I
have been seeing the reality of China’s power in the world’s economy. I
would tentatively believe, as many experts I read argue that China
would outdo USA and other major economies. It is increasingly yes.
Electronic and many small products in America are coming from China; I
did not ask but I saw made-in china or at least a product is assembled
in china. In Japan, one time I went there, I bought gifts for my
friends, I could not refuse to buy made-in china stuff; I bought it and
lied that “it is from and made in Japan.” My friends were happy that I
brought something from Japan, but made in China. If USA and Japan, at
least the countries where I have experienced myself, were invaded by
Chinese products, Timor-Leste must be powerless for such a force.
For
Timor-Leste, it is not only crappy products from China that are flowing
in to the country, but more, its development companies are flocking in
to build better infrastructure. We have seen the national
electrification project was done by a Chinese company. Electrification
project was, so far, the biggest project in our infrastructure
development history. It was worth like almost a half billion. It was
also the most ambitious project that was ever done because the project
was planned to bring electricity to the whole country at once. In just two years,
Chinese workers built two power plants, many sub-stations, and
stretchered towers for power lines in a country where its terrain is
wild, its culture is different, and its people are sometimes hostile to
new cultures. It was unbelievable that Chinese workers could go thought
those challenges effectively and implemented the project successfully.
Now
China has shifted the attention to transportation infrastructure
projects. It is not only the attention; they are actually doing it
already. All current national road projects are nearly being done by
just Chinese contractors. As I traveled so far, passing through national
roads, Chinese are the champion. To know the phenomena of Chinese
presence, when you travel to districts, ask around, or read project
information boards, or look at workers. Chinese presence is massive from
one sector of development to another every time.
Chinese
presence in the infrastructure development is not always a bad thing.
We desperately need others to assist us. We need to outsource other
resources in order to complement our massive errors attributable to
inconsistency to improve. What I am concerned instead, people are
critical and cynical towards Chinese presence but being hypocrite,
corrupt, and irresponsible at the same time. As International companies
coming to another country, I believe Chinese contractors do not work
like in a wild world. They are bind by rules, and codes. Fortunately,
those who enforce rules and codes are not politicians who
always appear on TV every day saying theoretic.
We
heard so many of us are overly worried about the quality of Chinese
work. Wait! but our work for our very own country is worse than the fear
that we have on what Chinese could procure. The fact is that road
construction quality made by ourselves is crappier. How can you imply we
are better than Chinese if asphalts are broken again just after two to
six months after the completion? How can you imply we are more
professional than Chinese if road projects do not even have contracts
before implementation? Contract deals are done through phone calls or
just meet up at cafés or restaurants? How can you imply we are more
responsible than Chinese if projects are abandoned for years without any
penalties? How can you imply we are nationalists if we are just
interested in profits more than the sacrifice required for your own
country? People, Look at many major projects to show you the evidence.
Chinese
may help building infrastructure for us; however, sustaining it to the
long term service will no longer their responsibility but ours. We know
as will be overwhelmed by the quantity of major infrastructure assets
that need to be taken care of in the future. The current state of
national public service, consultants, contractors which have limited
human resources and capacity will make it difficult to maintain all new
and upgraded infrastructures. The concern will be aggravated by
corruption and other inherent negative mindsets and behaviors that
debilitate our ability to continue maintain what others already built
for us. One of my foreign friends always told me that “you guys good at
building things but bad at maintaining them.”
I
am not advocating China here; believe me, I am not interested to learn
Mandarin; however, we should just accept our reality. The first reality
is we don’t have enough human and other resources to perform better than
Chinese in our own infrastructure projects. I believe in one way, they
are experienced, responsible, and they work much better. They must have
gone through procurement processes in which they were seen qualified,
reasonably cheaper but would do it properly than other competitors. We
also should accept Chinese because we never want to learn to grow from
our failures. It is we, who want Chinese to be here. They see
opportunities that Timorese are lazy but wanting luxurious living
standard, rich but poor in professionalism, Timorese prefer to go global
but forget local, etc. All those things make Chinese presence is
justifiable. Instead of mocking Chinese in our country, we must steal
their example of work spirits, passions, and other positive things while
they are still here.
**Hope this gives you an inspiration.
