Oil-Boundary and Total-Complete Independence: Elite’s Power Struggle and the Power Discourse

This commentary tries to explain the dimension of elites’ discourse and power struggle within Timor’s heroic struggle to determine its maritime boundary and oil-to-Timor. It aims to discuss the most elementary form of a power struggle of the elites behind the discourse of oil-to-Timor and the establishment of a new maritime boundary with Australia. This commentary concludes that the aspirations of Total-Complete Independence secured by the formula of oil-to-Timor and the establishment of the permanent maritime boundary with Australia is totally a fetishist delusion and resides precisely in self-serving desires of nationalist elites searching for the preservation of power, privilege and recognition; and the discourse itself serves as a moral and political mobilisation of the politico-economic elites.