Xanana Gusmao Condems Wiretapping Of Leaders

Nusa Dua, Bali, Nov 7 (Antara) - Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste Xanana Gusmao condemned the practice of wiretapping to spy on other countries, saying it violates the nation`s sovereignty and the fundamentals of democracy. "I ask you all whether we can really say that we are living in a democracy if we are subject to pervasive surveillance," Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said in his remarks during the opening of the Bali Democracy Forum here on Thursday. The wiretapping issue was not only a matter of privacy and personal freedom, he said, but also a measure of how the nations of the world define the meaning of being sovereign. "Now that information technology is part of the fabric of our lives, we have to consider the impact on democracy when our communications are being watched by others," the former President of Timor Leste said. The alleged wiretapping conducted by the United States and Australia were revealed in a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, published on Oct. 31, 2013, based upon allegations by former NSA employee Edward Snowden, who said the two countries possessed listening facilities at their embassies in Jakarta and other cities throughout the ASEAN region, including Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Yangon. "For a small nation like Timor Leste, with limited resources, it means we are subject to prying nations actions based on their own national interests," Xanana said. Xanana also said that democracy faced other challenges, which many democratic nations were failing to address. "We are seeing many democracies around the world being captured by a ruling elite, many of which are supported by a broken financial industry," he said. The problem then is that while no one in the developed world took responsibility for the ongoing financial crisis, the world`s poor remain vulnerable and suffered the most. Xanana urged strong action be taken to hold the world`s powerful elite to account and to tackle issues of growing inequality. "Without addressing poverty and inequality, the social cohesion and stability of pluralistic democracies will be at risk," he said. BDF VI`s theme for this year is Consolidating Democracy in a Pluralistic Society. The forum was opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Nusa Dua on Thursday, followed by remarks from Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam and Timor Leste`s PM Xanana Gusmao. Representatives from 81 countries and three international organizations are taking part in the forum, held from November 7 to 8. There are two sub-themes that will be discussed during BDF VI: the explanation of free and fair general elections and an discussion on how to build and strengthen democratic institutions, such as the Constitutional Court and the General Elections Commissions in each country.