President Rodrigo Duterte (Philippines) gets 91% approval

President Rodrigo Duterte (Philippines) gets 91% approval

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turbobloke

Original Poster:

103,739 posts

259 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2016
quotequote all
Apparently the approval rating follows his vigilantism directive that drug dealers who resist arrest, creatively speaking, can be killed. A couple of thousand already have, no arrest and no trial. As expected the UN, USA et al are pointing to the concept of justice within the law.

Link said:
Since Duterte, 71, a tough-talking former mayor and prosecutor, took office on June 30, he has waged a brutal campaign against drugs and crime, vowing not to stop “until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or put behind bars. Or below the ground if they so wish.” His words have catalyzed a spike in extrajudicial killings.
http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-philippines-killings-snap-story.html

WTF?!

Edited by turbobloke on Tuesday 23 August 18:56

Beati Dogu

8,861 posts

138 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2016
quotequote all
There was a piece about this in the Daily Wail a couple of weeks ago. I won't link to it as it was extremely graphic.

Huff

3,140 posts

190 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2016
quotequote all
Here's a piece on Reuters today - not graphic

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-drug-police-idUS...

'Nearly 700,000 drug users and drug peddlers have turned themselves in to escape the crackdown, police chief dela Rosa said. He said there was a decrease in overall crime, although murders and homicides had increased.'

Astonishing.


turbobloke

Original Poster:

103,739 posts

259 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2016
quotequote all
Very! It's not just the police who have been given carte blanche. Civilians are also being invited to engage with drug dealers, as vigilantes. There was a chap interviewed on the news yesterday who has his own rather long list of targets and is working his way through it with impunity.

Beati Dogu

8,861 posts

138 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
The real life version of "The Purge".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purge


Impasse

15,099 posts

240 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
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Just for clarity's sake, is this policy being condemned or lauded?

Smiler.

11,752 posts

229 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
It tends to be the initial outcome when ordinary people are under the yoke of corruption & injustice & they get a stab at things (not the best turn of phrase I acknowledge).

For another view on the peoples intervention aspect, Cartel Land makes intersesting viewing.

It does seem to fit "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" far better than the arch-liar Blair actually achieved during his 10 year magic act.

GT03ROB

13,207 posts

220 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
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I work with a lot of Philipinos.

They like what he is doing.

FN2TypeR

7,091 posts

92 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
turbobloke said:
Very! It's not just the police who have been given carte blanche. Civilians are also being invited to engage with drug dealers, as vigilantes. There was a chap interviewed on the news yesterday who has his own rather long list of targets and is working his way through it with impunity.
Giving people power like this, or turning a blind eye to it at least, is almost always going to end badly IMO, people who are innocent or undeserving are at risk of ending up dead or hurt at the hands of someone with a grudge against them who has just been given a perfect excuse/get out clause.

If civil liberties are being curtailed then the perpetrators of such crime stand to literally get away with murder, scary stuff!

cirian75

4,245 posts

232 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
wowzers

I wonder how many suspected drug dealers have been off'ed, but have never dealt in their entire life, and how many personal scores are being settled by pointing the "he is a drug dealer" finger at people.

glazbagun

14,257 posts

196 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
FN2TypeR said:
Giving people power like this, or turning a blind eye to it at least, is almost always going to end badly IMO, people who are innocent or undeserving are at risk of ending up dead or hurt at the hands of someone with a grudge against them who has just been given a perfect excuse/get out clause.

If civil liberties are being curtailed then the perpetrators of such crime stand to literally get away with murder, scary stuff!
I agree. Of course depending on bow bad their drug problem is it might balance out as the lesser of two evils, but in the aftermath you're going to have a portion of the citizenry who have been murdering people out of a sense of righteousness and another portion who have had friends murdered by neighbours. It would be like giving Daily Mail readers guns.

This also leaves a huge grey area for settling scores.

mwstewart

7,553 posts

187 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
I watched a documentary on the drug problem over there and by all accounts it's significant, so in context of that country I think it's a good move - it should be very effective.

JagLover

42,265 posts

234 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
Reading an interesting book at the moment somewhat linked to this

"The price of prosperity"

Liberal democracy leads to prosperous stable countries but paradoxically it also creates the factors that could tear them apart in terms of falling birthrates, increased immigration and falling national identity and community cohesion.

This is somewhat similar in that the only way to create a stable country is the rule of law, and the protection of the rights of citizens, and yet in a poor country controlled by the drugs trade this can lead to Narco-democracy.

There are never any easy answers and all we can hope for is to have the opportunity to vote for politicians who can create the right balance.


mwstewart

7,553 posts

187 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
JagLover said:
Reading an interesting book at the moment somewhat linked to this

"The price of prosperity"

Liberal democracy leads to prosperous stable countries but paradoxically it also creates the factors that could tear them apart in terms of falling birthrates, increased immigration and falling national identity and community cohesion.

This is somewhat similar in that the only way to create a stable country is the rule of law, and the protection of the rights of citizens, and yet in a poor country controlled by the drugs trade this can lead to Narco-democracy.

There are never any easy answers and all we can hope for is to have the opportunity to vote for politicians who can create the right balance.

That sounds like a good book. I will pick up a copy.

Great - but very sad - summaries there.

Esseesse

8,969 posts

207 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
Smiler. said:
It does seem to fit "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" far better than the arch-liar Blair actually achieved during his 10 year magic act.
The 'war on drugs' in the UK is a myth to keep the largely uninquisitive population quiet.

jet_noise

5,630 posts

181 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
A valid solution to a particular issue?
Or a slippery slope to anarchy?

Next middle lane hogs shot on sight by the public, no ifs, no buts, no trial etc (or posters who sign their names on every post, exaggerating to make a point smile )

regards,
Jet

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
Similar to what's going on in the Mexican border areas where Mexican anti narco gangs are taking justice into their own hands, they have to also deal with corrupt politicians and the police though,

In Colombia in the 80s it was also paramilitary anti drug groups that help lead to the downfall of Pablo Escobar,

if the government and police are unable to tackle the problem 'allowing' ones own citizens to fight the gangs is actually a very effective method.

cirian75

4,245 posts

232 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
until an innocent 12 year old boy and his two friends get off'ed

Mark Benson

7,498 posts

268 months

Wednesday 24th August 2016
quotequote all
glazbagun said:
It would be like giving Daily Mail readers guns.
I'm imagining my mother with an Uzi..... eek

Seriously though, we can't judge the Philippines by our standards, if the drug gangs have become so powerful then maybe this is the only way and the odd 12 year old boy and a few people with grudges is less of a human cost than the people killed each day by the gangs or their products.

I don't know, so I won't be too quick to judge.

glazbagun

14,257 posts

196 months

Friday 26th August 2016
quotequote all
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-37172002

Theres plenty to moan about in Britain, but what a lottery win to be born here!