The Lost Boy

Timor-Leste presidential race heats up

Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta is one of the most well-travelled, recognisable heads of state in Southeast Asia. He's a hero to thousands of Timorese citizens, but his actions over the past couple of years have made me question where his priorities lie. His stance against an international tribunal for war crimes has frustrated many, especially as he is something of a celebrity both in and out of Timor-Leste. He is also regularly interviewed by international media. It's PM Gusmao, however, who is really pulling the strings. With all this in mind, next year will see Timor-Leste hold presidential elections once more and there are a few possible candidates.

First up is, of course, Ramos-Horta, who from my observations absolutely loves his role as president. He doesn't have a huge amount of responsibility and he gets to travel the world and stay in top hotels and generally have a very nice time. There were murmurings that he was becoming bored and would not run in the next election, but I really don't know what else he could do, bar becoming some kind of professional motivational speaker. A ceremonial role suits Ramos-Horta down to the ground. However, Tempo Semanal is reporting that Ramos-Horta will almost certainly not run for pres again. Take that with a pinch of salt at this stage.

Either way, he could be up against another hero, Tempo Semanal fav Major General Taur Matan Ruak. The Tempo Semanal website is reporting that Ruak is ready to hang up his army boots and make a bid for president. I heard a rumour about this a year or so ago. Taur Matan Ruak, whose name translates as "Two Sharp Eyes", is one of Timor-Leste's favourite former freedom fighters and he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of FALINTIL in 2000. He is loyal to Gusmao and played a role in the crisis of 2006, but he also has a lot of fans among the FRETILIN ranks and among the whole population. Ruak would be an entirely different player to Ramos-Horta and it's hard to imagine the army general galavanting off around the world on speaking engagements. It sounds like Ruak wants to have a hands-on role in politics, but I'm unsure exactly how involved he would be if he were to become president.

Other possible candidates include FRETILIN's fearless leader Lu Olu and Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres. The balance of power could significantly shift next year as there will also be parliamentary elections. It basically comes down to two sides that have long been divided and that have tried to outplay each other by any means necessary. One has to hope that the contests next year will be contained within the political arena as this election is an important step for Timor-Leste consolidating its democracy.