Local Governance in Timor-Leste - Secretaria de Estado da Arte e ...

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ABSTRACTThis thesis examines the impact of coexisting modern and traditional governanceinstitutions as they are experienced in the villages of Timor-Leste. Within somedevelopment theory and much development practice, coexisting modern andtraditional institutions are often portrayed as binaries and necessarily in opposition.However, the reality is that local communities across Timor-Leste are navigating both'spheres' of governance on a daily basis. Drawing on fieldwork conducted by theauthor in the subdistricts of Venilale and Ainaro from July 2008 to February 2009,this thesis provides a detailed empirical analysis of this lived experience withincontemporary Timorese villages. It then draws on these insights to provide a morenuanced, contextualised account of the impact of institutional interventions, localgovernance and democratisation within these villages.Issues around the coexistence of pre-colonial and postcolonial forms of governanceare not limited to Timor-Leste; rather, this coexistence is arguably a commonexperience in most postcolonial states. As such, institutional theory needs to accountfor this complex reality as it is experienced by millions of people across the world.This thesis argues for a critical approach to institutionalism in order to account for thecoexistence of modern and traditional governance institutions. A central argument ofthis thesis is that this coexistence is best understood through the everyday "politics ofmutual recognition" (Tully: 1995). In most cases, the politics of mutual recognition isnot something that is formed through legislation but rather comes about ascommunities engage with modern and traditional institutions in order to fillcommunal needs, and as leaders engage with these institutions in order to pursueindividual political agendas. This thesis critically examines the structured forms ofmutual recognition that have formed within the villages of Timor-Leste and thevarious points of tension and mutual support that have emerged as a result of thiscoexistence.This thesis reaches three conclusions. First, the coexistence of modern and traditionalgovernance institutions should not be viewed as necessarily in opposition. While thereiv
are some important points of tension where the norms and values of modern andtraditional institutions are in conflict, in many areas of communal life Timoresecommunities have created various forms of political hybridity that reflect therequirements of both modern and traditional institutions. Second, within the currentpolitical environment where very few resources are reaching the rural population, thebalance that is negotiated between coexisting institutions tends to be determined withgreater reference to the values and norms of traditional governance institutions. Third,this current reality is not a settled state of affairs. Rather, it is deeply contingent on thebroader Timorese political environment. A necessary correlation to the current lack ofinvestment in the rural areas is that the Timorese government can demand very littlefrom communities in terms of institutional and behavioural change. The potential roleof the Timorese state as a development agency means that the existing balance that isnegotiated through local politics could change very quickly, creating new challengesand opportunities for different actors at the local level.v
Page 1 and 2: Local Governance in Timor-Leste:The
Page 3: COPYRIGHT STATEMENT‘I hereby gran
Page 7 and 8: the Canossian sisters in Ainaro—M
Page 9 and 10: 2.6 The Issues of Cross-Cultural Re
Page 11 and 12: LIST OF FIGURESFigure One: The Deve
Page 13 and 14: Tara banduUma kainUma lulikXefe Ald
Page 15 and 16: within, I had failed to recognise t
Page 17 and 18: anthropology of development (Shephe
Page 19 and 20: prefer the term 'local' to recognis
Page 21 and 22: evolve around ideas of traditional
Page 23 and 24: institution that is considered to b
Page 25 and 26: the case given the emphasis on cond
Page 27 and 28: Within these increasingly murky pol
Page 29 and 30: 1.3 Case Study SitesVenilaleVenilal
Page 31 and 32: The reasons for choosing Venilale a
Page 33 and 34: and influences can have on the loca
Page 35 and 36: played out since decolonisation. Th
Page 37 and 38: geographically 'outwards' from uma
Page 39 and 40: CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWO
Page 41 and 42: 2.1 FieldworkFieldwork was conducte
Page 43 and 44: marked differences in people's idea
Page 45 and 46: interactions between modern and tra
Page 47 and 48: then asking for advice on who else
Page 49 and 50: answer specific questions about how
Page 51 and 52: Every conversation and every experi
Page 53 and 54: discussions. This took a little tim
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crucial to the research question—
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CHAPTER THREE: CONCEPTUALISING POST
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epresentation through democratisati
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of coordination between these diffe
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equally problematic, as this succes
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government, and Huntington noted th
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Westernise. Equally, the specificit
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which individuals both shape and ar
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expanded this understanding to incl
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within a society. As Remmer puts it
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is to distribute power to some and
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To explain this point, he makes the
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provided by public policy" (Fukuyam
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Gramsci's account of hegemonic powe
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From this perspective, Gramsci's id
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outcomes. Rather, it structures soc
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'shadow side' of the everyday polit
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The centrality of these kin-based g
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4.1 Formation of Political Hybridit
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While the rule of the liurai was in
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to be rejoined. But as local politi
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in Europe, this was seen somewhat d
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did not make life any easier for th
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governor, but slowly seats were inc
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The movement towards decolonisation
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As the politics reached gradually b
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appointed traditionally (Ospina and
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esistance to Indonesian rule (Gunn
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outrage across the world. Following
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f) To assist in the establishment o
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egan to return from their hiding pl
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for a Constituent Assembly (CA) and
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these other factors reveal a more c
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SECTION TWO: EXAMINING LOCAL GOVERN
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hold spiritual and ritual responsib
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Important exchange relationships th
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spiritual significance of the ances
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ight to freedom, for anyone to occu
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The centrality of the liurai house
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As discussed previously, one of the
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order to meet their communal requir
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community, or communal expectations
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within the suku and to lead the kon
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epresentative. These political mech
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structural issue: while the old ins
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democratisation has been seen to er
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Party politics has been one such po
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on the leaders' position within the
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Within this hybrid political enviro
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in the community. While there is a
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authority figures in the aldeia, su
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As fieldwork progressed, it became
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kain), it is taken to the xefe and/
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process, they have the right to go
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(March, 2008). In the absence of le
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explains, he will not engage with a
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this distinction. When I asked abou
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insufficient attention being paid t
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of barlake that lay in the alliance
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functional, leaving them especially
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affiliation with political parties.
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xefe suku explained that the cost o
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that there is a combination of soci
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SECTION THREE: SHAPING LOCAL GOVERN
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automatically become part of the lo
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ecent Shadow Report to CEDAW, which
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Governance must be for something, a
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power within Timorese communities.
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Such structural constraints, howeve
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Across every suku in Venilale and A
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was built for their most remote ald
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While community members may attempt
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networks that use such animistic ri
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strongman, who operated in Venilale
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the community are captured or diver
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strongman specifically uses institu
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CHAPTER EIGHT: BRINGING IT BACK TO
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communities have created various fo
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However, while incoming resources c
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of fundamental importance in consid
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APPENDIX A: LIST OF INTERVIEWEESVEN
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APPENDIX B: MAP OF TIMOR-LESTESourc
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APPENDIX D: POLITICAL MAP OF SUBDIS
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BINNS, T. (2006) 'Doing Fieldwork i
Page 223 and 224:
CHESTERMAN, S. (2002) 'East Timor i
Page 225 and 226:
DEGNBOL-MARTINUSSEN, J. (2002) 'Dev
Page 227 and 228:
Lincoln, Y. (Eds.) The Landscape of
Page 229 and 230:
GRENFELL, L. (2006) 'Legal Pluralis
Page 231 and 232:
HOWARTH, D. (2000) Discourse, Bucki
Page 233 and 234:
LANDMAN, T. & HAUSERMANN, J. (2003)
Page 235 and 236:
MERRY, S. E. (1988) 'Legal Pluralis
Page 237 and 238:
OSPINA, S. & HOHE, T. (2001) Tradit
Page 239 and 240:
RUDOLPH, L. I. (1965) 'The Modernit
Page 241 and 242:
THAKUR, R. & VAN LANGENHOVE, L. (20
Page 243:
WORK, R. (2002) 'Overview of Decent
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