[TimorLesteStudies] Local governance in Timor Leste

[Deborah Cummins]

Please distribute via TimorLesteStudies.

Dear Readers,

Following is the abstract of a study on local governance in
Timor-Leste, specifically focussing on konsellu de suku,
contextualised in the broader local governance environment. Fieldwork
for this study was conducted in 2008-2009. The full thesis can be
obtained by writing to debcummins at gmail.com.

Thesis abstract:
This thesis examines the impact of coexisting modern and traditional
governance institutions as they are experienced in the villages of
Timor-Leste. Within some development theory and much development
practice, coexisting modern and traditional 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 the author in the subdistricts of Venilale and Ainaro
from July 2008 to February 2009, this thesis provides a detailed
empirical analysis of this lived experience within contemporary
Timorese villages. It then draws on these insights to provide a more
nuanced, contextualised account of the impact of institutional
interventions, local governance and democratisation within these
villages.

Issues around the coexistence of pre-colonial and postcolonial forms
of governance are not limited to Timor-Leste; rather, this coexistence
is arguably a common experience in most postcolonial states. As such,
institutional theory needs to account for 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 the coexistence of modern and traditional governance institutions.
A central argument of this thesis is that this coexistence is best
understood through the everyday "politics of mutual recognition"
(Tully: 1995). In most cases, the politics of mutual recognition is
not something that is formed through legislation but rather comes
about as communities engage with modern and traditional institutions
in order to fill communal needs, and as leaders engage with these
institutions in order to pursue individual political agendas. This
thesis critically examines the structured forms of mutual recognition
that have formed within the villages of Timor-Leste and the various
points of tension and mutual support that have emerged as a result of
this coexistence.

This thesis reaches three conclusions. First, the coexistence of
modern and traditional governance institutions should not be viewed as
necessarily in opposition. While there are some important points of
tension where the norms and values of modern and traditional
institutions are in conflict, in many areas of communal life Timorese
communities have created various forms of political hybridity that
reflect the requirements of both modern and traditional institutions.
Second, within the current political environment where very few
resources are reaching the rural population, the balance that is
negotiated between coexisting institutions tends to be determined with
greater 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 the broader Timorese
political environment. A necessary correlation to the current lack of
investment in the rural areas is that the Timorese government can
demand very little from communities in terms of institutional and
behavioural change. The potential role of the Timorese state as a
development agency means that the existing balance that is negotiated
through local politics could change very quickly, creating new
challenges and opportunities for different actors at the local level.

Regards,
Deborah Cummins