A lesson that Duterte must heed

He is a populist, and has endeared himself to the masses. He won the elections by a landslide, and till now, his political party is hard to beat.

He put in place universal health care, poured resources in rural areas, and built massive infrastructure such as mass transit and a modern, world-class airport. Under his leadership, the economy recovered from a crisis and grew impressively. His policies were controversial but popular — huge government spending that stimulated the economy, budgetary support for small and medium enterprises, debt-writeoff and low lending rates for farmers, subsidies for public transportation, and the like.

At the same time, he launched a war on drugs. This resulted in the unwarranted killing of at least 2,800 people. He and his government conducted the war on drugs with impunity. And he remains unaccountable for human rights violations.

He had a monopoly of power, appointing family and friends to lucrative positions in government. He courted and consolidated the support of the military and the police, taking advantage of his long-time connections with them.

Further, he was intolerant of those who opposed him. Despite his popularity, he clamped down on the critical media, using legalistic and police tactics. He brutally suppressed the Muslim separatist movement in the south. He provoked the “yellow” protesters, leading to frequent violent clashes in the capital.

Does all this sound like Rodrigo Duterte? But note that the narration above is about the past. The setting is in a neighboring country. The person referred to is Thaksin Shinawatra, former prime minister of Thailand. And it is a capsule of his populism, and his “Thaksinomics,” his brutality and authoritarianism, and the ensuing divisiveness and intense conflict that he engendered.