Yogyakarta, 20 May 2019—The ASEAN Studies Center (ASC) of Fisipol UGM held Bincang ASEAN (ASEAN Talks), which was entitled “East Timor’s Accession to ASEAN; Prospects and Challenges.” This event was held at room BB 208 at Fisipol UGM, and featured Dio Herdiawan Tobing, S.IP, L.LM, a researcher at ASC, as the speaker.
This event was opened with a discussion surrounding the relations between Indonesia and East Timor. Since its independence, the political situation in East Timor has been relatively unstable. According to Dio, one of the most important matters in East Timor is the issue of human rights. “In East Timor, press freedom is very limited. There are more Indonesian TV channels than Timorese TV channels there,” Dio stated.
Geographically, East Timor is located within the Southeast Asia region, yet it is not an ASEAN member state. East Timor has applied for ASEAN membership since 2011. Prior to applying for full membership, East Timor has earned its independence and has been recognized by ASEAN in 2002. In 2005, East Timor acceded to the ASEAN Regional Forum. In 2007, East Timor joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, one of the requirements for joining ASEAN.
“Singapore and Laos disapprove East Timor’s ASEAN membership, as they consider that East Timor is not economically ready yet. However, in terms of Gross Domestic Product per capita, East Timor is not the lowest in ASEAN. There are two states that rank lower than East Timor,” he conveyed.
Dio stressed that Indonesia is one of the states that supports East Timor’s accession to ASEAN. Indonesia can support it financially, such as by lowering airfares for ASEAN meetings. Dio also stated that even though East Timor was once part of Indonesia, we should look forward and maintain our cordial relations with East Timor. The establishment of the Indonesia-Timor Leste Commission of Truth and Friendship is one of the implementations.
