'A more attractive place to invest': Timor-Leste seeks trade and job growth with ASEAN membership

A NEW CHAPTER AWAITS

Timor-Leste’s President Jose Ramos-Horta, who has long championed his country’s bid to join the grouping, said Dili is ready to host its first ASEAN Summit in 2029 and pledged that it will not be a “burden” to the bloc.

“Since independence, we have never failed our five-year cycle of elections for president and for government, for parliament,” he added.

“Results are always accepted, not contested, and produce very diverse political arrangements. So, it shows the strength of democracy.”

According to international democracy indexes, Timor-Leste is considered the strongest democracy in Southeast Asia.

Political observers say the country’s membership could bring fresh energy to ASEAN.

“Timor-Leste, because of its history of fighting against Indonesian occupation, it’s very vigorous in defending its civil liberties in political space,” said Dewi Fortuna Anwar, research professor at the Jakarta-based National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

“Looking at the leaders of Timor-Leste, like Xanana and Ramos-Horta, they are a bit iconoclastic. They are probably less shy of voicing their divergent opinions in a room that is usually bound by consensus.”

In 2023, ASEAN members agreed to adopt a roadmap for Timor-Leste’s accession to the bloc.

But the country’s entry into ASEAN this month marks a milestone and not the finish line, stressed observers.

Timor-Leste’s Vice Minister for ASEAN Affairs Milena Maria Da Costa Rangel said the process involves a whole-of-government approach, with participation from universities, civil society, and the private sector.

“We would like to have more engagement with our own region – people-to-people connections that will build a strong Southeast Asia,” she said.