A Nation's First Steps - East Timor

In 2003, the United Nations Development Programme set up a project, funded in part by AusAID, to help create a vibrant and accountable parliament in East Timor.

Everything has had to be learned from scratch,' says Endre Vigeland, who is heading the parliament project. 'This is East Timor's first parliament - there's no model for the people to follow. Matters normally taken for granted in other countries, like standing routines, regulating workflows and even punctuality, have to be learned.'

Members of Parliament and their staff are discovering the demands of parliament and how to carry out their new jobs.

Many are finding a different set of skills is required to cover new responsibilities and to meet professional standards. But the training is helping.

Parliament House

Most of the training over the past two years has been in understanding the national budget. If a parliament can't monitor public expenditure properly, it runs the risk of leaving its country exposed to financial irregularities.

In the future, East Timor will receive a large revenue from oil. 'It's crucial the country has proper checks and balances,' says Endre. 'Accountability procedures must be in place so the revenue goes towards improving the lives of ordinary East Timorese.'

Endre explains there are 12,000 public servants in the police, army, hospitals, schools and other public services. 'They account for most of the national budget. Parliament needs to make sure the money allocated to these sectors is spent wisely.'

As the idea of having a national parliament is so new to the East Timorese, the project is also arranging for parliamentarians to go out to the districts to meet constituents. They explain the basics of the democratic system and give people copies of the constitution.

'Before Members of Parliament set out on these visits, local people have the opportunity to write questions they would like them to answer. They then give the answers personally when they arrive in the villages.'

The visits are so useful and popular with everybody the project plans to keep running them.

'It will probably take a few generations before the idea of parliamentary democracy takes hold, and the national parliament is truly accepted as a place of the people,' Endre concludes.

2005