I don’t know what to call to those kids along the northern
corridor road of mainland to East that stretches 200 and so KMs to be approximately. This distance is calculated from Dili (Government Palace) to Com Lospalos (Com Port). Along the this way, you see kids sitting and standing along the road and rising hands to ask something, but I
don’t know exactly what are they asking by rising hands?
I have a motorbike called Bebek which means, a duck, do you know why people call BEBEK to this small motorbike?. I don’t
know it too, but according to my understanding, the bike is running as
slow as duck, and that is why people call it Bebek. Bebek is a two wheel vehicle, motorbike, designed for smooth asphalts. Even though we dont have smooth asphalts in Timor-Leste, we use motorbike, and it is actually very strong in tough and rugger roads.
If you have ever been to Lospalos, you would be aware how far it is, and how curvy the road is. This long tiring road, one would expect to pass through smooth road and expect zero constrain during your travel
to and from Lospalos. However, remains a wish only to expect smooth roads. You have to endure this inconvenience because this is the reality. Otherwise you will regret the independence in
your lifetime because you are thinking that no one is able to make/bring
so-called “better condition” for me particularly and for other travelers
generally. However, do not think in such a way, and be optimistic always because
I heard and they said, “ We are working on it” but again, I don’t know, who
will make it happen, and when will they do it better.
The road section to my hometown was opened by the Portuguese, and then was asphalted or paved by Indonesian Government. Thanks for them beside of the horror that they made to our grand parents. After independence in 2002, the road is left unimproved. Thus is is deteriorating. Existing narrow size, holes/cracks multiplying and worsen. Debris by
landslides take over the road shoulders, and sometimes bridges are impassable due to collapse, and the users have to use alternative way. With all being said one would feel dizzy, vomit often times traveling on this road.
In my regular travel hometown (Lospalos) I found something odd scene one day. I saw a bunch of children were digging
out soil, carrying the soil in a bucket to fill in the holes and fractions. I thought, they are workers from a construction company who are doing road maintenance. But I was totally wrong, and I stopped
away before them, I chatted and asked my friend behind me “what are children doing
over there?” He answered me “I don’t know what they are doing”. After less than
three minutes later, I saw a luxury car, presumably a car of a wealthy Man
branded Prado. The car stops in the place where children were standing because
they waved to stop the car. I saw a kid stretched His hand towards the car door, and
it looked like a small stuff was handed over to that kid. I straightly asked my friend behind “ are
they beggars? He answered me “No, I don’t think so”, “let’s see what happen, I
said”. The car left, and I started the engine and went on closer to those kids.
I finally stopped right in front of the kids, I looked at them
and saw some were still digging out soil, some were carrying and pouring soil into
the holes and cracks on the road lane(pothole and crack filling). One of those
kinds shouted “Maun, fo Kuarter lai tamba
ami halo hela strada/ it means Brother, give us twenty five cents because we are
rehabilitating the road”. I said, “what! do you think that you are from public
works?” They answered, “no, we are not, but we are helping them to rehabilitate
the road so that you guys can pass through it safely and comfortably because we
know they are not able to do that. I tried to figure it out in order to
understand what they do and why they ask me for money for the work they have
done!. I touched my wallet, and took a coin without known how much it was, probably
$ 0.50 coin because it felt larger than $ 0.25 coin.
From this experience, yesterday (22/09/12) to be exact, I
was muttering and asking my self that “Are
they beggars?”. The people who if I may take an example from such phenomenon
in some South East Asia countries, let’s say Indonesia, where most people are
familiar with, Begging is a common social activity that has been
informally-legalized by its own due to difficulty of life in formal sector.
I don’t mean to compare this chronic social “mostly in urban area” disease to
Timor Leste’s social condition, but I found some similarities in begging for money like I described above.
OR “are they
volunteers”?. The people who are doing something without expecting any return
from what they have done. As a traveler, to be honest, they are hero definitely,
they have reduced difficulties of travelers in passing through those rugged and holed roads in
meters interval. They are voluntarily doing the job of competent institution
such as Public Works. We all know that, road condition is the most difficult task
for government, and Dili is the template how difficult it is. It makes sense
when you see road condition deteriorates, there is no policy and action on that, while
children are doing it is really helpful for us and we need to appreciate it, though
they beg for money.
Are they beggars and volunteers simultaneously?,
answer it from what perspective you look on that. For me, in this current
condition which people are begging for accessibility, crying for impassable
terrain to reach their homes and begging for means to travel; they are heroes. They
Certainly, we don’t want to have beggar in
any place my our country, however, the similarity that seen in that activity needs to be
looked at integrally, and we also need to appreciate those kids, they
fill in the gaps of public works significantly because if you are hoping Public Works to
do it, it will take years and years!!!!!!!!.
*Hope this gives you an inspiration
