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Subject: New Timorese navy signals shift in SSR ownership
http://www.ssrresourcecentre.org/2010/05/31/new-timorese-navy-signals-shift-in-ssr-ownership-2/
Note: SSR is Security Sector Reform
New Timorese navy signals shift in SSR ownership
BY: EDWARD REES | TIMOR-LESTE | MAY 31, 2010
Having experienced centuries of oppressive Portuguese colonial rule and
24 years in the predatory grip of Suharto's politico-military apparatus,
Timor-Leste is one of the world's newest (it became independent in 2002)
and smallest (population of 1.2 million) countries. However, like all
countries it is now bestowed with the powers and responsibilities of
sovereignty. This comes with a dose of ego as well, just as in other
countries. In order to understand this ego it is advised that people
brush up on this little half-island state's long and complicated
history. Failure to do so will result in shoddy SSR. But that is for
another blog entry.
As for SSR in Timor-Leste: Despite the myriad challenges it faces in
this area, there is much to suggest it has had a bellyful of foreigners
in this sector, and is busy going about doing things its own way. In
fact, last week Timor-Leste took a giant step forward in the development
of its security sector--by itself --with hardly a UN SSR expert or a
bi-lateral adviser in sight.
On May 23, 2010 Timor-Leste took possession of two <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_062_class_gunboat>Type-62
Shanghai Class Patrol boats from the Chinese firm Poly Technology to
replace its aging and much smaller Portuguese Albatross class boats. In
2008, when it made the decision to buy the boats and signed the
contract, the Government of Timor-Leste made a point of not consulting
with or informing bilateral partners and the United Nations Integrated
Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT). It is was Timor-Leste's first major
unilateral act of SSR as part of fulfilling its vision for the future of
its defence force, the FALINTIL-FDTL, as articulated in its
Force 2020 plan. Plans are well advanced to rebuild the Hera port to
the east of Dili, to accommodate the new warships, as well as to
construct a
naval supply base on the south coast of the island.
Maintenance of these vessels will surely be a challenge. In fact, poor
maintenance played a role in the 2006 crisis. When called upon to help
resist attempts by the leader of an illegal armed group to overwhelm the
defence headquarters in western Dili, the commander of the naval
component had to respond that one vessel was inoperable, and the other
could only travel the 15km distance in reverse?which it did. It then
successfully assisted in repelling the assault on the defence force
headquarters.
However, the Timorese leadership is very aware that their maritime
approaches hold the patrimony of the state in the form of large oil and
gas reserves, an unregulated fishery, and as an avenue for criminality
in terms of the smuggling of people, drugs and even illicit weapons. As
such building a more robust maritime capacity is a national priority.
The
recent spat with Australia and Woodside over the Greater Sunrise gas
field in the Timor Sea raises the stakes when it comes to sea control.
Furthermore, Timor-Leste currently draws over 90 percent of its budget
from a Petroleum Fund which relies entirely on receipts from Timor Sea
oil fields, primarily
Bayu Undan, which is operated by ConocoPhilips.
Once it became public that Timorese were going to go it alone in the
restructuring of its defence force, giving it a proper maritime
capacity, some bi-lateral and UN parties were almost apoplectic with
?concern.? However, had they been reading, listening to, or watching
national media they would have picked up very strong indications of the
Timorese leadership's displeasure with ever-meddling foreigners in the
security sector. This was confirmed in 2009 when in a
concerted media blitz Julio Tomas Pinto, Secretary of State for
Defence, blasted the UN and other international efforts to ?reform? the
Timorese security sector.
This is not to suggest that there is no role for foreigners in this
area, but the Timorese have elected to, and are adept at, cherry picking
what they want and letting other SSR efforts wither and die on the vine.
This is largely due to the UNMIT's dogged, and inept, insistence on
pursuing its primary SSR efforts. Firstly, a much hyped comprehensive
review of the security sector in which a dozen or more UN officials have
been beavering away on for at least 2 years has produced almost no
result. This effort has chewed up millions of donor dollars and cost
millions more UN peacekeeping dollars in staff and consultancies. They
say it will be completed this year, likely with a whimper as opposed to
a crescendo of applause (although UNMIT Public Information can make even
the worst effort look good). Secondly, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has
all but told the United Nations and the international community to stop
interfering with the government's police development programs. The
United Nations Police are roundly criticized as having done little of
use in the last 3 years, and are likely bequeathing to the country a
police service as problematic as when it fractured in 2006. Certainly
the police service is just as fond of its paramilitary units in 2010 as
it was in 2006.
Needless to say the Timorese are very polite about all of this most of
the time, and foreigners are equally polite in pretending that
everything is hunky dory between them; especially as it pertains to SSR.
As one of the architects of the SSR review during the July 2006 DPKO
Technical Assessment Mission to establish UNMIT, this blogger should
clearly accept some blame. However, as a leading member of the Timorese
leadership told this blogger in 2007, ?look we are friends, but you
should realise it's just not go?ing to happen, we just don?t want it.?
This message has been given to the UN time and time again. It should
have listened, learned its lesson and realized that it is pointless to
knock on a brick wall expecting it to open up like a door.
The arrival of the new Timorese Navy should alert people to a new era in
Timorese security sector reform. The UN has missed its chance to be
useful. Time people publicly acknowledged the truth for a change.
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