[Marxism] A hot question by =?unknown?q?L=FCko?=

[Alan Bradley]

From: "Nestor Gorojovsky" 
> But the second one is quite interesting, indeed.  It
would be essential to trace back the roots of Eastern
Timorese independentism. If there were some
demonstrable and solid relation with the
"anti-communist" rebels of 1959 (obviously, the goal
must have been to establish an "independent Timor"
against Indonesia) and the current rulers of Eastern
Timor, then many things would begin to become crystal
clear.
>

The best source I have found online is here:
pascal.iseg.utl.pt/~cesa/History_of_Timor.pdf 

It's a big file, and only part of it is relevant, but
the material that is is quite good. The relevant part
starts at page 144.

Yes, it does seem that members of the "Permesta"
movement did try to establish an independent East
Timor as a lever against Indonesia. However, they
failed, and there doesn't seem to have been any
particular continuity between their project and the
East Timorese nationalism that began to emerge in the
1960s. 

That nationalism began, as you would expect, amongst
the first "educated" Timorese. (Papua New Guinean
nationalism emerged in the same period, from similar
roots.)

East Timorese nationalism basically seems like every
other post-colonial nationalism.

Incidentally, Nestor, if you really want a "smoking
gun", take a good look at what the Dutch tried to do
in West Papua. ;)

But that doesn't make the current West Papuan movement reactionary.

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