsman’s (PDHJ) views on invlusive election, the ombudsman will exercise its constitutional mandate by doing monitoring to ensure that all the citizens exercised their rights and none of them were treated differently, saying no people of disabilities and the vulnerable people were discriminated,” She said
According to the ombudsman’s observation, women’s participation in presidential election political campaigns went well, “women also took part in the political campaigns as campaigners involved in political debate during the political campaign period. The monitoring was held on the first 15 days, including monitoring so-called mini-campaigns,” She said.
The presidential candidates pushing the women, LGBT community and the people with disabilities participation in the political campaigns forward, She says.
