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Controversy Over Arroyo’s Decision To Tap Giuliani As Consultant
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Arroyo's decision is causing controversy |
MANILA, Feb. 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Philippine President Gloria Arroyo’s tapping of former New York city mayor Rudolph Giuliani as her security consultant raised a heated controversy among Filipino politicians, pro-Arroyo and opposition alike.
Arroyo said Tuesday she hoped to tap former New York city mayor Rudolph Giuliani as a consultant to repair the country's image battered by lawlessness.
Returning home from a three-nation tour that included a visit to New York city, she told reporters that since Giuliani had retired, "We could recruit him as a consultant on peace and order."
Opposition legislators have criticized Arroyo's move, saying it would be an insult to Filipinos to hire a foreigner to advise her on a local matter, AFP reported.
“That is one of the most dangerous decisions of President Arroyo, Americans are already on our homeland,” Filipino senator, Acullino Bimintel told IslamOnline Thursday. “They (the Americans) have come to fight for us in Basilan (Filipino Island), now the circle will be complete with American Giuliani working as her consultant,” he added.
Banfillo Laxen, former chief of Filipino police and currently a Senator, fiercely attacked Arroyo’s decision, calling it “crazy”. “Isn’t that a crazy decision?! Don’t we have one single Filipino qualified for such a job? We sure have millions who are, so, why would we hire a foreigner?” Laxen stressed that it was not proper to hire an “American mind” to run things in the Philippines.
Opposition Senator Robert Barbirs, and Christian activist, Robert Rayce described Arroyo’s decision as “part of Americanizing the Filipino government and an insult to the police and army.”
However, Arroyo said that while Filipino consultants were effective, it was better to have different viewpoints.
The Philippines suffers from an image of lawlessness and disorder with communist insurgents and Muslim groups active in the countryside and criminal gangs engaged in kidnapping for ransom in Manila.
Arroyo said hiring Giuliani was recommended to her by some international advisers during her recent trip to New York, recalling the ex-mayor had "turned New York around. So they suggested I get him as a consultant."
Arroyo said she did not know what it would cost to hire Giuliani, who has plans to form a management-consulting firm after he stepped down as mayor on December 31, 2001.
Giuliani won worldwide acclaim for his handling of the September 11 deadly attacks in New York. Arroyo's National Security Adviser Roilo Golez cited Giuliani for fighting crime and poor sanitation in New York during his years as mayor.
However, Arroyo said that while Filipino consultants were effective, it was better to have different viewpoints.
With additional reporting by Sohaib Jassim
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