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East Timor's Independence, Indonesia and ASEAN East Timor’s Independence, Indonesia and ASEAN Jean A. Berlie Editor East Timor’s Independence, Indonesia and ASEAN Editor Jean A. Berlie The Education University of Hong Kong Tai Po, Hong Kong ISBN 978-3-319-62629-1 ISBN 978-3-319-62630-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62630-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017948274 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifcally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microflms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifc statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affliations. Cover illustration: © Melisa Hasan Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland To Francisco Fernandes PREFACE This book explains how history, tradition, and human factors have shaped modern Timorese politics. Portuguese colonization, 24 years of Indonesian neo-colonialism, just over 2 years under United Nations stewardship, and 15 years of “electoral democracy’’ have forged the political uniqueness of the new country. Formally independent on May 20, 2002, the “Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste” is sometimes for- gotten, but the world wants to know what happened between 2006 and 2015. East Timor is the most robust democracy in Southeast Asia, so every 5 years its elections capture the attention of the global media. Without the United Nations, Kof Annan, Max Stahl’s flm shot in Dili in November 1991 and many actors, East Timor would prob- ably not exist as an independent Democratic Republic. The country needs more development and refection on policies. Off-shore oil and gas are the unique important sources of wealth that will last some 20 years. Mari Alkatiri, Secretary General of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin), East Timor’s party for independence established at the beginning in 1974, won the Constituent Assembly elections which took place on August 2001 conducted under United Nation’s auspices. Alkatiri became the frst Prime Minister of the inde- pendent country on May 20, 2002. The political events in 2006–2008 and 2015 are compared. Chapter 1 details the local politics, culture, and great variety of lan- guages in East Timor, Portuguese colonization and Timorese traditions. vii viii PREFACE The essential role of Australia and the United Nations, in particular the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) is written with an attempt not to repeat what is already known about the pre-independence period of the newest country of the twentieth century. Fretilin’s continuous positive promotion of independence, the emer- gence of political parties, the remarkable redaction of the Constitution under the leadership of Lu-Olo, the President of the Constituent Assembly, and the implementation of democracy are detailed. Chapter 2 tries to point out solutions to avoid crises. The present Sixth Government of East Timor is a new scenario, established after the resig- nation of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão in 2015. The bi-party politi- cal system under the leadership of the Prime Minister of the opposition seems to work. The Fretilin member, Rui Maria de Araújo, ex-Minister of Health, became Prime Minister in February 2015. Chapter 3 is a sympathetic political view of Timor from Australia; it shows a good knowledge of the character of Timorese politicians as seen from inside their party. Peter Murphy presents a modern political view of the Australian-East Timor relationship. Through the 24 years of resistance to Indonesian occupation in East Timor between 1975 and 1999, Australians of very diverse political views maintained sympathy for the Timorese as opposed to the offcial Australian government complic- ity, especially in seeking to divide-up Timor’s petroleum resources with the Jakarta government. They ranged from Communist Party activists, trade unionists, World War II commando veterans, Catholics, mem- bers of the Australian Labor and Liberal parties, Aboriginal leaders, and media workers contributed to develop the present excellent relationship between Timor-Leste and Australia. Given the security role that Australia took on in 1999 alongside the frst arriving United Nations peacekeepers, Australia’s leaders are duty bound to respect the Timorese people, their nationalist and democratic character forged by 500 years of colonialism, two decades of neo-coloni- alism, resistance, and aspirations to establish their own fowering culture. A fair resolution of the maritime border confict between East Timor and Australia is expected in 2017. In the author’s view, promoting the candidacy of East Timor to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) consti- tutes Indonesia’s moral obligation. Indonesia is the best supporter for PREFACE ix East Timor candidacy to join ASEAN. In collaboration with my long- term friend, Hans Hägerdal, Chap. 4 presents an original chronological view on the sincere will of the East Timor Government to join ASEAN. Singapore remains to be convinced. ASEAN is now a venerable interna- tional association that China and the United States are seeking to seduce. East Timor may join ASEAN in 2018 if its Government succeeds in con- vincing each member state of ASEAN one by one. An earlier bid seems questionable but, as stated by President José Ramos-Horta in an inter- view with the author in Dili on April 20, 2017 it is expected in 2018. As this book argues, joining ASEAN as a member state constitutes the best option for Timor-Leste’s future. Agriculture, education, and tourism are key sectors to develop in showing that the country is progressing and ready to be the eleventh ASEAN member state. The last chapter is a unique study which compares the two main par- ties. The present Sixth Constitutional Government is a mixed govern- ment of the two main parties, Fretilin and the National Congress for the Reconstruction of Timor (CNRT), which kept the power until the parliamentary elections on July 22, 2017. The President of the Democratic Party (PD), Fernando Lasama, former Vice Prime Minister, the unique political leader who was able to contest the existence of the bi-party system, died in 2015. Fretilin is an offshoot of the Timorese Social Democratic Association (ASDT), Fretilin’s predecessor, which was founded in May 1974. Fretilin currently has the character of a social democratic party rather than a Marxist one. The author’s feld notes would be valuable for scholars interested in Timorese elections. The epilogue presents a story of the past and tries to look at the evo- lution of Timorese politics, including a comment on colonialism and postcolonialism before independence in 2002. The present appears to be still quite challenging. On May 20, 2017 Lu-Olo became President of Timor-Leste. The parliamentary elections were successfully organ- ized on July 22, 2017. Fretilin and the CNRT will, sooner or later, try to play their own cards, following the tough years between 2006 and 2015, the extraordinary post-2015 Timorese political truce needs to be again on the agenda of East Timor’s new Government. The happy con- clusion examines broader issues impacting Timor-Leste, including the politics of modernization, the question of development, social and politi- cal change, and their importance for the stability of the country. It ends x PREFACE with the wish to build a stronger relationship with ASEAN, in particular Indonesia, to become the 11th member of the association after success- fully organizing the ASEAN Regional Forum in Dili in April 2017. Tai Po Jean A. Berlie Hong Kong CONTENTS 1 A Socio-Historical Essay: Traditions, Indonesia, Independence, and Elections 1 Jean A. Berlie 2 Independence: Political Events in 2006, 2008, and 2015 33 Jean A. Berlie 3 East Timor and Its Giant Southern Neighbor 61 Peter Murphy 4 Timor-Leste and ASEAN 91 Hans Hägerdal and Jean A. Berlie 5 Fretilin and CNRT: A Short Comparative Study of the Two Main Political Parties of East Timor 113 Jean A. Berlie xi xii CONTENTS 6 Epilogue: East Timor’s Political Development, Indonesia and ASEAN 139 Jean A. Berlie References 145 Index 149 EDITOR AND CONTRIBUTORS About the Editor Jean A. Berlie is a researcher at the Education University of Hong Kong. His books include: East Timor Politics and Elections, Guangzhou: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Jinan University (2007); East Timor: A Bibliography, Paris: Indes Savantes (2001); and Macao 2000 (ed.), Hong Kong/New York: Oxford University Press (1999). Contributors Hans Hägerdal is Associate Professor in History at Linnaeus University, Sweden. He is the author of Lords of the Land, Lords of the Sea: Confict and Adaptation in Early Colonial Timor, 1600–1800 (Leiden: KITLV Press, 2012). Peter Murphy is a former militant for East Timor and has published articles on Timorese politics.
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