Name: Xanana Gusmao
Age: 56
Nationality: East Timorese
Claim to fame: Leader of the first new of the millennium.

BORN on June 20, 1946, Jose Alexandre Gusmao has come a long way in becoming the President of East Timor, Asia’s poorest nation for which independence came after a struggle of almost quarter of a century. At the ceremony last week, the new national anthem was played out as the black, red and white flag was raised, marking the birth of a staunchly Roman Catholic nation surrounded by Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country.

Xanana was always the frontrunner to become the president of the world’s newest country, whether he liked it or not. He repeatedly said he did not want the job, insisting he would rather be a pumpkin farmer or a photographer. But after East Timor voted to break away from Indonesian rule in August, 1999, there was no other serious contender. The former guerrilla leader is, in fact, a legend among his people and has the high-profile reputation that East Timor hopes will help build a stable country. Xanana has already pledged to open the country to foreign investment and work for reconciliation with former pro-Indonesian militiamen.

Having led the resistance movement for long, Xanana, one of six children, was educated at the Catholic mission in Dare before becoming a chartered surveyor. He joined the Revolutionary Front for the Independence of East Timor (Fretelin) in 1974. He was appointed head of Fretelin in 1978 after the death of Nicolau Lobato. He was elected Commander-in-Chief of the National Liberation Armed Forces of East Timor (FALINTIL) in 1981. Over the next several years, Xanana worked to unite the East Timorese.

On November 20 1992, he was captured by Indonesian armed forces and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Despite Xanana’s jailing, world leaders kept requesting for meetings with him during visits to Jakarta. Nelson Mandela, for instance, met him for two hours in July, 1997, and the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Representative visited him three times in prison.

In early 1994, Xanana’s sentence was reduced from life to 20 years. In 1999, Xanana was transferred from prison to house arrest, and was finally released on September 7, 1999, just days after East Timor’s landmark referendum result was announced.

The vote had sparked a wave of bloodshed led by pro-Jakarta militias opposed to independence. And this episode is bound to create problems for Xanana, as he favours an amnesty for all concerned. His stand has put him at odds with his former political party, Fretelin, which controls the legislature that was elected in August 2001.

Already, there have been reports of tensions between the two, with Xanana making veiled attacks on unnamed government members for leading a lavish lifestyle. The task ahead is daunting, to say the least.