By Jon Land
DILI — Walking through the streets of the capital of East Timor, one thing is very evident: the reconstruction of East Timor is taking place at a snail's pace. The only buildings that appear to be repaired in any significant way are those occupied by UNTAET (United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor) and the big aid organisations.
The day-to-day conditions for most East Timorese remain deplorable. Many people are still living in tents, under tarpaulins, or in burnt-out shells that were once their modest homes. Those East Timorese lucky enough to own a house that was not destroyed share what space they have with relatives and friends who have nothing.
The high cost and scarcity of food, transport and basic commodities is an additional problem. Most items are three to four times the price that they were in August.
There are no public schools in operation and only minimal medical facilities are available. There is no sanitised water or proper sewage system. UNTAET has yet to establish a postal service.
Some phone lines within Dili are now operational, but most East Timorese have no hand phone, and only a small number have mobile cell phones (which can only be used in and around Dili).
An issue of major concern to many East Timorese is the high rate of unemployment, which according to official UN figures is running at about 80%. In reality it is probably closer to 90%. In Dili and some of the larger towns, some young East Timorese are turning to petty crime, frustrated by the slow pace of reconstruction, high unemployment and high prices.
In the regional and rural areas of East Timor — where more than 80% of the population live — the conditions are even harder.
In the Loes River area of Liquica district, which I visited in February, empty burnt out homes and shacks can be seen everywhere amongst the cornfields. The occupants have either been murdered by the Indonesian military or militias, are too traumatised to return or are amongst the 100,000 being held in one of the militia-controlled refugee camps in West Timor.
One East Timorese organisation that is making a difference to the lives of East Timorese in Loes River and elsewhere is the Maubere Cooperative Foundation (KOPERMAR). Established by the Socialist Party of Timor in 1997, KOPERMAR is a grass-roots, cooperative-based organisation helping farmers, rural labourers and other East Timorese rebuild their shattered lives.
In Loes River, there are more than 30 families involved in KOPERMAR. They collectively work plots of corn and other food crops. Near the village of Lissadila, KOPERMAR members tend and care a 25-hectare coffee plantation. In Lissadila itself, KOPERMAR runs literacy and education programs for all who wish to attend.
"This is our land now, free of the Indonesian military and militias. We want to use it to benefit all Timorese", one KOPERMAR member explained to me. "We want our country free of exploitation and injustice".
With just a few hand tools and a run-down tractor in their possession, the KOPERMAR members in Loes River are determined to succeed. They have a difficult task ahead of them. As the UNTAET-coordinated reconstruction process drags on, solidarity with KOPERMAR and other progressive East Timorese organisations is as important as ever.