KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — Timor-Leste is turning its focus towards its youth and farmers as part of its plan to build a stronger, more diversified economy that can endure beyond its oil wealth, said Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão.
He explained the country’s experience working with fragile and post-conflict nations through the intergovernmental organisation g7+ has shaped Timor-Leste’s understanding of how to foster resilience, stability, and self-reliance.
“We are now pushing to strengthen our economy by helping young people and farmers to start micro, small, and medium enterprises, providing credit, and supporting entrepreneurship,” he said in a press conference here today.
He said that in some regions, foreign companies deepened divisions by funding rival groups with money and weapons, causing them to fight one another while their resources were extracted.
By contrast, Gusmão said, some nations have no natural resources at all, and because they have no experience with democracy or human rights, they are often labelled “failed states”.
“Many of the g7+ countries are rich, they have oil, diamonds, gold, everything but they remain in conflict. Foreign companies go in and take their oil and gas, mine their gold, and the governments cannot do anything. First, because they lack money. Second, because they lack proper governance systems.”
“In our organisation, we don’t lecture one another. We exchange experiences — how to resolve conflicts, how to hold democratic elections,” he added.
Gusmão recalled that in the early years of independence, Norway provided crucial guidance to help Timor-Leste establish a sound and transparent system for managing its petroleum revenues.
He acknowledged that mistakes had been made along the way, noting that as a democratic nation, Timor-Leste continues to correct past errors and work towards better governance.
He also described his country’s entry into Asean as a milestone rooted not in the pursuit of material gain, but in the shared identity and collective strength of the region.
Gusmão said the country has endured a long and difficult journey in its efforts to rebuild and strengthen itself since gaining independence.
“We are still a very poor country. In the process of developing the state, we can consider ourselves not a failed state, but a fragile one.
“Our motivation was not driven by immediate gains, but by the simple reality that we are part of Asean. Geographically, we are within the region,” Gusmão said in a press conference here today.
By joining Asean, he said, Timor-Leste hopes to amplify its voice on the international stage, turning isolation into influence through collective strength.
