Gusmao, the real statesman

One man stood out among the many dignitaries who attended Sunday's celebrations to usher in East Timor's independence in Dili. We are talking here about no other than Xanana Gusmao, who took his oath of office shortly after midnight on Sunday to become the first president of the new independent nation.

Not only did he stand out among all other present-day leaders in East Timor, which included two Nobel laureates, but also among the other government leaders who were present, including Australia's John Howard and Indonesia's Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Here is a real statesman in every sense of the word.

Although he retains his nom de guerre, a reminder of his past as a fierce independence fighter, Xanana Gusmao came across on Sunday night more as a man of peace than a warrior.

He was highly popular among his people, so much so that he was virtually forced to run in last month's election, breaking his earlier promise to fellow fighters that he would forsake government positions once their independence struggle was won.

His inaugural speech was very conciliatory and sober about the challenges facing his people. And he took the trouble of delivering it in four languages: Portuguese, English, Indonesian and the local dialect, Tetun. Known for his charm and charisma, Xanana Gusmao removed his tie to match the modest appearance of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during the transfer of sovereignty, and put it back on when he gave his speech.

It was in his dealing with Indonesia, once his forsworn enemy, that Xanana Gusmao displayed his statesmanship the most.

For a man who spent a good 24 years fighting against the Indonesian Military, including spending six years in Jakarta jails, you would be hard pressed to find any trace of hostility.

Instead, he went out of his way to send a message of peace and reconciliation to Indonesia. He came to Jakarta to personally invite President Megawati and other Indonesian leaders to attend Sunday's independence celebrations.

On Sunday, he greeted Megawati in Dili, and then escorted her to lay wreaths at the Seroja cemetery, where some 300 Indonesian soldiers, who died during Jakarta's military campaign in East Timor, are buried. Later on, he greeted Megawati and raised her hands in victory in full view of his people.

This is a man who has every right to despise his former oppressors for everything they have done to him and his people. While other leaders in East Timor still hold grudges against Indonesia, he chose to put the past behind and move on.

Xanana Gusmao knows that the prosperity of East Timor depends on its ties with Indonesia, and that the sooner they bury the hatches, the better it is for both nations.

It was magnanimous of him to make such a public display of respect and affection toward Indonesia. We can only feel relief that Megawati decided to attend the celebrations, in spite of criticism and (false) accusations of betrayal from some narrow- minded politicians here.

A CNN reporter covering the event on Sunday quipped that if only countries in the Middle East had leaders of Xanana Gusmao's stature, many problems in that part of the world would be resolved. Given that a man of his quality is rare in any part of the world today, she should have extended the argument to include the rest of the world, including the United States.

Because the Nobel Peace Committee has already extended the prizes to two East Timorese figures, someone, somewhere perhaps should take the trouble of creating a more prestigious prize for Xanana Gusmao, whom many dubbed the Nelson Mandela of Asia.

Looking back, Indonesia's biggest regret in allowing East Timor to vote for independence in 1999 must be the lost of Xanana Gusmao. Then president Abdurrahman Wahid saw this quality in him when he suggested that if East Timor remained part of Indonesia, he would make the former guerrilla leader his foreign minister.

Since Indonesia is facing a severe shortage of leaders, if East Timor had remained part of Indonesia, and given the chance, Xanana Gusmao would outrun all the other presidential candidates in the 2004 elections. If only circumstances were different. But this should not be used as a pretext to plan another invasion of East Timor and kidnap Xanana Gusmao for Indonesia to benefit from his leadership. This real statesman belongs to the independent people of East Timor.