Local Governance in Timor-Leste - Secretaria de Estado da Arte e ...

party. This was more of an overt and contentious issue in Venilale, an area that isdominated by the Fretilin party and has experienced ongoing party political violencesince the civil war, most recently in 2007. But it is also an extremely importantconsideration in Ainaro where there is a broader mix of political parties.The position of xefe suku is a good example of the impact that the role itself has onthe balance that is found within a hybrid political environment, as the xefe suku isrequired to be more 'worldly' than the xefe aldeia. As well as satisfying traditionalideas of socio-political legitimacy by coming from the 'right' house, s/he must alsoattract projects to the suku and sometimes coordinate those projects, manage accountsand provide statistics on claims for government assistance, and act as a political'contact point' between external actors and the suku. This opens up new networks,potential power bases and interests, and modern influences become equally important.This more 'worldly' role was also reflected in how the xefe suku chose to presenthim/herself: for example, the xefe suku of Ainaro preferred to explain his status withinthe community in terms of his role as nurep during the resistance rather than the factthat he came from the liurai house. It was only on speaking to others in the suku whoexpressed relief that someone so capable also held traditional legitimacy that hisbackground was divulged.As fieldwork progressed, it became clear that these various cross-cutting layers ofidentity and affiliation are all important and often interdependent as strategic alliancesare made as part of everyday local politics. For example, it was explained by anumber of xefe suku that their political party approached them to stand as candidatesin part because they came from the liurai house. Equally, in suku-based researchconducted in another area, it was considered important that the xefe suku belonged tothe same political party as the national government, with the logic that they wouldhave a better chance of bringing government resources into the suku 37 . In this hybridpolitical environment, traditional considerations are routinely balanced against otherconsiderations including membership of political parties, whether and in whatcapacity they were involved in the resistance movement, access to outside networksand resources, as well as their perceived ability to do the job of coordinating activities37 Personal interview, Susana Barnes, 24 August 2009.125