MORE THAN THIRTY THOUSAND ATTEND PUBLIC HEARINGS

More than 30,000 East Timorese have turned out over the past month at more than 200 Constitutional public hearings aimed at soliciting the views of the population on what should be considered by the future Constituent Assembly when drafting the first East Timor’s Constitution. “By any standard this is an amazing public participation that shows just how committed the East Timorese are to being involved in their own future,” the soon-to-depart Cabinet Member for Political Affairs and Timor Sea Peter Galbraith said today. Mr. Galbraith stressed that the writing of a future Constitution must be an entirely East Timorese affair. “It must be owned by the people of East Timor, otherwise it’s just a piece of paper,” he said, adding that “they will write a good Constitution with some of the best protections of human rights in the world.” UNTAET officials involved in organizing the public Constitutional Commission hearings, which officially ended today, say that the turnout in many cases exceeded expectations and demonstrated that people are anxious that their input be heeded by the future Constituent Assembly to be elected on 30 August.

Among the prevalent issues being discussed at the hearings are the political system, currency, and flag East Timor should adopt; the type of punishments that should be applied to those responsible for serious crimes; the educational system; laws for foreign investors; how the revenue from the Timor Sea should be distributed; and the official language. Women’s groups have been well represented at the hearings, with many calling for Constitutional safeguards against domestic violence and a robust family law. The commissions – consisting of between five and seven Commissioners, one Rapporteur and one Constitutional Adviser – held public hearings in each of East Timor’s 65 sub-districts. The Constitutional Commissioners will now begin preparing a report from each district that will ultimately be presented by Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello to a future Constituent Assembly.

SRSG AND POLTICAL PARTIES TAKE UNITY PACT TO DISTRICTS

Nine leaders of political parties today traveled to Manatuto district with SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello and Cabinet Member for Social Affairs Father Filomeno Jacob for an Open Dialogue Civic Education session at which the newly signed Pact of National Unity was read aloud and then distributed to the 300-strong crowd. The SRSG expressed pleasure that the majority of the questions posed by the audience during the three-hour session were directed at the political party leaders and related primarily to the Pact of National Unity. The pact, signed on July 8 by fourteen political parties, binds the signatories to a set of principles relating to the upcoming electoral process. It includes calls for the support, respect and dissemination of the principle of non-violence; the unconditional acceptance of the 30 August 1999 popular consultation results; and the respect of the results of the upcoming elections for the Constituent Assembly. UNTAET is scheduling similar visits by the political parties to the districts in order that the pact’s message be as widely disseminated as possible. The next visit will be on 17 July, when the SRSG and fourteen political party leaders are scheduled to visit Viqueque and Lautem districts.

IEC LOTTERY DETERMINES LINE-UP ON ELECTORAL BALLOT

The Independent Electoral Commission today conducted three lotteries to determine the national ballot for the 30 August Constituent Assembly elections. The first lottery determined that the names of political party candidates will appear before the names of independent candidates; the second lottery determined each party’s position on the ballot, and the third determined the position of each of the independent candidates. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has now verified that there are 97 political party district candidates; 11 independent district candidates; and five independent national candidates. The final list of political party national candidates will be announced by the IEC tomorrow afternoon.