 |
clicking
on the image to enlarge
|
By
Ted McDonnell
POLITICIANS
in many countries cross the bounds of appropriateness. Former US President Bill
Clinton; three-time Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and
French President Francois Hollande have all been caught out acting in
a manner below their office and public acceptance.
Most
have duly fallen on their swords, many have been helped out of office because
of their lack of judgement. Some survive to play another day. Many, however,
have had their careers destroyed by inappropriate photographs.
In
recent months, my email box has been filled with images of Timor Leste Prime
Minister Xanana Gusmao in various poses with young women. The women could be
nieces, friends of daughters, young girls seeking 15 minutes of fame. A number
of images of the Prime Minister have been doing the rounds in recent months.
It’s
hard to say what motivates people to take inappropriate and risqué photographs
of themselves with celebrities, sports people or politicians. I am sure
psychologists have many explanations as why people feel they need to portray
themselves in ways that make many of us cringe with embarrassment.
However,
when it comes to what is appropriate and what isn’t the “appropriateness test"
lays squarely at the feet of politicians and celebrities. Surely, it is their
responsibility to protect those who are naive, vulnerable and could be taken
advantage of…
After
much soul searching, I have decided to publish two photographs I find extremely
puzzling. They are both of Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, seemingly
in a Hotel room or suite. Both show the Prime Minister of one of the world’s
youngest nation’s cuddling and acting in a strange manner with two seemingly
young women.
Note:
Please
note the identity of both young women has been changed to protect their
identity
I
must make it clear that these images have passed two forensic tests.On both
occasions the images have been passed as genuine. They are in the upper 90%
category. I have had experts check the exif (data) of both images and they have
passed. Both images were taken around January 2012.
As
I wrote earlier, they could be friends, daughters of friends, nieces or young
women naively seeking a moment of fame. On any level, however, the images of a
Prime Minister posing in such a manner is clearly inappropriate and somewhat
embarrassing no matter who the girls are...
The
responsibility of these photos lies with Prime Minister Gusmao. They are very
odd indeed. I do not intend to draw conclusions or scenarios on these images
that is not my right or my duty.
Whether
the pictures where taken clandestinely I do not know. It seems they were posed.
The Prime Minister and the girls are looking towards a camera, phone camera or
hidden camera behind a mirror.
These
images could very well portray a moment of total innocence for all involved,
but one would still think it is a somewhat inappropriate manner for a Prime
Minister of any country to behave.
Ted McDonnell blog -
January 08, 2015
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário