Timor-Leste finally joins the Asean fold

Timor-Leste will be made a full member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Oct 26. President José Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste often joked that joining Asean was more difficult than going to heaven. Not anymore.

- Kavi Chongkittavorn

Nobel laureate and President Jose Ramos-Horta speaks during his victory declaration in Timor-Leste's presidential election in Dili on April 21, 2022.

(REUTERS)

After more than two decades of aspiration, the world’s youngest Asian nation has finally realised its dream of joining the regional bloc. When Dili gained independence in 2002, its leaders repeatedly declared that Timor-Leste would one day become an Asean member. For the record, the 11th membership holds the longest accession process for any new member in Asean’s history. It was granted observer status in 2023.

Lest we forget, Brunei joined Asean on Jan 7, 1984, barely a week after its independence. Vietnam was the first of the former Indochinese countries to join the bloc. Laos and Myanmar joined in 1997, while it took two additional years for Cambodia to join in 1999 due to its domestic situation.

At the time, Asean had no formal rules or criteria for admission. Economic and institutional readiness was not the issue. After all, it was the post-Cold War era, and young Asean simply wanted to promote regional peace and cooperation. After the signing of the Paris Peace Accord, Southeast Asia was able to consolidate further, enhancing stability and economic growth.

For various reasons, it has taken Asean a long time to decide to bring Timor-Leste into the fold. With the Asean charter in place in 2008, the bloc has become a rule-based organisation with political-security, economic, and socio-cultural frameworks. Some members preferred to delay Dilli’s membership for as long as possible, arguing that this small half-island nation lacked the necessary preparedness to comply with all these rules.