Despite being a developing country with many things yet to meet maturity or a striking resemblance to what happens and exists in ‘first world’ countries, there is one thing that clearly mimics the more ‘developed’ countries – politics. Both sides – the politicians and the voters – behave remarkably like those you might meet anywhere in Australia, the UK, the USA: the politicians make unsustainable promises and the constituents laugh at them. And so it is in Timor-Leste.
There are two elections here next year, one for the Presidency and one for the general government. Consequently, the promises are running thick and farcical. We have been promised reliable electricity by 28th November.
Mention that date to almost anyone and you’ll invite deep guffaws, not just polite chuckles but real gut busting laughter. It seems so improbable, particularly now when the power is so erratic. But let me be honest here too. As a soft western, it is somewhat beyond my brain’s capacity to really accept that the power is actually as erratic as it is. I am so attuned to being able to turn on a light and have it beam at me, to press a button and invite detectives, comedians, movie stars into my lounge room, that despite the regularity of the power cuts I may still surprised – and annoyed – by one’s sudden arrival.
The possibility of reliable electricity is partially lost on someone who is still struggling to accept that it doesn’t currently exist. Yes, yes, I know, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. What can I say? We crave what we want to exist and refuse to even acknowledge experiences that prove our view contrary.
There are several theories on the current electricity challenges. It is generally agreed that the outages are worse than previously. They’re certainly more prevalent than they have been since my arrival. To be fair it’s really only been the last three weeks (but since we’re talking politics here, perhaps we should scrub the fairness.)
Let’s start with the theory that I like the most and in the hot, humid darkness pray is true is this: The outages are a function of the old unreliable system being cut over to the new more reliable system.
This theory, however, can also induce unbridled laughter.
Another theory is that the government has run out of money to pay for the diesel to run the generators and therefore needs to effectively ration the diesel and subsequently the electricity. This is sadly plausible.
Perhaps the most believable theory is that because it’s getting hotter more people are using air-conditioners and fans and thus draining the electricity stocks and creating the need for outages.
“After all, that happens in Australia, too,” one malae explained. Oh how we want to cling to our view of the world, trying to fit what we see within our narrow frame of reference. Of course this may be true. The thing that I’d have to believe, though, to consider this the top contender, is that it is getting hotter. Hotter? Hotter than three litres of sweat a day hot? Or maybe the actual temperature is simply another figment of our imaginations brought about by the belief that the rainy season brings higher temperatures – whether it does or not. Anyway, this theory is a little too ‘western’ for me.
Another plausible idea, shared with me by an Australian working in the shop that took my Indonesian visa ‘fotos’, is that someone stole the diesel.
“It’s happened before,” he told me. “Last year, someone stole 100,000 litres.”
Okay, I know what you’re thinking: that’s a lot of Gerry cans to fit under your jumper. How did anyone not notice? And yet . . . it’s this very quality of unbelievability that makes it entirely believable.
So, will the bright sparks that ‘lead’ the country be able to deliver on their promise?
Possibly not.
They apparently spent over $300 million on Chinese generators that were deemed environmentally unfriendly and had to be sent back. There’s speculation that the sale was on an ‘as is, no refund’ basis.
Enter Finland. Or more specifically, Finnish generators. Much more environmentally friendly. And so they arrived on Timor-Leste shores. There were semi-trailers waiting to transport them into place. Except this is Timor-Leste and nothing is ever as easy as it might be in a more ‘developed’ country. The transporters duly loaded a generator onto a semi; they positioned one semi behind to stabilise the effect and crept up the hill . . . or perhaps more descriptively – the sand dune. Can you see where this is going? (apart from nowhere fast) Okay, they probably weren’t trying to drive the generator up a sand dune. Suffice to say, there was a lot of sand around the ‘alleged’ roadway. It wasn’t even that the lead truck lost traction, but that a cable broke. The lead truck rolled backwards, into the semi behind and as both semi’s twisted unnaturally, the generator too twisted its way to freedom – and the sand. It’s still there. I haven’t seen it. Unfortunately I still haven’t master ‘brake’ enough to attempt some of the hills in between here and its reported resting place. But apparently it is there.
The second generator is sitting somewhere off the coast, awaiting a better unloading option. There are, as I type, Timorese and no doubt western ‘experts’ creating a safer more effective unloading facility elsewhere on the coast. A crane has arrived.
So, will the bright sparks that ‘lead’ the country be able to deliver on their promise?
Possibly? Probably?
Until the 28th November deadline has whooshed past I am choosing to believe the latter.
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