Received from
Joyo Indonesia News
Associated Press
March 14, 2005
East Timor's first president resigns from legislature,
citing government failures
A man who served as East Timor's temporary leader in 1975 before
it was invaded by Indonesia resigned Monday from his country's legislature,
citing the government's failure to attract foreign investment and
saying he wants to prepare for 2007 elections.
Francisco Xavier do Amaral, who lost to popular resistance leader
Xanana Gusmao in the territory's first free presidential election
in 2002, said he
was
powerless to solve East Timor's problems, including weak economic
growth, because of the failures of the ruling nationalist party,
Fretilin.
"It is already three years since our independence but no investors
have yet come to East Timor to invest here and offer job opportunity
to the people," do Amaral said. He said he would begin preparing
for 2007 parliamentary and presidential polls.
Do Amaral served as East Timor's acting president during the 10
days in 1975 between Portugal's withdrawal as its colonial ruler
and Indonesia's invasion of the territory of 600,000 people.
Like other Fretilin leaders, do Amaral escaped into the mountains
and led a guerrilla war against the occupiers. But he soon fell
out of favor with Fretilin, saying he was unwilling to continue
the struggle in which about 200,000 people _ a third of the population
_ perished.
In 1978, he was captured by Indonesian troops and taken to Jakarta,
where he remained a prisoner for over two decades.
In 1999, East Timor opted overwhelmingly for independence in a
U.N.-organized referendum that sparked widespread retaliatory violence
by the Indonesian army and its proxy militias. The territory achieved
full independence in 2002 following a period of U.N. transitional
rule, but remains Asia's poorest country.
Do Amaral returned to Dili in 2000 and set up his own political
party, the Association of Timorese Social Democrats, which he hoped
would challenge Fretilin's dominance by attracting more foreign
aid and investment.
But he garnered only 17 percent of the presidential vote when he
challenged Gusmao in 2002.
Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri criticized do Amaral's resignation.
