Rumores foin dadaun ne’e katak iha asaltu ba feto sira husi Polisia Militar iha Dili ho Baucau, tanba feto sira hatais saia badak iha ain-tur leten ne’eénudar notisia boot hodi fo hanoin katak iha difikuldades boot hamosu husi rumores ne’ebé seidauk komfirma didiak konaba informasaun lalos nian iha Timor-Leste.
To agora, laiha ema ida ne’ebé identifika atu fo keisa sai vitima ba insidente ne’ebé verifika tiha ona. Depois iha investigasaun internal husi Komandu F-FDTL, Genera F-FDTL Lere Anan Timor,Kinta, (21/06) dezmete hahalok ne’ebé mosu no dehan katak rumores ne’e hanesan kampaina politika baratu husi Politika nain atu hamonu imajem F-FDTL.
Fundasaun Mahein (FM) la’os iha pozisaun ida ne’ebé atu fo informasaun ka rejeita romores , maibe FM hakarak iha atensaun husi governu fo esplikasaun konaba rumores ne’e ho liafuan badak ruma, kleur liu maka fo esplikasaun no foti asaun konaba asuntu refere. Prezidente ho institusaun husi F-FDTL & PNTL halo tiha ona esplikasaun iha semana kotuk, FM suporta ba institusaun sira ne’e nia esplikasaun maibe mos FM lamenta ba sira nia tarde. Politika nain sira kontinua nonok, dala wain sira okupadu liu konaba sira nia kampaina ba eleisaun parlamentar.
FM mos simu kontaktu husi pesoal ne’ebé maka preokupa tebes ba asuntu refere, sira husu konaba ba insidente ne’ebé loron rua akontese iha semana kotuk nia nia laran no konfuzaun boot konaba legalidade feto foin sa’e sira labele uza saia badak. Autoridade siguransa foti asaun tarde, maibe mos laiha governu ka institusauan governu mak fo esplikasaun konaba legalidade ne’ebé klaru konaba asuntu refere, maibe rumores mos dezemvolve ona momentum no dadaun ne’e iha lamentasaun signifikante los iha povu nia let.
Karik nune’e nafatin konaba rumores ne’e kontinua, maka feto ran sira ho sira nia inan-aman sei kontinua tauk. Ida ne’e sei influensia ba sira nia sentimentu seguru no fiar an. Oinsa mak seidauk iha informasaun formal husi governu ba povu tomak katak romores konaba uza saia badak ne tuir lei lolos illegal ne’ebé fo biban ba Polisia Militar atu foti asaun ba feto sira kuandu sira uza ropa mini?
Iha asaun dahuluk nian ne’ebé efetivu mak wainhira infrenta situasaun tenki fo limitasaun para romores labele espailla. Rumores halo sitausaun ne’ebé paniku no bele hamoris mos instabiidade, ida ne’e bele impata ema labele halo nia servisu iha loron-loron no mos iha tempu ne’ebé eleisaun ba Parlamentu Nasional no impata mos ema nia atensaun atu involve iha kampaina para bele halo selesaun ba programa husi partidu politiku ne’ebé sira atu fihir ba iha prosesu demokrasia.
FM hakarak fo rekomendasaun simples ida: FM husu atu governu tenki foti asaun lalais , halo asaun ne’ebé imidiatu no tarjetu wainhira rumores sai. FM husu atu instituisauan governu iha direitu konaba rumores nia abut atu nune’e bele fo informasaun ba povu ho klaru. Ho lidun seluk FM husu atu governu uza aprosimasaun pro-ativu husi institusauan siguransa nian. Husu mos atu hari’i institusauan ruma atu nune’e bele nakloke ba ema hotu atu halo konfirmasaun rumoers wainhira akontese. Ikus liu, FM komprende dala ruma politika nain sira mos sai autor ba rumores, tan ida ne’e mak media iha papel importante liu atu bele koalia lia los wainhira iha rumores. FM husu media bele involve iha journalism investigativu iha asuntu ne’ebé ass no fo informasaun konaba insidente sira ba povu antes publika iha jornal.
Deciphering Rumors and Limiting their Spread
The recent reports/claims of women being harassed and assaulted by Military Police in Dili and Baucau for wearing clothing above the knee has reminded us again of the difficulties posed by rumors and possible misinformation in Timor-Leste.
Until now, no complainants have been identified and not a single incident has been verified. Following an internal investigation led by the F-FDTL, Genera Lere Anan Timor on Thursday June 21st denied the allegations and claimed that the rumors were “a cheap political statement by politicians to damage F-FDTL’s image”.
Fundasaun Mahein (FM) is not in a position to confirm or deny these rumors, however we would like to bring attention the government’s inaction in providing any sort of explanation or for taking any action on this matter. The President as well as both the F-FDTL & PNTL have come out on this issue late last week. FM welcomes their statements but laments their tardiness. Politicians on the other hand have remained silent, most likely more concerned with campaigning.
FM has received a number of calls from concerned individuals on this matter, providing second hand accounts of these referred incidences and a general sense of confusion prevails among a significant section of the population on the legality of girls wearing short skirts. With security actors slow to respond to the accusations and with no government official or institution giving clear legal clarification on the issue, the rumor has gained momentum and there is now significant concern within the community.
As this rumor persists, young girls are growing worried and so are their parents. This affects their sense of security and self-confidence. Why has no official come out to explain to the general public that there is no law that allows police or military police to take any action with regards to girls’ choice of clothing?
That could have been an effective first step in handling the situation, and limiting the drawbacks from the spread of the rumor. Rumors create a sense of panic, which can lead to instability. It hinders people’s daily activities, and right now with the lead up to the parliamentary elections, it deters people’s attention away from the campaigns and their involvement in the democratic process.
FM would like to make a simple recommendation. We expect our government to take swifter, more decisive action when rumors break out. We expect government institutions to get right down to the bottom of such rumors so as to provide the public with a clear confirmation or denial and explanation. In other words, we expect a more pro-active approach to be adopted by both the government and the security institutions.
A special independent body could be created where people could seek clarification on such rumors. Finally, FM understands that politicians themselves are sometimes the source of rumors, and this is why the media has a major role to play in uncovering the truth about rumors. We expect our media to engage in high quality investigative journalism and to confirm incidences before reporting and printing them.
Great.. article