It was a Saturday afternoon three months ago when I met my
friend Frenqui and decided to write this article. We had a long conversation in
the porch area of my house. That afternoon was pleasant because of the fresh
breeze which is unusual in a city characterized by hot temperatures, that is,
Surabaya. Since it was Saturday, we could allow a long conversation. At the
beginning we were catching up because it had been a long time since we last met.
Nevertheless, the conversation turned into the topic of Frenqui’s country, East
Timor. The conversation became more and more interesting. I must acknowledge
that before that meeting with Frenqui, my knowledge of East Timor was very
limited.
Frenqui told me that he was just nine years-old when the
1999 East-Timorese Crisis broke out. It was the time when a referendum to
decide on the independence of East Timor from Indonesia took place. During that
time many people chose Independence. As a result, those who preferred Indonesia
to stay, decided to take arms and attack the other side. During that time many
atrocities were done. Many people were killed. Fortunetely, this events took
place far away from the town of Frenqui, which is Souro, in the subdistrict of
Los Palos in Lautem.
In the end, East Timor gained Independence and the
Indonesian troops had to leave. However,
many soldiers destroyed infrastructures upon leaving. The population also
was asked to choose either staying in East Timor or moving to Indonesia and
become an Indonesian citizen. Many
people chose to move to Indonesia. However, the family of Frenqui decided to
stay in East Timor.
Many bad things were done in East Timor, but the attitude of
the people is described in the following words that Frenqui quoted from Jose
Ramos Horta:” we forget the past, we look at the present.”
These words reflect the real attitude of the Timorese
people. They are really commited to
build their country and to make a better nation for the future Timorese
generations. Frenqui is one of the many Timorese studying abroad. He is
studying hard in Indonesia with the goal in mind of going back to Timor and to
apply all that he has learned. This is Frenqui’s ambition; to give his best for
the good of his country and his people. As I listened to Frenqui that day I
wished that for myself, to lead a life which is meaningful and relevant for
others.
I personally have learned a lot from him, and the reason why
I decided to write this article in the blog is to share what I have learned
from Frenqui with all the readers of this blog.
