But wait, there's more!

Almost forgot to mention in my previous post: Naturally if you read my last postings you will probably think "look at this spoiled brat complaining about things like DIET COKE for G's sake, while people are STARVING!"
Well, let's not take things out of context...In fact I only mentioned these little annoyances because they ADD to the big stress contributors which are already widely publicized, such as:
threat of spontaneous crowd violence, random assaults, petty crime, rock throwing, the constant siege of street vendors and what can happen when they get angry, clashes between martial arts gangs, fights between the military and law enforcement, constantly being watched wherever you go, being threatened with a view to extort money and so on and so on...then there's the heat, the smell of open sewage, dust, an abundance of animal excrements and seemingly lobotomised cab drivers driving horrendously erratic on a GOOD day.

By now most people will think that I'm a grizzle gut, a complainer, someone who shouldn't be here. I want, no NEED to emphasize that there are some redeeming factors and life here does have its perks and upsides, but what really gets under my skin is the whitewash that is presently occurring in the media, in government speeches and reports by observers who, as it would appear, barely left the comforts of their oversized, air conditioned Landcruisers to arrive at their grand conclusions.
Perfectly in line with the herculean efforts of national spin-doctors even the president, during a recent visit in the Pacific made a statement which I found so absurd and looking around Dili so out of touch with reality that, had it not been said in all seriousness, it could have been one of the better jokes I have heard all year:
He said that Timor would become the destination of choice for the people of [insert name of pacific nation here] over places like Bali!!!! What a knee-slapper that was!

For starters, overall Timor must be one of THE most business averse places in all the world.
For a foreign company, even one that could potentially create significant employment opportunities for Timorese, to set up shop here there are unbelievable hoops to jump through and financial burdens to bear, so much so that the business registration process alone is enough of a deterrent, let alone all the other aggravating factors such as lack of infrastructure, abysmal work ethics and deep-rooted corruption.

Oops, did I just mention the "C" word? Here's another one for the Timorese whitewash propaganda machine....When a governenment refuses to investigate itself, rejects petitions to form anti-corruption commissions and instead hides behind statements of grand intentions to curb it you just know what's what.

When half the evidence of your average investigation gets lost along the way up to the PG and then finds its way into the hands of those that benefit the most from it in terms of exercising leverage over others for their own advantage, you just know what kind of animal you're dealing with.

When a government purchases 39 (I think that's the correct number) brand-spanking new BMW 4-wheel drives for its ministers and builds itself a grand new Palace that could rival the Atztec pyramids with the aid from China, instead of buying the first fully functional Ambulance for the country or a new hospital that can actually perform more than the offerings of the current one, which wouldn't even be considered basics in civilized countries and when a government is sitting on oil revenues to "build Timor's future", yet to which it helps itself at the first given opportunity without greater benefit to the population, then you know international aid, goodwill and genuine concern for the people of this truly poor nation is being made a mockery of.

There you have it. My gripe for the end of the week (not my end, but most people's anyway).
I bid you all toodles and shall vent some more in the next few days.