Join ETAN in Observing Timor's
Parliamentary Election
Dear Friends,
ETAN will be observing the Timor-Leste's coming parliamentary election in
Timor-Leste. We hope you will join and support us.
Civil society organizations in Timor-Leste have invited ETAN to support an
election process which is transparent, free and fair. Based on our two
decades of experience, we have been asked to facilitate an international
delegation of trained, non-partisan observers to witness and report on the
parliamentary election: its preparation, campaigns, voting, and counting
through the announcement and aftermath of the results. We will focus on more
than just the mechanics of the vote. Too often, democracy is narrowly
equated with elections. We are acting in solidarity with the people of
Timor-Leste to strengthen the breadth of its democracy.
President Jose Ramos-Horta
welcomed ETAN's
initiative writing "The presence of ETAN and its allies will be
invaluable," adding:
-
"It is... essential for ETAN to use its skills and
experience to send trained, sensitive non-partisan observers for our
2012 national elections, which will build and strengthen our young
democracy... ETAN's commitment, solidarity and experience are
unparalleled."
In 1999, ETAN played a key role in organizing the largest
international observer delegation to Timor's historic independence
referendum. ETAN has been present at every Timor-Leste election since. In
2007, ETAN was critical to the formation and leadership of the
Solidarity
Observer Mission for East Timor (SOMET), a grassroots project of five
international NGOs and six non-partisan groups in Timor-Leste which brought
together international and Timorese observers for the country's first
national election.
The parliamentary election will take place on July 7.
We are writing to urge you consider joining ETAN's Solidarity Observer
Project as a volunteer observer. If you can't come, we urge you to
support this and other important ETAN projects with a donation. (Go to
http://etan.org/etan/donate.htm
for details on how to donate online or by mail.)
We need observers before election day to observe the preparations and
campaign period. The bulk of observers are needed for the weeks immediately
preceding and following the voting. An ongoing team will do
follow-up reporting, evaluation, and closing of the project during
July-August. ETAN will help find housing for volunteers coming from outside
Timor-Leste, but we are asking our observers to cover their own expenses,
including international travel, visas, food, and a contribution toward the
housing cost.
To apply to be an ETAN Observer, please send us a note of your interest to
etanobserver@gmail.com; then download and return the Application
Questionnaire:
Word file,
PDF file. Please read it thoroughly before completing it; it includes
estimated costs of participation and other requirements. Please use
additional pages as necessary to complete the Application Questionnaire, and
return it to
etanobserver@gmail.com by June 1, 2012.
You can find the Code of Conduct for project participant and other important
forms at
http://etan.org/news/2012/observer2012.htm. Please note that, by
returning the Application Questionnaire, you are affirming your intent,
should you be accepted by the project to sign and agree to the Code of
Conduct and the Release of Liability, and that you understand that you will
be asked either to bring these signed documents with you when you come to
Timor-Leste, or will sign them in the presence of project staff upon your
arrival; and to bring with you to Timor-Leste the signed Medical Release
form.
We are in urgent need of funds to cover this project's costs and make it
a success. Please make a contribution today! If you have ideas about
potential funding sources - please
share them with us!
Please contact us, if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you for your
support!
In solidarity,
John M. Miller, National Coordinator
Elice Higginbotham, Solidarity Observer Project Coordinator
East Timor and Indonesia Action Network
|
How to
Donate to ETAN
U.S.-tax deductible and other donation
options
to support this
and other important ETAN projects
You can donate safely by credit card
through ETAN's website:
http://etan.org/etan/donate.htm Or you can mail your donation.
To support ETAN's U.S. political advocacy work, write a check made
out to "ETAN." For ETAN's educational efforts, tax-deductible
donations of over $50 can be made out to "A.J. Muste Memorial
Institute/ETAN." Please mail your donations to: East Timor and
Indonesia Action Network (ETAN), PO Box 21873, Brooklyn, NY
11202-1873. |
You can donate safely by credit card:
http://etan.org/etan/donate.htm Or you can mail your
donation. To support ETAN's political advocacy work, write a
check made out to "ETAN." For ETAN's educational efforts,
tax-deductible donations of over $50 can be made out to "A.J.
Muste Memorial Institute/ETAN." Please mail your donations to:
East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN), PO Box 21873,
Brooklyn, NY 11202-1873.
