“I hope this partnership with the University will create opportunities for some Timorese students to enroll here and continue their studies in the fields offered by Link.” This was stated by the President of Timor Leste and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, José Manuel Ramos-Horta, during his speech at the Link Campus University in Rome.
The East Timorese leader recalled the massive investments his country has made in international education: “We have students in many countries around the world. We have invested tens of millions of dollars to send them to universities in Asia, Australia, China, Vietnam and others. 60% of our population is under 30, 50% under 20: we have a lot of young people who need to continue their education.”
Ramos-Horta then broadened his views to the international context, highlighting the difficulty of being optimistic in the face of a global crisis, but finding signs of hope in popular mobilization: “I am heartened to see millions of people in the United States and Europe protesting their governments’ policies regarding the Gaza tragedy. There is a huge gap between European society and elites.” The Timor Leste president’s judgment of the biased Western position was harsh: “Western policies towards Israel have brought so-called Western civilization into the abyss of immorality. If you are indifferent to genocide, what do you think? What do you believe?”. Ramos-Horta concluded by saying that he no longer wanted to hear lectures on human rights from European leaders: “If anyone talks about democracy or human rights, I say to them: please talk about Gaza. I want to hear them talk about Gaza.”
