Our own Donald Trump

Donald Trum, US President (left) and Xanana Gusmão former President of Timor-Leste (right)

Donald Trump likes to grab women "by their pussy" because, it seems to him, he can. He is famous, wealthy and powerful, so women surrender themselves to him. Donald is all about that: "grab pussies", or basically, using his power to exploit and abuse women. But is it just Donald? Not so. It's a symptom of the powerful, specially powerful old men, to use their power to abuse the weak.

Far away in tiny Timor Leste we too have our own powerful old men always preying on the weak, specially women. The difference is, while Donald tries to be a little discreet with his shenanigans, in Timor Leste they do it in the open. It's as if our society demands this sort of abuse as proof of their strength and virility, and leadership.

That's our Xanana. He's up there in the league of dirty old powerful men who look at women as objects to satisfy their sexual malady. Xanana fools a lot of people with his statesmanlike demeanor, his so called charisma, when the situation demands it. But he also has his repugnant side which in a decent country would have him thrown in a facility. But it appears Xanana needs help!

Pictures of Xanana in cuddling young women, including pubescent girls, have surfaced on the internet in the past. An Australian journalist called Ted McDonnell was the first to point them out for everyone.

McDonnell published pictures of Xanana with three seemingly very young girls. The location is said to be at Hotel Borobudur. The furniture and the picture frame seem to be a give away of their location. Wearing black shorts, looking excited, he embraces the three girls one by one for a picture. In one photo, he appears to be trying to bite one of the girls' cheek, the other, he presses his lips tightly to her cheeks. We don't know who these girls were or when the photos were taken (at least they were taken before 2014).

Xanana embracing an unidentified girl at Hotel Borobudur in Jakarta

Xanana embracing a different girl at the same location

Yet another girl at the same location and possibly at same event

When these pictures first surfaced, many people attacked McDonnell for posting them on his blog. People were saying that these girls were in fact relatives, or nieces of Xanana. Xanana is close to his nieces (or grandchildren according to others) and this is how he shows them his affection. As it turned out, and Timor Leste is a small place, none of these girls were ever identified. What was Xanana doing?

More damaging pictures surfaced of Xanana during the election campaign. I have my own prejudice against the man and I have looked at these photos and tried very hard to shrug them off. But as more and more of them turned up, I can only conclude that Xanana is our own Donald Trump and a predator. More picture below.

For me, these photos show Xanana's contempt for women and his willingness to exploit their weakness. In doing so, Xanana is also sending a message across the country, specially to young men, and, sadly, young women, that it is a man's right to view and treat women as sexual objects.

Xanana doesn't run short of apologists, however. Mery Barreto, our own commissioner for the protection of the rights of children and a CNRT party official, went out of her way to defend Xanana. She warned the public that the picture where Xanana appeared to be biting on a young girl's cheek is doctored, or photoshopped. It's evidence that she considered this type of contact, between Xanana and the young girl unacceptable and repugnant, therefore it could only have been a hoax.

Later on, Signey Verdial, a female figure within the AMP clique appeared on TV wearing a shirt signed by Xanana. The signature has been pressed right above her right breast. Her message was loud and clear that it is OK for women to allow dirty old men to leave their autograph in parts of the female body traditionally considered out of bounds.

Where Xanana likes to leave his mark
Xanana likes to sign on women's top and chooses the least appropriate place to do so. I don't know whether the women, or girls, asked him to sign in these very places or not, but it seems that when it comes to men, he normally signs on the back of their shirt.

AMP member of parliament, Signi Verdial proudly displays Xanana's signature on her right breas

Following Xanana's footstep, other AMP leaders also make their mark on young girls

Xanana has started the trend. Dirty old powerful men can sign the shirts of women and girls anywhere they please and this is acceptable.


Where Xanana likes to put his hands

Xanana and a 13 year old girl

Xanana at a CNRT rally last year

Sexual assault?

Xanana bites into an adolescent girl's cheek for a selfie

During a campaign rally in Suai, Xanana was asked by a young girl for a selfie. She took out her phone, stood next to Xanana to snap the selfie when Xanana decided to turn his lips to her and bite her cheek. The girl was later identified to be a 16 year old who is completing grade 11 at local high school. When this image surfaced on the internet, CNRT activists quickly came to deny its veracity, going as far as to deny the authenticity of this image. As mentioned earlier, even the country's commissioner for the protection of rights of the child, Mery Barreto, suggested that this image has been doctored.

Another young girl getting a bite on her cheek from Xanana

Unknown woman

More kissing...
The most audacious display of his power takes place during AMP's campaign rally. It's as if to show how powerful he is while demanding total submission from his subjects. In two separate occasions, one in Lospalos, the other unknown, Xanana invited young women to the stage, made speeches, looked deep into their eyes, then moved his lips close to theirs.

Xanana pressing his face against an AMP supporter in Lospalos

Xanana forces a kiss on the lips of a woman, an AMP supporter, on stage at unknown location during the campaign rally

These photos have caused a lot of discussion on social media. Those who found it bizarre seem to be in the minority. Many others thought this to be Xanana's way to show his affection and take it as acceptable. Others believe it to be a privilege to be on the receiving end. But, honestly, this is clearly a form of abuse, it is repugnant and deplorable.

And recently, the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, came under fire for kissing a married woman on her lips on camera.

Obviously the response to this sickening behaviour has been disapproving:

You can visit Ted McDonnell's Facebook posts (1, 2, 3) for more reactions.

Back in 2006 an Australian journalist, Jane Fraser, already noted Xanana's habit to force his lips against other women's. Fraser wrote that "apparently Xanana Gusmao insists female reporters kiss him on the lips after an interview." We scoffed at Fraser, scorned her for her attempt to slander our national leader. But evidence also piled up against Xanana. Either Xanana thinks that he is entitled to expect women to be accepting of his advances or he has a disorder that needed to be put in check. I can't help but think of those women and girls who fell victim to him.

Xanana is indeed powerful and charismatic. And he exploits these qualities to feed his ego and his needs. He uses his power to exploit the unwavering respect from his people, not only to run a government which ended up making his own family and friends wealthy, but he also regularly uses this privilege to get away with almost anything, including sexually abusing women and young girls.

Let's face it. Xanana has a sickening problem. Don't let his tears, his appeals to being a statesman, his warm touch, fool you. It's all a show that masks a perverted man struggling to suppress his sexual disorder. His appetite for young girls needs to be closely checked.

Xanana has been married twice. His first marriage started before the Indonesian invasion and occupation of which he had two children, Nito and Zenilda. Zenilda is a business woman but currently under investigation over allegations of tax fraud (here and here in Tetum).

Xanana's second marriage was to Australian Kirsty Sword-Gusmao. But this marriage ended in 2015. He and Kirsty have 3 children but since the divorce, the children and their mother have relocated to Melbourne in Australia.



Kirsty is has been a vocal advocate for women's and girls' rights. She established an NGO called Alola, the Alola Foundation "to improve the lives of women and children." The Foundation was named after a teenage girl from Suai who was taken hostage by the local pro-Indonesia militia leader and taken to West Timor as a "trophy wife" following the announcement of the 1999 referendum results. Alola was adopted as the name of her NGO to continue the fight to protect girls' rights and to free Alola herself, which Kirsty fought for in vain for years. But, while Alola languished in West Timor, Kirsty's own husband was busy abusing others girls like Alola in Timor-Leste and abroad.

Xanana is soon to be returned as Prime Minister of Timor Leste following the elections in May this year. He will resume his trips abroad to preach to the leaders of the g7+ countries about peace, dialogue, human rights, good governance, and Goal 16 of the SDGs. But this is the true Xanana. Everything else is lies. At home, he will continue to use his power to satisfy his needs and ensure his family and friends' needs are met by stealing from the people.