New Beginning, Old Problems

The flight from Denpasar to TL’s capital Dili takes less than 2 hours and is packed by a veritable - no, actual - UN of do-gooders headed to groom the newest nation on earth. A young German lady sitting next to me turns to me and asks matter-of-factly, "So what is your mission?" Apparently, all Westerners headed for TL are on a mission.

TL wears its newness like a badge – newest country, newest democracy, newest member of ASEAN – but remains a mostly unknown destination. Troll through the internet and you won't find much in the way of visitor info. This shiny new country doesn't even have a decent guidebook about itself. Little of that newness has filled the gap left by its recent bitter and bloody war that led to its independence from Indonesia in 2001.

Three years on, Timor is a country trying to outpace its history's dark shadow. Some in TL, especially in Dili, have begun second-guessing its noble quest for independence. People seem baffled by new freedoms, but are equally baffled by the enduring hardships which were supposed to end with the beginning of independence.

The UN, UNPOL, UNDP, USAID, HOPE, UNOPS, the EU Human Rights Commission and dozens of other aid organisations are here, still overseeing things, holding this fledgling democracy's hand as it takes its first steps towards an uncertain future.

But the present is daunting enough: with 75% unemployment, disenchanted groups of men languish under the leafy trees that line Dili’s seaside Esplanada. Many of these are IDP - Internally Displaced Persons – from the economically anemic countryside. The UN is no longer ‘comfortable’ with the term 'refugees'.

Many now see the erstwhile occupation of the Indonesians as 'not so bad'. One young man, Eduardo, selling mangos door-to-door, stopped for a chat. Our common language was Indonesian Bahasa.

"Back then, we had basic infrastructure and social services. And we were tapped into a vast, if lumbering, economy. We have timber, oil, coffee and gold. Our economic hopes ironically lie in the exploitation of our own natural resources, just like all our previous colonisers. This time we'll use it to better ourselves.”

Dili is athrob with the humdrum of everyday life. It has calluses on its hands, sweaty dignity on its brow. Burned and looted buildings dot the town like cavities. Shiny white UN Pajeros huddle in front of the many new cafes and restaurants springing up everywhere, albeit, catering mostly to Westerners doing their Timor stint.

Dili is veritably crawling with Westerners. This place is very Graham Greene. TL is a magnet for mercenaries, missionaries and misfits, all doing their bit, if not for Timor Leste, then at least for themselves. But what after they leave? Nobody, not even the UN, is thinking that far ahead.