It is always good to see when a government adopts reasonable and sound policies. President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has done just that.
RT:
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has invited citizens to shoot, but not kill, any public officials they witness taking bribes, promising immunity from prosecution, provided the corrupt bureaucrat survives.
The unorthodox presidential ‘order’ also called on Filipinos to beat up corrupt officials they encounter, the Manilla Bulletin reports, despite the likely disastrous consequences for law and order.
“If you pay a tax, a fee or get a certificate, and the officials ask for a bribe, hit them. If you have weapons, you can shoot them, but don’t kill, because during the proceedings you may not receive a pardon,” the outspoken leader said. He added that those who take him up on the offer “will not be sent to prison, but will only be seriously punished physically.”
The president is known for his off-the-cuff remarks and dark-humored jokes as much as he is for actually seeing plans through, with a violent drug war that has been repeatedly criticized by rights groups, the UN and the wider international community.
As of January 2019, some 5,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the drug war, though rights groups claim the number could be more than double that.
It is perfectly reasonable to offer pardons to people who are willing to shoot those who betray the trust of the people.
I would like to see a similar policy implemented here in the United States. For instance, Donald Trump could just come out and say that he’ll offer pardons to anybody who kills lying journalists at CNN and MSNBC.
And the funny part about this is that his pardon power is absolute. There is literally nothing anybody could do to prevent the head of the executive branch from doing this.
