Barry Soper: Crazy politics around the world

Front-running Philippines presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. AP photo / Bullit Marquez

Opinion

There's something about politics at the moment that seems to defy any rational explanation, and not just what is happening in God's Own.

It's bad enough here with the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which if said fast enough can sound like a profanity, which would make sense to those who think it is one anyway.

The most revealing aspect that has come out of the latest, frenzied dump of the papers from Panama is that Elvis hasn't left the room, in fact he's living in Tauranga at an address that was used by an alleged Iraqi bagman in a major bribery scandal in that country.

Elvis' presence in the papers was described by the Prime Minister as an impersonator which he said was not unlike Andrew Little firing questions at him who was impersonating the leader of the Labour Party. Yeah, well, Annette King chimed in that at least he's not a clown like the PM.

Falling into that category would surely have to be the Donald Trump of politics in the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who looks a dead cert to take the Presidency there with the vote in so far heavily stacked in his favour. He is expected to be confirmed in a few weeks time.

The formerly unheard of 71-year-old mayor from a city in the south jokes about wanting to gang rape a woman and vows to kill all drug addicts within six months of the election.

All his other policies are secret, although he has a solution for what is potentially a significant military flash point in the region, the South China Sea. He's planning to ride a jetski to a disputed island, occupied by the Chinese, and drive a Philippine stake in the ground. With great glee he apparently says he'd like to burn the Singaporean flag and expel the Australian embassy and while he's at it he'd like to show people his private parts.

Even Imelda Marcos' fixation with her feet and shoes didn't sink that low.

But unlike Trump and his opponent Hilary Clinton, it's not a contest of the most disliked in Philippines politics. They like this man who described his main opponent - who has now conceded - as Adolf Hitler.

So if you thought the Americans were suffering after being starved of political oxygen, think of those voters more close to our home.

Clearly they love the theatre of politics. Remember Joseph Estrada, the Philippines President, who at times thought he was Elvis, and obviously believed he was entitled to the same sort of wealth, stealing $US80m from the government and being sent to jail for life.

He was later pardoned by the President, had another crack at the job six years ago, and staggeringly came in second!

Warning: Video contains graphic language.

Video: https://youtu.be/SLo67AdKTQ0