The Prime Minister of Timor had resigned yesterday morning and many people in Timor are very happy. They are happy that they have gotten rid of a PM that is alleged to have a secret hit squad and responsible for the killings and violence in recent times. While the resignation of the PM might help in calming the situation further, there is still this one evil lingering behind the scene. And that is unforgiveness and grudges - between the east and west part of Timor Leste. While it is true that many people do not like the PM, blamed him for the unrest and the "rebels" cited him as the cause of their "rebellion", removing him only solve part of the whole big problem. Reconciliation between the wounded east and west of the country will take a long long time and it will be a difficult and challenging task for the interim/new government. Should President Gusmao choose not to stand for election next may(which he already indicated that he will not contest), one can only wonder whether this outbreak of violence will happen again. We all know how much the people respect and listen to the President.
Rumours and accusations can very easily re-open old wounds and cause another round of civil unrest. Unless the government deal with this east-west issue and not sweep it under the carpet(again), Timor will always be a dormant volcano. It will be calm until shaken - and then the explosion will destroy again. And this time, there will not be a xanana firefighter to put out the flames. I really hope the interim government and the UN advisers will see this as a major issue and seek to reconcile the east and west as soon as possible. Delaying it will only make Timor dormant again, preparing it for another round of explosion.
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