Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Mon, 12 Oct 1992 14:51:45 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.APC.ORG>
Subject:      IN: East Timor Governor Speaks

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/* Written  2:46 pm  Oct 12, 1992 by apakabar in cdp:reg.indonesia */
/* ---------- "New East Timor Governor Speaks" ---------- */


Source: Suara Pembaruan.
Original language: Indonesian.
Date: 29 September 1992.
Dateline: Dili.
Byline: None.
Story type: News.
Scope: Substantial excerpt.
Headline: East Timor Governor Speaks About Territorial Operations,
          Education, and Businessmen
Remark: Just one of a large number of interviews by East Timor's
new governor, who has made himself readily accessible to the press.


Territorial operations (Opster) activities are carried out by ABRI in
East Timor because they have the political side-effect of assisting people
in isolated areas increase their economic well-being.  Nonetheless,
these activities need to be evaluated yearly to decide whether there
is a need for them to continue, or end within a specific time period.

This was put forward by East Timor Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares
in an interview with Pembaruan in his office on Tuesday.

He said that up till now there had been territorial operations because
civilian personnel lacked the capability.  So the job of development was
given to ABRI.  Civilian personnel had been unable to mobilize the people
in certain areas for development activities.

According to Abilio, the moment our civilian personnel are capable of
replacing territorial operations, then territorial operations will
simply end on their own.  "If all goes well, I'm sure that in a maximum
of two more years, activities like territorial operations can be handled
by the provincial government."

According to the governor, when the Operations Execution Command (Kolakops)
is no longer in East Timor, cooperation with ABRI will go on as usual
because the Military Sub-area Command (Korem) will remain, just as in
other provinces.

Abilio understands that as governor, cooperation with ABRI and the
church is something which needs to be done.  "I will be a total
failure if I do not cooperate with ABRI and the church," he remarked,
adding that if the province was not united at the top level, certainly
it would not be united at district (kabupaten) level.

The governor said that education would get his attention because a
region will develop only with quality human resources.  But this does
not mean giving out scholarships without reference to regional needs.

University students who will be sent to study outside East Timor will
be selected in line with regional needs so that the students will
later get work congruent with their abilities and become professionals.

The government appealed to national businessmen to invest in East Timor.
The provincial government will provide facilities to any businessman
wishing to develop East Timor.  Maybe the businessman would need a
building on government-owned land.  He will be given it free so long
as he lives and works in East Timor.  Use rights would revert to the
government when they were no longer needed.

The governor asked national businessmen to become nationalist businessmen.
They should not develop East Timor for a lot of profit, but rather only
a little, since they too needed to sacrifice.  Businessmen need to be
aware that East Timor differs from other provinces.

"If they come to East Timor expecting big profits from a bona fide business,
they will be disappointed.  What is needed in East Timor are fighters for
development imbued with a high spirit of nationalism," he said.

Abilio also said there might also be some replacement of regional
government officials.  This would not be due to the change of governor.
Rather, it entailed placing persons in the most appropriate jobs
so they could be used well.  In any organization, replacement of
officials was a natural event.

"We will always want 'the right man in the right place' (English in
original).  We want the best, based on their dedication and loyalty,
because we want to develop East Timor more."
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