Making dreams a reality

Joaozito Viana, finance officer and spokesperson for Luta Hamutuk [Tina Leme]

CAFOD partner Luta Hamutuk works to improve the lives of those enjoying hard-won freedoms in East Timor. In 2007, the group helped ensure a fair process for the country's first democratic election

Luta Hamutuk (meaning "struggle together") started with just five staff members, and involving local people in its work has been crucial to their success. CAFOD has provided support for training and developing this work.

In July 2007 more than 500,000 votes were cast in elections for East Timor’s 65-seat parliament. Luta Hamutuk worked as part of a coalition encouraging people to vote and ensuring they understood how to do so.

The coalition provided 1,054 district observers – two observers for each polling station, – one woman and one man – to monitor the voting process.

Founder member Joaozito Viana says: “For a new country such as East Timor the voting has gone sufficiently well. There have been some violations but just small ones.

"It is important people know what to do and can make their own decisions in elections because this will decide the leader of their country who will manage their country and ensure their rights in the future.”

Working at national level, the group can maintain close contact with observers, report on the electoral process, and review the election process for the public, National Electoral Commission, new President, parliament and media.

“Some voting papers were spoiled because people did not did not understand how to select their candidate,” explains Joaozito. “Before the elections it was agreed to provide good lighting for counting the votes but this has not been the case everywhere, which makes it difficult to monitor.”

Luta Hamutuk made recommendations to the National Electoral Commission based on its experience and Joaozito hopes this will help improve future elections.

Monitoring spending

Keeping a close eye on the government is not just at election time. The government budget has increased hugely from around $124 million in 2005-6 to $324 million in 2006-7 - mostly due to extra revenue from oil, gas and domestic tax.

Luta Hamutuk made a film to help local people understand how to monitor budgetary spending.

“Many people can’t read. Showing them a film is a better way to train people,” Joaozito explains.

“It helps if they know our country’s budget and how it is being spent. Schooling, health, water and sanitation are basic rights for the people so they must know what is planned.

“We are trying to put systems in place to make sure this happens. The government has been working on this but there is still room for improvement.”

“After all, our people own the oil and gas so the money should go to them,”

In such a small country (population around one million), village chiefs can wield a lot of power and influence, just by mobilising their village to lobby government representatives in their area.

Although parliament gives the go-ahead for local projects, it is not able to monitor them to ensure they are carried out to plan, so Luta Hamutuk helps communities raise any issues with the Commission for Human Rights and Justice.

Joaozito comments: “Our country has regained independence but the question now is how to make sure the people really experience and feel that independence - how government policy helps them develop.

“This was one of the dreams – a new country must be nurtured. Now East Timor has independence, the aim is to bring economic justice for our people."

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