Local NGOs in national development: The case of East Timor

The CNRT Congress
In August 2000 the CNRT held its first Congress inside East Timor, an important event
which developed a ‘Pact of National Unity’, restructured the CNRT itself to enable it
to function effectively through the transition process, and passed a series of important
resolutions about that process and the desired future of the country. The Congress
urged UNTAET, in order to avoid ‘suspicion and conflict between political parties and
also between political parties and civil society… to enable the civil society to carry out
its rights within the democratic system’, including monitoring government activities. It
recognised that people should be able to criticise and provide ideas, hold others
accountable, and exercise their rights (CNRT 2000:26).
Thus by late 2000 the rightful place of civil society in the development of the new
nation was formally accepted by major sectors of East Timor’s society, particularly
political society.
Preparing for elections through civic education
The first significant step in establishing the framework for the new nation was the
development of the Constitution. This was to be undertaken by the 88-member
Constituent Assembly to be elected in late August 2001. This was the first time that
East Timorese political parties would be free to canvass voters across the nation, and
was to be the first real test of whether East Timor could manage its political affairs in a
peaceful way. In preparation, there was to be a major civic education program
developed to teach people about democracy and ensure that they understood what they
were being asked to vote on. The secrecy and integrity of the ballot were to be key
issues. But a major controversy erupted in October 2000 over UNTAET’s proposed
eight million dollar project ‘Civic Education for Democracy in East Timor’. Local
NGOs reacted angrily to a project which epitomised for them the way international
efforts were still overlooking significant local capacity. It had been students and
women’s groups as well as other activists now working for NGOs, who had carried out
much of the voter education prior to the August 1999 ballot, under intensely repressive
circumstances. ‘What qualifications would international staff bring which local actors
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