(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte called the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein “stupid and “a little bit crazy” for tagging him as a “murderer” and for dictating on the Philippine government on what it should do on its own affairs.
Mr. Duterte said it was not proper for a UN official to dictate on a sovereign country what it should do. He said Al Hussein cannot just call a President who was elected by the people in a UN member state a “murderer” and call for its own government to investigate him.
For his lack of knowledge in international law, diplomacy and the Philippine law, the President called the UN High Commissioner an “idiot,” “stupid,” a “little crazy,” and “lacking in brains.”
“”I think there is one United Nations official, human rights. Sabi niya si Duterte daw is a murderer, should be charged for murder. Dapat daw ako kasuhan. This guy is ever the joker or medyo sira ang ulo,” the President said in a speech delivered in Angeles City, Pampanga, during the Convergence of Nanay Volunteers as Community Drugwatch, on Thursday.
Mr. Duterte said Al Hussein does not even know “international law” and principles of diplomacy.
“Go back to school. You United Nations (official), you do not know diplomacy. You do not know how to behave to be an employee of the United Nations. You do not talk to me like that, you son of a b___. Ang maka-son of a b___ lang sa akin Pilipino kung hindi ako nagtatrabaho,” he said.
The President said: “Who gave you the right? You lack knowledge of international law. We have contributions to the United Nations, you rowdy son of a b—-“
“I am a member state, a sovereign state. Please shut up because you lack brains. Do not do that. You’re just an employee there, by appointment. Got it?”
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein took up the post as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in September 2014.
He is a career diplomat who played a central role in the establishment of the International Criminal Court and was elected the first president of the Assembly of State Parties of the International Criminal Court in September 2002.
He is the son of Prince Ra’ad bin Zeid, Lord Chamberlain of Jordan, and is the apparent first in line to the throne of the Kingdom of Iraq according to the mainstream claim, with the title of Crown Prince.
The President said the Philippines pays part of the salaries of UN officials, and that Hussein therefore has no right to tell a sovereign state what to do.’
“You (UN) officials who are sitting there, we pay your salaries. You idiot, you don’t tell me what to do. I am your employer. You do not do it to a nation,” Duterte said.
As a UN member nation, the Philippines pays contributions to the UN to sustain its operations, he stressed.
Al Hussein was nominated to his post by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who was himself criticized by Mr. Duterte for making judgments on his anti-drug war campaign.
According to the better world campaign.org website, funding for the UN indeed comes from member-states and that currently, it is the US which is its biggest funder.
“The current payment structure for UN Regular Budget dues sets maximum (22%) and minimum (.001%) rates for all nations based on their ability to pay. The U.S. pays the maximum rate and has negotiated several reductions in this rate over time, most notably from 25% to 22%. The assessment rate is primarily determined by gross national income, and since the U.S. has one of the highest in the world, its dues assessments are higher than those of other Member States,” it said.
Aside from membership dues, UN also accepts voluntary contributions from member-states.
“Unlike dues payments, voluntary contributions are entirely left to the discretion of individual member states,” it said.
Earlier, two lawmakers also scored the UN High Commissioner for his remarks.
Both Senator Panfilo Lacson and Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque said Al Hussein’s comments were inappropriate and reflected his apparent lack of knowledge of Philippine laws which recognizes that the President is immune from suit during his incumbency, and gives high importance to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
On Tuesday, the UN rights chief issued a statement saying that Duterte was a “murderer” and called on authorities in the Philippines to investigate its own President after Duterte had admitted that he had previously joined police operations against criminals. One example the President cited was a police operation against a kidnapper who had asked for ransom for the release of a kidnapped woman.
Malacanang has defended the President and said the operation described was at a time when he was still the Davao City mayor and that they were part of legitimate police operations which had even been covered by local media.