Peace Matters

with guest blogger John Barr (Associate Director, Asia) who joined Joy Balazo to launch the UnitingWorld Peacemaking program in East Timor.

In 1999 East Timor went up in flames. Two thirds of the population were displaced. Much of the county’s infrastructure was destroyed while thousands of people experienced horrific events that remain embedded in their minds. But the year 1999 was not all that different to other years. For 500 years East Timor lived under the colonial rule of Portugal. Then for another 24 years the country suffered under the military occupation of Indonesia. Then came the international community with the best of intentions – but many internal conflicts came to the surface and another wave of violence hit the country in 2006.

The international community looks upon East Timor as a nation in great need – poverty, food shortages, lack of housing, poor education and the absence of effective medical care – move many to try and do something. And Australians have been generous. East Timor continues to prod the conscience of people to give a little more.

Over a period of more than 20 years, I have engaged with the people of East Timor. Western aid has flowed into this nation and the generousity of many has been part of the solution. But it’s not the real answer.

For most East Timorese, the critical issue now begins within. Under Portuguese colonialism, people were overlooked, forgotten and were seen to be of little account. Indonesian military rule was violent and brutal. East Timorese communities were terrorised and were treated as being less than human. The people of East Timor were considered to be stupid, inferior and incapable.

In recent years, the wave of international attention has swamped the country, generating, in my opinion, an insidious form of paternalism where the East Timorese become the objects of our need to give.

And with all this going on, I sense that what most East Timorese want is to simply take control of their lives. They want to be persons who are respected and valued by others. They long to live in community where there is reconciliation, peace and genuine hope for the future.

With this in mind, last week something important happened in East Timor. My colleague, Joy Balazo (left), facilitated a workshop on peace-building. And it was no ordinary workshop. East Timorese clergy, pastors, lay people, women and youth, gathered just outside Dili to become peacemakers.

Joy is highly experienced here, having worked in Ambon, the highlands of PNG, on the Thai-Burma border, in North East India, Bougainville and the southern Philippines. And the workshop facilitated by Joy sparked something I had not seen before.

Participants were encouraged to seize the moment, to identify possibilities and to move on with the confidence they can make a difference. Women and men became excited. Action plans were put together. Commitments were made. People indicated they want to make a positive impact. There was a real wish to strive for peace in the community.

Joy’s approach is a holistic one. For Joy not only identifies need, she sees real persons who have the God-given capacity to do something and to make a difference. Joy’s approach empowers people. It is a life-giving, life enhancing approach.

Last week in East Timor I could see people being liberated. Leaders are now emerging who will make a real difference in their local communities!

(At Left – participants in the workshop)