Kirsty Sword Gusmão

a Holding Redlich Distinguished Visiting Fellow

'A Unique Insight into East Timor'

Public lecture presented for the
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
9 September 2008


First of all, let me say that I feel deeply honoured to have been asked to present this lecture here today. In spite of being a graduate of Monash University – I was a student of Indonesian language in the 1980’s – I never had the pleasure of knowing the late Ron Castan. I do, however, feel that I have a little in common with him in that what set me on my Timor-Leste journey was the same passionate belief in a cause and in justice for an oppressed people which inspired Ron’s life work. If he had lived long enough, he no doubt would have taken great heart from the courageous and ultimately successful struggle of the people of Timor-Leste to win their national liberation and the right to build a new and peaceful future for themselves.

It was in fact during my years as a student of Monash University that I came to know of the existence of a small half-island nation called Timor-Leste. Whilst I had studied the Indonesian language for many years, I had built up a picture of Indonesia as a picturesque and harmonious nation of emerald rice fields and a richly diverse culture. Thoughts of military repression, gross violations of human rights, rampant corruption and rape of the environment never entered into the picture. Then when I became acquainted with some East Timorese students who had been forced to flee their homeland and were continuing to struggle for international recognition of their right to an act of self-determination, my eyes were opened to a hugely tragic story of genocide which was, at the same time, tremendously inspiring. I found myself drawn into a network of Australian and global supporters of the campaign to rid East Timor of the Indonesian yoke. Whilst my father, as a student of Monash University in the 1960’s, had joined the anti-Vietnam war protests on campus and my childhood and upbringing were always infused with politics and a strong sense of social conscience, this was the first time I had allowed myself to be drawn in so deeply to an intensely political and controversial issue and debate. I won’t share with you today the full story of how a student of language and a human rights activist came to be First Lady of the newest nation in the world – there are copies of my book available here today for anyone who is curious – for the simple reason that I would like to focus upon the here and now in my adopted homeland. Nevertheless, the insights I have to share with you today are intensely personal ones and they are rooted in my day to day experience of some of the manifold challenges of nation-building in which my husband, our people and I are engaged.  Of course, my energies must be and are expended principally on addressing the needs of women and children. To that end, I established the Alola Foundation, a women’s development agency which addresses the most pressing needs of women and children through programs in the areas of maternal and child health, economic empowerment, education and advocacy.

I will now share some of our political, social and economic achievements in Timor-Leste, since like me, you are probably a little tired of being served up by our media only tales of gloom and doom from my neck of the woods. I feel almost certain that the last images you saw on your TV screens of Timor-Leste were of rock-hurling youths or homes being burnt to the ground by out of control gangs. Allow me to try to replace those images with something substantially more positive and inspiring.

In just this past year, we have achieved a great deal. We have resolved the issue of the Petitioners – the disenfranchised members of our armed forces. The armed dissidents who attacked the President and my husband surrendered peacefully as a result of the successful collaboration between our police and armed forces. And the IDPs living in camps in Dili are returning to their homes. A shopping mall and public swimming pool will soon be built on the site of one such vacated camp. The international community estimated it would take ten years to move the approximately 100,000 IDP’s back to their homes. The Government has successfully closed 21 IDP camps and over 52,000 people have returned to homes in one year. The first social welfare pensions to the elderly, the infirm, the disabled and the veterans of the nation. There has also been an unprecedented adoption of anti corruption legislative mechanisms introduced to ensure accountability. In relation to fiscal achievements, the transitional budget execution rate was the highest achieved since Independence at 90% and the economy is growing at just on 8% per annum, emerging as one of the highest in the region.

The government has achieved stability and security whereby Mums and kids feel safe to walk the streets in the evenings, including this Mum. I will come back to that in a moment. Our beaches, soccer fields, newly constructed volley ball courts, market-places and exhibition centres teem with life as never before since independence. Investors and development partners are on our doorstep each week and Timor-Leste is a nation of opportunity and of hope for the future.

We acceded to CEDAW & its Optional Protocol in Dec 2002, seven months after formally gaining our independence, and also six other key international human rights instruments.

In 2001 in our first ever Constituent Assembly election, 22 of the 88 members elected were women (the highest female representation in the Asia-Pacific region). Female representation in the present parliament is similarly impressive. 25% of our civil servants are women. We have a specific domestic violence bill soon to become law - it has been the subject of widespread consultation. We have public peace, not to be taken lightly after decades of political violence. We have a National Women’s Day, celebrated in November each year. We also celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) in Timor-Leste. And 2008 see the first ever Asia Pacific “Women in Peace” hosted in Dili. We have over 9000 teachers in schools  open across the country, and health service centres and clinics completing renovation in Baucau and Dili National Hospital.  All this since May 20, 2002.  It is a great effort and we should pat ourselves on the back.  We not only had to rebuild a nation from scratch, with the majority of infrastructure destroyed both physically and institutionally, but remarkably we have been able to make these advances for women.

These are the achievements we like to hold up and they are indeed significant, and worthy of praise.  However they must be set against the reality of women’s lives in Timor-Leste. 

Here are some of the rather stark and disturbing statistics. 28% of women suffer from malnutrition, with 7% of these requiring medical treatment. According to a 2003 International Rescue Committee survey, 51% of women feel unsafe in their relationships. 25% had experienced violence from their male partner. We have one of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the world and the highest fertility rate in the world - women have an average of eight children. Only 7% of women in marriages or permanent relationships use contraception. 53% of women are illiterate. 1 in 12 children do not reach their fifth birthday. Our nation is one of the world’s poorest; 40% of people live on 0.55 cents per day. Since there has been a lot of talk of late about Timor-Leste’s vast oil and gas reserves, you might find that last statistic remarkable. However, one academic has stated that it takes ten years for a post-conflict nation to break the cycle of conflict and it takes 59 years to bring low income earners to middle income earners.

I am talking about the harsh reality of women’s lives and I would like to speak to you about a case that underscores the difficulties women and families face, particularly in accessing justice.

A few evenings prior to the assassination attempts of 11 February, I received a visit from the daughter of one of our neighbours, an educated woman and a primary school teacher who for many years assisted me with caring for my children at the weekends. The girl informed me, amidst a flood of tears, that her father had just beaten her mother severely. Whilst it wasn’t the first time, in fact I was very aware that domestic violence had been a regular feature of this family’s life for over two decades, I urged the girl to bring Brigida to the house immediately. I spent the evening mopping up Brigida’s blood – she had been hit across the face and had her abdomen kicked and trampled upon by her husband – and settling the smallest of her five children. I offered Brigida and her children refuge in my home and the following morning took her for a medical check-up at the Dili National Hospital. Having decided after the last assault that she was not going to subject herself or her children to further violence of this nature, Brigida decided to press charges against her husband. With the help of the staff of the women’s NGO, FOKUPERS, which operates Dili’s only women’s shelter for victims of domestic violence, Brigida succeeded in taking the case to court. Since domestic violence legislation is still in draft form in Timor-Leste, cases of domestic violence are dealt with by the courts as assault. Only in September, after having spent close to six months residing at the shelter with her youngest children, Brigida presented details of her case in court. As the police had lost the medical reports provided by Dili National Hospital or simply failed to hand them over to the office of the Prosecutor General, and one key witness lied in court, the Judge ruled that the perpetrator be put on a good behaviour bond for 12 months.

This story highlights the fragility of our state institutions and underscore the need for their strengthening in the interests of defending the fundamental rights of our citizens, particularly the most weak and vulnerable.

Compounded by political tensions, these institutional fragilities are what gave rise to the crisis of 2006. The ensuing violence was fuelled by our demographics – 60% of our population are aged 18 years and under. Too few educational and employment opportunities capable of giving our young a meaningful role in national development meant that frustrations were high.

But we do have a plan to better our future. We have set national priorities – to provide safety and stability and improve access to basic services such as water, heath, education and justice and to ensure food security for our people.

We are working hard to address these challenges but it will take time to reconstruct our country and achieve lasting peace and prosperity.

We now have a government that is prepared to invest in the nation and to build the foundations of development.

And most importantly we have a people determined to make the nation they fought for, and that they sacrificed so much for, a success. It is this commitment and dignity of our people which is the real wealth of our nation. I believe this will ensure that we have a great future ahead of us.

But I trust you won’t take my word for it – come and see for yourselves. You are welcome to Timor-Leste.

Thank you.