Honolulu – Although East Timor leaders know that building a constructive relationship with Indonesia is essential for a more secure future, the new nation's first lady said this poses a dilemma for a country badly scarred by violence under Indonesian rule.

East Timorese want to see justice for the human rights violations they suffered at the hands of Indonesia. "Women have been at the forefront of the push for justice," said Kirsty Sword Gusmao, who founded the Alola Foundation to address the needs of East Timorese women.

Although East Timor's leadership has "called for forgiveness" in building relations with Indonesia, Gusmao said "this is an ongoing battle the government will have to wage. It is a dilemma. I see both points of view."

Gusmao, who spoke at a recent lunch at the East-West Center, was in Honolulu to participate in a workshop on East Timor sponsored by the Center of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii. A native Australian, she met her husband, President Xanana Gusmao, while she was a human rights campaigner and he was imprisoned in Jakarta for his leadership in the pro-independence movement. East Timor became an independent nation in 1999.

Gusmao said she holds a strong interest in developments in Aceh, where the Free Aceh Movement and Indonesian military forces have been battling. She said some of the same Indonesian military leaders accused of human rights abuses in East Timor are now serving in Aceh. "East Timor people feel sympathy," she said.

Calling herself the "first lady of the poorest country in Asia," she said that "every area seems to be a priority" in terms of needing basic government services. With 40 percent of the population under the age of 19, the government faces huge challenges. "There are great expectations [among the people] for economic development."

She said the country's civil servants face a "very sharp learning curve" in developing a sense of civic duty and "defending against the new enemies – poverty and ignorance." With leadership for the first time in the hands of East Timorese, corruption and collusion mustB end to "make sure the blood of the past was not shed in vain."