After some human rights advocates have criticized his brutal drug crackdown, President Duterte is taking refuge in Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi’s statement that every right comes with responsibility.
The President said Suu Kyi was “very correct” about the responsibility that comes with a person’s many rights while defending his anti-drug efforts, including the proposed return of death penalty, in the country.
“It was Aung Suu Kyi. She said that if there is every right, there is always the responsibility. So if you are given the right to live by God, you have a responsibility,” he said in a press conference at the close of the ASEAN summit in Manila last Saturday night.
“You have your human rights, yes, correct but that human right given to you must be used by you to preserve human right also. That’s the long and short of her story,” he added.
Suu Kyi, a democracy leader freed after several years of arrest, represented Myanmar in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. The popular Nobel Peace Prize winner joined the ASEAN discussions presided by over Duterte on various issues, including regional peace, security, and economic development.
Before mentioning Suu Kyi, the President pushed for the return of capital punishment for drug-related crimes in the country. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)
