East Timor’s elections: peace and security challenges

Therefore it is important that as voters are heading to the polls, it is essential for leaders of political parties to inform their supporters about the need to promote unity, peace and stability for the public interest. While winning the elections is the overall objective of all political parties, it is equally important for candidates to channel their concerns through dialogue if they are not able to secure enough votes to govern.

Finally, achieving peace and security is fundamental to long term sustainable development of East Timor. Recently the government of East Timor designed a Timor-Leste Strategic Development Plan 2030. The aim of this strategy is to combat poverty and subsequently upgrade East Timor status to upper-middle-income country.

Under this plan, the government will invest heavily in infrastructure, education and training, health, agricultural productivity and food self-sufficiency, sustainable urbanization, and development of key industrial and service sectors. Having invested in these key sectors, the government hopes that East Timor will become globally competitive and build equality of life and environmental sustainability for all future generations.

Nonetheless, such goals cannot be achieved in the absence of peace and security. In 2005, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan argued that “we will not enjoy security without development, we will not enjoy development without security, and we will not enjoy either without respect for human rights”.  This suggests that peace, security and respect for human rights are key components to human development. Failure to maintain peace and security will subsequently undermine the key essence of development. Without peace and security, East-Timor vision 2030 will be an unattainable dream.