INTERNATIONAL
Timor Leste will inject more, not less, realism into ASEAN

Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta's entry into ASEAN brings experience, resilience, and strategic value, reaffirming the bloc's roots in hard-won leadership. - BERNAMA/Filepic
TIMOR Leste’s anticipated admission into ASEAN should not be viewed as a liability. Rather, it represents the arrival of one of the most grounded, resilient, and morally consistent actors Southeast Asia has produced in recent decades.
AI Brief
- Ramos-Horta's leadership reflects ASEANs tradition of resilience shaped by political struggle, not privilege.
- Timor Leste adds strategic and symbolic value to ASEANs growth.
- Criticism of Ramos-Horta misunderstands both his statesmanship and ASEANs adaptable, consensus-based political culture.
To suggest that ASEAN cannot accommodate a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate is to ignore the lived histories of its current and former leaders — nearly all of whom have fought protracted battles of their own, across democratic transitions, internal strife, and regional balancing acts.
President Ramos-Horta does not carry an aura of self-importance; he brings lived experience and the gravitas of survival.
His Nobel Peace Prize was not awarded from the comfort of think tanks or ivory towers. It was born of exile, armed occupation, and the long march toward independence.
As the face of Timor Leste’s struggle on the world stage, he tirelessly campaigned for global recognition of the Timorese cause, using international law and diplomacy, not bullets. And it worked.
ASEAN, too, was built by leaders who endured political hardship and national adversity.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, now Chair of ASEAN, is no stranger to political persecution, prison sentences, and near-complete political annihilation.
His current tenure as Prime Minister is the product of five decades of engagement in civil society, Islamic reformism, human rights advocacy, and opposition politics. Like Ramos-Horta, Anwar has proven that patience, resilience, and the rejection of political bitterness can be transformed into mature leadership.
To claim, then, that ASEAN cannot cope with a political figure of Ramos-Horta’s stature misunderstands both ASEAN’s DNA and its collective political heritage. The region’s leaders are not bureaucratic placeholders; they are seasoned political survivors.
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who succeeded Lee Hsien Loong in 2024, recently admitted that despite 29 years in the civil service and government, he was still taken aback by the immense pressure and complexity of leadership.
His candour, refreshing though it is, underscores an essential truth — nothing in Southeast Asia’s political landscape is “easy,” even in its most stable economies.
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto is another case in point. A retired general and former political adversary of Joko Widodo, he lost multiple presidential elections before recalibrating his politics. He joined the Jokowi administration as defence minister in 2019, demonstrating his ability to adapt and work within the political establishment.
His 2024 presidential victory was not merely a political win, but the culmination of decades navigating the intersection of civil-military relations, nationalism, and populism.
President Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos Jr. of the Philippines also had no smooth passage to the top.
Despite his famous surname, his presidential campaign was burdened with historical baggage. Yet, he won a strong mandate, reflecting a generational shift in Filipino politics.
Since assuming office, he has had to manage the balancing act between defending The Philippines sovereignty in the South China Sea and maintaining beneficial relations with both the United States and China.
What unites these leaders is not their perfection — but their persistence. They understand that politics in ASEAN is shaped by history, trauma, sacrifice, and manoeuvring. In this context, President Jose Ramos-Horta does not bring naivety into ASEAN — he brings realism, grounded in scars.
Timor Leste, despite its youth as a state, is not without value to ASEAN’s broader strategic vision.
Geographically, it extends ASEAN’s reach eastward, potentially bridging the organization to the Pacific Island Forum and Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) countries — a diplomatic channel no current ASEAN state possesses.
Politically, it underscores ASEAN’s commitment to inclusivity and regional solidarity.
Economically, while Timor Leste may still struggle with underdevelopment, its membership would act as a litmus test of ASEAN’s ability to support and integrate smaller, less developed economies — as it once did with Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
Those who critique Timor Leste’s economic readiness often forget ASEAN’s own evolution.
The grouping has never demanded full parity from new members. Instead, it has offered developmental pathways, capacity building, and policy alignment tools to bring members up to speed. Timor Leste has already joined many ASEAN sectoral bodies. Its accession is not a sudden jump, but a gradual climb toward institutional compatibility.
It is also important to recognize that Timor Leste has upheld democratic governance and political freedoms, even when it could have succumbed to strongman rule.
In contrast to other ASEAN states with creeping authoritarianism or deepening illiberalism, Dili has maintained a relatively robust civil society, active media, and electoral democracy — despite resource constraints.
In this respect, Ramos-Horta offers ASEAN a model of how small states can preserve human dignity and constitutional rule.
Critics have also suggested that Ramos-Horta's Nobel Peace Prize may make him a disruptive figure within ASEAN’s consensus-based approach.
This view reflects a misunderstanding of both Ramos-Horta and ASEAN. The ASEAN Way has always allowed space for principled dissent — but couched in respectful diplomacy. Ramos-Horta, as a career diplomat and former foreign minister, understands this dynamic well. He is not a firebrand; he is a statesman.
If anything, ASEAN needs more voices that combine moral clarity with geopolitical pragmatism. As the region faces intensifying US-China rivalry, maritime disputes, the Myanmar crisis, and the looming threats of climate change and digital disruption, the need for credible, experienced, and empathetic leadership has never been greater.
Ramos-Horta is not joining a bloc of technocrats. He is stepping into a political theatre populated by men and women who, like him, have battled storms — sometimes personal, sometimes political, and often both. His entry into ASEAN should be welcomed not as a gesture of charity, but as a strategic recalibration.
ASEAN will not be weakened by Timor Leste. It will be reminded of its roots. That regional resilience is not built through convenience, but through shared trials and enduring cooperation.
Phar Kim Beng is Professor of ASEAN Studies at the International Islamic University Malaysia and a former Head Teaching Fellow at Harvard University.
Luthfy Hamzah is Senior Research Fellow, Strategic Pan Indo Pacific Arena KL (SPIPA)
** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.
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