Louise Williams – East Timorese journalists are dismayed over an agreement which will probably leave their newly independent nation without an independent national broadcaster and hands control of television and radio to its former colonial power, Portugal.

The protocol of co-operation between East Timor, and Portugal provides for Portuguese-language broadcasting in the new nation, where only the minority of older citizens speak or understand the language.

The document, which has not been made public, makes no mention of the most widely understood local language, Tetum, nor minimum local content requirements or training for East Timorese journalists. Control of the media is an important issue in East Timor which was subjected to strict censorship under Indonesian rule.

"Will we have to listen to the news from the other side of the world and yet be in the dark about what is happening in our own country," said Virgilio da Silva Guterres, president of the Timor Lorosa'e Journalists' Association.

One of the main criticisms of the agreement is that it leaves no role for other regional players, such as Australia, to help develop an independent national broadcaster more suitable to East Timor's geographic location.

Under the protocol, much of the radio and television content will be programming from Europe, with little relevance to the subsistence farmers of East Timor.

Local journalists also fear the protocol will not guarantee freedom of expression, one of the key pillars of a democratic political system. There are fears the newly elected transitional government will not be subject to sufficient scrutiny without a healthy, independent local media.

"The first thing Mr Mari Alkitari, the Chief Minister, should do now is to ensure East Timorese that there will be a public broadcast service in East Timor and that the Government will never try to influence the content of news," Mr Guterres said.

"Technical co-operation, like the protocol, are important measures we must take in the future, not just with countries like Portugal, but also with countries in the region, like the ABC of Australia."

The decision about which language the new nation adopts is also extremely important for its future, and its ability to establish itself in the Asia Pacific region. In the new Constitution, Tetum and Portuguese are set as the two national languages, but the majority of young people do not understand Portuguese and instead speak and understand Indonesian. The political elite, who occupy the senior government positions, were educated during the Portuguese period.

However, a Portuguese-language broadcasting service would be a problem for most of the population, many of whom do not want to go back to a European language. Indonesian, which is close to the version of Malay spoken in Malaysia, is a widely used regional language.

"Will this mean our unique language disappears from broadcasting? Will Timorese voices ever be heard on the nation's own radio and television?," Mr Guterres asked.

The majority of young people argue they must also learn English if East Timor is to have any chance to engage internationally and to advance its fledgling economy.