East Timor and Sustainable Development

(As part of the project that I did with the United Nations Association of Singapore (UNAS), I wrote 7 essays concerning various aspects of the UN and the international system. This is essay 7 out of 7)

Section 7 (Field Activities)

Q64. Imagine you are a UN development expert assigned to Timor Leste. Make a list of recommendations with a view to rebuilding the country. Explain and provide justifications in support of the recommendations.

By Linus Wong, National Junior College

Timor Leste is one the newest and youngest independent states in existence. Having undergone a long period of Portuguese colonisation and colonial neglect followed by the dark period under Indonesian occupation, Timor Leste now faces the challenge of being a sustainable, stable and successful nation-state of the 21^st Century.

Map of East Timor/ Timor Leste

Coat of Arms of Timor Leste

Flag of Timor Leste

A key effort towards rebuilding the country would be to harness Timor Leste’s unique geographical location. It straddles the regions of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Therefore, it could possibly take advantage of this and work with supranational organisations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Pacific Islands Forum to garner developmental aid and technological expertise from countries like Singapore, Australia and New Zealand to strengthen and advance its economy. By leveraging upon the support it could gain from its neighbours, neighbours who wish to see a stable and peaceful Timor Leste, it could restart its economy with the political and economic support of its regional states and neighbours.

Logo of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)

Members of the Pacific Islands Forum

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) logo

Timor Leste's location vis a vis Indonesia and Australia

A key linchpin in this strategy would be close economic relations with Indonesia and Australia. Due to geographical proximity, these two nations are those that have the greatest immediate stake in Timor Leste and are Timor Leste’s two largest trading partners. Timor Leste has already undergone economic cooperation with Australia in the exploitation of shared oil resources. Revenue from the sale of oil, which already provides the government with revenues of USD 40 million a year, could be channelled into vital areas such as education to create more skilled workers to change the nation’s economy from that of a primarily producer based economy to one that is a mix of agricultural production and light and heavy industries.

Timor Leste Oil Rig in the Timor Sea

Timor Leste could also focus on eco as well as community based tourism as part of its development strategy. Tourism could be targeted as a key area of growth and revenue generation and job provision for the Timorese people and their government. Forming part of the Coral Triangle, the global epicentre of marine biodiversity, Timor Leste could leverage upon this and attract tourists interested in its rich marine life. Additionally, this is in line with sustainable development, providing local coastal communities with a source of income and the sufficient incentive to protect the nation’s marine biodiversity. Furthermore, Timor Leste has one of the world’s last lowland coastal rainforests, a region safeguarded by the Nino Kontis Santana National Park. Avid birdwatchers will be attracted to this area in light of the rare and endangered avifauna present here. By conserving species like the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo, the endemic Timor Green-pigeon, the endangered Timor Imperial-pigeon, and the vulnerable Timor Sparrow, Timor Leste could present itself as a centre of bird conservation, attracting eco-tourists interested in avifauna. If this conservation program could be extended to other key areas such as the sandalwood forests and mountain forests, it would significantly raise the ecotourism appeal of the country.

Timor Sparrow

Yellow Crested Cockatoo

Timor Imperial Pigeon

Timor Green Pigeon

East Timorese man in traditional dress

Coral in the Timor Sea

The nation could also harness its position as the one of the few Portuguese colonial settlements in the Southeast Asian region and utilise the Portuguese historical presence, relics and structures as part of its second prong approach towards tourism. By attracting enthusiasts about colonialism and Portuguese history, Timor Leste could diversify its tourism industry. Lusophone enthusiasts (Portuguese speakers) would also find Timor Leste an alluring place to visit. The nation could even construct itself as a key centre in the study of the Portuguese language, developing the country culturally and revitalising a part of its heritage that could serve to promote the exotic appeal of the country. History buffs would also be interested in the Timorese resistance against Indonesian rule, how the Fatilini guerrilla forces waged the struggle for Timorese freedom and even traces of the Japanese occupation of the nation during the Second World War. Furthermore, being only one of two Christian majority nations in Southeast Asia (the other being the Philippines), Timor Leste could draw upon its religious heritage to promote itself as a centre of Catholic studies and hence develop the nation spiritually. In the reconstructing of any nation, although the main effort should be directed towards economic rebuilding, the cultural and spiritual side of a nation must not be forgotten for these are what truly defines a nation and gives the people strength to persevere on to achieve economic and political stability.  

Balide Church, Dili (the capital of Timor Leste)

As a nation at the lower end of the development scale, Timor Leste should first concentrate upon agricultural production as well as light industry such as manufacturing before moving on towards more technological and capital intensive industries. The Timorese government’s focus upon the exporting of cash crops such as coffee is certainly a laudable goal. However, the fixation upon a single dominant cash crop is detrimental to a nation as world prices for coffee may fluctuate. Rather, perhaps the government could consider developing other cash crops as well such as vanilla or nutmeg to reduce the reliance that the nation has upon a single export product. Furthermore, instead of merely exporting raw agricultural products, perhaps the Timorese government could consider building up a food processing industry so that the country could at least produce finished goods that usually fetch higher prices in the world market. The export of Tais (an expensive locally made fabric, akin in importance to the nation as Batik is to Indonesia), could also serve to develop the light industry sector and provide a diversification of the economy for Timor Leste. It would also serve to promote a unique Timor Leste identity that would have positive intangible effects for the nation as a whole.

Tais in the National Parliament

The introduction of aquaculture is also a viable means of developing the nation. As Timor Leste is well suited to fish breeding and raising due to its favourable climate and waters, commercial or community based aquaculture could also be used as a means of creating a new sector as a means to export fish alongside oil and other agricultural products.

Tilapia, a fish often used in aquaculture

Oil revenue must be managed in a responsible manner and channelled towards the nation’s development. Unemployment which currently stands at close to 50% of the population can only be reduced if the people are encouraged to take part in the key sectors of tourism, commercial fishing, clothing, manufacturing and commercial agriculture. The shift from subsistence living towards these sectors must be actively encouraged by the government through housing and educational benefits as well as educational drives. The Timor Leste government must also actively seek to integrate the nation into the regional and international economy so as to export more goods to bring in economic stability to this new nation.