H

is track record as the man behind extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances of alleged gangsters and drug traffickers as mayor of Davao in the predominantly Muslim southern Philippines was one of the main reasons why Filipinos cast their vote for Rodrigo Duterte in the presidential election in 2016.

Voters, who were fed up with corrupt mainstream politicians, thought only Duterte could lead the nation to a much better state and they wholeheartedly entrusted their future in his hands, almost with a blank check. But now they are witnessing that those same credentials are humiliating their leader internationally.

The International Criminal Court has opened a preliminary investigation into Duterte. He, however, rebutted allegations of committing gross human rights violations. However, he proudly admitted full responsibility for the death of thousands of drug-related criminals and repeated the statement again and again.

Soeharto was much smarter than Duterte is the common reaction of many Indonesians to the Philippine president who said he not only ordered the killings, but also used his own hands to execute suspected criminals. Duterte allegedly committed the crime when he was the mayor of Davao years ago.

Soeharto, Indonesia’s second president, confessed years later that he ordered the extra-judicial killing and forced disappearance of criminals and thugs in an operation prominently known by the initials Petrus in his autobiography in 1989. Many tattoo-adorned criminals were gunned down in the streets in the early 1980s, which Soeharto attributed to gang wars.

Four decades ago, the world did not care much about human rights like today. Indonesians were supportive of Soeharto at that time, not just because they were afraid of the retired general who could not accept criticism, but also because they could not tolerate the high crime rate.

True, at least for a while, the number of drug trafficking cases drastically decreased and people felt much secure. Even today many have demanded that the government reinstate the Petrus operation to fight rampant drug trafficking. But as a champion of human rights, Indonesia cannot address crimes with crimes.

Duterte is reportedly still popular among Filipinos. However, their trust in him has started to backfire because he has shown a penchant for dictatorship. The danger to Philippine democracy is real. Filipinos have to caution their president before it is too late.