IT was as a budding diplomat in the 1970s that Jose Ramos-Horta (pic), a man who would go on to win the Nobel prize for his fight for Timor Leste’s independence, first raised the idea of his country joining South-East Asia’s economic and political bloc.
Half a century later, his vision seems set to be realised, with Asean announcing on Friday that it has agreed in principle to admit Timor Leste as the group’s 11th member.
Ramos-Horta, 72, who left retirement this year to clinch the country’s presidency for a second time, said the dream has been long-held.
“The very first time I talked about this I was only 24 or 25,” he said.
“I went to Jakarta and met with then Indonesian foreign minister Adam Malik and I had zero diplomatic experience, but I knew that regional integration, a membership in Asean, and a close relationship with Australia and Indonesia was very important to the future of Timor Leste.”
At the time, Timor Leste was ruled by Portugal, although it was clear that Lisbon would soon relinquish its colony. Timor Leste was later annexed by Indonesia and gained full independence only in 2002.
In Cambodia this week, Asean said Timor Leste would be granted observer status at high- level meetings of the bloc as it creates a “roadmap for full membership”.That once aspiring diplomat is now one of Timor Leste’s best known political figures.
Ramos-Horta spent decades as the exiled spokesperson for guerrilla fighters when Timor Leste was fighting the Indonesian occupation, a struggle for which he was awarded the Nobel prize in 1996.He served as the country’s first foreign minister, prime minister, and president, during which time he survived an assassination attempt by rebel soldiers.
Ramos-Horta said becoming a fully-fledged Asean member would “not happen tomorrow” and could still take several years, but would ultimately benefit his young nation.
Timor Leste celebrated 20 years of independence this year, but the country is heavily dependent on dwindling reserves of oil and gas. It has struggled for years with instability, political regeneration and the challenge of diversifying its economy.
Asean membership would open up his country to wider diplomatic ties with Asean’s dialogue partners, greater opportunities for foreign direct investment and provide Timorese with better education and job opportunities, Ramos-Horta said. — Reuters
