Democratic Governance in Timor-Leste

 
Edited by: David Mearns

Democratic Governance in Timor-Leste: Reconciling the Local and the National

Edited by David Mearns

Three days after the Darwin conference from which this volume arose in February 2008, the violent attacks on the president and prime minister of Timor-Leste took place. President Ramos-Horta arrived in Darwin for treatment just as some of the authors represented here were leaving to return to their homes having participated in a two day discussion on the theme 'Democratic Governance in Timor-Leste: Reconciling the Local and the National'. The timing of the conference seemed almost prophetic given the concerns raised by the delegates regarding the ongoing conflict and violence in Timor-Leste.

Some contributors revised their conference papers for publication in light of the horrifying threats to the lives of Timor-Leste's leaders; others let their discussion stand as it had been presented. The result is an important collection of articles that provide highly pertinent insights into the current dilemmas of the government and people of the new republic to Australia's north. The book gives voice to East Timorese commentators as well as to Australian and other international scholars.

The volume explores the necessity to come to terms with the past in order to move on to a better future. It also considers the role of the state and parliament in the new democracy while seeking to set these against the cultural and social practices of the people that affect their development. Finally, it examines the role of agencies that have sought to assist in the country's transformation from a colonised to a post-colonial society with a sound economic future.

David Mearns is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Charles Darwin University. He has a long history of research in Southeast Asia and more recently in Indigenous Australia. In 2002 he published 'Looking Both Ways: Models for Justice in East Timor' and has worked as a consultant to the United Nations in Timor-Leste.

Foreword by Deputy Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, Dr. Jose Luis Guterres - Opening Address at the Conference, Darwin, Australia, 7 February 2008.

Contributors: Fernanda Borges, Fiona Crockford, Annette Field, James J. Fox, Mark Green, Damian Grenfell, Jill Jolliffe, Damien Kingsbury, Andrew McWilliam, Andrew Marriott, Akihisa Matsuno, David Mearns, Sara Niner, Yukako Sakabe, Dennis Shoesmith, Pyone Myat Thu, Josh Trindade, Bu V.E. Wilson

Governasaun Demokrátika iha Timor-Leste: Rekonsilia Lokál no Nasionál

Iha fulan Fevereiru 2008, loron tolu liutiha konferénsia Darwin nian husi ne’ebé mak volume ida ne’e mosu, atake violentu akontese hasoru Prezidente no mos Primeiru Ministru Timor-Leste. Prezidente Ramos-Horta to’o iha Darwin hodi halo tratamentu iha momentu ne’ebé mak autór sira balu ne’ebé reprezenta iha ne’e sai husi sidade, hodi partisipa iha diskusaun ida ba loron rua nian ho tema kona-bá Governasaun Demokrátika iha Timor-Leste: Rekonsilia Lokál no Nasionál. Haree ba sinkronizmu husi konferénsia ne’e kuaze profétiku tebes ho preokupasaun sira ne’ebé mak delegadu sira hato’o kona-bá konflitu no violénsia ne’ebé akontese nafatin iha Timor-Leste.

Kontribuinte sira balu revee sira nia surat-tahan sira ba publikasaun nian ho respeitu ba atake orrór ne’ebé halo hasoru líderes Timor-Leste nia vida; sira seluk kaer metin nafatin ba sira nia diskusaun tanba aprezenta tiha ona iha konferénsia nia laran. Ninia rezultadu ne’e nu’udár kolesaun importante ida husi artigu sira ne’ebé mak fó introspesaun altamente pertinente kona-bá dilema atuál sira husi governu no povu husi nasaun repúblika foun ne’ebé iha parte norte Austráli a nian. Livru ne’e fó lian ba komentadores Timor-Leste nian nune’e mós ba australianu no eruditu internasionál sira seluk.

Volume ne’e esplora nesesidade atu sinkroniza ho pasadu atu bele hakat ba futuru ne’ebé diak liutan. Nune’e mós konsidera estadu no parlamentu nian kna’ar iha nasaun demokrátiku foun ne’e nia laran enkuantu buka atu ajusta buat hirak ne’e ho prátika kulturál no sosiál nian sira husi ema sira ne’ebé mak sai alvu ba dezenvolvimentu nian. Finalmente, ezamina kna’ar husi ajénsia sira ne’ebé mak buka atu ajuda iha transformasaun nasaun ninian husi sosiedade ne’ebé kononizada ba iha sosiedade ida ne’ebé pós-koloniál nian ho futuru ekonómiku nian ida ne’ebé forte.

Note:
The original print run of this volume was misbound with some pages missing. Anyone who purchased a copy prior to 6 November 2008 is invited to return the misbound copy to the CDU Bookshop for refund or exchange.