Zamudio: More talk, more mistakes

HE SAID it himself. His mouth is his weakness, but it is also his strength.

In less than a hundred days in office, he has managed to insult the memory of a rape victim, the Pope, the Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice, the president of the United States, and the European Union. The civilized world is aghast at his recent statement drawing parallelism with his war on drugs to Hitler’s slaughter of Jews during the Holocaust. As soon as his controversial statements see print, his Cabinet have to scramble hard and issue clarification along the lines that he was misquoted or taken out of context. On many occasions he had to apologize.

President Duterte’s numerous gaffes stem from the fact that he loves to talk. He simply cannot resist the opportunity to speak his mind. Not only that, he dislikes written speeches, preferring instead to speak extemporaneously because he finds prepared outlines boring. Even when talking about the country’s position in international relations he talks without notes, often times compromising confidentiality. In so doing he telegraphs his punches, giving other countries clear camera lens focus on his points of view and strategies on issues relating to the Philippines’ dealings with other countries. In the international stage, he is a poker player who puts his cards face down, but nonchalantly quips he has a weak hand because he was dealt the aces of hearts and clubs.

When he talks he wants to draw his message from the very depths of his emotion. And here lies the genesis of Duterte’s troubles. Frequent press conferences and unprompted speeches from a highly emotional leader make for a combination prone to mistakes in the context, choice of words, delivery, and accuracy of facts quoted. His less than stellar command of English and Filipino adds to the aggravation.

More than 90 percent of Filipinos approve of Duterte’s performance to date and his minions cannot seem to find anything wrong with his policies and pronouncements despite outrage from his local and international critics. But he might be squandering his political capital too quickly. Lately, many of his prominent political allies have advised him to speak less and just do his job, and let the result of his labors do the talking.

But Duterte is right. His mouth is his weakness, but it is also his strength, cuss words and all. After all, his unrestrained gutter language and street smart rhetoric during the campaign brought him all the way to the pinnacle of Philippine political power. Upon assuming office, his bold statements and actions in his war against drugs and corruption in government have won him many converts, further bloating his support base of the more than 16 million Filipinos who voted for him. His approval rating reached unprecedented heights partly because of his use of words that appeal to the Filipino common man’s aspiration for a better life.

After his election, he promised to act and speak more presidential when he assumes office. Apparently, he has not kept his word. His stinging and sometimes politically incorrect statements have put him and the country in many embarrassing situations. Maybe the time is right for Duterte to use his “strength” sparingly and allow his spokesmen to conduct press briefings on state actions and policies to afford deniability in case of adverse public opinion on the issue. While at it a crash course on statecraft and diplomacy would certainly do him no harm, notwithstanding his 71 years of experience.

Less talk, less mistake is a truism Duterte better heed, for his and the country’s sake.

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