Program
The conference will be divided into four, half-day panels each led by a keynote speaker who will address specific aspects of the dynamic relations between central state and local governance systems in a new nation.
Papers
Papers from the conference are now available in book form from CDU Press. For more information visit the CDU Press website.
Venue
Building 22 Lecture Theatre (room 22.1.01), Casuarina campus, Charles Darwin University
Thursday 7 February
8.30 am-9.00 am
Registration
9.00 am-9.30 am
Official Opening
Deputy Prime Minister of Timor-Leste
Dr Jose Luis Guterres
Panel 1
Reconciling national and local governance systems – an incompatible marriage? ‘Representation’, Authority and Leadership
9.30 am-10.15 am
Ms Fernanda Borges, Member of Timor-Leste Parliament
CAVR Implementation: the Key to Transforming the Country and East Timorese Society
The East Timor Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation widely known as CAVR, is still unfinished business. The Commission during its four and half year mandate carried out three core tasks: it conducted a wide inquiry into human rights violations committed between 1974 and 1999; it facilitated a unique, fascinating and successful community reconciliation program for the 1999 crimes; and it prepared a report which included its findings and recommendations on what East Timor and the international community should do to learn from the experience and prevent a recurrence of the shocking crimes documented in its 2800 pages. There is tremendous opportunity for political leaders to embrace and implement the findings and recommendations contained in the report. The implementation of CAVR will require the country to put into practice democracy, observance of the rule of law and respect of the justice system to solve the country’s problems, reform the security sector and improve the people’s socio-economic wellbeing. This process will reach out to the local communities and help strengthen the national institutional structures in the country in a way that transforms and builds the nation in a durable way. To finish the business Parliament and the Government of East Timor need to act on implementation of the report and realise on its nation-building potential. Transitional justice issues will require the involvement and assistance of the United Nations and the goodwill of the international community.
10.15 am-10.45 am
Ms Jill Jolliffe
Psychological Healing as a Prerequisite to Democratic Governance in Timor-Leste
Good governance in Timor-Leste will remain an elusive goal unless the business of healing the survivors of widespread war trauma is addressed urgently. There is a growing realisation in the country that the vicious cycle of violence seen in May 2006 is doomed to be endlessly repeated unless real healing begins. A study by PRADET, the country’s major NGO in the psychosocial sphere, estimated soon after Indonesian withdrawal that around one-third of East Timorese (around 300,000 people) were affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. In the years since the number of people undergoing treatment through the few NGOs involved in this work—PRADET, International Catholic Migrations Commission (ICMC), and the women’s advocacy group FOKUPERS—has been a tiny percentage of this number. The result is a crippled workforce deprived of its best and brightest through untreated physical and psychological injuries, and a younger generation repeating patterns of violence learnt under Indonesian rule and in the dysfunctional homes of victims. This paper will look at the statistics, examine some case studies and hear authorities such as former health minister Rui Araújo, son of a famous political prisoner.
10.45 am-11.15 am
Morning Tea
11.15 am-11.45 am
Mr Andrew Marriot, Judicial System Monitoring Programme
Justice in the Courts, Justice in the Community: Bridging East Timor’s Legal Divide
Considerable effort is being undertaken to consolidate Timor-Leste’s post-conflict legacy of incomplete and conflicting legal traditions. This process, backed by multilateral interests, follows a pattern of prioritising national institutions such as the courts. Issues of distance and diffuse population, however, threaten to render such infrastructure irrelevant at the local level, compounded by expense and limited awareness. Accordingly, methods that empower communities to resolve disputes without recourse to the formal justice system are increasingly being explored. Attention is being directed to indigenous dialogue processes and forms of binding agreement, which may prove consistent with mediation and conciliation. Whilst benefits are derived from utilising pre-existing sources of authority, situating quasi-judicial power at village or district level is not a panacea for a fragile legal sector. Doubt remains about the capacity of these measures to displace entrenched power imbalances, such as those based in gender and regional identity. Neither top-down rule of law orthodoxy nor targeted, community-based practices can exclusively address the full range of intervention-level disputes. These models must therefore be integrated to provide a cohesive legal framework that contributes not only to security, but also to human development. This paper comprises preliminary research undertaken toward the author’s doctoral thesis.
11.45 am-12.15 pm
Mr Josh Trindade
Making the State Work for the People: Redefining the Timorese National Identity
Before 1999 East Timor was a nation without state. Twenty-four years of resistance to the Indonesian occupation unified the country’s diverse population. This sense of unity in struggle and being historically distinct from Indonesia, contributed to achieving independence in 2002. As of 2006, East Timor looked very much like a ‘state without a nation.’ The Timorese sense of nation and state appeared to fragment, being replaced by competing and divisive narratives about the past, and a strong sense of exclusion and frustration. In the process of nation-building, key groups in society felt excluded and were looking for a sense of belonging elsewhere than the state. Prior to independence, a national identity was constructed based on resistance to occupation and colonialism. Evidence shows that this constructed identity has divided East Timorese society and triggered the 2006 crisis. This paper argues that, in order to make the state work for the people, it is not too late to develop and introduce new concepts and ideas that facilitate the people to have shared values, and a common identity and understandings based on existing culture, traditions, history and social structure. This paper will discuss how the nation-state formation in 2002 ignored some of the important elements of East Timorese social structure, culture and traditions that still influence the daily life of contemporary East Timorese citizens. This paper assumes that East Timor is building a state like that of a house built on sand. The country has no spirit or soul and is like a walking corpse; alive, yet inanimate. As a state, East Timor is still too fragile and what is needed is a strong foundation rooted deeply in people’s common beliefs and shared cultural values which will enable the people to remain cohesive and live together under one nation.
12.15 pm-1.15 pm
Lunch
Panel 2
Understanding national and local politics: political parties and the emerging role of parliament - looking to the future or locked in the past?
1.15 pm-2.00 pm
Associate Professor Damien Kingsbury, Deakin University
Contemporary Politics in East Timor: Divided Politics in a Post-Colonial State
When East Timor achieved independence in 2002, it appeared that the recently anointed Fretilin government would chart a political course in line with the wishes of most if its citizens. However, the new Fretilin government faced three sets of problems which it was ultimately unable to control and which led to the political downfall of its parliamentary leader in 2006 and its electoral defeat in 2007. The three main problems were a legacy of division within East Timor’s resistance movement, a tendency among its leading government ministers to adopt a centralised, top-down approach to decision making and, in common with most other recently independent states, a constrained economic climate that created a sense of political disappointment among many and which exacerbated all other tensions. These three problems built on each other, ultimately building to a point of social and political breakdown. This paper examines these three issues and seeks to examine whether they could have been handled differently and where this now leaves the still fledgling state.
2.00 pm-2.30 pm
Professor Akihisa Matsuno, Osaka University
State Building and Democracy-Building in East Timor
The crisis in 2006 left some important lessons. Weaknesses lied not just in the national leadership, but also, or perhaps more fundamentally, in the political mechanism of reconciling conflicting interests. There had been a shared feeling that politics was only superficially democratic in East Timor. The making of this situation, or non-existence of functioning democracy, has its roots in the policies of the UN transitional administration, and was succeeded and strengthened by the Fretilin administration. The UN transitional administration focused on building a state, in which creating a functioning bureaucracy was considered as the synonym of ‘state-building’. Most of the peace-building efforts, in terms of both resources and programmes, were poured into the state sector. What appeared then in the East Timor political landscape was a disproportionately strong state with a still fragmented, inexperienced and resource-less society. Any political force that would have this strong state sector in its hand first could easily expand its domination to all aspects of life in the country. Fretilin’s domination of East Timorese politics was a result of this state-centred nation-building process. For democracy to truly function, nation-building needs to be more comprehensive, encompassing the state, the local administration, the society, the community, the family and the individual. For a post-conflict society like East Timor building democracy at the grassroots level is of particular importance. Without this, there would be no firm base for political stability at the national level.
2.30 pm-3.00 pm
Afternoon Tea
3.00 pm-3.30 pm
Associate Professor Dennis Shoesmith, Charles Darwin University
Legislative-Executive Relations in Timor-Leste: the Case for Building a Stronger Parliament
This is a preparatory, desktop paper, rather than the outcome of completed in-country research. It draws on the comparative literature on democratic governance in new states to develop a profile of the situation in Timor-Leste. Its purpose is to examine from a comparative perspective the relationship between the executive and the legislature in Timor-Leste, to examine the roles and relationships between the president, the Council of Ministers and the Parliament, and from this examination to suggest strategies that might strengthen effective parliamentary democracy. The central hypothesis taken up in the paper is M Steven Fish’s conclusion (2006) that the ‘evidence shows that the presence of a powerful legislature is an unmixed blessing for democratization’. This is taken as including the implicit claim that a stronger democracy will produce a stronger state alongside a stronger civil society. The discussion will take up the counter-thesis that, as a post-conflict state experiencing major political challenges, Timor-Leste requires the concentration of power in a strong central political executive
3.30 pm-4.00 pm
Dr Damian Grenfell, RMIT University
The Violence of Nation-Formation in Timor-Leste
This paper examines the process of nation and state formation through the lens of the socio-political crisis that began dramatically in 2006 and continues to reverberate through East Timorese society today. At its broadest level, this paper is underpinned by an argument that East Timor’s crisis is not adequately described as ‘ethnic in essence’, a ‘retreat into savagery from below’, nor a number of other descriptors often used to describe violence that arises in post-colonial societies. Rather, an argument will be made to suggest that such violence is better understood as a response to a disjuncture created between the two modernising processes of nation-formation and state-building in tandem with the uneven forms of social integration that exist in Timor today. The crisis provides an extremely complex scenario to work with—youth gangs, splits in the security apparatus, party politics, demographic changes—and hence easy explanations are not easily reached. However, as part of understanding the crisis not only is there a need to see nation and state formation as very distinct processes, but also to look at how each of these processes have unfolded so as to effect different communities in different ways across Timor-Leste.
4.00 pm-4.30 pm
Professor Benjamin Reilly, Australian National University
Supporting Democratic Development in Timor-Leste
Professor Reilly will discuss the prospects for democratic development in Timor-Leste and the work of the Centre for Democratic Institutions (CDI), Australia’s democracy promotion organisation, in supporting Timor-Leste’s legislature and political parties. He will also examine some of the weaknesses in the country’s formal political institutions and possible reform options for strengthening democratic governance.
Friday 8 February
Panel 1
Community and society – cultural traditions and contemporary citizenship. Making the state work for the people
9.00 am-9.45 am
Professor James Fox, Australian National University
Repaying the Debt to Mau Kiak: Reflections on Timor’s Cultural Traditions and the Obligations of Citizenship in an Independent East Timor
This presentation looks at Timor’s history and attempts to draw insights from this history into its cultural traditions. It then asks the question of how these glimpses into the past can provide lessons for the future and, in particular, the obligations of citizenship in an independent East Timor.
9.45 am-10.15 am
Dr Andrew McWilliam, Australian National University
A Customary Governance: Resilience and Local Government in Timor-Leste
The uneven progress of re-establishing formal systems of governance in local communities present one set of numerous challenges in post-independence East Timor. Under Indonesian rule a system of village government (desa) was for decades shadowed by a parallel system of local organisation of resistance known by the acronyms nurep and selcom. With the attainment of independence there is a new opportunity to re-cast local government processes in ways that integrate and accommodate a wide variety of customary protocols and practices that have long been respected in local communities of intimate association. This paper explores the experience of integrating state forms of governmentality within structures of tradition that retain strong moral, political and ritual coherence at the local level. The argument is illustrated with reference to the Bunak community of Saburai in highland Bobonaro.
10.15 am – 10.45 am
Ms Pyone Myat Thu, Australian National University
Rural Re-settlement and Land Access in East Timor
The majority of East Timorese lead agricultural-based subsistence livelihoods. This, together with the strong spiritual attachments East Timorese have to their ancestral lands, renders land as an important cornerstone in East Timorese societies. There is pressure on the government of East Timor to develop a new land administration system incorporating the principles of ‘Western’ land tenure. Knowledge of the existing traditional practices in distributing rights to land will minimise the disjuncture between ‘Timorese’ and ‘Western’ concepts of land tenure. Here preliminary results from case studies into traditional land tenure systems of two rural communities in East Timor are presented. The user rights of both those who have customary ownership of land and those of displaced people were studied, revealing the complexity of traditional land tenures. Aspects of East Timorese culture such as family and kinship ties and wider village affiliations must be taken into account when creating any formal land tenure system(s) in East Timor. This will protect rights of access, which are the basis for viable livelihoods and ‘well-being’ of these societies.
10.45 am-11.15 am
Morning Tea
11.15 am-11.45 am
Ms Bu Wilson, Australian National University
Smoke and Mirrors: Institutionalising Fragility in the Polícia Nacional Timor-Leste
The crisis in Timor-Leste in 2006 is widely understood to have come about as a result of the frailty of state institutions and the weakness of the rule of law. The accompanying collapse of the Polícia Nacional Timor-Leste (PNTL) in the capital Dili has re-emphasised previous analysis that has critiqued the adequacy of the creation of that institution by international actors, and its subsequent politicisation by the East Timorese Government. The current United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNMIT) has a mandate not only to re-establish security but also to assist the government of Timor-Leste to review the security sector and redevelop the PNTL. This paper argues that UNMIT, together with UNPOL, has a lack of capacity to fulfil that mandate and is unclear how to engage with the sovereign government and the PNTL. The mandate is made more difficult by an outstanding need for the East Timorese Government to more clearly articulate a differentiation of roles between the police and the military; and to ensure an inclusive and coherent vision of the kind of police force that is required. Together these factors are contributing to a further institutionalisation of fragility of the PNTL.
11.45 am-12.15 pm
Mr Mark Green, Caritas AustraliaAcknowledging the Past, Shaping the Future: How the Churches and Other Religious Communities are Contributing to Timor-Leste’s Development
The churches in Timor-Leste, especially the Catholic Church, have made significant contributions to the development of the country. Much has been written about the role of the Catholic Church, in particular its enduring working during Indonesian occupation. Less is known about the history and role of the Protestant churches and Islam in Timor-Leste. This paper will present the results of research conducted between September 2007 and January 2008 during which time 44 interviews were conducted with senior level representatives in government, churches and civil society. The research is a preliminary start to document the historic role of the churches in politics and development over time. Topics discussed in interviews included the background history of the Catholic Church, Protestant churches and Muslim community in Timor-Leste prior to 1999, contributions that the churches have made in Timor-Leste since 1999, work of the churches in humanitarian and relief work, access to resources and funding, development of human resources, Church-State relations, ways churches can engage in constructive leadership and gender and development. The findings identified key areas for future development and concluded with some important matters for further reflection and consideration by the churches.
12.15 pm-1.30 pm
Lunch
Panel 2
Global interests and Timor’s independence: economic and political opportunities and constraints
1.30 pm-2.15 pm
H.E. Hernani Coelho da Silva, Timor-Leste Ambassador to Australia
Keynote Address
2.15 pm-2.45 pm
Ms Fiona Crockford, AusAID
A Fine Balance: Reconciling Local and ‘Western’ Modes/Perceptions of Governance and Authority in the Quest for Community-Driven Development
This paper explores democratic governance in Timor-Leste from a donor perspective. Specifically, it concerns AusAID’s focus on community-driven development as a vital, yet complex, component of good governance. Given the backdrop of urban insecurity and military and political challenges in Timor-Leste, as well as a restive population awaiting peace dividends (Traube 2007), each of the governance initiatives in AusAID’s East Timor country program have at their core a collaborative model of open communication and negotiation between state institutions, civil society and the broader public. Such processes inevitably involve the careful negotiation and management of perceptions of hierarchy and obedience as well as interdependent dialectical tensions, among them autonomy and communality, freedom and constraint, local and national, indigenous and Western. In this light, the paper outlines AusAID’s current governance initiatives, draws on lessons learned in Timor-Leste since independence, and reflects on some of he challenges of enabling inclusive problem-solving processes in a society with poor organisational capacity.
2.45 pm-3.15 pm
Afternoon Tea
3.15 pm-3.45 pm
Ms Yukako Sakabe, International Peace Corporation
Impacts of the International Assistance to Nation-Building Efforts of Timor-Leste: Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead
The dynamics of international assistance in Timor-Leste have faced inconsequential challenges since 1999 to support Timor-Leste independence. Both short- and long-term commitments to Timor-Leste by the United Nations’ missions, international organisations and bilateral donors, have brought the mixture of expected and unintended results. Examining interactions of Timor-Leste’s nation-building efforts and development partners, this paper explores both good practice and alienation between what achievements had been expected and what impacts have been brought by actual activities. In the recent view, despite the general expectation that peace-building is going on smoothly, the crisis in 2006 has articulated a major challenge of how the international community is able to assist institutional reconstruction in security and justice sectors, and capacity development in public service in the long-term. Also, while the capital Dili is still struggling with a volatile situation and the issue of Internally Displaced Persons, rural areas with 70% of the population appear to be paid less attention, which draws a question of how programs could reach East Timorese people to improve their livelihoods. With a perspective of encouraging ownership of the people of Timor-Leste, this paper consequently attempts to elaborate future concerns as well as lessons from past experiences on the impacts of international assistance.
3.45 pm-4.15 pm
Dr Sara Niner, Monash University
Strong Cloth in Timor-Leste: Handcrafts, Gender and Development
This paper will touch on four different aspects of gender and development issues in women’s production of handcrafts in Timor-Leste. First, a quick assessment of the difficult situation of women there currently and why effective development is crucial for them and their families and communities. Secondly, the nature of handcrafts production (specifically textiles) in Timor-Leste and its relationship with indigenous culture and gender relations therein. Thirdly, a quick review of a specific project in Timor-Leste aiming to develop the handcrafts industry that is being carried out by the Alola Foundation, a local East Timorese women’s advocacy and aid organisation. Finally, some insights from similar craft and development projects around the world.
4.15 pm-4.45 pm
Discussion
7.30 pm
Conference Dinner
For more information about costs and reservations please see the registration page.
Please note that morning and afternoon tea will be provided on both days, but lunch is not included.
