Fulcrum editor Julia Lau sits down with Dr Udan Fernando, former Executive Director (2012-2020) of the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA), a Sri Lankan think tank. Based in Singapore and working as a consultant with the Association for Asian Studies (AAS), Dr Fernando is currently working on a project to develop under-represented scholars in the humanities and social sciences in Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Timor-Leste and Thailand. The topic of their discussion is his recent documentary, “Not So Greener Pastures”, on four individuals who migrated to Timor-Leste and related issues, including Timor-Leste’s expected accession to ASEAN.
Dialogues at Fulcrum is a podcast published by the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute. The interview took place on 21 February 2024.
Fulcrum: fulcrum.sg
00:00 Intro
2:40 How Dr Fernando combines academia with his documentary filmmaking
5:20 How the idea for the documentary came about
9:45 How the protagonists in Dr Fernando’s documentary migrated to Timor-Leste
21:40 What the film says to global and regional audiences
27:20 Recalling Timor’s “transition” from UN control and early development as an independent entity, including the role of Singapore in helping to set up the Timorese police force
33:54 How Dr Fernando sees the issue of Timor-Leste’s accession to ASEAN