Xanana Gusmão

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Xanana Gusmão (2016)
Signature of Xanana Gusmão as Prime Minister

Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão CNZM (born June 20, 1946 as José Alexandre Gusmão in Laleia , Manatuto / Portuguese Timor ) is a politician from East Timor and former Prime Minister. From May 2002 to May 20, 2007 he was the first President of East Timor after the Indonesian occupation, from 2007 to 2015 Prime Minister of the country and from 2015 to 2017 in the Araújo government "Advisory Minister" and Minister for Planning and Strategic Investments.

Since April 30, 2007 Gusmão has been chairman of the Congresso Nacional da Reconstrução Timorense (CNRT, German  National Congress for the Timorese Reconstruction ).

Life

family

Xanana Gusmão's ancestors come from the Timorese ethnic groups of Galoli , Makasae and Midiki . Gusmão emphasized several times that, unlike many leaders of the independence movement, he came neither from Portuguese nor from noble Timorese. His family were simple farmers. However, his Catholic parents, Antonia Hendrique Gusmão and Manuel Gusmão, received training in Catholic schools and were catechists . The father died after illness at the age of 83 in Dili on December 24, 1999. Reports that he had been murdered during the 1999 crisis had proven to be false. Xanana got his first name from his maternal grandfather: Kai Rala Alexandre Henriques . "Xanana" is derived from the pronunciation of the middle part of the first name "Alexandre" and was inspired by the song Get a job by the group The Silhouettes from the 1950s.

Xanana is the second oldest of seven children to reach adulthood (one child died) and has one brother and five sisters. The younger brother Manuel Higino Gusmão is president of the Partido Esperança da Pátria (PEP), which was registered in 2017 . The sister Armandina Maria Gusmão dos Santos is also politically active and a diplomat. Her son Nilton Gusmão dos Santos is an entrepreneur and president of the Liga Futebol Amadora .

In his first marriage, Xanana Gusmão was married to Emilia Baptista. From this marriage, Xanana has two children: his son Eugenio and his daughter Zenilda. Zenilda is married to senior police officer Pedro Belo .

In his second marriage, Gusmão was married to the Australian Kirsty Sword since 2000 and has three sons with her: Alexandre, Kay Olok and Daniel. In 2015, Xanana and Kirsty divorced.

Youth and education

When Gusmão was born, East Timor was still a Portuguese colony ( Portuguese Timor ). He grew up in his native Laleia, where Galoli is spoken, but Gusmão learned Portuguese from his father . In Ossu , where the family lived from 1952, Gusmão attended the primary school in Sta. Teresina, before he was sent to the Jesuit school Nossa Senhora da Fatima in Dare at the age of twelve , which he left again in 1962 for financial reasons.

During the day he earned his living doing odd jobs , after which he attended the evening school of Liceu Dr. Francisco Machado in Dili and graduated from high school . In 1965 he first met his future first wife Emilia Batista, who was also 19 years old. Among other things, Gusmão worked as a surveyor and teacher at the Chinese School in Dili. In 1966 he got a job in the public service. In the Portuguese army , Gusmão had to do military service for three years from 1968 and reached the rank of corporal. In 1970 he married Emilia Batista.

End of the colonial era

Gusmão ended his military service, his first son was born, and he participated in the national organization led by José Ramos-Horta , which peacefully protested against the colonial system. This time was a turning point in his life. From April 1974, Xanana Gusmão worked for the newspaper A Voz de Timor ("Voice of Timor") and became a member of the East Timorese Social Democratic Party (ASDT), which was later renamed FRETILIN . He took over the post of deputy director of the information department.

Indonesian occupation

Return of Gusmão from Indonesian captivity to Aileu (1999)

When Indonesia occupied East Timor in violation of international law in 1975, Xanana Gusmão joined the armed resistance. In 1977 Gusmão was the adjutant of the political commissar of the FRETILIN Abel Larisina and organized the care of the civilians in the resistance base on Matebian . In November 1978 the base was destroyed by the Indonesians. In March 1981, a secret national conference in Lacluta elected him head of FALINTIL , as the successor to the slain Nicolau dos Reis Lobatos . In 1988 Gusmão became the leader of the newly formed National Council of Resistance CNRT . In order not to be considered partisan, Gusmão left FRETILIN for this. Under his leadership, FALINTIL relied more on clandestine underground networks and deployed small groups to attack Indonesian targets.

Visit to Same (2000)

Indonesian troops (TNI) tried on November 14, 1990 in the area around Same and Ainaro with the Operasi Senyum ("Operation Smile") to catch Gusmão. Four days earlier, a woman had been captured who testified during interrogation that the rebel leader was at a nearby mountain. Xanana Gusmão was probably able to escape the night before the attack. After the attack, which involved twelve battalions and four helicopters, the military said they found around 100 fighters. A container was also found containing Gusmão's documents, a video camera and his typewriter. The documents included letters from the Pope and Bishop Belos . According to a traditional Timorese legend, some warriors could turn into dogs to escape their captors. The Tetum word for hero asuwain means something like "like a dog". Taking up this myth, the legend spread that Gusmão could turn into a white dog and run around unnoticed in the village while the Indonesian soldiers look for him.

Gusmão on handing over control from INTERFET to UNTAET

On November 20, 1992, Gusmão was finally captured in a large-scale operation by the Indonesian military with 40,000 soldiers in the house of the family of Aliança Araújo in Lahane near Dili and brought to Bali . An interview with him was shown on Indonesian television on November 25th. A year later, in May 1993, he was brought back to Dili for his trial. Just minutes after starting his 27-page defense speech on May 17, the judge cut him off by saying that his defense was "irrelevant." The court sentenced Gusmão to life imprisonment. He was in the high security prison Cipinang to Jakarta brought.

Gusmão was later placed under house arrest in the Indonesian capital Jakarta . However, he managed to play an important role as a leader in the resistance against the Indonesian occupation from his captivity through his future new wife Kirsty Sword . After the successful independence referendum in East Timor in 1999 , the United Kingdom offered Gusmão political asylum. The Xanana Room in the British Embassy in Jakarta is a reminder today. Gusmão was released that same year and returned to East Timor in October. Shortly afterwards he divorced his first wife Emilia after 28 years of marriage.

Independence of East Timor

President Xanana Gusmão (2002)

In 1999, Xanana Gusmão was elected spokesman for the National Consultative Council (NCC), a kind of transitional parliament during the UN administration of East Timor. On October 23, 2000, Gusmão was also the spokesman for the subsequent National Council (NC).

Gusmão won the presidential election on April 14, 2002 with 82.7% against his rival candidate Francisco Xavier do Amaral and thus became the first president of independent East Timor on May 20, 2002. During the unrest in East Timor in 2006 , there was a power struggle between Gusmão and the then Prime Minister Marí Alkatiri , with Alkatiri relying on the police and Gusmão on the support of most of the army . Alkatiri was suspected of having armed civilians to eliminate political opponents. Gusmão called on Alkatiri to resign and otherwise threatened his own. Eventually Alkatiri gave up and resigned from office. He was succeeded by Gusmão's political friend José Ramos-Horta , who followed Gusmão in 2007 as president.

School children visit Prime Minister Gusmão in his office
Gusmão at an AMP election campaign event in 2018 in Oesilo
The winners of the 2018 election: Taur Matan Ruak and Xanana Gusmão

In the presidential elections on April 9, 2007, Gusmão did not run again, which is why he resigned from his office as President on the fifth East Timor's Independence Day, May 20, 2007. Instead, Gusmão ran with the new CNRT party in the parliamentary elections on June 30, 2007 for the office of prime minister. His party was only the second strongest force in the country with 18 seats won, but together with its coalition partners in the Aliança da Maioria MP ( Alliance of Parliamentary Majorities ) it was able to rely on an absolute majority of 37 of the 65 MPs. Not included is the strongest party in parliament, the former ruling party FRETILIN.

On August 6, 2007, Gusmão was commissioned by President Ramos-Horta to form a government. He was sworn in on August 8th and also assumed the offices of Minister of Defense and Security and Minister of Natural Resources, Minerals and Energy . Gusmão did not take up his post as a member of parliament.

On February 11, 2008, Gusmão escaped unharmed when his car was attacked by fire .

With the parliamentary elections in East Timor in 2012 , Gusmão succeeded in re-entering parliament. With the CNRT as the strongest party, he also leads the new government as prime minister and defense minister. Alfredo Pires took over the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. Again Gusmão renounced his seat in parliament.

At the beginning of 2015, Gusmão announced that he would reshuffle the government and also resign early. On February 5, he informed his coalition partners that he would propose former Health Minister Rui Araújo as his successor and resigned with a letter to President Taur Matan Ruak . The president accepted his resignation and tasked Araújo with the formation of a new government. The handover took place on February 16. Gusmão is an “Advisory Minister” and Minister for Planning and Strategic Investments in the new government.

In the parliamentary elections in East Timor in 2017 , Gusmão made it into parliament as the CNRT's list leader. However, the CNRT suffered heavy losses and was only just the second strongest force behind the FRETILIN. Gusmão therefore announced his resignation as party leader of the CNRT on August 4, 2017. However, this was not accepted at the extraordinary party congress and later simply ignored. The CNRT went into opposition, which is why Gusmão lost his ministerial office. After the first day of the session, he also renounced his seat in parliament.

In the border disputes between Australia and East Timor , Gusmão worked as East Timor's chief negotiator. After the successful conclusion of the new treaty across the border in the Timor Sea on March 6, 2018, he received a triumphant welcome from thousands of East Timorese on his return to Dili. In the 2018 parliamentary elections , Gusmão represented the CNRT in the top three of the Aliança para Mudança e Progresso (AMP) and took first place in parliament. However, he renounced his mandate at the first meeting on June 13th. On July 5th, Gusmão was appointed Minister of State of the Prime Minister's Council and Minister for Planning and Strategic Investment by President Francisco Guterres . Due to the conflict with the president over the appointment of ministers of the CNRT, Gusmão stayed away from the scheduled dates of his swearing-in and finally renounced an office in the eighth government . However, he continues to be responsible for the office for the sea borders and the further negotiations with Australia. On December 18, 2019, Gusmão was also appointed by the cabinet to represent the Blue Economy .

miscellaneous

Xanana Gusmão is the club president of the sports club Sport Laulara e Benfica .

Fonts

  • To resist is to win !: The autobiography of Xanana Gusmão with selected letters & speeches

Awards and honors

Xanana Gusmão's official car on display in the Xanana Reading Room

Web links

Commons : Xanana Gusmão  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Sara Niner: Xanana Thesis Chapter 1: 1946-78 , accessed June 9, 2017.
  2. ^ The Associated Press: Manuel Gusmao, 83, of East Timor , accessed June 9, 2017.
  3. ↑ a b c d Government of Timor-Leste: Biography
  4. ↑ Jawa Pos .: Armandina Gusmao Interview , December 6, 1992 ( memento of January 26, 2005 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on June 6, 2017.
  5. ↑ a b Timor Agora: Zenilda Gusmao Harii Klubu Futebol , October 14, 2016 , accessed on May 1, 2017.
  6. ↑ Jornal de Notícias: Xanana separa-se da australiana Kirsty Sword , March 21, 2015 , accessed on March 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ Al Jazeera: Xanana Gusmão condemned over visit to paedophile priest Xanana Gusmão condemned over visit to paedophile priest , February 17, 2021 , accessed on February 27, 2021.
  8. ^ A b c d e Government of East Timor: Biografia Primeiro-Ministro e Ministro da Defesa e Segurança da República Democrática de Timor-Leste , accessed on June 9, 2017
  9. ↑ “Chapter 7.3 Forced Displacement and Famine” ( Memento of November 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 1.3 MB) from the “Chega!” Report of the CAVR (English).
  10. ↑ Matthew Libbis BA (Hons) Anthropology: ritual Sacrifice & Symbolism in Timor-Leste , accessed February 18, 2015.
  11. ↑ Embassy Magazine: Elizabeth Stewart: Rebel with a cause , February 18, 2014 ( July 12, 2016 memento on the Internet Archive ), accessed July 12, 2016.
  12. ↑ Voice of America (VOA News): Violence Erupts After Gusmao Named East Timor Prime Minister , August 6, 2007 ( Memento of August 22, 2007 in the Internet Archive ), (English)
  13. ↑ Timor Hau Nian Doben ( Lusa ): Partidos da coligação informados que Rui Araújo é o novo PM timorense , February 5, 2015 , accessed on February 5, 2015.
  14. ↑ East Timor president picks former health minister Rui Araujo to replace Xanana Gusmao as prime minister . In: ABC Radio Australia . February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  15. ↑ Website of the government of Timor-Leste: Members of the incoming Sixth Constitutional Government meet , February 12, 2015 , accessed on February 16, 2015 (English)
  16. ↑ Tafara: Xanana Rezigna-an HosiPresidente Partidu , August 4, 2017 , accessed on August 4, 2017.
  17. ↑ Tatoli: Deputadu Nain Haat Hosi Bankada CNRT Substitui Kargu , September 6, 2017 , accessed on September 6, 2017.
  18. ^ Western Advocate: Hero's welcome for Timor border negotiator , March 12, 2018 , accessed March 18, 2018.
  19. ↑ Election lists for the 2018 parliamentary elections
  20. ^ Tafara: Xanana TMR La Partisipa Iha Plenaria. Fidelis Sira Hakarak Fo Opurtunidade Ba Deputadu Jovens , June 13, 2018 , accessed on June 13, 2018.
  21. ↑ Decree Prezidente da Repúblika N. ̊ 21/2018 iha 5 Jullu 2018 , accessed on 6 July 2018.
  22. ↑ Michael Leach: A first test for Timor-Leste's cohabitants , August 14, 2018 , accessed on September 3, 2018.
  23. ↑ Tatoli: KM Aprova Xanana Gusmão Reprezenta Governu ba Ekonomia Azul , December 18, 2019 , accessed on December 18, 2019.
  24. ^ Honorary Doctorates. (No longer available online.) In: ussa.edu. United States Sports Academy, archived from the original on May 4, 2014 ; accessed on May 4, 2014 .
  25. ↑ His Excellency THE PRIME MINISTER KAY RALA Xanana Gusmão AT THE OFFICIAL RECEPTION IN HONOR OF THE AWARDING OF THE ORDER OF VANUATU FIRST CLASS MEDAL FOR ACHIEVEMENT OF THE HIGHEST SERVICE TO VANUATU AND HUMANITY AT LARGE, September 12, 2011 , accessed on 25 March 2018.
  26. ↑ Portugal News, October 8, 2011, Timorese resistance leader awarded honorary doctorate
  27. ↑ Observador: Xanana Gusmão vai ser agraciado com Ordem da Guerrilha a 20 de agosto , August 12, 2015 , accessed on March 22, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Gusmão, Xanana
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gusmão, Kay Rala Xanana; Gusmão, José Alexandre (real name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION East Timorese President (2002–2007), Prime Minister (2007–2015), Minister since 2015
DATE OF BIRTH June 20, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH Laleia , Manatuto , East Timor