Kuala Lumpur – Timor Leste has expressed the desire to emulate Malaysia in developing its infrastructure.
Dewan Negara Speaker Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang said the matter was stated by Timor Leste Ambassador to Malaysia, H.E Jose Antonio Amorim Dias, during his first courtesy call after three years here.
"Amorim said he saw Malaysia as a good role model with a rational leadership. He was keen to know about the important criteria for development, particularly on infrastructure such as airports, roads and schools," Abu Zahar said after the 40-minute meeting at Parliament Tuesday.
Abu Zahar said the ambassador also described his country as sharing similarities with Malaysia in terms of having a multi-racial population and natural resources such as oil and gas.
He said Malaysia had assisted Timor Leste a great deal during its time of conflict before attaining independence on May 20 2002, including sending its peace-keeping troops.
He said Amorim also expressed Timor Leste' desire to be accepted into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) community during the organisation's meeting in Kuala Lumpur in 2015. According to Amorim, Timor Leste had submitted its application to do so two years ago.