President Rodrigo Duterte and other world leaders who wield support from the sentiments of the seemingly forgotten middle class are expected to gain more power over the next decade as the wave of populism will not break anytime soon, American historian Alfred McCoy said.
The still unsolved disparity between the elite and the common people creates an opening for demagogues to thrive, especially in an age where pleas for equality are easily aired through social media, he said in his keynote speech at an international conference of The Third World Studies Center on the occasion of its 40th year, held at the U.P. Asian Center on Thursday.
"The wave is still rising, is still cresting... It hasn't played out. President Duterte is part of that cresting wave and he will continue to amass power as global trends continue to reenforce him," said McCoy, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Duterte and new U.S. President Donald Trump are considered by many political analysts as among the world's new populist leaders.
But McCoy issued a warning about populist leaders' promise of changing the quality of life of the masses.
"The one thing about these demagogues is they promise that they will deliver change. And when that change doesn't come, then they're gonna make up another story."
During the 2016 election campaign, Duterte vowed to end the drug menace and reduce crime in his first 6 months in office. He later on said he had to move the deadline, adding he did not realize the extent of the drug problem.
THE DUTERTE APPEAL
But even though Duterte's bloody drug war has been criticized by former U.S. President Barack Obama, the United Nations, and international NGOs, he continues to enjoy high public trust and approval ratings.
McCoy attributed this to how the political message and acts are packaged and presented to the public.
"Like any political acts, it depends on how the people read the violence. If it represents a promise for order and a better life, if it is a testament of the leader's power and strength, the capacity to deliver, to cut through all the barriers that for so long have stopped people from attaining a better life, then it will be well-received. It will work," he said.
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