Ten years ago in 1999, 78.5 percent of the East Timorese voted in favor for independence, and splitting away from Indonesia. Only 21.5 percent supported autonomy within Indonesia, which had invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975. After 24 year of bloody occupation by Indonesian forces, East Timor by virtue of UN-backed referendum which voted for independence was ushered in as Asia’s youngest nation; and became formally independent in 2002. East Timor rich in oil and gas joined the community of recognized states, and its citizens looked forward to a new era of prosperity, stability and peace. On August 30, 2009, East Timor celebrated its tenth anniversary since its historic vote for independence.
Today, the people of East Timor, a dominantly Catholic Country of 1.1 million population express mix feelings of pride and uncertainty about the future. While they are proud of their freedom and ability to decide their own political destiny, yet issues of poverty and unemployment continue to plague their daily lives. Despite their vast offshore gas wealth, 40 percent of the population earns less than one dollar a day and about 40 percent of its population lives below the poverty line. According to the World Bank unemployment in 2004 was estimated at 23 percent and youth unemployment at 40 percent. All this despite the 5.2 billion dollars spent by bilateral and multilateral foreign aid agencies in 1999-2009.
The international assistance in the reconstruction efforts of East Timor has been hampered by political instability and spasms of internecine violence. Fighting among police, soldiers and street gangs in 2006 has killed scores of people and displaced thousand which led to the return of UN peacekeepers. To make matters more complicated rebel soldiers made an attempt of President Jose Ramos-Horta, who required a life saving emergency surgery in Australia. The assassination attempt and the growing mutiny among the army highlight the culture of impunity and abuses that have troubled East Timor. This coupled with issues of security, social and economic despair, poor infrastructure, healthcare and education continues to challenge the founders of the modern East Timorese nation.
Apart from these pressing daily challenges, the core of some of its problems lies in broader issues of nation-building. The East Timor experience clearly demonstrates that independence is not an end; it is only a means to a better way of life. It has shown that its rich mineral resources do not guarantee prosperity; and therefore the need to invest in its primary resource – the people is paramount. It also points out the dire need to promote and encourage local enterprises that can provide sustained employment and enable lesser dependence on outside aid. While the East Timor resistance was gifted with strong and dynamic leaders such as Xanana Gusmao and Jose Ramos-Horta; yet their limited experience in governance and running a country has proven to be a handicap in the free East Timor. Therefore the necessity to develop future leadership among young East Timorese is absolute and vital.
Finally, the question of national reconciliation in East Timor is of primary importance. The growing polarization between West and East Timor, the mayhem surrounding the 1999 referendum for independence, which the UN estimates resulted in 1000 East Timorese deaths, have not been fully addressed in a way that enabled healing, although a reconciliation process was initiated. The present problems in East Timor has both internal and external causes; and yet, one cannot deny that East Timor was not fully prepared and did not have a road-map to help it move from a conflict situation into a post-conflict situation and ultimately to stability, prosperity and peace.
The East Timor experience in its last 10 years provides vital lessons for all independence seeking nations. While the circumstance may be distinctive to East Timor, the issues and challenges are universal and one that every young country will have to face and overcome. The naïve assumption that everything will be sorted out once independence is achieved poses the greatest threat to independence movements; and therefore must be done away it. The issues of infrastructure, education and health care, development of leadership, consensus building for a road map to the future, and building local business enterprise are all nation-building activities that cannot wait for independence; it must start today. And East Timor in an ironic way shows why it is necessary.
The simultaneous process of resolution, reconciliation and reconstruction is a natural process which is necessary for the building of a nation from conflict to peace. Indeed the world has much to learn from East Timor.
