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I am participating in a movement called “Hands off Timor’s
oil.” Instead of going to join rallies planned to happen on the 22nd
and 23rd March, 2016 in Dili (East Timor), I participate through my
conventional way of sharing feelings and thoughts, blogging. Every citizen has
a responsibility to participate in any way he could. Respect to all those who go
to streets to physically engage.
Australia, a giant nation which we are destined naturally to
be neighboring with. We share a sea border, and a lot of other things. It helped
us to get out independence, gives money and other resources in our nation-building
effort. However, people said, we just found out that its giving is not sincere.
Our sea border with Australia is where our life extremely depends
upon. Oil and gas wealth is found there. Several oil wells have been exploited
and more to follow, and we share the money with Australia although these wells
are located within our border, if we look at the International law. I don’t know
anything about the International maritime boundary law, but it has been said
all around media that median line is the fairest solution to divide a polygon
of sea from one another.
Unfortunately, Australia is reluctant to sign the median
line thing. It keeps refusing because if it signs, oil and gas wealth will fall
into our hand, which in fact it must be ours. This is the story why Hands off
Timor’s oil campaign is happening.
Although I am absolutely all in for the campaign, I am rather
worried about the essence of nationality, sovereignty, and national interest slogans
that many people have thrown out to the public. Indeed, like we did before in
our struggle, unity is a key to encounter foreign powers. However, unlike the independence
movement context, we now tend to forget to build from the bottom and from
within, and to forget to improve the messes we make at home. We are now driven
to rally for a symbolical unity more than functional unity. The rationale for
us to pay attention to form a functional unity from within is because if without
it, we will debunk our own promise to make use of what we call our rights over
Australia.
Our failure to improve the current development management
system makes no point to demand Australia vehemently. You may make your point by
saying that “let us get our right first and then think about how to use it
later”, or the opposite “let us use our resources wisely and efficiently before
demanding median line in order to get more money from the Timor Sea. No matter
which point you are standing on, you can check facts yourself. Again, I am
absolutely all in for this campaign, but let us not to become hypocrite in front
of Australia’s face.
**I hope this gives you an inspiration.
