As a number of countries, including ASEAN members, tread a path toward autocracy, the onus is on journalism to uphold its duty to keep democracy alive, the facts straight and power in check. This need is particularly pressing in Indonesia, which is just months away from holding a general election.

Speaking at a dialogue held by The Jakarta Post on Monday as part of the newspaper’s 40^th anniversary celebrations, Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta lamented the woes democracy had seen in recent years, particularly the putsch and continuing human rights violations in Myanmar, an ASEAN member state.

“Right now, in the heart of ASEAN, in Myanmar, tens of millions of people are hostage in their own country, and they feel abandoned, betrayed by the international community,” Nobel Peace laureate Ramos-Horta said in his opening remarks.

Ramos-Horta’s statement came after Timor-Leste, which is looking to join ASEAN, expressed frustration with the 10-country bloc, currently chaired by Indonesia, for its sluggish progress in settling the Myanmar conflict.

A small island nation marked by a bloody fight for independence, Timor-Leste has gone against the global grain to make strides in upholding its democracy since gaining independence in 2002.

Read also: Timor Leste still on for ASEAN, says Ramos-Horta