[TimorLesteStudies] Public Seminar at Swinburne, Melbourne, November 12 - 'A Long and Winding Road: the Government of "National Unity" in Timor-Leste and its implications'

[Michael Leach]

A Long and Winding Road: The Government of "National Unity" in Timor-Leste and its implications
Dr Rui Graça Feijó, University of Coimbra, Portugal.

Thursday 12 November, 12.00 pm - 1.00 pm
AGSE 211, AGSE Building, Hawthorn Campus, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne.
All welcome.


Timor-Leste has made an unprecedented move earlier this year when Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao stepped aside to open up the door for a government of national inclusion.This paper examines the long history of the idea of a government of national unity in the framework of the transition process from Indonesian rule to independence and democracy: a long and winding history of important consequences for the way in which the country has evolved over the last fifteen years. It then assesses the pros and cons of the current situation, calling special attention to the fact that political inclusion must be regarded in the framework of political institutions taken as a whole, rather than in every single one of them. The novel situation offers hope for broad consensus, but also raises doubts as to the role of the different institutions - namely the role of Parliament - in representing the ensemble of the East Timorese citizenry and their wealth of opinions.



Dr Rui Graça Feijó is Associate Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra, Portugal. He is the author of a number of works on semi-Presidentialism in Timor-Leste, and a former advisor to the President of the Republic of Timor-Leste.

http://www.swinburne.edu.au/events/departments/health-arts-design/2015/11/a-long-and-winding-road--swinburne-institute-for-social-research-seminar-series.php

Associate Professor Michael Leach
Chair, Department of Education and Social Sciences
Faculty of Health, Arts and Design
Swinburne University of Technology
H98, PO Box 218 Hawthorn VIC
AUSTRALIA 3122
Phone: +61 3 9214 5357

<http://www.swinburne.edu.au/health-arts-design/staff-profiles/view.php?who=mleach>
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