Small world...
Yesterday, I was walking and talking to my cell phone, when suddenly someone tapped my shoulder at the Central Railway Station square. I hardly believed my eyes to see two Timorese civil service directors, Mr Augusto Barreto and Mr Liborio Pereira here. Considering how much I have been thinking about Timor-Leste in the past week, I almost felt these people were miraculously summoned by my thoughts (in reality, they had been attending a training).
While they told me some scary details, and even scarier rumours, they nevertheless seemed to have an underlying confidence that things will get better again. This attitude I think is one of the most important resources in the country.
I remember witnessing the same attitude all over the country many times: despite the harsh conditions and often many complaints about various things, the majority of the people want to participate in the nation building. That is also why I found some of the reporting by press (especially information coming from certain countries…) almost offending. I hope that the Timorese don’t start to believe in such statements as ‘There is zero belief in future among the people’ and ‘the nation is deeply divided in two’.
While they told me some scary details, and even scarier rumours, they nevertheless seemed to have an underlying confidence that things will get better again. This attitude I think is one of the most important resources in the country.
I remember witnessing the same attitude all over the country many times: despite the harsh conditions and often many complaints about various things, the majority of the people want to participate in the nation building. That is also why I found some of the reporting by press (especially information coming from certain countries…) almost offending. I hope that the Timorese don’t start to believe in such statements as ‘There is zero belief in future among the people’ and ‘the nation is deeply divided in two’.
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