Report on East Timor electoral observation

Endie van Binsbergen, International Observer, Ref. No. IEC 0400

15-08-2001
 

Introduction -elections, political parties

Elections
At the 30th of August 2001, the people of East Timor will vote for the Constituent Assembly. 88 seats in total, 75 national, 13 regional. On election day, voters will receive two ballot papers, one for the national parties and one for the district candidates, to be collected in separated ballot boxes. Elections are conducted by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

Political Parties
The following 16 political parties, in alphabetic order, are running candidacy: APODETI Pró-Referendum; ASDT; FRETILIN; KOTA; PARENTIL; PD; PCD; PDM; PL; PNT; PPT; PSD; PST; PTT; UCD/PDC; UDT. A Pact of National Unity (to be in force from the date signed by the leaders of political parties until the promulgation of the Constitution of East Timor) was signed at July 8th 2001 in Dili by 13 of the above mentioned parties. PNT, PST and PARENTIL did not sign the Pact. Apart from the political parties, also independent candidates will run for the elections.
 

IEC -communication, observer badges

Communication
Observers for the elections in East Timor are accredited by the IEC. We requested for information and application forms in June, through email (the same address as written in the Regulations for the Accreditation for International Observers), but no reply.

Therefore, I visited the IEC office in Dili in person on July 9th to collect the application form and the form for the members of the delegation, which I both returned the next day. I was then given a copy of the regulations, and not -in contrast with these regulations- the Code of Conduct. Immediately after my arrival in Viqueque, our office sent an email to request for the Code of Conduct.

On August 1st, I visited the IEC office in Dili again. This was the official date of arrival of the delegation of our organization, as was written on the application form. I was then informed that our appeal for accreditation had been approved at the 20th of July. We had not been informed about the approval any earlier, although our contact details and date of planned arrival were clearly written at the form. We consider this most inconvenient, regarding preparations of (air) travel tickets and documents for our observers. We had no choice but to buy the tickets and travel to Dili without any guarantee of accreditation, although this had already been granted without our knowledge.

At my own request, I was given the Code of Conduct. A week later, another copy of the Code of Conduct was sent by email in reply to the earlier sent request.

Observer Badges
In the IEC office in Dili, I was told at the 1st of August that the Observer Badges had not arrived from Darwin yet and was asked to come back later. As I did this, I was shown that the badges did not match with the lamination sent from Darwin. I was then promised that our badges would be sent to Viqueque through IEC Viqueque, and was given an official letter to state that our organization had been accredited by the IEC. After the notification on the arrival of our badges in Viqueque (August 13th), I went to the IEC office to collect them. I then noticed that we had been given a double set of badges, with different Ref. Numbers. I only accepted the set with the same ref. numbers as were handwritten on the photocopy of our list of observers and left the other set at the IEC office. I have no idea why there were two sets and different ref. numbers.

At the 7th of August, I met two International Observers from the Carter Center as they visited Viqueque. I noticed that they used IEC badges that stated they were "Party Agents". The observers said that this was what they had been given by the IEC, although it was clear that these were the wrong badges. (I have been informed that these badges have been replaced now.)

Observer badges are very much the same as Party Agent badges, with a big IEC logo prominently in the middle. The words "Party Agent" or "Observer" are printed far to small for people to identify the difference at instant. This might be good enough on entree of a polling station, but is surely confusing for East Timorese people. We, the observers, have a hard time being recognized as truly independent from both the political parties and the IEC. We need to be able to create an atmosphere of trust, in order to make it easy for people to speak freely to us. We will therefore create our own observer badges, with the words ?Observador? and ?Pemantau? prominently printed, to be understood by East Timorese.
 

UNDP -information kits

As I visited the UNDP office in Dili August 2nd to request for the Information Kit as was described in the above mentioned regulations- I was informed that material for the observers would be available on the 20th of August, which is only ten days before the elections. I was given the reason that most observers would not arrive much earlier than that date. At this time, it was clear that at least Carter Center and our organization would be present weeks before the 30th of August, to observe the period before the election.
 

Observations in Viqueque District

Over-all impression

Many people that I talked to in Viqueque District say to be still confused about the elections. Also, people express fear for possible violence towards and after the outcome of the elections. Questions often raised:

How could it happen that people's names were not on the list although registered?
Why do many people have to travel long distance for polling?
How can we be sure that IEC is truly independent? Independent from what?
How can we be sure that UNTAET is not pushing forward its favorite?
What is the status of the Constituent Assembly, are they the new government?
What happens if the UN does not like our political choice?
Why dollarization, does that make us dependent on the USA?
What happens if USA does not like the outcome of the elections?
How about people in the villages who get little information?
Why is Civic Education so late with their information?
 

Here in Viqueque, I witnessed several times drunken driving, racist attitude and lack of knowledge of recent history of this country, by members of IEC staff. Professional training, briefing and a Code of Conduct do not seem to be sufficient to avoid this.

It needs to be said that I have not reported, nor discussed this with IEC authorities in Viqueque before publishing this report.

Also, I found that CivPol in Dilor (Lacluta sub-district) had been informed in Dili that there were no specifics about the area. I spoke with Tim Dodds, who was very co-operative. He told me he had been stationed in Dilor for about 2 months now. He had not been informed about the fact that both Dilor and Umatolu had been militia strongholds in 1999, nor the consequences of this for the population. I briefed him on observations made by the IFET-observers team at that time, as I took part in that team.
 
 

Political Parties

6 political parties with district candidates in Viqueque district, in alphabetic order:
APODETI Pro Ref; FRETILIN; PD; PL; PSD and UDT. I will not report on the contents of political programs at this point. I consider this more a task for local observers, as I am not capable to read or understand Tetum.

I do speak Bahasa Indonesia though and whish to concentrate on the question whether these elections will be free and fair for the inhabitants of Viqueque District.

Civil Registration -missing names, long distance traveling

Only people who have registered themselves and can show their registration card are allowed to join the elections. People need to come and check in order to know in which polling center / station they should bring out their vote. Complications were reported, as to names missing on the list and long distance traveling to polling centers.

Initially, civil registration was not linked to the elections as the registration was meant to count the entire population (including the children). At a later stage it was decided to draw the names of voters from the civil registration.

Missing names
In Nahareka (sub-district Ossu), 56 % of the people that came to check did not find their names on the list, although they had been registered. This was confirmed by Mihael Cajus, DEO in Ossurua at that time.

Two observers from the Carter Center told me that in one of the sub-districts in Los Palos the number was 40%. They had been visiting several districts and estimated that in all of East Timor 5 to 10 % of the people that came to check did not find their name on the list.

Long distance traveling
Large numbers of people complained about the distance they need to travel to the polling center they have been appointed to. In many cases this may (or will) result in people not bringing out their vote, as public transport is hard to find and people do not whish to abandon their children and cattle for more than a few hours..

Reports have come in from Dili, stating that people have been appointed to vote at the Island Atauro, and the following email came in from Oecussi, written by a DEO in function there:

Date: Sat, 04 Aug 2001 21:14:24 EDT
From: xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Greetings from Viqueque
To: <endievb@yahoo.com>

Endie,
(...) I have gotten no happier since I last wrote. I will never ever be a UNV again, nor will I work for the UN election office. Incompetence is just too great for me to take.

I wish I could tell you how the election in Oecussi will be free but not fair. Because of the particular system the UN has devised, lots of people have to walk 13kms one way to vote, which means that a couple of hundred old folks and sick will not be able to vote. In fact, the nearest polling station is only 3 kms from where they live, but the UN insists that they have to vote where they registered. This might be a problem particular to OE, but it does disenfranchise a lot of people, and is not fair.
-----------------
IEC new Polling Procedure

Through IEC, I was informed that the "IEC Board has approved a change in the procedures, to allow any eligible voter who registered with Civil Registry before 23 June, and who has proof of registration, but who for technical reasons doesn?t appear in the final voters list, to vote".

(For over-all facts and figures on missing and added names to the voters list, ask for: Statement of the Chief Electoral Officer, July 30th, 2001)
 

Polling centers in the district

Viqueque 5
Ossu 5
Lacluta 1
Uato Lari 5
Uato Karbau 2

18 polling centers, altogether 61 polling stations, for 35 suco?s in Viqueque district.
17 District Electoral Officers (DEO) until the second week of August, now 18.

Early August, the village chief of Bahatata, Uato Karbau, expressed concern over the absence of a DEO visiting Bahatata. This was reported by the DA during the UNTAET staff meeting, August7th.
 

Voter Education

It was noticed that not all printed Voter Education material is accurate. Information is spread in four languages (Portuguese, Tetum, Bahasa Indonesia en English), but show a difference in information in the language variants. Example, one version informs that the ballot paper for District Candidates will be blue, the National ballot paper white. Another -translated- version says the opposite. This was confirmed by IEC staff, Viqueque sub-district Uato Lari.

Posters that show the ballot papers (both National and Regional) were spread in Viqueque town at 14th of August, yet to be distributed into the sub-districts.

Voter education material in the form of short films on VCD requires (small) generators for areas without electricity (most of the villages). IEC staff told me that these are to heavy to carry to villages that require hours of walking before reach. One IEC staff told me he had not seen nor shown the film, because the VCD given to him does not function.

As I observed voter education in Beobe (Sub-district Viqueque) on the 12th of August, the generator used here malfunctioned. Luckily, Beobe has electricity (7 PM until midnight). The whole installation was moved near a house to start up again. This would not have been possible in most of the other villages in this district or elsewhere in East Timor. It needs to be said that the Voter Education Officer took the discomfort patiently.

Villagers in Uaimori Tula stated that there is no need for Voters Education to come to their village, as most of them will not go to vote and leave their children and cattle for such a long time. This was confirmed by the Civic Education Officer who recently visited the village. They were welcomed warmly, this in contrast with the visit of Voter Education only a few days after that, when people did not turn up at all.
 

Civic Education

I found that more time could have been spent to Civic Education, especially in the villages people often need more intense attention to the material. I wonder why the program had not started earlier. According to Paul Greening, Civic Education has visited almost the entire district of Viqueque by now, and was successful, given the time they had. In reply to my question if he thinks they had enough time, he replied: "Not enough time at all, Civic Education should have started a year ago."
 

Incidents

House burning in Buicarin
August 4th, early morning, house burning occurred in Buicarin. CivPol investigations were made and led to the information that mentioned houses had been abandoned for some time. Official report states that no political motives were involved and that it is more likely that people tried to get support from UNTAET and NGO?s. (As people in Boromatan received support after the incidents of last March.)

Political dispute in Umatolu
On August 9th, while traveling with the DFO of Lacluta on our way back from Dilor to Viqueque, our car was stopped in Umatolu by people who wanted the DFO's advice in a political dispute between two villagers, named Armando and Antonio. The village had already started an attempt to solve the dispute traditionally, but the man named Antonio had walked out of the mediation. The DFO informed whether violence had been involved which was not to case. After a short discussion with the village chief, the DFO and a local policeman went to Antonio?s house to ask him to rejoin the mediation, with success. The DFO then joined the mediation and sat down positioned in between the two men, Antonio (PST) and Armando (FRETILIN).

Antonio had taken a letter to the Electoral Office, stating that Armando had threatened people not to vote for PST. According to Antonio, witnesses told him that Armando had done so while reporting in the village about the reconciliation ceremony in Viqueque (July 28th). Armando denied this. The mentioned witnesses were not present. During the second attempt of mediation, Antonio walked of twice, both times called back by the DFO. At the end of the mediation, when both men were willing to shake hands, Antonio was asked if he was willing to write a new letter, in order to withdraw the accusation. Antonio then said that he had already withdrawn the letter from the Electoral Office. The two men shook hands and the dispute seemed over.

On August 13th, on request of CivPol, we informed Antonio that his letter had already reached Dili, so CivPol wanted his statement. Antonio then said that he would not write a letter to withdraw his accusation.

Follow up of the political dispute in Umatolu
I checked with CivPol in Viqueque on the police report on the political dispute in Umatolu. I saw and read the initial letter that Antonio Pinto had taken to the Electoral Office (Bahasa Indonesia). According to the letter, Armando Soares allegedly threatened Talioan people (sub-village of Umatolu) while reporting about the Fretilin campaign in Viqueque (not the reconciliation, as I was told earlier). According to Antonio, a witness had told him that Armando had threatened people by saying that if they would not vote FRETILIN, voted for or joined another party they would be caught and sentenced.

In the CivPol report, I also saw and read a photocopy of the letter that Antonio Pinto wrote on August 13th, which he handed over to the CivPol in Dilor. In this letter Antonio states that he did not hear Armando speak, nor hear him make any threats. He also states that Armando and him have already made peace and that the case is finished. He wants to withdraw the initial letter and wants it back.

Stone throwing in Dilor
Stones were thrown at the Electoral Office in Dilor in the night, shortly after the recruitment of local polling staff. CivPol reported that this was most likely done by people that drafted, but were not selected.

Threatening letter to local polling staff in Dilor
A letter in Bahasa Indonesia was found on the doorstep, threatening a local polling staff member. The letter stated that the man was connected to Besi Merah Putih (militia) and was signed by "The Youngmen". (Addressed polling staff member worked for Indonesia before the referendum.) The author of the letter has not been found. The receiver told the CivPol that he does not fear the threat. According to the CivPol report, this letter was most likely also a reaction from one or more persons who drafted, but were not selected.

Incidents during political campaigns
So far, I spotted no incidents during political campaigns in Viqueque district and no incidents have been reported to the CivPol.
 

* End of report on electoral observations in Viqueque, Endie van Binsbergen *