Outside the mostly one-directional trade in goods, there are also workers, students and tourists who could flow between Indonesia and Timor-Leste more efficiently.
Valuable developments would include starting direct flights from Dili to Kupang and to Jakarta (government-subsidised initially if necessary); adding Dili as a stop on eastern Indonesian goods and passenger ferry routes; and establishing immigration offices at eastern Indonesian ports which will allow better cross-border travel and pave the way for greater trade flows.
Indonesia could unilaterally implement most of these improvements without breaking a sweat. It would certainly represent a small investment that would go a long way in bringing Timor-Leste into the neighbourhood, and bolster Indonesia’s credentials as a leader within ASEAN.
Timor-Leste faces a long road ahead as it seeks to integrate itself into ASEAN and make the most of its membership – including the practical challenge of participating in (or at least prioritising) the group’s famously prolific meeting calendar. It is a big moment, and perhaps not the golden ticket of economic opportunity some in Timor-Leste are hoping for.
Indonesia stepping up to help shepherd its small neighbour, and starting to lay the groundwork for better economic ties through physical connectivity, will make the fruits of ASEAN for Timor-Leste all the sweeter. The under-utilised port in Kupang might not be the be-all, end-all of bringing Timor-Leste into the ASEAN fold, but it’s certainly not a bad place to start.
Iona Main has worked as a foreign policy adviser at the Australia Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, a political adviser to the Australian Consul-General in New York and more recently a management consultant at Bain & Company. This commentary first appeared on Lowy Institute’s blog, The Interpreter.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/indonesia-flights-travel-timor-leste-asean-member-trade-5444381
