Mark Dodd, Dili – Making the transformation from a revolutionary front to an orthodox political party is a lot harder than it seems for East Timor's biggest pro-independence group, Fretilin.
A five-day national conference held by the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) attracted several thousand delegates but ended with mixed results and deep divisions remaining over the party's future direction.
Fretilin did make some headway in atoning for a series of bloody internal purges during the chaos and violence in the early years that followed Indonesia's 1975 invasion of East Timor.
Its first president, Mr Xavier Do Amaral, regarded as a political moderate, was formally rehabilitated after being expelled from the party as a "traitor" in 1977.
On the thorny issue of dismantling the old clandestine structures established during the 24-year struggle against Indonesia, the party registered less success. The network refers to the secretive organisational structure of cadres that served Fretilin during the fight for independence.
Reformists, including independence leader Mr Xanana Gusmao, have urged Fretilin to adopt democratic change including elections for office bearers, a proposal that is resisted by hardliners such as veteran freedom fighter Mr David Ximenes.
"David Ximenes is an important man in Fretilin. Maybe in the future he might want to set up his own party," said Mr Otelio Ote, general co-ordinator for the East Timorese Journalists' Association, referring to the possibility of a split among Fretilin moderates and hardliners.
The debate over what language should be used in East Timor was so heated it almost resulted in chairs being thrown by some conference delegates.
East Timor university students are adamant they do not want Portuguese as a language of instruction. They say English or Indonesian are much more useful, while traditional Tetum should be the mother tongue.
Senior independence officials, including CNRT President Mr Gusmao, want Portuguese adopted as the national tongue, evidence they are out of touch and living in the past, say the students.
A shortage of skilled politicians with the capability and vision of unifying the country is one of the biggest problems facing the hotchpotch of political parties, splinter groups and revolutionary fronts that now exist.
"In reality, none of the political parties can run East Timor alone – they simply don't have the capable people to do it," one senior CNRT official said.
Hope now rests that the CNRT's National Congress in August will produce a blueprint to chart East Timor's future political direction. However, on one issue East Timor's various political factions are unified, an increasing dislike of the United Nations' influence over their lives.