India’s most radical economic experiment of demonetization officially ended last week, with Narendra Modi cleverly branding the exercise as a success as it put India on the path to digitisation of economy.
If an opinion poll on Wednesday was any indicator of the popularity of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the wake of demonetisation, Modi’s message of success seems to have been accepted by Indian public.
The fact that most of the banned currency has been returned to the banks has discredited the original argument given behind demonetisation that it would curb black money. Modi, however, has failed to acknowledge this failure of the whole drive even once in his self-congratulatory speeches since Dec 30.
The PM has cleverly turned the tables on the opposition who had been critical of demonetisation, be it Arvind Kejriwal or Rahul Gandhi.
All in all, despite all his pitfalls, Modi still remains India’s most popular leader and firmly in control.
He is turning out to be one of the most decisive and politically shrewd prime ministers that India has ever had, a far cry over previous Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
However, there are certain world leaders who give Modi a run for his money, be it in popularity or notoriety.
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines was described as “colorful” by Barack Obama after Duterte reportedly called US President “son of a whore”.
Duterte,71, has also turned on its head his country’s long-standing policy of allying with the US. His warm overtures to China and his toeing of Beijing’s line on the South China Sea dispute has made Washington wary of the Philippines.
(Source: Youtube/AFP)
Duterte’s rise to power was characterised by his crowd-pleasing rants against his country’s drug addicts.
In his maiden speech after inaugurating as President in June last year, Duterte laid out his plan for getting his country free of drug addicts as he claimed that there were around 3.5 million addicts in the Phillipines.
His plan, “I have to slaughter these idiots for destroying my country.”
Nevertheless, the Filipino strongman is hugely popular is his home country.
Most recently Duterte recounted having shot a drug addict by himself during a news conference in December.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump needs no introduction. The yet-to-be sworn in American president won the popular vote, defying the expectations of his fellow politicians, including those within the Republican Party who never expected to him.
Trump’s presidential campaign was heavily scrutinised by the media, for all the ‘sexist’, ‘racist’ and ‘derogatory’ statements he made. The 70-year old New York businessman, however, remained unfazed during the election process and return every media attack on him, as he blamed the press for being out-of-touch with the ground reality in not sensing his popularity.
(Source: Youtube)
Since winning election, Trump has created quite a stir in internationally for targetting China and threatening to start a nuclear arms race with other powers in the world. His vow of resetting America’s relations with its long-standing allies like Japan have put a big question mark on the future of American hegemony in Asia.
Considered as diplomatically inept and a political loudmouth by his critics, Trump has got a knack of making big announcements on Twitter, a habit his incoming support staff seem to be worried about.
Vladimir Putin
He may be a hugely controversial figure in the West, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has been in the good books of his countrymen who have been electing him to power since 2000. Beside a brief four-year hiatus from 2008 and 2012, Putin has been the Russian President all along since 2000.
The 64-year old former KGB spy has been seen been credited with bringing Russia back in the big league of powers, a status that eluded Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin’s expansionist policies have put him at odds with Europe and the US, with Russia’s decision to annex Crimea in 2014 a main area of contention between the West and Russia. Moscow’s hugely successful campaign in Syria in 2015 in support of Syrian president Bashar-al Assad marked a new chapter in Russia’s recent history.
Putin’s popularity has, however, been marred by faltering economy and accusations of silencing political dissent.
(Source: Youtube)
While Russia’s economy grew by a consistent seven percent during his first presential term, the growth slowed down to 0.6 percent for 2014. Battling economic harsh sanctions for going to war in Crimea, Russia is predicted to enter recession in the coming years.
However, strongman Putin still remains the most popular leader in Russia.
Robert Mugabe
The Zimbabwe strongman just doesn’t want to hang his boots, despite botching up his country’s economy and society over and over. The 92-year old former African nationalist has been in power as president since 1987, and apparently frets at any suggestion that he steps down. He has been known to brutally crush dissent, in the way committing gross human rights abuses and supervising mass murder of his political opponents.
Under Mugabe’s reign, the once “breadbasket” of Africa has witnessed worsening ever-plunging health and economic indicators. The life expectancy in Zimbabwe when Mugabe took office was 59, dropping to one of the lowest in the world at 43 in mid-2000s before coming up again to 58 again last year. In contrast, Mugabe is 92 and still going strong!
But it’s the economy where Mugabe has wreaked real havoc on his country. His racist policy of stripping minority white-Zimbabweans of their land in 2000s and redistributing the confiscated land among black and unskilled Africans hit country’s agricultural output bad, beside unleashing a bout of ongoing hyperinflation. In 2008, an egg was going for 50 billion Zimbabwe dollars at 3.5 million per cent inflation.
(Source:Youtube)
In contrast to his country’s economic situation, Mugabe’s lawful net worth is estimated at $10 million.
Joseph Kabila
“Pact Would Force Out Joseph Kabila From Congo. If, of Course, He Agrees,” that’s how American newspaper The New York Times reported on Joseph Kabila, the leader of war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa.
A son of a rebel-turned-politician who was the president of Congo before handing the reigns over in 2001, Kabila has been in power for almost 16 years now and has refused to leave office, though his official term expired in December.
During his time in power as head of Africa’s most naturally endowed yet impoverished nation, Kabila has cracked down mercilessly on political dissent and jailed most of his political opponents.
Like the other African on the list, Kabila is known to be outrageously corrupt and is believed to have embezzled millions of dollars worth of funds from sales of Congo’s diamonds, gold, oil and other natural resources.
Kabila has now assured that he would step down in the end of 2017, but if he really would is anybody’s guess.
(Source: Youtube/BBC)
