Adeazaun ba ASEAN Fo Benefisia Boot ba Seitor Siguransa Timor-Leste

Tinan hirak liu ba, grupu diplomata husi Timor-Leste vokalmente hato’o sira nia hanoin atu Timor-Leste totalmente sai membru ba bloku  ASEAN. Membru ASEAN ne’ebé kompostu husi nasaun  Brunei, Kambodia, Indonezia, Laos, Malayzia, Myanmar, Filipina, Singapura, Thailandia ho  Vietname ho  frankamente espresa sira nia suporta ba Timor-Leste nia adezaun  ba membru  dala 11 iha bloku ASEAN.

Governu Timor-Leste hato’o ona aplikasaun atu tuir Organizasaun ida ne’e iha tinan 2011 liu ba. Maibe esforsu hotu husi governu ladun la’o tanba parte kórdenasaun entre ministérial sira susar tebes, nune’e mós laiha rekursu umanu, finanseriu,  nomós laiha partisipasaun husi Sosiedade Sivil sira iha momentu ne’eba.

Iha tinan 2004, eis Prezidenti DR. José Ramos-Horta publikamente deklara katak asuntu kona–bá Timor-Leste sai membru ba ASEAN ” hakarak husi ema Timor–oan hotu” nia esforsu. Iha tinan hirak tuir tan nia repete katak:

“Povu sivil bai-bain ho komunidade NGO sira, la’os deit Estadu Timor-Leste,  tenki lolo liman ba malu sai seitór intra-koneksaun atu sai membru ba ASEAN.”

Fundasaun Mahein (FM) fiar katak adezaun Timor-Leste ba ASEAN sei fo benefisia boot liu ba seitór Siguransa Timor-Leste nian. Ida ne’e fornese kontestu rejional  ba Timor-Leste nia debate nasional ba isu Siguransa nian. Ho dialogu rejional, Timor-oan sira nia kapasidade sei beneifisia ba Timor-oan rasik atu hare’e iha kontestu global, atu nune’e bele hasa’e kapasidade Timor-oan sira atu halo advokasia rejional. Timor-Leste tenki hahu hakat dahuluk ba advokasia nasional ho rejional wainhira sai membru Forum Rejional-ASEAN (FRA) iha fulan Jullu 2005 liu ba.s

Ezistensia FRA atu dudu no suporta dialogu konstrutivu sira ho konsultasaun politika ba Seitór Siguransa entre nasaun membru sira ho objetivu atu haforsa fiar ba malu no fo promosaun diplomasia nian iha area Azia-Pasifiku. Membru FRA ne’ebé mai husi nasaun 10 membru ASEAN nian, iha mós membru hanesan nasaun Australia, Bangladesh, Kanada, Cina, Republika Demokratika do Povu Korea, Uniaun Europea, India, Japaun, Mongolia, Nova Zelandia, Pakistaun, Papua Nova Guine, Republika Korea, Rusia, Sri-Lanka, Timor-Leste , nune’e mós Estadus Unidus da Amerika. Estrutura ida ne’e fo biban ba FRA atu foka ba isu sira kona–bá Defeza ho Siguransa iha Sudeste Aziatiku no habiban diskusaun multilateral kona–bá oinsa atu hadi’a diak liu tan.

Iha tinan 2003, lideransa ASEAN nian halo dezisaun hodi hari’i komunidade ASEAN ne’ebé kompostu husi pilar tolu:

• Komunidade Politika-Siguransa ASEAN (KPSA)  ou ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC)
• Komunidade Ekonomia ASEAN ou ASEAN Economic Community
• Komunidade Sosio-kultural ASEAN  ou ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC)

Nune’e mós, FRA foka liu ba dialogu, APSC halo serbisu atu mantein estabilidade iha Rejiuan Sudeste Aziatiku liu husi solusaun non-violentu hodi respeitu ba fronteira teritorial. espesifikamente, ne’e tenki la’o tuir komponente sira tuir mai ne’e: lala’ok politika, lei sira ho nia normas; prevensaun konflitu; rezulusaun konfliktu ho hari’i paz no implementasaun mekanizmu sira.

FM fiar katak sai membru ba ASEAN no sai parte ba APSC espesifikamente  sasidik ba Timor-Leste nia Seitór Siguransa atu hasa’e ba standarizasaun sira ne’ebé global nian, ho nune’e bele fortifika profesionalizmu no disiplina ba Seitór Siguransa nasaun nian.

Parte sira husi estratejia ne’ebé mak aplika  husi APSC, maske dezeña ba estratejia rejional, maibe mós sei bele aplika iha kontestu Timor-Leste ne’ebé uniku. Ida ne’e sei halo promosaun non-diskriminativu, aprosimasaun ida ne’e orentadu ba demokarsia, regra lei ho boa–governasaun, respeitu ba – i promosaun ba direitu ema nian no liberdade fundamental. Ida ne’e lala’ok ida hodi haberan igualidade jeneru, toleransia no respeitu ba diversidade, no iha komprensaun mutual. Hirak ne’e hotu sita ona iha planu dezenvolvementu estratejiku nasional Timor-Leste 2011-2030 ne’ebe dehan:

“Timor-Leste nia perioridade Defeza nian mós sei refleta  kontinuasaun ba komitmentu kolektiva rejional no Siguransa global. Partisipasaun Timor- oan sira nia iha misaun internasional nian sei ajuda hodi hari’i forsa no relasaun pozitivu ho nasaun sira seluk, nune’e mós ajuda Timor-Leste atu moderniza no haforsa profesionalizmu F-FDTL no hakbesik instituisaun ne’e  ba modelu sira ne’ebé aplika dadaun ona iha nasaun sira iha ASEAN, no mós iha CPLP ho komunidade internasional in-jeral.”

Hanesan halo kordenasaun, pratika ba edukasaun ho APSC atu aplika hodi dezenvolve paz no mekanizmu rozulusaun ba disputa ruma, hirak ne’e hotu krusial no importante tebes ba susesu dezenvolvementu sustentavel iha Timor-Leste.

Fundasaun Mahein totalmente konkorda ho deklarasaun eis Presidenti DR. José Ramos Horta ne’ebé dehan katak persiza tebes suporta husi grupu Sosiedade Sivil  atu suporta Timor-Leste ba membru ASEAN. FM prontu atu serbisu hamutuk ho governu no institusaun sira seluk hodi lori Timor-Leste atu sai membru ba dala 11 iha ASEAN, nune’e mós prontu halo kordenasaun grupu Sosiedade Sivil sira ba atividade sira ASEAN nian.

Iha sorin seluk, Fundasaun Mahein (FM) hakarak halo rekomendasaun ba governu Timor-Leste  maka hanesan tuir mai ne’e :

• Halo distribusaun ba planu sira ne’ebé iha ona kona-bá programa  adezaun ba membru ASEAN ba tinan 2015 ( tuir planu estratejiku dezenvolvementu nasional 2011-2030) ho grupu sira seluk ne’ebé la’os iha governu laran.
• Loke lidun ba debate sira ho involvementu Organizasaun Sosiedade Sivil sira  ne’ebé bele foka ba isu sira APSC no sei involve ba suporta adezaun ba iha ASEAN.
• Halo kordenasaun APSC  ho atividade sira entre ministérial ho ajensia Sosiedade Sivil ne’ebé relevante.
• Dezaminia informasaun no halo diskusaun Siguransa nian iha APSC ho FRA ho grupu sira ne’ebé la’os iha governu laran.

Ikus nian, FM mós rekomenda ba Chefe Estadu ho Governu Timor-Leste atu halo vizita estadu ka vizita serbisu nian ba nasaun membru ASEAN sira atu koalia kona–bá Timor-Leste nia adezaun ba iha ASEAN. FM kongratula ba Primeiru Ministru Xanana Gusmão nia vizita ba Thailandia, no FM fiar katak vizitasaun sira hanesan ne’e  bele hala’o mós husi Prezidenti Republika atu halo advokasia kona-bá Timor-Leste rejionalmente.

FM hein katak bele  halo kontribusaun ruma iha ASEAN ne’ebé iha relasaun  konversasoens  kona-bá Seitór Siguransa nian.

Membership in ASEAN Would Greatly Benefit Timor-Leste’s Security Sector

In recent years, groups within Timor-Leste have become increasingly vocal about their desire for Timor-Leste to become a full member of the ASEAN. All 10 ASEAN member states – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – have publicly expressed their support for Timor-Leste’s desire to be the 11^th member of ASEAN.

The government of Timor-Leste submitted their application to join the organization in 2011. Recent efforts by the government to pursue this goal seem to have stalled due to inter-ministerial coordination issues, as well as the lack of human capacity, financial resources, and absence of civil society involvement.

In 2004, former President José Ramos-Horta publicly stated that ASEAN accession was an “all of Timor-Leste” effort. A few years later he emphasized the point by sayin;

“Timorese civilian and NGO communities, not just the Timorese state, must be willing to become an inter-connected sector to become a member of ASEAN.”

Fundasaun Mahein (FM) believes membership in ASEAN would greatly benefit Timor-Leste’s security sector. It provides a regional context for Timor-Leste’s national discussions on security issues. With the regional dialogue, Timorese would also benefit from Timor-Leste’s ability to view itself in a global context and improve Timor-Leste’s abilities for regional advocacy. Timor-Leste took a first step towards this national and regional advocacy when it became a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in July 2005.

The ARF exists to foster constructive dialogue and consultation on politics and security among its member countries in order to build confidence and promote diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific region. Besides the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and the United States are also members. This structure allows the ARF to focus on defense and security issues in Southeast Asia and have multilateral discussions on how to best go about it.

In 2003 ASEAN Leaders decided an ASEAN Community should be established, comprising of three pillars:

• ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC)
• ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
• ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC)

While the ARF focuses more on dialogue, the APSC works to maintain stability in the Southeast Asia Region through non-violent solutions and respect for territorial boundaries. Specifically, it has the following components: political development; shaping and sharing of norms; conflict prevention; conflict resolution; post-conflict peace building; and implementing mechanisms.

FM believes that membership in ASEAN and becoming part of the APSC specifically would challenge Timor-Leste’s security sector to rise to global standards and thus enhance the professionalism and discipline of the country’s security sector.

Elements of the applied strategies of the APSC, although designed for a regional framework, would be applicable to Timor-Leste’s unique situation. It promotes a non-discriminatory, people-oriented approach to democracy, the rule of law and good governance, respect for and promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. It strives to support gender-mainstreaming, tolerance, respect for diversity, equality and mutual understanding. As the Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030 states:

“Our defence priorities also reflect our ongoing commitment to collective regional and global security. Our participation in international missions under the United Nations will assist in forming strong and positive relationships with other countries, as well as helping us to modernise and improve the professionalism of the F-FDTL and bring it closer to the models used by other ASEAN countries, the CPLP and the international community in general.”

Such a coordinated, practical education with the APSC would apply to peace building and dispute settlement mechanisms – both of which are crucial to the continued successful development of Timor-Leste.

FM wholeheartedly agrees with former President José Ramos-Horta’s statements on the necessity of civil society support for Timor-Leste’s ASEAN bid. We are prepared to work with the government and other stakeholders towards Timor-Leste becoming the 11^th member of ASEAN, and are prepared to assist in coordinating civil society’s ASEAN accession activities.

On the other hand, Fundasaun Mahein (FM) would like to recommend that the government of the Timor-Leste begin:

• Distributing its existing plan for becoming an ASEAN member by 2015 (part of Timor-Leste National Development Plan 2011-2030) with groups outside of government
• Holding conversations on the roles civil society organizations focusing on APSC issues will play in supporting the ASEAN bid
• Coordinating its APSC ministerial activities with relevant civil society agencies
• Distributing information about and holding security discussion on the APSC and ARF with groups outside of government

Finally, FM recommends that the Head of State and the Head of Government conduct official visits to other ASEAN member countries in order to press Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership agenda. FM welcomes the Prime Minister’s visit to Thailand from April 25-29, and believes that similar visits would also provide excellent opportunities for the President to advocate for Timor-Leste regionally.

FM looks forward to participating in ASEAN security sector discussions.