Helping the New President Fight Crime
By Fr Shay Cullen
There is a wise saying, ‘Be careful of what you promise. People might believe it.’
By June 30 the Philippines will have sworn in a new president, Rodrigo Duterte – famous for his somewhat exaggerated style of speaking and for making election promises to eradicate crime and corruption in three to six months after his inauguration.
He could still make a strong impact in reducing crime and start to fulfill his promises with smart lawful executive orders and legislation and by stopping killings by death squads and vigilantes. He can stop officials paying bonuses to rogue police for killing mere suspects. That’s a license to violate human rights and kill with impunity. It’s not worthy of a people as great as Filipinos, who have suffered from weak and corrupt leadership in the past.
Those who understand how deep the roots of crime and corruption are in the Philippines will know that the well-meaning candidate, now President-elect Rodrigo Duterte – made promises as the basis of his presidency that are almost impossible to fulfill. But the impossible may still be possible.
Many people have taken these promises seriously and they will be expecting results. We have to help the new president succeed in fighting corruption and criminality within the law. The killing of suspects is not the way. That will bring down international condemnation and shame and the Philippines will be the pariah of the civilized world. The Secretary General of the United Nations has spoken against Philippine death squads killing journalists already. If the vigilantes have their way, the presidency will be gravely affected and branded as a killer regime and violator of human rights. Filipinos will lose respect wherever they are in the world. That must not happen. We must help the president succeed by implementing the strict rule of law.
Full post here.