East Timor

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East Timor is Southeast Asia's newest independent country of approximately 925,000 inhabitants. Situated on the eastern half of the Timor Island, and also including a small enclave on the western side, it consists of flat coastal areas separated by a rugged mountain range and features distinct tropical dry and rainy seasons. The population of East Timor is made up of a dozen separate indigenous groups that share a common experience of colonialism under Portugal and Indonesia. As a result, Tetum (the language spoken in the capital, Díli), Portuguese, and Indonesian vie for prominence as the language of school and government—the first two are official languages.

East Timor's most valuable and only exportable crop lies in the extensive plantations of Arabica coffee in the mountainous interior. Oil and gas reserves, in abundance in the Timor Sea, are still untapped pending negotiations with neighboring Australia and individual oil companies. East Timor remains extremely poor. Per capita income is around $520, according to the World Bank's 2002 estimate, and the majority of the population is engaged in subsistence farming.

Portugal refused to give independence to its colonies after World War II (1939–1945) but abruptly changed course in 1974. In East Timor two parties emerged to promote independence: Fretilin and the Timorese Democratic Union. After a brief civil war between the two in 1975, the more left-wing Fretilin emerged as the winner and established the government through a unilateral declaration of independence. Few countries had recognized this government when Indonesian troops invaded the territory on December 7, 1975, and annexed the territory.

Indonesian atrocities in East Timor, costing more than one hundred thousand lives over more than two decades, brought the country's plight to the attention of the international community. East Timor's circumstances changed in 1999, however, when Indonesia allowed the East Timorese to hold a referendum, in which 78.5 percent of the population opted for independence. Pro-Indonesia militia destroyed East Timor when this result became known, prompting an international peacekeeping force to assume control of the territory.

East Timor held elections for an assembly to draft a constitution on August 30, 2001. The constitutional assembly then stayed on to serve as a parliament. Fretilin reemerged as a political power in a multiparty environment, winning fifty-five of the eighty-eight seats. The party made subsequent political deals to give it a super-majority in parliament. Fretilin also appointed the prime minister, Marí Alkatiri (b. 1949), and the house speaker, Francisco "Lú-Olo" Guterres (b. 1954). On April 14, 2002, Xanana Gusmão (b. 1946), the former head of Falintil, the armed resistance movement during Indonesian occupation, was overwhelmingly elected president with 82.7 percent of the vote. Gusmão is regarded by East Timorese as the father of their independence, and his influence on government far outweighs the formal powers granted to him in the constitution. On May 20, 2002, the United Nations officially handed over sovereignty to East Timor.

East Timor's constitution, largely based on the examples of Mozambique and Portugal, provides for a semi-presidential system. The president is head of state with the resulting ceremonial duties but also has the power of veto over parliamentary legislation and supply. Parliament is unicameral and sits for a five-year term. Seventy-five of the eighty-eight seats are determined by proportionality, and the remaining thirteen are reserved for each district. There is adherence to civil rights for citizens, parties, and the media.

The Supreme Court of Justice is the highest judicial authority, and its independence is guaranteed under East Timorese law. The constitution is secular but makes reference to the historic role of the Catholic Church.

Under international tutelage and aid, East Timor's democracy has remained stable, although its political and developmental challenges are formidable.

Indonesia; International Court of Justice; Peacekeeping Forces.

Dunn, James. East Timor: A Rough Passage to Independence, 3rd ed. Double Bay, New South Wales, Australia: Longueville Books, 2003.

East Timor Action Network, ed. Constitution of the Democratic Republic of East Timor. <http://www.etan.org/etanpdf/pdf 2/constfnen.pdf>.

Fox, James J., and Dionisio Babo Soares, eds. Out of the Ashes: Destruction and Reconstruction of East Timor, 2d ed. Canberra: Australian University Press, 2003.

Hill, Hal, and João M. Saldanha, eds. East Timor: Development Challenges for the World's Newest Nation. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2001.

Smith, Anthony L. "East Timor: Elections in the World's Newest Nation." Journal of Democracy 15, no. 2 (2004):145–159.

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