Bahasa Indonesia Headlines ­ Monday 2 July, 2001

1. PSD targets 30 seats in Constituent Assembly 
2. Second Transition still under UNTAET 
3. Scores of paramedics reject Health Department contracts 
4. The formation of a new Timor Lorosae Cabinet

1. PSD targets 30 seats in Constituent Assembly (Suara Timor Lorosae, Front Page headline)

The Social Democrat Party (PSD) will be targeting 30 seats in the Constituent Assembly during the forthcoming 30 August election.

This was stated over the weekend by the President of PST’s National Commission Mario Viegas Carrascalao.

In a speech to open the party’s Dili District Congress on Satruday, Mario Carrascalao said PSD was confident of winning at least 30 seats in the 88-seat Constituent Assembly.

He said the Congress will formulate programs which will take into account the concerns of the people in the political, socio-economic and cultural aspects of the country.

“PSD programs will be realistic and will be focussed on how the ordinary people could free themselves from the poverty trap,” said Mario Carrascalao.

“Our people must have the right to food, shelter, clothing and medical facilities and PSD will campaign on these issues,” said the PSD President.

2. Second transition still under UNTAET (Suara Timor Lorosae, front page second lead)

The Transitional Administration will be established after the announcement of the results of the 30 August Constituent Assembly election. However, this does not mean Timor Lorosae will be independent that soon.

The Cabinet to be formed in the second transition will still be under UN Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello.

This was stated on Sunday by the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party of Timor (PST), Avelino Coelho in an interview with STL.

The PST Secretaty-General was commenting on Sergio de Mello’s speech to the National Council stating that the second transition, after the 30 August election, will reflect a government “of national unity”.

“The establishment of a transitional administration comprising Timorese people will be under the direct authority of Sergio de Mello in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1272,” said Avelino.

Avelino said the members of Cabinet in the Second Transitional Administration would not be only political party figures, but also non-party people who have the professional qualifications to be Cabinet members.

3. Scores of paramedics reject Health Department contracts (Suara Timor Lorosae, front page third lead)

Scores of paramedics from the Bidau General Hospital, now named the National Hospital, have rejected contracts given to them by the Department of Health.

The main grievance cited by the paramedics was that the new contracts did not take into account their previous experience when the hospital was run by the International Red Cross (ICRC).

“We have now been graded as either Level 3 or Level 4 with a salary of either US$123 or US$154 on par with those who are new employees. This is unacceptable because we have experience and should receive a higher salary,” said a paramedic who did not want to be named.

In a letter rejecting the contracts, signed by 322 paramedics, the signatories said the grading by the Health Department and ETTA did not reflect experience or qualifications of the paramedics.

“We were not recruited by ETTA and therefore they cannot impose their salary levels on us,” said the paramedic who wanted to remain anonymous.

4. The formation of a new Timor Lorosae Cabinet (Suara Timor Lorosae, editorial page 5)

The UN Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello has made it known that the National Council would be dissolved on 15 July to make way for the 30 August election. East Timorese Cabinet members who will take part in the election, will also be leaving their Cabinet positions.

In the interim period between 15 July and 30 August, no new policy decisions would be made.

UNTAET will respect the results of the 30 August election, as the decision made by the Timorese people. Because of that, the new Cabinet to be formed after the election will reflect the aspiration of the people.

The political parties which do not win seats in the 30 August election must also respect the result of the people. And because of this, we hope the winners and the losers will join hands to form a national unity government in accordance with the National Unity Pact for the sake of peace and stability in the country.

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