On Gaviria's Claim that President Duterte is Repeating his Mistakes

Yellowtards will feast on this piece by former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria of Colombia.

Gaviria ran in place of the assassinated Luis Martin Galan, who was killed by assassins hired by Pablo Escobar. Colombia's drug problem isn't domestic in nature. The average Colombian can't afford the price of cocaine. Colombia's drug problem is one of corruption which continues to this day because of the inability of both Colombia, as the country of origin, and the US as the country of destination, of cocaine. In fact, cocaine and methamphetamine hydrochloride are totally two different drugs. Cocaine is organic as it is derived from coca leaves while methamphetamine is purely chemical in nature.

What the Philippines and Colombia share is the plantation style politics imprinted on the country by the Spanish colonizers, from which poverty stems. Oligarchs abound in South America which is also the same in the Philippines. Corrupt police and public officials have allowed the drug trade to flourish to epidemic proportions.

The solution is not to approach the problem as a public health issue but as a political issue. Even first world countries such as the US and Australia are now grappling with a crystal meth problem because it is the poor man's cocaine. What makes the problem worse is the fact that there is no proven rehabilitation protocol for crystal meth addiction because of its purely chemical nature.

Gaviria's claim would have basis if he had been able to stop the production and export of cocaine from Colombia to the world.

The better question Gaviria should answer is why he was able to neutralize Pablo Escobar with the help of the US DEA but not the rival Cali cartel.

You may find the link to Cesar Gaviria's New York Times Article here.

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