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http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/jose-ramos-horta-east-timor-survive-oil-ends-171206204731242.html



   -

   Asia Pacific <http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/regions/asia-pacific.html>

s


Untuk melihat video footage, click situs dibawah ini :



http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/jose-ramos-horta-east-timor-survive-oil-ends-171206204731242.html



   -

   Asia Pacific <http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/regions/asia-pacific.html>

Jose Ramos-Horta: East Timor will survive as oil ends

by Faisal Edroos <http://www.aljazeera.com/profile/faisal-edroos.html>

2 hours ago

   -

[image: Jose Ramos-Horta praised his administration's handling of East
Timor's oil and gas reserves [File: Lirio Da Fonseca/Reuters]]Jose
Ramos-Horta praised his administration's handling of East Timor's oil and
gas reserves [File: Lirio Da Fonseca/Reuters]
more on East Timor <http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/east-timor.html>

   -

   Toxic cost of rubbish scavenging in East Timor
   
<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/toxic-cost-rubbish-scavenging-east-timor-171119195511456.html>2
   weeks ago
   -

   East Timor set to swear in Mari Alkatiri as PM
   
<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/east-timor-set-swear-mari-alkatiri-pm-170914062920825.html>2
   months ago
   -

   Wiranto named Indonesia's top security minister
   
<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/wiranto-named-indonesia-top-security-minister-160727055302066.html>last
   year
   -

   Arduous economic recovery in post-conflict East Timor
   
<http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/06/arduous-economic-recovery-post-conflict-east-timor-150618113159072.html>2
   years ago

East Timor, one of the world's poorest countries, could still be an
economic success story despite reports its main oil and gas fields will run
dry by 2022 and it will go bankrupt by 2027, its former leader says.

Devastated by years of foreign occupation, Southeast Asia's youngest nation
has relied heavily on its dwindling energy sector, which accounted for 78
percent of its 2017 state budget.

Speaking on the sidelines of International Civil Society Week in the Fijian
capital, Suva, Jose Ramos-Horta - who served as prime minister from
2006-2007 and president from 2007-2012 - insists his country, once seen as
a poster child for developing nations, can overcome its economic hurdles.

"East Timor is only 15 years old. If you saw what my country was like at
the start of this century, you'd be shocked," Ramos-Horta told Al Jazeera.

Indonesia annexed East Timor, which sits at the eastern end of the
Indonesian archipelago, in 1975 when long-time colonial power Portugal set
it free.

Indonesian strongman Suharto
<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/indonesian-state-responsible-genocide-1965-160720132832004.html>'s
military swept across the country in a lightning offensive, laying waste to
entire villages with US-made weapons and equipment.

More than 100,000 East Timorese were killed
<https://www.amazon.com/East-Timor-Freedom-Politics-Contemporary/dp/1856498417>
during the 24-year occupation in what academics from the University of
Oxford and Yale University <https://gsp.yale.edu/case-studies/east-timor>
have called genocide.

When Indonesia finally left in 1999 following a UN supervised independence
referendum, more than 80 percent of the country's infrastructure had been
destroyed.

The country became fully independent in 2002 after a three-year period of
UN administration.

"In 2002, we had 19 East Timorese doctors in the country," the 67-year-old
said. "Today we have close to 1,000."

"We barely had electricity anywhere in the country, including the capital,
Dili. Today, we have continuous electricity in 80 percent of the country.
The remaining 20 percent uses alternative methods such as solar."

Ramos-Horta, who was co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for lobbying
foreign leaders for Indonesia's withdrawal, said his government planned for
the depleting oil and gas reserves, with the country's economic future no
longer reliant on its offshore deposits.

"Unlike many other oil and gas producing nations, we immediately created a
sovereign wealth fund. We started with £250m and now we have more than
$16bn in the bank.


The Frost Interview - Jose Ramos-Horta: Lessons in patience

"At the time, the law said 90 percent of oil and gas revenues will go to
buying US treasury bonds. Ten percent, we could use to diversify. Since we
didn't have a lot of experience in the international market we decided to
invest everything in US treasury bonds.

"When the 2008 financial crisis struck, better economies than ours,
countries with a stronger international standing like Singapore and Norway,
lost tens of billions. East Timor didn't lose a cent."

Speaking to the media in 2008, the US-educated politician quipped East
Timor could become the "next Dubai".

But tensions have simmered in the nascent democracy over income inequality
and high unemployment.

According to the World Bank, 41 percent of East Timor's 1.2 million people
live on less than $0.88 per day.

The current government, led by Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo, faces
increasing pressure to generate new jobs with 60 percent of its population
aged under 25.

The country's main oil and gas field, the ConocoPhillips-operated
Bayu-Undan project, provided about $20bn to the economy over the past 10
years, but it is expected to cease production between by 2022.

"We changed our laws in 2009 to allow bigger changes to our economic
portfolio. We now have more than 1,000 investments around the world,"
Ramos-Horta said.

"We have hundreds of people studying for their masters in countries abroad.
At the same time, we are investing wisely. We are living off these
investments.

"When I said Dubai I was daydreaming. Forget Dubai. I would be happy if
East Timor could reach the heights of Fiji."

However, researchers at the Dili-based think-tank La'o Hamutuk said unless
new sources of income are found, the country could go bankrupt as early as
2027.

La'o Hamutuk warned East Timor's parliament last year the 2017 budget of
$1.39bn would require a withdrawal of more than $1bn from the petroleum
fund. With the government planning to take out almost four times the
estimated income every year between 2018 and 2021, the fund's balance will
fall by at least $3bn, to $13bn.

The think-tank urged the government to reassess several mega-projects,
questioning their "benefits for the majority of Timorese people".

"These projects will displace local communities, use up valuable
agricultural land, destroy farmers' livelihoods and pollute the
environment. Meanwhile, the money spent in them comes from a finite total,
and is no longer available for necessary projects, sustainable economic
development, equitable projects, and social services for everyone," it said..

Aside from oil, agriculture is a key component of the economy, providing
subsistence to about 80 percent of the population.

The most significant commodity export is coffee, which accounted for $30m
of annual exports in 2016.

"We could do much better," Ramos-Horta said when pressed about the future
of East Timor's fledgling economy. "But we can't do miracles."


Al Jazeera Correspondent - Trail of murder: Indonesia's bloody retreat


by Faisal Edroos <http://www.aljazeera.com/profile/faisal-edroos.html>

2 hours ago

   -

[image: Jose Ramos-Horta praised his administration's handling of East
Timor's oil and gas reserves [File: Lirio Da Fonseca/Reuters]]Jose
Ramos-Horta praised his administration's handling of East Timor's oil and
gas reserves [File: Lirio Da Fonseca/Reuters]
more on East Timor <http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/east-timor.html>

   -

   Toxic cost of rubbish scavenging in East Timor
   
<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/toxic-cost-rubbish-scavenging-east-timor-171119195511456.html>2
   weeks ago
   -

   East Timor set to swear in Mari Alkatiri as PM
   
<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/east-timor-set-swear-mari-alkatiri-pm-170914062920825.html>2
   months ago
   -

   Wiranto named Indonesia's top security minister
   
<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/wiranto-named-indonesia-top-security-minister-160727055302066.html>last
   year
   -

   Arduous economic recovery in post-conflict East Timor
   
<http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/06/arduous-economic-recovery-post-conflict-east-timor-150618113159072.html>2
   years ago

East Timor, one of the world's poorest countries, could still be an
economic success story despite reports its main oil and gas fields will run
dry by 2022 and it will go bankrupt by 2027, its former leader says.

Devastated by years of foreign occupation, Southeast Asia's youngest nation
has relied heavily on its dwindling energy sector, which accounted for 78
percent of its 2017 state budget.

Speaking on the sidelines of International Civil Society Week in the Fijian
capital, Suva, Jose Ramos-Horta - who served as prime minister from
2006-2007 and president from 2007-2012 - insists his country, once seen as
a poster child for developing nations, can overcome its economic hurdles.

"East Timor is only 15 years old. If you saw what my country was like at
the start of this century, you'd be shocked," Ramos-Horta told Al Jazeera.

Indonesia annexed East Timor, which sits at the eastern end of the
Indonesian archipelago, in 1975 when long-time colonial power Portugal set
it free.

Indonesian strongman Suharto
<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/indonesian-state-responsible-genocide-1965-160720132832004.html>'s
military swept across the country in a lightning offensive, laying waste to
entire villages with US-made weapons and equipment.

More than 100,000 East Timorese were killed
<https://www.amazon.com/East-Timor-Freedom-Politics-Contemporary/dp/1856498417>
during the 24-year occupation in what academics from the University of
Oxford and Yale University <https://gsp.yale.edu/case-studies/east-timor>
have called genocide.

When Indonesia finally left in 1999 following a UN supervised independence
referendum, more than 80 percent of the country's infrastructure had been
destroyed.

The country became fully independent in 2002 after a three-year period of
UN administration.

"In 2002, we had 19 East Timorese doctors in the country," the 67-year-old
said. "Today we have close to 1,000."

"We barely had electricity anywhere in the country, including the capital,
Dili. Today, we have continuous electricity in 80 percent of the country.
The remaining 20 percent uses alternative methods such as solar."

Ramos-Horta, who was co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for lobbying
foreign leaders for Indonesia's withdrawal, said his government planned for
the depleting oil and gas reserves, with the country's economic future no
longer reliant on its offshore deposits.

"Unlike many other oil and gas producing nations, we immediately created a
sovereign wealth fund. We started with £250m and now we have more than
$16bn in the bank.


The Frost Interview - Jose Ramos-Horta: Lessons in patience

"At the time, the law said 90 percent of oil and gas revenues will go to
buying US treasury bonds. Ten percent, we could use to diversify. Since we
didn't have a lot of experience in the international market we decided to
invest everything in US treasury bonds.

"When the 2008 financial crisis struck, better economies than ours,
countries with a stronger international standing like Singapore and Norway,
lost tens of billions. East Timor didn't lose a cent."

Speaking to the media in 2008, the US-educated politician quipped East
Timor could become the "next Dubai".

But tensions have simmered in the nascent democracy over income inequality
and high unemployment.

According to the World Bank, 41 percent of East Timor's 1.2 million people
live on less than $0.88 per day.

The current government, led by Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo, faces
increasing pressure to generate new jobs with 60 percent of its population
aged under 25.

The country's main oil and gas field, the ConocoPhillips-operated
Bayu-Undan project, provided about $20bn to the economy over the past 10
years, but it is expected to cease production between by 2022.

"We changed our laws in 2009 to allow bigger changes to our economic
portfolio. We now have more than 1,000 investments around the world,"
Ramos-Horta said.

"We have hundreds of people studying for their masters in countries abroad.
At the same time, we are investing wisely. We are living off these
investments.

"When I said Dubai I was daydreaming. Forget Dubai. I would be happy if
East Timor could reach the heights of Fiji."

However, researchers at the Dili-based think-tank La'o Hamutuk said unless
new sources of income are found, the country could go bankrupt as early as
2027.

La'o Hamutuk warned East Timor's parliament last year the 2017 budget of
$1.39bn would require a withdrawal of more than $1bn from the petroleum
fund. With the government planning to take out almost four times the
estimated income every year between 2018 and 2021, the fund's balance will
fall by at least $3bn, to $13bn.

The think-tank urged the government to reassess several mega-projects,
questioning their "benefits for the majority of Timorese people".

"These projects will displace local communities, use up valuable
agricultural land, destroy farmers' livelihoods and pollute the
environment. Meanwhile, the money spent in them comes from a finite total,
and is no longer available for necessary projects, sustainable economic
development, equitable projects, and social services for everyone," it said..

Aside from oil, agriculture is a key component of the economy, providing
subsistence to about 80 percent of the population.

The most significant commodity export is coffee, which accounted for $30m
of annual exports in 2016.

"We could do much better," Ramos-Horta said when pressed about the future
of East Timor's fledgling economy. "But we can't do miracles."


Al Jazeera Correspondent - Trail of murder: Indonesia's bloody retreat

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