Course Title:

Introduction To Political Science

(PSCI 1010)

Topic: Duterte's four years in power- extrajudicial killings,

rights abuses and terror.

Name: Mohamad Luqman Bin Mohamad Shahril (2119071)

Lecturer’s name: Dr. Rohana Binti Abdul Hamid

Section:1

Semester: 2 (2021/2022)
 1. Summary of the news

A harsh UN Human Rights Council report on widespread extrajudicial executions was

included in a review of President Rodrigo Duterte's fourth year in office. The passage of a

controversial anti-terrorism bill and a botched reaction to the coronavirus outbreak were also

mentioned in the review. In a mix of police operations and vigilante killings, more than

27,000 accused drug peddlers have been killed since 2016. Nearly 250 human rights

defenders have also been killed, including unions, attorneys, journalists, and environmental

activists by using coercive power that they have. President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines

has signed a contentious anti-terror bill into law, which critics worry may be used to further

suppress dissent.

The law has been heavily criticized for its vague definition of terrorism and the broad

powers it grants security services. "It's as though the Philippines is always in a state worse

than martial law," former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio stated. The Philippine

government has been criticized for employing militarized approach with their entitlement of

position of power that they have to deal with a public health emergency. In the Southeast

Asian region, the country at that time has the largest number of COVID-19 infections.

Lockdown regulations have forced the closure of enterprises and wreaked havoc on the

economy, resulting in the unemployment of an estimated 7.3 million people. However, Harry

Roque added that the problem was the epidemic only although known by everyone that it is

just a persuasion with full of deception.

1
 2. Opinion on the article

It is often argued that, leaders in any sort of country do know what are the best

solution under their territorial governance as it associates with something that most other

people outside the place of their governance can’t comprehend properly as it driven by the

matter of sociocultural that only the people living there understand how are they living their

life. However, it is still distinguishable whether it is an act for the people or an act for

protecting the position of themselves.

Based on the article, I am strongly disagreeing with the behaviors and the policies of

the government that been practiced. Because by the way of Duterte practicing the policy in

the country, there is likely for the country will be led to the governance of dictatorship in that

country as the people don’t have their voice to be listened. Based on a paper that been written

by Ronald Wintrobe, governance of dictatorship is that dictators stay in power through

repression. Dictators rule by commands and prohibitions.1 The police monitor compliance

and there are sanctions for disobedience. This statement does correlate with the way of how

Duterte govern Philippines by silencing the people’s dissent in a harsh way which is death

penalty. Although they are entitled with the coercive power, it is unreasonable for acting such

way.

Moreover, Duterte also practicing one of the types of power which is persuasion. This

is quite dangerous as persuasion have the capability of reaching within and also across a wide

set of diverse populations to change a social or cultural system.2 And the persuasion that been

practiced by Duterte in this scenario is surely full of deception as it is contested by many

people regarding the vague definition of terrorism in his bill that been implemented to the law

that the wide powers give security forces to arrest suspected terrorists without a warrant and

1
Wintrobe, Ronald. (2009). Dictatorship: Analytical Approaches. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative
Politics.
2
Heotis, Effie. (2017). Leadership and the Art of Social Persuasion. SOJ Psychology. 4. 2.

2
detain them without charges for a longer period of time for him to arrest people who’s not on

the road of decision as him. Truth is, Duterte is the actual “terrorist” as he was terrorising the

people understanding and rights as the people have the probability of being charged with the

vague law that being implemented for their own good.

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 3. View from the Islamic perspective

Islam concerned pertaining the importance of governing a territory with the value of

justness. There is a verse in Al-Quran that stated:

َ‫سو َل َوت َ ُخونُ ٰٓو ۟ا أَ َمـنَـتِ ُك ْم َوأَنت ُ ْم ت َ ْعلَ ُمون‬

ُ ‫لر‬ ۟ ُ‫وا ََل تَ ُخون‬
َ َّ ‫وا ٱ‬
َّ ‫ّلل َوٱ‬ ۟ ُ‫يَـٰٓأَيُّ َها ٱلَّذِينَ َءا َمن‬

O you who have believed, do not betray Allah and the Messenger or betray your trusts while
you know [the consequence].3
Nowadays, we can see there are many countries that are suffered from various aspects of

problem due to corrupt leaders and fraud way of ruling. Thus, people are required to choose a

responsible leader in order to ensure the future and rights of its people are in the safe hand.

As from what can be interpreted from the article, Duterte indeed exploit the ability for

its people to speak out by implementing a bill that making dissents as a crime. Islam does not

forbid the speech and expression as long as it does not violate the Quran and al-Hadith, thus,

each individual is allowed to submit their opinions for the benefit of all mankind. Rasulullah

S.A.W said:

‫إَل َل يمنعن رجال هيبة الناس أن يقول بحق إذا علمه‬

Meaning: Remember, do not let fear of man prevented with the right person to say if he
knew.4

Hadith above stated the importance of everyone's right to express themselves in areas of

rights. However, every individual or group, as well as leaders involved in the right to freedom

of expression, should adhere to the limits of freedom of speech from having the element of

insulting. This is to avoid any detrimental consequences for individuals and the community as

a whole.

3
Surah Al-Anfal, Verse 27
4
Hadith No 2191, Narrated by Ibn Majah

4
 Moreover, regarding the Duterte’s controversial act that he proposed a vague bill in

order to protect their power from any that are against him. There is a verse in Al-Quran:

ُ ‫شآٰءِ َوٱ ْل ُمنك َِر َوٱ ْلبَ ْغ ِى ۚ يَ ِع‬

َ‫ظ ُك ْم لَ َعلَّ ُك ْم تَذَ َّك ُرون‬ َ ‫ع ِن ٱ ْلفَ ْح‬
َ ‫ئ ذِى ٱ ْلقُ ْربَى َويَ ْن َهى‬ َ ‫ّلل يَأ ْ ُم ُر ِبٱ ْل َعدْ ِل َوٱ ْ ِْل ْح‬
ِ ٰٓ ‫سـ ِن َو ِإيتَا‬ َ َّ ‫ِإ َّن ٱ‬
Meaning: Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids
immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be
reminded.5

This verse of Al-Quran emphasised on the matter of abusive of power as what Duterte is

practicing are strictly prohibited that really need to be avoided by any leader that been given

power due to his responsibilities.

5
Surah Al-Anfal, Verse 90

5
 4. Conclusion

Corruption is most widespread in places where there are other forms of institutional

weakness, such as political instability, bureaucratic red tape, and weakened legislative and

judicial systems as the incident that happened in Philippine. The crucial aspect to remember

is that corruption and institutional flaws are inextricably intertwined, and that they mutually

reinforce one another. For example, red tape facilitates corruption, and corrupt officials may

work to increase the extent of red tape in order to collect more bribes from the public. And it

is clearly shown that Duterte govern the country based on his whims and fancies that full with

corruption to the point of contradicting to the provisions of Al-Quran and Sunnah and even

the normal intuition of human being can value it to be inhuman. There is also a Hadith

emphasizing the honesty on leadership; “No Imam or authority spends the dark of night being

deceptive in his jurisdiction but that Allah will forbid him from entering Paradise”.6 Thus,

every people must take the incident as a moral to be used in order to preserve the peace of

their country themselves.

6
Tārīkh Dimashq 38523
6
Bibliography

1. Wintrobe, Ronald. (2009). Dictatorship: Analytical Approaches. The Oxford

Handbook of Comparative Politics.
2. Heotis, Effie. (2017). Leadership and the Art of Social Persuasion. SOJ Psychology.
4. 2.
3. Surah Al-Anfal, Verse 27
4. Hadith No 2191, Narrated by Ibn Majah
5. Surah Al-Anfal, Verse 90
6. Tārīkh Dimashq 38523