[The following is a slightly abridged version of a speech given by Sarah Stephen, a member of the Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific brigade to East Timor, at a protest organised by a number of East Timorese groups in Dili on May 19.]
Today is the last day of the United Nations running East Timor. Tomorrow, the East Timorese people will begin to govern themselves.
In Australia, many of us have campaigned hard for a free and independent East Timor. Australian governments have always supported the Indonesian occupation of East Timor from Gough Whitlam to Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, Paul Keating and John Howard.
But many people in Australia disagreed with the government. After the referendum in 1999, through street protests we forced the Howard government to send the army to East Timor to stop the Indonesian military and militia killings.
John Howard sent troops, but John Howard is not your friend. The Australian government still doesn't care about the people of East Timor. If Australia cared about the East Timorese people, the government would not be stealing East Timor's oil!
You have lived so long with war, occupation and destruction, but the spirit and determination of the people can achieve many things rebuild cities and towns, build up agriculture. But you need resources to do that, you need money. But not money from the World Bank, from the IMF. Not loans which you have to repay by cutting wages, health, education.
The oil in the Timor Sea, which is worth many millions of dollars in royalties, gives the East Timorese people the chance to climb out of poverty. But the Australian government is doing everything it can to deny East Timor that future.
Australia is ignoring international law and using its strength to force East Timor to accept less than it is entitled to.
In Australia, we will not stand by and let this happen. We will fight the government's exploitation of East Timor. We will defend your right to economic independence.
Your struggle is our struggle. Viva Timor Leste! From Green Left Weekly, May 29, 2002.
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