international system might make it possible for such arbitrariness to happen but, if a serious effort was to be made to find out the truth, arbitrariness must be put aside. 39. There was no doubt that in promoting the rights of the individual and the collective rights of society, the right to self-determination was the most fundamental of all rights. For his Government, that right was not merely a slogan but a conviction hardened by a long diplomatic and physical struggle for independence, as was confirmed by the preamble to Indonesia's 1945 Constitution. The history of international relations had revealed that the right to self-determination as one of the principles incorporated .in the Charter of the United Nations was not meant, at least for some colonial Powers, to be identical with independence. For certain metropolitan Powers it was not considered a right but as something to be granted. Only in 1960 was the right to self-determination given a more precise meaning through the adoption, by the United Nations, of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/SR.22 page 9 40. In East Timor, independence had been attained by a physical struggle that had inflicted much suffering. As President of UDT, the largest political group there during the process of decolonization, he had been personally involved in the bitter civil war and in the struggle to protect the people from the tyranny of the armed minority. With the other three political parties representing the overwhelming majority of the people of East Timor, in September 1975 UDT had decided that independence through integration with Indonesia was the best solution. The common position had been confirmed by the decision of the People's Consultative Assembly in May 1976. Thus the decision had been taken by the overwhelming majority of the East Timorese in a 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing international politics and human rights, specifically the right to self-determination and the history of decolonization. It mentions a physical struggle for independence, a civil war, and the involvement of international organizations. The language used is formal and diplomatic, suggesting a context of international relations and politics.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, International trade