ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with an examination of how different experiences of colonialism and occupation contributed to the formation of differing intellectual backgrounds and political aspirations of the two generations. It examines how the centrality of the resistance in East Timorese politics as well as growing elite consensus in the first decade after independence undermined the conditions for a ‘generational change’ to take place. The chapter focuses on the Xanana Gusmao foun, a reference to the younger and typically Indonesian-educated generation of leaders whose upbringings and political ideas differ from those of their senior counterparts. It discusses the idea of a ‘generational change’, a recurring theme in Timorese politics and government critiques after independence and which refers to popular calls for a shift in the political power balance in favour of the geracao foun. A key ambivalence that informs Timorese politics after independence relates to the heritage of the resistance struggle and its significance in relation to political authority.
