Privatise police in Philippines to curb corruption
Watching the recent slaughter in Manila was indeed heart-wrenching, and one can certainly empathise with the outrage felt by those who witnessed the botched response by police played out on television.
Many people in Hong Kong are demanding an investigation.
Sadly, I suspect that deep down most already know the root cause of this problem: corruption in the police and in the government.
This is an opportunity for Filipinos to demand a clean-up of their government and security forces. Few disagree that a strong message needs to be sent.
The people of the Philippines must be ashamed of the way their police disregard their duty to keep the peace on a regular basis. The real question then becomes, how to clean it up? Relying on the same corrupt politicians and bureaucrats would not be wise.
How can they put the right incentives in place that reward good performance and hold leaders accountable? One answer that deserves serious consideration is privatisation. In 2009, The Irish Times reported that Ireland's police force, the Garda Siochana, threatened a strike in response to public pay cuts.