Citizens by waiting: Timorese young adults between state politics and customary authority

Abstract

Young adults in Timor-Leste often say that, at present, older generations do not let them participate in the political sphere. They also say that they will just wait until their time comes. This discourse is contradictory to conceptualisations of citizenship that focus on acts, dispute or insurgence. In this article I argue that young adults’ political membership is much more than their relationship with the nation-state. To this effect I explore how young adults’ citizenship is deeply intertwined with their place in three different systems of customary law: the Uma Lulik (ancestral house), Umane-Manefoun (inter-family) relations and Tara Bandu (conflict resolution). By subsequently analysing the role of youth representatives in hybrid local village councils, I explore the question of why young adults decide to wait.