Manila – The comparison had been made months before the US presidential election: two tough-talking, controversial figures with no national political experience, taking the media and their respective nations by storm.
US president-elect Donald Trump and his Philippine counterpart – dubbed by local media as the Trump of the East – are now set to be two leaders on either side the world, united by a new style of politics.
Both in their 70s, Duterte and Trump have found themselves under fire for inciting violence, for misogynistic remarks and conduct deemed generally inappropriate for a leader.
The two men won their respective elections convincingly however, hailed by their supporters as straight-talking crusaders out to make drastic change.
Duterte, who was inaugurated in June, admitted that they were “a bit alike” when he congratulated the new US president.
“We both curse, even at small things, we curse,” he told a crowd of Filipinos working in Kuala Lumpur, where he was visiting when the results of the US vote came out.
Analysts who spoke to dpa said that the rise of such leaders highlights a growing political crisis facing democracies, which is happening around the world, not just in the US and Asia.
“I see the phenomena of Trump and Duterte as examples of democratic dysfunction,” said Michael Barr, an associate professor in international relations at Flinders University in Australia.
“The existing ruling elites and political parties have failed miserably,” he added. “Both (Trump and Duterte) rode genuine and widespread reactions to governance failure and a deep seated conviction that usual politicians just don’t care, and even if they do they are so caught up in their little worlds that they can’t get anything done.”
Clarita Carlos, a political science professor of the University of the Philippines, noted that both Trump and Duterte were outsiders who challenged the political elites in their countries.
“They both broke the hold of traditional oligarchs on the political establishment,” she said. “Filipinos and Americans were really just fed up with the old politicians. They wanted to try something new.”
During his campaign, Duterte, a provincial mayor for more than 20 years, talked about the little things that make the lives of Filipinos difficult, such as heavy traffic and poor public transport, and vowed to get rid of inefficiency in government services.
In his first three months as president, he made his violent fight against illegal drugs the cornerstone of his administration, and a majority of Filipinos still support him despite widespread criticism for the rising death toll.
While Trump is a billionaire real estate mogul who lacks experience in politics and global diplomacy, his campaign promises resonated with Americans who felt they were being sidelined by an increasingly globalized economy.
He blamed the problems in the US on illegal immigration from Latin America and the Middle East and even vowed to build a wall to stop illegal immigrants from Mexico from crossing the border.
Carlos noted that many dreaded a Trump presidency, as most also feared Duterte’s victory in May, because they both represented “an unknown.”
But she believes that the enormity of the responsibilities that the two leaders now have will eventually temper their mercurial personalities, saying: “Both men are learning and studying what is the best way forward for their countries.”
They have their differences: Duterte has not always liked the comparisons with Trump, once calling him a bigot.
But Barr said Duterte and Trump’s ascent reminded him of the rise of fascist and extremist movements on the right and left in the 1930s, which were “all reactions to the governance failures rather than movements for something.”
“What does Trump stand for except reacting against all the people he identifies as the enemy?” he said. “Mexicans, the Washington establishment, China, Muslims, bankers. Anyone who is an easy target.”
“For Duterte, it is the drug takers and sellers, which he seems to have expanded into anyone who is vulnerable,” he added.
Barr lamented that both men have “no restraint” and don’t follow rules as leaders.
They have “no respect for or interest in facts or the truth,” he said. “No concern about hurting innocent people if they happen to get in the way, and they are very good at running a brand and reading and manipulating public opinion.”
“They have no conscience,” he added.
Carlos said one thing positive about the two leaders is that they talk straight: “Whatever they say is what will be. There will be no beating around the bush. I see exciting times ahead of us.”
-dpa
