Timor Leste: Ireland Fails to Tackle New Political Elite

As a small nation with a past marred by foreign colonial rule, Ireland often feels the need to express solidarity with small islands with a similar history in developing regions. So Indonesia’s occupation of East Timor and its role in post-independence violence triggered drumbeats in Dublin, even, or especially, among the Anglophile elites interested in asserting their Irish loyalties. I recall very vocal campaigning on this by people like David Norris.

As with the anti-war campaigners in the Viet Nam era, many of these leftist activists go all quiet after “liberation.”

There’s another example of this in recent RTE coverage of further violewnce in Timor Leste. A typical report does concede mystery over why the new government failed to take advantage of aid and assistance. The mystery is solved by the usual descent into simplistic sociology: give them employment – it’s the economy stupid.

It’s hard to deny that lack of opportunity among the young and economic deprivation are part of the story. Irish aid efforts directed there will be helpful.

However, the legacy of leftist ideology and revolutionary rhetoric, much ignored by Mr Norris, of course, must also be factored in. Thus, Irish foreign aid decision-makers would do well to supplement their Irish Times and RTE solidarity diets with alternative perspectives, such as this from political scientist Francis Fukuyama. perhaps we could then tackle the leadership in Timor about political pluralism, language policy and attitudes to economic freedom. And maybe Mr Norris might like to revisit the Timor theme from a broader perspective than “jusstiss” and anti-imperialism.