Mario Carrascalao on Xanana in 2007

Subject: Mario Carrascalao on Xanana/CNRT
[via forum-loriku list]
(translation from Portuguese article published in Lusa)
The ex president Xanana Gusmao, leader of he CNRT and candidate for the legislative elections of 30 June, is surrounded by "the worst people there are in Timor-Leste" , affirmed today MVC.
"There are individuals with him who were called for example, Francisco UDT, then called themselves Francisco APODETI, today are Francisco CNRT", the president of the PSD who heads the coalition list with ASDT to Lusa today.
"They are group of people who saw in the fascination of Xanana, the position which Xanana holds, the possibility of living in his shadow", added Mario Carrascalão in an interview granted in the middle of the electoral campaign, adding that "the primary objective of Xanana is to destroy Mari Alkatiri".
"It's not to destroy FRETILIN", analyzed the PSD leader ad ex governor of Timor for ten years when the territory was under Indonesian occupation.
"Xanana Gusmo is giving protection to the so called FRETILIN-Mudança, which will later return to FRETILIN when they destroy Alkatiri", secretary general of the majority party and ex prime minister.
"This is not desirable for Timor", considered MVC.
"I would like to see Alkatiri destroyed democratically, and when I say destroyed I mean eliminated from the political scene in elections", not in any other way.
"But the last thing I would want is to be accused of contributing to instability in Timor-Leste and I have to find a way of coexisting with CNRT itself, which has many people, many people, who I do not like", stated Mario Viegas Carrascalão
"This deceives the people, who look at the sign and think that this party fought for the liberation of Timor", continued the PSD president holding a newspaper of the day pointing at an article on the first page regarding the CNRT.
"I have explained during the campaigned that, if this party was the old CNRT, I myself would have been a part of it, joining our efforts. But this is not the case", highlighted the PSD president, who was a part of the first CNRT (National Council of Timorese Resistance) before the country became independent. Eu não gostaria de ver um herói nacional, um dos pais da nossa unidade nacional, como primeiro-ministro se o CNRT vencer, sofrer as consequências de erros que o destituirão da História como o homem de quem todos os timorenses se orgulham que passa a ser como qualquer outro».
"I would not like to see a national hero, one o the fathers of our national unity, as prime minister if CNRT won, suffering the consequences of mistakes which will destroy the history of a man who all Timorese look at upon with pride to become like any other".
For Carrascalão, Xanana runs the risk of losing the credibility he had, because "to govern, its necessary to have sensitivity for administrative issues and social themes. Its not just speechmaking. Its necessary to know how."
"Of course there are technical people o do the things, but if a leader does not follow things, he is co-responsible. He is swallowed", he said further, opining that Alkatiri is hated in Timor-Leste.
"The majority of the population hates him. Perhaps without reason. I don't know", he affirmed, clarifying that he lead a Government which "never said to Alkatiri that they disagreed with him or in which any minister threatened to leave. Everyone wants to eat. And that is going to be worse with CNRT".
"Xanana is too good a man to do what I did in ten years here in Timor: use the principle that I will only die once but that which I believe is right, is what I will do", analyzed yet MVC.
"Xanana starts with the worst conditions, because he already has a very large adversary which is FRETILIN-Maputo, or Radical as many people say (…), and they will mobilize with ever more strength against him".
"Xanana is a very sensitive man, a man who acts very emotionally. He is a generous man", said Mario Viegas Carrascalão in an interview with Lusa.
"I am not like him. I am generous man but am not as generous as Xanana, who cries and moves people. For me, what is, is. Whoever likes it, likes it, whoever doesn't like, doesn't like it. I am not going to change just for pretense", he declared.
Regarding Xanana Gusmão's candidature, the PSD candidate for the legislative elections declared that "he is a person who should have continued in his position as the father of this nation, an not to involve himself in questions of governments".
"Already with José Ramos Horta I said: you are a Nobel Peace Laureatte, you should take care of the peace, the harmony, and a head of government has to make drastic decisions. It will cause much antipathy."
To Mario Viegas Carrascalao, the new President of the Republic "made a mistake with his first step" in proclaiming the elections amendment law.
"I would have postponed the lection but would never have signed into being a law which was against my conscience. José Ramos Horta himself said that he did not agree with the law.
(translated by anonymous)