Joaquim T. de Negreiros, Lisbon – Joao Carrascalao, Chairman of the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT), is unbending: UDT will not take part in the first resistance overseas congress. There are various reasons, but one determining factor is his rejection of Ramos Horta's status as Xanana Gusmao's overseas representative.
The UDT Chairman is convinced that there is now "antagonism" between the resistance's historic leader, imprisoned in Java, and the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has taken on the role of Xanana's spokesperson outside East Timor.
Carrascalao says that he detected "antagonism" recently and alluded to Ramos Horta's "moderation" in various statements about Indonesia, and to references by Horta to "immaturity" on the part of the Timorese having been one of the causes of the Indonesian invasion. The UDT Chairman said he did not believe that Xanana Gusmao would agree with that such positions.
Carrascalao does not question Ramos Horta's role in the Timorese resistance - on the contrary, he argues that Horta "has won his own place" and "ought to speak for himself" -, but does say that his concerns about the status of Xanana Gusmao's representative contributed to his decision not to attend the congress of overseas Timorese resistance activists, to be held early this year in Lisbon.
The symbol and the Leader
The other reasons why the UDT Chairman wants to keep his organisation away from the congress are, he says, connected with the representation of the various political groups taking part, and with the way in which the meeting was being organised.
According to Joao Carrascalao, the congress organising committee started the congress preparations without first hearing the views of the UDT, and even went as far as issuing statements assuming positions which conflicted with UDT's line. The problem again turns on Xanana. Carrascalao mentions a communiqui which stated that one of the aims of the congress would be the consolidation of Xanana Gusmao's leadership, when UDT does not recognise that leadership. "Xanana is a symbol of Timorese resistance", says Joao Carrascalao, "but while he is a prisoner, he cannot be a leader because he is subject to restrictions imposed on him by the Indonesians".
On the question of representation at the congress, the UDT Chairman disagrees that his party should be allotted the same number of delegates to which "the various Timorese mini-organisations..." are entitled. Neither will he agree to a tripartite distribution among the main political forces - UDT, Fretilin and the CNRM, because he claims that, unlike UDT, Fretilin is integrated in the CNRM and this fact would, therefore, unbalance the relative participation of each one of the three organisations from the outset.
Over the next few days there will be no shortage of appeals to UDT's Chairman to reconsider his position and to agree to participate in the congress. Today and tomorrow, Carrascalao may be found in Lisbon attending the seminar "Rethinking Timor", organised by Professor Barbedo de Magalhaes. Later, he will be having a private meeting with Ramos Horta and Jose Luis Guterres (Fretilin) after they have all been received by the President of Portugal.