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Timor-Leste's self-destructive present for ASEAN on its 56th anniversary
Xanana has the right to express his frustration with the snail-paced progress ASEAN has achieved in dealing with the Myanmar junta, but there should be diplomatic channels to convey this rather than venting his anger in public.
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Sworn in: Timor-Leste's new prime minister, Xanana Gusmao (left), takes an oath on July 1, 2023 during his inauguration at the presidential palace in Dili. (AFP/Valentino Dariell De Sousa )
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SEAN just celebrated its 56th anniversary on Tuesday, and this year, the official elevation of Timor-Leste as the 11th member of the regional grouping from its current status as an observer is expected to reach the final steps when ASEAN leaders regroup for their second biannual summit in Jakarta in September.
But Timor-Leste could undermine the process after its leader appeared to issue a vote of no-confidence in the increasingly powerful bloc.
Indonesia and ASEAN do not need to persuade Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao to retract his threat to stop his government’s steps toward joining ASEAN if the regional grouping cannot immediately end the state-sponsored atrocities in Myanmar. Xanana effectively demanded a quick solution to the Myanmar cause as an absolute precondition for his country's admission to ASEAN.
"If ASEAN is not able to convince the military junta in Myanmar, I can say Timor-Leste cannot yet trust the association; this the position of the government," news-viptv.com quoted Xanana as telling journalists after meeting with President Jose Ramos Horta at the Presidential Palace in Dili on Aug. 3.
Xanana even reported his decision to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to amplify his statement.
The prime minister said that as a country that had adopted democracy, Timor-Leste could not accept military junta regimes anywhere and could not ignore human rights violations in Myanmar. "Timor-Leste will not be joining the ASEAN if ASEAN cannot convince the military junta in Myanmar [to end the conflict]," The Jakarta Post quoted Xanana as saying.
Xanana’s remarks are a slap in the face for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo because the Timor-Leste independence hero knows that ASEAN under Indonesia’s chairmanship this year will not be able to do much to ease the plight of the Myanmar people.
