Kuala Lampur, Sept. 27 -- In mid-September 2025, Dili's streets became the stage for one of Timor-Leste's most significant protests since independence. Over a thousand students gathered to denounce two controversial parliamentary moves: the acquisition of brand-new SUVs for every legislator and a lifetime pension scheme for former MPs and top officeholders. These decisions were not just policy missteps; they symbolized the persistence of elite privilege in a country still grappling with poverty, limited infrastructure, and fragile state institutions.

The symbolism was hard to miss. In a nation where more than 40 percent of the population struggles under the poverty line, politicians awarding themselves luxury cars and pensions for life s...