Posted on 06/13/2016 6:55:38 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
If the 2016 presidential election in the United States is seen as a circus, then other countries around the world must be ready to join it. Across the globe, political groups teetering on the extreme are gaining public support. Much like as in the rise of Donald Trump in the U.S., local populations are seemingly fed up with current governance.
The latest victim of this movement is the Philippines with its election of Rodrigo Duterte to its presidency. With just over 25 percent of its population living in poverty and a noticeable inequality gap, it is no wonder that resentment towards the ruling elite exists in the Philippines. However, electing a person with the pedigree of Duterte is a risky strategy that may very well end up causing more issues than the Philippine public is ready for.
To his credit, Duterte did turn one of the country’s most violent cities into arguably its safest while mayor of Davao City. As many international human rights groups have pointed out though, this is partly due to his allowance of brutal death squads. For instance, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has observed that the death squads claimed more than 1,000 lives during Duterte’s tenure as mayor of Davao City. Duterte, not one to keep his thoughts to himself had a vicious response to HRW. When the report was brought to Duterte’s attention, he responded “come to Davao City and do drugs in my city. I will execute you in public”.
This type of crackdown on crime is what has the Philippine public on Duterte’s side. He has somehow managed to convince the majority of the population that he will solve drugs, criminality, and corruption in three to six months, by using any means necessary. Unfortunately, just as HRW has reported, Duterte’s past and future proposals on crime leave much to be desired.
Recalling from his tenure as mayor of Davao City, Duterte actually announced the names of ‘criminals’ on local television and radio in 2002. Some of those that were named ended up being victims of the death squads. In 2009, Duterte told reporters “if you are doing an illegal activity in my city, if you are a criminal or part of a syndicate that preys on the innocent people of the city, for as long as I am the mayor, you are a legitimate target of assassination”.
While nobody wants to have crime rampant in their country, what people qualify as a crime can have very different definitions. Just last week Duterte was asked about how he would better protect journalists after one was murdered recently. He responded by saying “dishonest reporters deserved to die”. It appears that Philippine history backs that sentiment up too. At least 174 journalists have been killed over the last three decades.
Finally, in May Duterte said he will bring public capital punishment back in the form of hangings, so no bullets will be wasted by using a firing squad. He stated to reporters “Do not destroy my country because I will kill you. No middle ground…if you try to evade arrest, refuse arrest…and you put up a good fight or resist violently, I will say ‘Kill them’”.
However, what is most worrying about Duterte is not his rhetoric. It is that the fact that the citizens of the Philippines have been so disengaged from their previous governments, that they felt this is the answer. Making matters worse, this isn’t a problem unique to the Philippines. This phenomenon is happening throughout the democratic world. In the U.S. it is Donald Trump, in France it is Marine Le Pen, in the U.K. it is Nigel Farage, and the list goes on.
I’m not saying this movement is an existential threat to democracy, but it certainly could be a stumbling block. It becomes increasingly hard to promote democracy when the countries that support it elect suspect leaders such as Duterte. Furthermore, challenging authoritarian governments to uphold international law is nearly impossible when democratic leaders threaten to sidestep it themselves. Look at any new democracy and you will see that building a democracy is not an easy task. It is also far easier to damage a governmental system than repair it. Something the Philippines and potentially others, are likely to find out.
It would be just as easy to make a list of crazy corrupt immoral leaders and start the list with Hillary, Obama, Kerry, Holder and so forth.
Doesn't Jake understand what happens to gay people like himself when there's Radical Islamic Terrorists around?
Your responses to this idiot should be fun.
Donald Trump hasn’t even come CLOSE to Duterte. This is Trumpophobia.
Now how did the country of Chile become so prosperous these days?
Anyone, anyone?
Park Chung Hee, the president when I was stationed in Korea the first time, was somewhat authoritarian, yet he is probably the main reason Korea is now a powerhouse.
Being as Detroit Lakes is quite close to where I grew up, I have been there numerous times, and seen that TVststion too.
Being as I am in Davao City, as we speak, I can attest to the safety of the city. The people here, seem to be as sick of politicians as Ameticans are.
People shouldn't make the mistake of assuming people here think exactly like Americans. They don't, and Duterte, rightly, or whatever, has done what he felt was necessary to make Davao City safe. In that, again, rightly or whatever, he succeeded.
He also told those involved in the lag lag bala scandal, that if any airport worker was caught doing that, they were going to literally eat 38 caliber rounds. I believe he got their attention.
Amazon idiot can cry all he wants, Trump has the right to do that, any more lying stories out of his ‘paper’ Trump will sue him and close his whole life down...
GO. TRUMP. GO!!!
“Donald Trump hasn’t even come CLOSE to Duterte. This is Trumpophobia.”
I suspect it is calculated anti-Trump rhetoric. The writer would have to be quite stupid to claim that Trump wants to execute people without due process.
But the left is often willfully ignorant.
Agustov Pinoche.
Gets it wrong of course.
Duterte has a lot of crooked politicians quaking in their shoes.
"TO HIS CREDIT ..... Duterte did turn one of the country’s most violent cities into arguably its safest while mayor of Davao City."
.. and then goes on to critisize the method(s) Duterte used to accomplish that feat
You want my "fun" response ?
How will YOU clean up crime in .. Oh, I don't know ... say ... Detroit ?
There ain't a beer drinkin' sumbitch that AIN'T said, "Kill the mfers" ...
Not ONE in the USA
I've followed Duterte for over two years and it IS true the comparison with Trump is amazing, but rather than criticize a man, try putting on your American history hat and consider ...
America came to be the land of the brave and home of the free because at ONE TIME .... ONE ERA ... a group of like minded men had been born at the exact same time in history and these men had almost identical thoughts about how things should be done and they met each other (Divine influence, IMO) and hatched out a nation conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men were created equal
THEY had their foibles, but they got the job done ... and you're a free man today because of them
You should be excited about the historical time you live in
That is so much fun. Thanks.
Yeah, he’s got them quaking ... with laughter.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/134021-duterte-grant-arroyo-pardon
Duterte plans to unilaterally pardon a predecessor, Arroyo, who is widely acknoledged to have been arguably even more corrupt than Marcos.
Interestingly enough, Duterte’s former running mate who lost his own bid for the vice-presidency, was one of Arroyo’s fiercest enemies.
And Duterte himself is both a fan of the infamous dictator Marcos, the overlord of corruption during his time who stole billlions from the Philippines before being overthrown in a bloodless revolution, as well as being hounded by accusations of his own ill-gotten wealth (rumored to be due to his close ties with big-time smuggling lords) which he has stubbornly refused to explain at all.
http://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-quite-obviously-hiding-his-wealth/260059/
Look, I get why you may like him because he is perceived to help make life in the Philippines for foreigners like yourself safer and more secure, but don’t fall hook-line-and-sinker for his law-and-order hype.
He’s a barbaric two-bit thug who’s every bit as bad as his supposed enemies, even worse, it just so happens that he managed to place a provincial city which was once the equivalent of a “Wild Western town” barely under his control through wheeling and dealing with the various lawless elements.
Even the Nazis kept the trains running on time.
Say what? 70% of the Filipino's live on 70 CENTS a day.
This new guy is going to be a disaster for the Philippines just like Trump will be to the USA if elected...
Luckily, the chances of a Trump victory are slim
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.