DILI, 30 august 2024 (TATOLI) The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, acknowledged the leadership of Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and José Ramos Horta in influencing the late BJ Habibie (former President of Indonesia) in giving a referendum to Timor-Leste, which favored the people to vote for independence for Timor-Leste.
This statement was conveyed by UN Secretary General António Guterres in his speech on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Timor-Leste Referendum held at the Dili Stadium on friday (30/08).
In his speech, the former Portuguese Prime Minister recalled Timor-Leste’s struggle for independence, which was fought not only by the Timorese themselves but also by important figures such as Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, José Ramos Horta, and the late BJ Habibie.
“This was possible because the Timorese resistance never gave up. Because Timorese resistance is based on Xanana Gusmão’s principle of ‘resistance and victory’, because Timorese resistance is able to endure everything to ensure that the Timorese people finally get the freedom they are entitled to. And we cannot talk about the Timorese resistance without talking about its leader, Xanana Gusmão,’ the UN Secretary General said on friday.
According to him, Xanana Gusmão was a leader who was able to lead the people of Timor-Leste not only towards independence but also towards a democratic state and towards reconciliation between the people of Timor-Leste and the people of Indonesia.
As Prime Minister of Portugal at the time, António Guterres also took part in diplomacy to convince many people around the world that it was important to guarantee international law and necessary to respect the self-determination of the Timorese people.
During this diplomatic process, António Guterres got to know José Ramos Horta, who is currently serving as the second President of the Republic in Timor-Leste.
“I cannot forget that wherever it was. I found Ramos Horta, who, when speaking to all the countries, with all the leaders, spoke out with enormous energy, telling everyone that there should be no more hypocrisy, no more egoism. The right of the people of Timor-Leste to independence must be recognized. And finally, the international community was convinced,” he explained.
However, he admits that although Xanana Gusmão’s leadership and Ramos Horta’s diplomacy were great, it was possible because the former President of the Republic of Indonesia at the time, BJ Habibie or Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, had the courage to make the decision to go ahead with the referendum.
“And to capitalize on the opportunity created by President Habibie at that time, here I would like to pay tribute to the courage of President Habibie in Indonesia in accepting the agreement that governed the referendum towards self-determination of the Timorese people,” former Portuguese Prime Minister said.
The success of the referendum was also due to the strong will of the people who wanted independence, so all came together to draw the attention of the international community that intervention was essential to ensure that the will of the Timorese people would be respected and that Timor-Leste would become an independent state.
He also expressed his deep admiration for the fact that Timor-Leste has transformed itself into a democratic, exemplary country, highly respectful of human rights, and a very credible partner of the international community, such as being a member of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP- Portuguese), a founder of the g7+, a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and about to join ASEAN.
“It is also a UN country that has taken permanent action in defense of the most important values of the international community, in defense of the UN Charter, in defense of the legal guarantees that human rights are respected. It is this wonderful country that we celebrate here today, but it is a country that faces great challenges,” he said.
According to him, Timor-Leste faces the need to ensure food security for its citizens, quality education, quality healthcare, and many other things for which, unfortunately, international solidarity is not enough.
António Guterres therefore called for strong international solidarity to support Timor-Leste, which has won the battle of independence and the battle of democracy, so that it can also win the battle of development.
“I assure you that the UN remains in solidarity with the Timorese people, and in their development struggle they can count on us. You can count on our total solidarity and our total commitment to support you in your development strategy. Dear friends. Viva Timor-Leste!” he concluded.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Rafael Ximenes de A. Belo
