Timor-Leste: one year after the rain (original) (raw)

This is a reflection on the very first year of the Sixth Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste led by Prime Minister Dr. Rui Maria de Araújo (VICG). The purpose is not to tell the story of a remarkable year of success for our government. That is best left to the judgment of our people. The purpose here is to inform the people about a complex political process, drawing from experiences dating back to the 24-year struggle for national liberation, and to evaluate the decisive role played by Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão. Now in the time of peace, we consider the challenges faced by the coalition that made possible the Fifth Constitutional Government and the more recent convergence of the two major political parties of the country – CNRT and Fretilin. The unconventional way Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão managed his political succession, based on the doctrine of transitional politics, also known as " transitional paradigm " ,2 whereby the older generation of the sixties passes the helm of the country to the younger generation, has been poorly understood. The success of Dr. Rui Araújo's government has made it clear for those skeptics the need to understand this paradigm. The way that Xanana Gusmão has operated, since the time of the struggle for national liberation, referred to in Portuguese as " A Luta " , is also briefly analysed, and the way he handed over the helm of government is discussed. Ultimately, the debate concludes that Xanana Gusmão adopted, and continues to espouse, Frank Sinatra's principle: I do it my way. Xanana's way has so far succeeded in keeping the country peaceful and calm. When we listen to John Coltrane's masterpiece , 'After the Rain',3 we cannot avoid feeling relaxed, peaceful, and so harmonious that we really do not want any change. In spite of many years of small conflicts, Timor-Leste has similarly enjoyed peace and harmony, with no one wanting change to occur in order to avoid disturbing the prevailing sense of peace. This continued until Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Mandela of Asia, decided to leave his post as Prime Minister in the middle of his term.