Mark Dodd, Dili – A senior East Timorese politician has threatened to resign from a decision-making body in protest over the arrival this week of an Indonesian air force plane delivering humanitarian aid to the devastated territory.
However political analysts and diplomats believe the real motive behind Mr Joao Carrascalao's threat to resign from the National Consultative Commission is a behind-the-scenes power play within the ranks of East Timor's increasingly fragile political umbrella group, the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT).
Mr Carrascalao, the nominal head of the UDT (Timorese Democratic Union), threatened on Tuesday to resign from the NCC, a joint United Nations-all party contact group comprising the UN, rival East Timorese political factions and the Catholic Church.
A long-time Australian resident and outspoken critic of the Indonesian military, Mr Carrascalao slammed a decision to allow the arrival on Monday of an Indonesian Air Force plane in Dili, a gift endorsed by President Abdurrahman Wahid, who plans to visit East Timor later this month.
In doing so Mr Carrascalao placed himself in direct opposition to East Timor's independence leader Mr Xanana Gusmao, who heads the CNRT and who had earlier requested the aircraft's arrival be delayed so he could welcome the Indonesian gift. Another senior CNRT official, Nobel laureate Mr Jose Ramos Horta, had also welcomed the offer of Indonesian humanitarian aid.
The Indonesian gift, organised by an interfaith church group and two Dili-based non-government organisations, was described by the UN transitional authority (UNTAET) spokesman, Mr Manuel de Almeida e Silva, as a "very important gesture of goodwill" in advance of President Wahid's arrival on February 24. UNTAET tried unsucessfully to contact Indonesian Government officials on Sunday but was told it was too late to prevent the aircraft's departure.
Mr Almeida e Silva said yesterday he had not yet received a formal letter of resignation from Mr Carrascalao but confirmed his threat to resign. CNRT and diplomatic sources said that a subsequent attempt by Mr Carrascalao to stage an organised demonstration at the airport failed and the plane landed without incident.
"On the eve of the Wahid visit this is a hugely important gesture from Indonesia – both Xanana and Ramos Horta have said that," a senior Western diplomat said. "The essential element to all this is that Wahid is a good friend of Xanana and Ramos Horta – he's known them for years. They have full confidence in him. In fact they don't have a better friend in the world," he said, asking to remain anonymous.
"Joao has reacted badly to the military aircraft. His whole objection was based on the possibility of a popular protest. My own assessment is he's jockeying for a political position and he's frustrated at what he sees as Xanana getting all the limelight."