East Timor a nation at last

By AUDREY YOUNG

The sweet smell of clove cigarettes hangs in the warm air at Taci Tolo grounds, where a sea of East Timorese sit patiently on bare dirt.

They are here for independence celebrations. To avoid overcrowding, passes were limited to 200,000 and distributed by churches.

The ceremony, which will begin with the arrival of dignitaries such as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and former US President Bill Clinton, is still four hours away.

But when you have been waiting for 27 years, a few more hours do not matter.

As a curtain-raiser, the crowd is entranced by documentaries on 25 years of resistance to Indonesian occupation - watched on the kind of giant screens seen at Eden Park.

A spontaneous murmur of approval ripples around the grounds when the face of an old hero of the Falintil guerrilla army appears.

Whenever former guerrilla leader and now President Xanana Gusmao appears on screen, the murmur turns to a symphony of oohs and aahs - sometimes accompanied by a standing ovation.

Tears roll down the cheeks of one frail old woman with thick glasses.

Later, a small group of proud former Falintil soldiers march into the performance arena, kiss a small East Timorese flag and hand it to members of the new East Timor Defence Force - a simple symbol of the passage to statehood.

The films over, real politics begin.

Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta takes the stage. He has been a familiar sight around the world, his designer stubble matching his designer collarless suits.

The warmth of his introduction to each of the foreign leaders is of one who knows most of them personally.

Samoa, for example, is welcomed but its peacekeepers lightly castigated for always boasting about how their fruit is better than East Timor's.

Mr Clinton receives the kind of welcome dished out to a film star.

Mr Ramos Horta turns serious with a moving tribute to members of the international solidarity movement who never gave up on East Timor.

"They are the soldiers of peace ... We thank you. We love you."

Then to Indonesia.

Megawati Sukarnoputri has just arrived, Mr Ramos Horta tells the crowd.

He adds that she has also visited the cemetery of Indonesian heroes.

He utters the word "heroes" as if swallowing glass. It is a concession he forces himself to make because she has forced herself to be there.

And before anyone can dwell on it, Mr Ramos Horta announces the arrival of Megawati on the stage.

The crowd erupts with delight. Throughout the night other references to the Indonesian President are greeted with similar acclaim.

The welcome is a spontaneous moment of reconciliation - the true act of an independent people.

Feature: Indonesia and East Timor

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