UM lecturer appointed as adviser to Timor-Leste Government

DILI: Associate Professor Dr. Khoo Ying Hooi from Universiti Malaya has made history by being appointed as an adviser to the government of Timor-Leste for Centro Nacional Chega! (CNC).

AI Brief

Associate Professor Dr. Khoo Ying Hooi from Universiti Malaya has been appointed as an adviser to the Timor-Leste government for Centro Nacional Chega! (CNC), making her the first Malaysian in this role.
She joins a group of nine international experts selected by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao to help preserve Timor-Lestes history and promote national unification.
Khoo highlights the potential for Malaysia, as the ASEAN Chair in 2025, to strengthen ties with Timor-Leste and enhance ASEAN's peace and unity efforts.

Dr. Ying Hooi, a faculty member in the Department of International and Strategic Studies at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, is the first Malaysian to be officially appointed to the International Advisory Council (IAC).

She joins a distinguished group of nine intellectuals and experts from diverse fields and countries, selected by Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. The IAC's mandate is to assist the government in preserving Timor-Leste’s history and advancing the nation’s unification process.

CNC Executive Director, Hugo Fernandes stated that all advisory members were personally chosen by PM Xanana and will serve the CNC for a three-year term.

“They are here to provide support and strategic advice in areas including historical preservation, post-conflict nation-building, national reconciliation, youth empowerment, talent development and governance,” Hugo explained to the media following a meeting with the IAC today.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ying Hooi highlighted the potential for Malaysia, as the upcoming Chairman of ASEAN in 2025, to play a pivotal role in strategically positioning CNC and Timor-Leste within ASEAN.

“In addition to the strong bilateral relations between Malaysia and Timor-Leste, the ASEAN Chairmanship 2025 provides an excellent opportunity for Malaysia to strengthen ties between Timor-Leste and ASEAN, promote peace, and foster closer people to people relations between our nations,” Dr. Ying Hooi commented in a message to Astro AWANI after meeting with PM Xanana and other government leaders.

Ying Hooi’s area of research intersects power, human rights, democratization, and civil society, with a particular focus on Malaysia and Timor-Leste.

She is the author of influential works including ‘The Bersih Movement and Democratisation in Malaysia’ and ‘Seeds of Dissent’.

Dr. Khoo serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Malaysian Journal of International Relations (MJIR) and is on the editorial boards of several other esteemed journals, including the Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, Journal of Southeast Asian Human Rights (JSEAHR), and Indonesian Law Review (ILREV).

Her accolades include the 2022 Mellon/Scholars at Risk (SAR) Academic Freedom Fellowship and the 2019 International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) Curriculum Fellowship.

From 2013 to 2016, Dr. Khoo was involved in the diplomatic training for the Institute of Diplomatic Studies (IDS) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Timor-Leste.

She has also consulted for organizations like the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), the Democracy Academy of Malaysia, and Strengthening Human Rights and Peace Research and Education in Southeast Asia (SHAPE-SEA).

In addition to her academic roles, Dr. Khoo has extensive experience in human rights and democracy advocacy.

She is a Scientific Member of the Observatory of Political Alternatives in Southeast Asia (ALTERSEA), Vice-Chair of the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (PROHAM) and Courage Fund Cambodia (CFC), a Board Member of the Innovation of Change - East Asia Governance Circle (EAGC), and an EXCO Member of Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara (ALIRAN).