Talking change in E. Timor

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Philadelphia Enquirer, Posted on Fri, May. 17, 2002


  Talking change in E. Timor:  With independence comes Portuguese as the
official language. Many have trouble with that.

  By Chris Brummitt
  Associated Press

  DILI, East Timor - Children in East Timor are having trouble getting
their tongues around their new official language.  After years of speaking
Indonesian, they now are having to learn Portuguese, the language of the
territory's colonial rulers.  "It is too difficult for me. There are so
many new words to remember,"  Sonia da Costa, 15, said in fluent
Indonesian, the language of the country's most recent occupying power.

  After months of sometimes angry debate, the former Portuguese colony
decided to make Portuguese one of its national languages - to be used in
government, schools and the official media - when it gains independence
Monday after 24 years of brutal Indonesian rule.  Also recognized as a
national tongue will be the most widely spoken indigenous language, Tetum,
which is related to native languages spoken on many Pacific islands,
including Hawaii.

  East Timor has about a dozen indigenous languages. More than four
centuries of foreign rule, and nearly three years of U.N. administration,
have further complicated its linguistic landscape. The country's fledgling
newspapers use four languages - English, Indonesian, Portuguese and Tetum
- often side by side on the same page.  Many people, especially younger
ones who have had no exposure to Portuguese, are angry with the decision,
which they say isolates them. Only about 10 percent of the country's
800,000 people speak Portuguese. Almost all of them are over 40.

  Feeling indebted

  Experts have also questioned the policy, which they say is based more on
political and sentimental considerations than pragmatic ones.  East
Timor's current leaders chose Portuguese because of an emotional
attachment to the language, which they used during resistance to
Indonesian rule. They feel indebted to Portugal and Portuguese-speaking
countries such as Angola and Mozambique for supporting their independence
struggle.  President-elect Xanana Gusmao has said that speaking Portuguese
is essential for East Timor's national identity.  Portugal has sent 150
teachers, who are instructing children, teachers, health workers and
members of security forces.

  "This for me is crazy," legislator Jose Lobatto said. "They [East
Timor's leaders] are in a minority. They are trying to force education in
Portuguese. It's too much for the children."  Lobatto is concerned that
Tetum, which as yet lacks a standardized written form, will lose out to
Portuguese.

  'No doubt'

  University students, worried that not speaking Portuguese will bar them
from government jobs, say English would have been a more sensible choice.
They point to Singapore, which became one of Asia's most prosperous
nations after adopting English as the national tongue.  Tetum is the most
widely used language in the parliament, and some linguists say it stands
to benefit from the promotion of Portuguese because they share some
vocabulary and grammar.  East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkitiri said
the government would continue to support Tetum. "There is no doubt," he
said.

  In an acknowledgment of the complexity of the issue, English and
Indonesian have been designated as "working languages" in the new
constitution.  Many say Indonesian would have been a more practical choice
for a national language, at least for the next decade.  About 60 percent
of the population, including most young people, speak, read and write it.
Lawyers, prosecutors and judges in East Timor have all studied in
Indonesia, and the courts still use a modified version of Indonesian law.

  "Why throw this all overboard?" said Ulrich Kratz from the University of
London's School of Oriental and African Studies. "Indonesian has shown its
ability. It makes more sense to use it."