Timor-Leste president-elect Jose Ramos-Horta (left) and the nation's first president Xanana Gusmao listen to journalists' questions in Dili on April 21 after a landslide victory in the presidential election. (Photo: AFP)
Celebrations over the victory of independence leader and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta in the recent Timor-Leste presidential election are over.
What’s left now is the public eagerness to see a fresh beginning in the country of 1.3 million people that has been marred by a rivalry between the outgoing president and parliament that caused political stagnation.
Ramos-Horta won 62.09 percent of the votes against rival President Francesco "Lu-Olo" Guterres, who got 37.91 percent in the second round of the election on April 19. It brought him back to the seat of power of the Catholic-majority nation.
He was president of Timor-Leste from 2007 to 2012. He will lead the country for the next five years, a crucial period where the government has to work harder to meet its 2011-30 strategic development plans. It’s a 20-year vision focusing on four key aspects — political will, economic potential, national integration and a dynamic population — to create a prosperous, strong nation.
It means that his leadership will determine the success of the plans and the country’s ability to leap toward the next strategic steps.
Before the election, Ramos-Horta, 72, emphasized his return to politics was to break the longstanding deadlock between Timor-Leste’s key political parties, Lu-Olo’s Fretilin and Xanana Gusmao’s National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT).
The clash of the titans can be traced back to the April-June 2006 crisis that saw riots burn and damage many public properties in capital Dili
Claiming the outgoing president had violated the constitution, he pledged to return the presidential office to a path that will ensure economic and political stability.
It’s a promise that was seen as a light at the end of the tunnel and caused a major defeat not only for Lu-Olo but also a government coalition consisting of Fretilin, the People’s Liberation Party and KHUNTO (Enrich the National Unity of the Sons of Timor).
In Timor-Leste, the president has the power to veto any legislation and dissolve parliament.
However, Ramos-Horta said that political stability can be achieved when all parties are united. Dissolving parliament would be the last option when everything else meets a dead end.
It can be a good start and he’s capable of doing so considering his past leadership experience and his being a respected personality among the political elites. He is expected to bring together veterans Gusmao and Mari Alkatiri, Fretilin's secretary-general, who have not been speaking to each other for many years, according to media reports.
The clash of the titans can be traced back to the April-June 2006 crisis that saw riots burn and damage many public properties in capital Dili. At that time, Alkatiri was prime minister and Gusmao was president of Timor-Leste.
Gusmao ordered Fretilin to remove the prime minister or he would resign as president. It triggered thousands of his supporters to march through the streets of Dili demanding Alkatiri’s resignation. On the other hand, they supported Gusmao to stay as president. Alkatiri later resigned. In the following year, Gusmao appointed Ramos-Horta as prime minister.
The newly elected president has to address poverty that has trapped more than half of Timorese households in constant food insecurity, leading to high malnutrition
The crisis has affected Timor-Leste’s political landscape until the present day, but the new president can end the decade-long conflict.
Above all, national stability is achieved by improving people’s welfare. The newly elected president has to address poverty that has trapped more than half of Timorese households in constant food insecurity, leading to high malnutrition.
The Timor-Leste Food and Nutrition Survey 2020 showed that the prevalence of stunting in children under five years was very high, particularly in rural areas. It was higher in children whose mothers had no education, who did not meet the minimum meal frequency and who had no access to healthy drinking water.
These are serious issues, coupled with poor health and education facilities and vital infrastructure such as roads. Unemployment is also high among youths, which could transform into chaos if not handled properly.
It should be noticed that the 2006 crisis that stemmed from discrimination within the military metamorphosed into a national issue because of unemployment. Most protesters were jobless people.
The new president should be able to avoid such incidents not just by creating job opportunities but also by uniting all groups that are still wounded due to past conflicts.
Ramos-Horta’s victory with CNRT’s strong backing implies that he too will have to restore Gusmao’s power in the government, either as prime minister or chief adviser, to improve the country’s economic value and negotiate at a global level.
These projects are lifesavers for Timor-Leste. As the world is turning away from Russia's oil due to the Ukrainian invasion, Timor-Leste should prepare to meet global oil demands
He has promised a restructure within the government soon after his inauguration on May 20, the 20th anniversary of the country's restoration of independence, amid growing concern about depleting oil and gas supplies. Oil and gas account for more than 90 percent of Timor-Leste’s exports and contribute 95 percent of its revenues.
Ramos-Horta and Gusmao want the Timor-Leste people to believe there is nothing to worry about as long as they support the government in its bid to speed up the multibillion-dollar Greater Sunrise project.
They also aim to continue construction of the $18 billion Tasi Mane project that was undermined during Fretilin’s leadership. The project consists of three industrial clusters — Suai, Betano and Beacu — on the south coast that will be the backbone of the country’s petroleum industry.
The assertiveness of Gusmao and Ramos-Horta in developing the multi-year project is good news for Timor-Leste, although it has caused budget constraints. As a solution, they want to invite more Chinese investors into the Tasi Mane project, a move that could disappoint Australia and other Western countries that did not want Chinese influence in Timor-Leste to grow.
These projects are lifesavers for Timor-Leste. As the world is turning away from Russia's oil due to the Ukrainian invasion, Timor-Leste should prepare to meet global oil demands.
Such ambitious projects and other programs will never function properly if political stability is not guaranteed. Winning the full support of the Timorese people is fundamental to successfully achieving national goals.
Ramos-Horta blamed Lu-Olo for being unconstitutional. Now he must uphold the constitution throughout his leadership, otherwise the tiny nation will be in constant turmoil.
* The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.
