Young nation to age gracefully?

Young Timorese celebrate international peace day. Photo by UN Photo on flickr.
25 November 2013
Young Timorese celebrate international peace day. Photo by UN Photo on flickr.


The 21st century’s first new nation, Timor-Leste, may have found peace and stability, but prosperity is not guaranteed.

November 28 marks 38 years to the day when the former Portuguese colony of East Timor declared its independence, only to be invaded and occupied by Indonesia 10 days later.

A 24-year struggle saw the Timorese people finally break free of Indonesia in 1999, but not without anti-independence militia leaving up to 1,000 dead.

Nowadays, Timor-Leste is a very different nation to the one the Australian-led International Force for East Timor (InterFET) encountered in the aftermath of the 1999 referendum on the country’s independence.

“After that vote the Indonesian military and its supporting militias had engaged in a scorched earth campaign, killing hundreds of people and destroying almost three-quarters of all infrastructure and buildings,” said Dr Joanne Wallis, who is based at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.

She was speaking ahead of the inaugural Timor-Leste Update at ANU, which is being held from 28-29 November.

Timor-Leste has made impressive progress in its first decade as a nation: it has shaken off the instability that blighted the first several years after independence; it is achieving enviable levels of annual economic growth; and it is emerging as a significant player on the world stage, positioning to join ASEAN, chairing the G7+ group of nations, and gaining appointments to key UN bodies.

Improvements to the tiny nation have been powered by the government’s access to significant oil and gas revenues from the Timor Sea.

The earnings have helped implement new social security schemes, better healthcare services and facilities, more schools, and better infrastructure.

“As a result, the proportion of the population living under the basic needs poverty line fell from 49.9 per cent in 2007 to 41 per cent in 2010,” Wallis added.

The winding up of 13 years of international peacekeeping operations in Timor Lester comes with challenges.

One of these is the sustainability of oil and gas resources in the Timor Sea, says ANU postdoctoral fellow Dr Lia Kent – who is based in the College’s State, Society and Governance in Melanesia program.

“East Timor is one of the most oil dependent nations in the world, and some estimates suggest that current resources will only last until 2025,” she said.

“This means there is an enormous urgency around the need to develop the non-oil sectors of the economy.”

The growing gap in wealth between rural and urban areas is another problem.

“The majority of the population live in the rural areas and continue to suffer from issues such as food insecurity and high levels of child malnutrition,” Kent added.

Organised by the School of International, Political and Strategic Studies, the 2013 Timor-Leste Update brings together top scholars and policy analysts from around the world to reflect on the prospects and challenges for Timor-Leste over the next five to 10 years.

Speakers at this year’s update include Dr Fidelis Magalhaes, chief of staff to Timor-Leste’s President, and high ranking government minister Agio Pereira.

To watch a video featuring Lia Kent discussing the 2013 Timor-Leste update click here.

Article by Belinda Cranston.  

 

Updated:  16 October, 2013/Responsible Officer:  Web Communications Coordinator/Page Contact:  Web Communications Coordinator