When José Ramos-Horta, a Nobel laureate, won his second term as president of East Timor on Thursday last week, there was radio silence from Australia.
“As one of the world’s newest nations, and one of our closest neighbours, we commend the Timorese authorities, including the Technical Secretariat for Election Administration and the National Elections Commission, for the passage of a free, fair and transparent election. We look forward to working with the government of East Timor to improve the livelihoods of our friends, the Timorese people, and to enhance the peace and security of our region.”