Promoting Reconciliation in East Timor: Imperatives for Transition to Self-Government

Abstract

Reconciliation is critical for societies like East Timor that have experienced intense levels of political violence. Reconciliation, however, is not a simple matter of forgiving and forgetting. It involves at least five levels - intrapersonal and interpersonal, intergroup, and national and international - all of which need to be promoted in order to counter the climate of fear and anger in East Timor, which can only increase political violence. Reconciliation in East Timor is challenged by the class dimension of the conflict. The success of this process hinges on the ability of the East Timorese to bridge over their differences by projecting their future interdependent relationship onto the present.