This would probably be funny if it were a joke. Short story by me, published here.

East Timor’s Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao today warned Australian journalists not to “tamper with [his] government” following a string of reports in the Australian media covering alleged corruption in Gusmao’s coalition government.

“[D]uring 24 years, [Australians] signed to steal Timor-Leste’s oil, now they come with a lot of talk, continuing to say that we are a good-for-nothing people,” local media quoted Gusmao as saying.

“No, you don’t play with me. Sometimes we smile with one another, but don’t play with Xanana. As far as I am concerned, it is we who are governing better,” he added.

The outburst comes off the back of Friday’s attack by the government on East Timor’s Ombudsman for Justice and Human Rights, Sebastião Ximenes, who delivered a report on corruption that the government says is “derived from half-baked information”.

In his report dated July 2, Ximenes alleged there had been an abuse of power by finance minister Emilia Pires and justice minister Lucia Lobato in the awarding of justice ministry contracts.

Friday’s government statement alleges that the ombudsman failed to get all of the relevant documents related to the contracts.

Government spokesman Ágio Pereira said, “While we understand the office of the [ombudsman] is overworked, we are bewildered by the slanderous conclusions which seem to be formed without supporting documentation or due diligence in the investigation process, but with a clear purpose of discrediting the government…”