The big U.N. Land Rover that carries Xanana Gusmao and his bodyguards from event to event should have a bumper sticker that says "I'd rather be doing practically anything else." Anyone who doubts that's the case should watch him when he has a camera in his hands. At one recent event, where Gusmao was the main speaker of the evening even though he no longer has any official public role his speech was delayed as he took pictures on the way to the podium. In an interview in his makeshift office at the veteran's association he stresses he is only a member Gusmao, 55, says he would rather be a photographer and journalist than a politician, but smiles sadly that there is no time for personal wants and wishes.

It seems strange that a former guerrilla fighter may not only be the people's choice as national leader but also is the one man who might convince investors that East Timor will be a good place to do business. International donors praise Gusmao's moderation and the critical role he still plays in bringing the Timorese together. "There is one unifying leader Gusmao," one diplomat insists. Gusmao's views are decidedly moderate on both economics and politics. He says the Timorese government should concentrate its energies on education, health care and infrastructure. That alone, he says, "will be a big task for the state." The rest, the business of building an economy, should be left to the private sector. Foreign investors will be welcome, he says, but he leaves open the sensitive issue of whether foreign firms will be able to buy land. That's a matter to be settled by the incoming parliament, he believes.

Unfortunately, the man who led the resistance to Indonesian rule has said repeatedly that he does not want to be president. When asked again, he deflects the question, saying the real issue is not his role but whether the Aug. 30 vote to choose an assembly that will draw up East Timor's constitution shows the budding country's political maturity and readiness to create "a free and tolerant society." But the people of East Timor are unlikely to take "No" for an answer from their most popular nonpolitician when it comes time to elect a president next year. Says Pedro Fernando Goncalvo, who fought with Gusmao in the jungles against Indonesian troops: "He has to be president. He's the man who has suffered for all the people."

And Gusmao cannot take his mind off the suffering of his people. One risk is that expectations of immediate prosperity now that the Indonesians have gone cannot be met. Gusmao says he tries to dampen hopes. "I am always reminding people of the difficulties of the first years of independence." It will take five to 10 years even to start cutting East Timor's dependence on foreign aid. Government, he says, shouldn't make promises, but instead work to make gradual improvements in people's lives. The biggest improvement in Gusmao's life would be if the Timorese accept his desire to retreat from public life. But photography will have to wait for the man destined to be president.