This survey is deceitful and in no way aimed at getting a "public opinion". Quite to the contrary, it seems to me that this survey aims to damage Timor Telecom unfairly by presenting a "survey" with questions framed in a way so as to lead participants to an obvious and predictable answer. Perhaps the answer that Tempo Semanal wants? It's as if asking someone if he or she would like to be whacked on the head with a baseball bat. Of course if I were presented with the questions in this survey my answer would be obvious. If opening up the telecommunication market to competitors means bringing better services and cheaper prices, I would be out of my mind if I were to reject this proposition. What kind of a survey is this? This is clearly a campaign to damage TT's hold on Timor-Leste's communication sector. Not that there is anything wrong with this type of campaign because, as a costumer of Timor Telecom, I do think that TT needs to improve its services and bring prices down. But for a news agency to run this type of campaign is disappointing and plainly disgraceful. It's not good journalism. I would not participate in this type of survey and I would discourage anyone else to do the same.
Even more worrying is the fact that TT has been coming under a lot of political attack very recently from key figures in the political establishment. The president of Timor-Leste, Dr. Ramos-Horta, a Noble Laureate with ambitions to become the next UN Secretary General, recently used TT as a scapegoat in a bid to deflect attention from a scandal involving his close allies, the general prosecutor, Dr. Longuinhos Monteiro and Hermenegildo "Agio" Pereira, now a secretary of state. A leaked recording of a phone conversation revealed that the general prosecutor and Pereira, then chief of staff to former president Jose Alexandre Gusmao, were conspiring with a suspect, Leandro Isaac, recommended for criminal investigation by a team of international investigators related to last year's violence. When the taped conversation was exposed to the public, ironically by this same weekly paper, Dr. Ramos-Horta quickly accused TT of illegally bugging a personal conversation, never mind the fact that the conversation involved the prosecutor general, a state official and a criminal suspect. Dr. Ramos-Horta presented no evidence whatsoever to back up his accusations. But the intention was there, to shift attention away from a revelation which will force him to remove his ally, Longuinhos Monteiro, and could possibly implicate his own integrity. In a democratic country which Dr. Ramos-Horta claims to model himself on, such actions would have resulted in serious consequences and warranted criminal investigations against everyone involved. The fact is the world knows that Dr. Loguinhos Monteiro is close ally of President Ramos-Horta, who at the start of his tenure as president backed the former's reappointment as prosecutor general by his predecessor, Jose Alexandre Gusmao. It is widely suspected that they are part of a group which allegedly engineered the fall of Mari Alkatiri, the democratically elected Fretilin prime minister, in 2006. This leaked recording will definitely lend credibility to the suspitions. The taped conversation also implicated the now prime minister (dimmed illegal and unconstitutional by many), Jose Alexandre Gusmao, another close ally whom President Ramos-Horta helped to install as prime minister. No wonder President Ramos-Horta is so quick to draw attention away from this damaging revelation and accuse TT. Is Tempo Semanal helping Dr. Ramos-Horta and his allies to bury the truth? Maybe Tempo Semanal should survey its readers whether the prosecutor general should be sacked and the president impeached?
Whereas for this constant attack against TT, I for one am skeptical about this answer to the telecommunication problem in Timor-Leste. The idea that opening up the market for more competitors to come in would solve this problem overnight is simply simplistic, unrealistic and without much thought put in. And for a news agency to run this kind of line is clearly doing a good deal of disservice to a community it was supposedly set up to serve. I would first consider the fact that Timor-Leste has a small market in the telecommunications world. Already the slice of the market is so small that no company can run a successful business without charging its customers with outrageous prices. If more competitors were to come in to grab a share of the market, how big a profit will they get? If each one has a small share of the market and they don't make enough profit, one of these things will happen: either they reduce the services to keep the profit up, they just charge the costumers more, or a combination of both. More competitors means smaller slice of the market which means a smaller slice of the profit. I don't think any company can take such risk. At the end of the day, it is the consumers who will bear all the burden anyway.
Then again, as far as I know, the deal that TT struck with the government means that at the end of the contract, TT will become a state owned company. I see only benefits in the state owning such telecommunications infrastructure and service. Whereas the private sector prioritises profit, the state prioritises services. Under the state's ownership, the services can be aimed at serving the people's needs and not about making profit for individuals.
But for sure TT needs to improve its services. Although I am not an IT expert, I am sure that TT can spend some resources to update the telecommunications infrastructure. The fact that we still have problems with phone calls and have an internet service lagging 20 years behind is just not good enough. There is widespread discontent with TT and this is a good wakeup call for TT to get its act together. As for the new government, legitimate or not, it needs to put its share in as well. If the government feels that telecommunication is a vital sector and needs to be improved and the prices are too high, it should help this sector, perhaps by subsidizing it and help bring the prices down. The government is already financing religious institutions (another business institution) to help them bring services to the people anyway, like making catholic school fees cheaper. So why not also help the telecommunications sector? At the end of the day, at the end of the contract, TT will become a state owned company anyway.
As for this latest attack against TT, I smell a rat!
The weekly newspaper Tempo Semanal is conducting a public opinion poll on Timor Telecom. Although most of it is being done by interviews, editor Jose Belo asked me to circulate the survey form over the internet, so here it is. The actual form is in Tetum, below; here is an English translation. Note that this survey is for Timor Telecom customers only.
Form asking Opinion about Telecommunications Service done by the Tempo Semanal newspaper
To open the way for competition for telecommunications service in Timor-Leste, and to provide users with better quality and lower prices, do you as a user of telecommunications services think that the Government of Timor-Leste NEEDS to consider inviting a different telecommunications company to end the monopoly Timor Telecom has in the telecommunications sector in Timor-Leste? Do we need this or not? If we need it, mark an X in the "PRESIZA" column. If we don't need it, mark an X in the "LA PRESIZA" column. (Voting for PRESIZA means that the Government should open the way for a new company to come. Voting for LA PRESIZA means that users want to continue with Timor Telecom's operations as the only company in Timor-Leste.
Telephone number: 7276969
Name: Gido
Presiza (need new company)____X_____________
La Presiza (Timor Telecom should continue)_________________
Residence (district)_Dili________________
Comments: We need a healthy competition for a service concerning a lot people. One of two more competitors in telecommunications services will give Timor-Leste people more choices, communications cost may be reduced, services would be improved.
Note: Each participant should vote only once. To obtain voting forms, or to cast your vote, contact Jornal Tempo Semanal, diresaun Av. Palapaco, Dili-TL, near the LAIFET office. You can also contact mobile number 7234852, or email: taraleu@hotmail.com.
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Formulariu husu Opiniaun kona ba servisu
Telekomunikasoens
halo husi
Jornal Tempo Semanal
Atu loke dalan ba kompetisaun servisu telekomunikasoens iha nasaun Timor Leste, nune'e bele fo atendementu ba klientes ho kualidade mak diak no presu nebe baratu ba povu, karik ita boot (klientes sira) hanoin katak, Governu Timor Leste, PRESIZA konsidera konvida tan kompanha telekomunikasaun seluk atu halakon tiha monopoli Timor Telkom iha sektor telekomunikasoens Timor Leste ninian? Presiza ka Lapresiza ? Se presiza, tau Vistu ( ) ou (X) iha kolom Presiza. Se la presiza, tau vistu ( ) ou (X) iha kolom La Presiza.(Vota ba PRESIZA ne'e signifika katak Governu tenke loke dalan ba kompanha foun atu tama. Se vota ba LA PRESIZA signifika katak klientes sira hakarak mantein nafatin ho Timor Telkom nia operasaun nudar kompanha uniku iha Timor Leste.
Nùmeru
Naran
Presiza
La Presiza
Hela Fatin
komentarius
Nota: participante ida sei vota/vistu dala ida deit. Hafoin enxe nakonu tiha formulariu ne'e, favor ida entrega hikas ba ema nebe maka fo formulariu ne'e ba ita bo'ot ou bele haruka direitamente ba Jornal Tempo Semanal, diresaun Av. Palapaco,Dili-TL, besik edifisiu Laifet, bele mos kontaktu ba Numeru telemovel 7234852, ou email: taraleu@hotmail.com
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1 comment:
The case is one for concern for all Timorese who believe in Timor-Leste's sovereignty and we have to delve into the motives of those who want this to happen. Right now, Timor-Leste is able to have a secure and current pricing for telcom services because Portugal Telecom is able to tap into its worldwide network and run bandwidth access by using its infrastructure in Macau and Lisbon. If any other Telcom company was to come in they would have to do the same to continue to provide services at the same or comparable rates. Now, it is no secret that both australia and Indonesian companies have had some interest. Noting that Indo Telkom is a lready a partner of TT. But Australians have been sniffing around for a while, especially a former Australian Defence Department Civil Service head under the hawke government. The aim is to hook Timor-Leste into Australia's telecommunications network, just like they have done in the Pacific. and thereby have access to direct control and communications gathering access to all telephone communications in Timor-Leste. One only shudders to think what use this could be put to. though many have said, well they can do it anyway. Not really. They have to go through alot of trouble and expense to continue to eavesdrop on Timor-Leste. It would be infinitely easier to just own it and run it through infrastructure that relays everything back to sites in Australia. Then throw in there that ex Queensland Rail Micro Radio or short wave or some such thing is being donated by a former Australian Defence Signals Directorate led NGO called Connect Timor-Leste, whamo, you have it all hooked in. Its a good plan and the hapless, willing and naive Timorese are going along with it. at least with the Portuguse they have a friend that will not use it for defence/strategic purposes when needed. But with an Indonesian or Australian entity, they would be lambs to the slaughter. So, my advice to the Timorese is, be very very careful what you wish for. you have your independence in many ways. retain it and dont do what the Pacific Islands have done and sold themselves out so much that the lion is well and truly in their midst. watch out folks....there are big bad bears in them woods....or seas in this case.
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